Clothes shops that play music

People should complain a lot more. Speak to assistants, ask to speak to the manager, phone them or write or email. Annoy them as much as their music annoys you until they turn it off and show some respect for customers.

Lets get some peace and quiet when shopping - what is wrong with that for god sake. We have unwelcomed noise and forced music from iplayers, mobile phones and other things when out and about no wonder poeple are stressed out having to endure other people's tastes. No wonder why people are freaking out. Shops should realise that loud noise is a real turnoff for some. I feel we should ban music from shops and give our brains time to think!

I agree entirely. However it is not only clothes shops - I noticed in Wickes the other day they had loud pop music playiing. I am sure it is only to please the people that work there. It is a real turnoff in a noise polluted and it actually has an adverse effect on my buying.

I typed the same word twice - sorry!

And now I have to blether a bit longer because admin wouldn't accept such a short post.

Tyrants everywhere! (only joking)

Loud piped music is a modern plague designed to bludgeon us into submission, obedience and submission. Resist! Complain whenever it annoys you - annoy them as much as they annoy you!
Links to organisation who are campaigning against this aural assault.

http://nomuzak.co.uk/orientation.html

http://www.pipedown.info/

Complain to 'health and safety' they seem to have their silly rules and regulations about most thnigs that don't matter, maybe they have some about things that do matter and could affect peoples' health. Or maybe not ...... 'fart' and 'thunderstorm' come to mind!

The Exchange shopping centre Ilford

I used to shop there sometimes and have a coffee with friends in Costa. It has become a nightmare place regarding noise and they will do nothing about it. I have complained to the management but they say the sound system is faulty and they have no control over the volume. I suggested that, in that case, why not turn it off as no one seems to like it anyway.

They were quite shocked at that suggestion as if not bombarding their long suffering customers and staff with loud tinny music on their very cheap sound system is unthinkable. I asked them if they could not hear that it was too loud and they were even more shocked. "We don't play it in our offices!" she bridled!

When I have complained to security staff or at their customer service desk I have been told repeatedly that customers keep complaining but management won't listen.

To me this is anti social and bullying behaviour and no different from what people are complaining about on the "underclass" thread. The only difference is that people can choose not to go back and that is what I have done.

If you use the Exchange and object to this bombardment then this is the management phone number:
0208 553 3000

Let them know what you think.

petra... you are so right... we need to fight back to stop this Musac... it batters at you and for me creates a huge barrier to communication as I am hearing impaired like 9 million other deaf and hard of hearing people in the country.

and it is played so loud that it is going to make the people who work there in particular deaf also in the future. if you have to raise your voice so that you can be heard 2 metres away then that means that this "forced" musac is over 80 decibels... and that... over time is enough to cause hearing loss.

so why should we have to put up with this wherever we go. the young people may like it... but its actually older people that have the money to spend and shops and shopping centres should be made more aware of this... just out of self business interest they should turn it off permanently... and they would see their profits rise over time... as numerous studies have shown in the past.

its like a disease that is spreading everywhere.

Lets call piped music what it is - forced music. If people have no choice over whether it is played at all and no choice about what kind of music they play or at what volume then that is noise pollution.

You would not go into a restaurant or shop and be expected to put up with a pile of smelly rubbish that offends your sense of smell in the corner so why should you be expected to tolerate a horrible cacophony that offends your sense of hearing and stops you from talking to your companion?

We should start complaining about this bullying behaviour - there are even hospitals now who play piped music in wards! Poor sick people are immobilised in beds and forced to put up with someone elses choice of loud music. Isn't that a form of torture?

oh yes cat lovers. I use the Ilford Exchange Shopping Mall as well and the piped music in there is terrible. I like 9 million other hearing impaired people in the country have severe problems when I am trying to talk to people... staff in shops or friends over coffee because of this awful music.

Its totally wrong that this is forced on me and other hearing impaired shoppers. it is not just irritating it isolates and cuts us off from other people around us. I have repeatedly asked management to at the very least turn it right down or even better off completely but I am also ignored.

one day these shopping malls and shops with their own competing very loud piped music are going to find themselves being sued by their own staff. did you know that any sound over 80 decibels can cause a lasting hearing loss in people. and as a rough guide if you have to raise your voice to be heard at all that is over this danger limit.

so please get these managers to turn it off for good and all. its discriminating against those of us with a hearing loss... so we cannot talk to friends in these places like anyone else. and its interesting isnt it.. but the management offices in ilford exchange are all quiet all day... they dont have this same awful music piped into where they work. its just the rest of us that have to suffer.

In London the Ilford Exchange shopping mall started playing very loud music about 8 months ago.

It does not matter to them how much customers or shopkeepers complain about the noise, that you cannot hear yourself think and cannot talk properly to friends in the cafes and restaurants; they just refuse to turn it off.

I think that they have no right to force this noise on us without our permission. I have given up on complaining and will now shop elsewhere. It is the shopkeepers and cafe owners who will lose out on income. Perhaps they will go out of business and where will the Mall get its income then?

It`s not just clothes shops that have loud irritating music playing. Lately I have noticed that no matter which shop I go in, Matalan, Morrisons, or local "shopping centres" etc. there is music blaring out. If you complain, all you get is "Oh! we are so used to it we that we don`t hear it. No! because they have all gone deaf!!