Poor customer service in the UK
I purchased some lights over 12 days ago from a well known retailer and still haven't had a delivery. I have contacted their customer services department on 3 separate occasions and as yet have had no response. This company says 'They offer speedy delivery and excellent customer service' another company all mouth and nothing to back it up. I would advise customers to source their goods elsewhere. Steve
Customer Services in BIG shops is extremely poor. My son and I spent a day last week looking to replace a TV. First point of call was Cash Generator where the young, rude and unhelpful staff attempted to sell us a TV that was not working and another that had no remote control even though it was advertised as having one! When we complained to the manager, he blamed both faults on the customer bringing in faulty items and staff loosing things! Next we went to PC World where we found a perfect 32" TV at the right price. But the shop refused to sell it to us because a fictitious customer had reportedly bought it! Strange, because it had the same name of a boy who had sold me a dodgy netbook overleaf on the display ticket. It was on shop floor being displayed for sale yet he had reserved it! So we left and went to Comet where we bought a 22" TV, which only worked for 3 days and as I write this TV is packed in its boxed waiting for an engineer to say it is faulty before a refund is given! That is more time off work for that plus more costly phone calls to Call service centres with Comet having the worst, unsympathetic, uncaring, not-customer focused, unapologetic, sarcastic I've ever dealt with. Now I have a TV, bought for Christmas with very little chance of us getting a refund BEFORE then so we can go get another one. The whole thing is a complete, unacceptable joke and we are not laughing! Anon
In this country if you book a holiday abroard especially a cruise, if for any reason it goes wrong such as flight cancellation be prepared for the following. It's the UK, so we don't return calls. It's not our fault but hang on, I'll just pass you on to someone else who doesn't give a damn either. Be prepared to be on hold for an hour only to be cut off. What about another flight you may ask? No can do, youll just have to miss your boat and contact us another date try sometime after Xmas. What about my money and all the extras ive paid for? No chance im afraid you lost that. What about the expense ive incured in petrol driving four hours and back from the airport, and what about the hotel I stayed in and the loss of two weeks parking? What about the money I paid for the cat to stay 2 weeks at a cattery? Why is no one from the company I booked with, willing to SPEAK TO ME?? Why did they send us home when there were other flights? Why do they always answer the phone to take your money but never to resolve an issue? Why do they answer the phone in America but not in the UK. We need to be a lot more higher in our expectations and ask who is sorting out what, when it goes wrong. Customer service in the UK sucks. Blue Nose
I got an outward bound sales call from Talk Talk. I'm already a long standing existing customer. I was offered a new package which made a lot of sense and I went with. Great. I was then asked to hold while the call was transfered to a manager who would confirm my order. (I hadn't ordered anything, but I suppose thats just being picky!). I then speak to a 'manager' who then proceeds to read out a script repeating everything that I have just been through and welcoming me to Talk Talk as a new customer. I explain that I am an exitingcustomer and don't need to go through this. "But I have to read this script" she says. It was so irritating, irrelevant and a waste of my time that I decided to call customer services (thats a joke). A ice lady told me that she would log my complaint. When asked if I could speak to someone in more authority, I was told no I couldn't and that no feedback was available, un less I wrote in. So I made two complaints about the customer experience. The first about my first call with Talk Talk and the second about the compalint handling procedure. I notice that last year Talk Talk opened a very swanky Customer Experience Centre. Shame the hype doesn't support the acual experience of being a customer. Joe Espana
Comments from visitors
A bored spectator - 30-Jun-11 20:31
Kay Sherman angry and peed - 16-Mar-11 23:46
cbc.ca/marketplace
You'll love it. Trust me if you watch see who got BUSTED. They name names, places, scams ...
Sam, the Tiger - 13-Mar-11 12:50
Why didn't this go through the first time? Too short, too incriminating, darned - so I'm padding it up to bulk it.
Failed again, the second time. Sigh, maybe I should find an article on this sort of service garbage in our province and country. Seriously, so much you will pick up from The Marketplace - click on "cbc.ca" and go to the link.
Sam, the Tiger - 13-Mar-11 12:40
This week portrayed what goes on in the $20 billion cellphone industry. Here are some representative eye-openers: so, caveat emptor (buyer beware), not caveat venditor anymore. The latter gets away if you assumed too much. I won't mention the names of of these huge intercom conglomerates for their unconscionable trade practices.
A varsity kid visiting Russia was penalized $18,000 for roaming charges. With CBC's intervenion, it was reduced to $5000. Cost to the Russian service provider $4.00 and air time usage was equivalent to downloading half (1/2) a movie. Markup - 125,000% (I didn't work this out).
Another firm reduced a subsciber paid for but insufficiently-used air time daily due to "maintenance cost" for his not knowing how to text. $205.00 and would not budge.
A US citizen (deported) in Toronto and recently divorced from her government official husband had to return to the States. Canceling her phone contract cost her $800.00.
A fat-cat federal Telecommunications Minister, a moron extraordinaire was interviewed; he passed the buck on to our CRTC (Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission). I guess this is where the buck stops, DEAD, right on the track.
Lesson to take from this: DO NOT ASSUME. DO NOT TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED AT FACE VALUE. KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO. If it's too good to be true, it probably is.
Happy weekend, folks.
Sam, the Tiger - 13-Mar-11 12:27
The following are terrible: lloyds TSB, HBoS, scottish power, virgin media, orange, specsavers.
The following are terrible: lloyds TSB, HBoS, scottish power, virgin media, orange, specsavers.
Browse through it and see what's available out there for recourse. Good luck.
Sam, the Tiger - 7-Mar-11 22:41
You may also wish to read a complaint report filed by a Southern California resident (from Chatsworth) against Fry's Electronics in Woodland Hills (not far from LA to the NW) - with a report initially to the consumer protection bureau, followed by a suit that he won. You need to both speak out and act on it. Keep lambasting them with letter after letter with cc to the top.
I like Fry's in the Bay area for their array of products by virtue of their big box status and locations; but I'm not bowled over by their service. Advice: pick a right guy to deal with. I've no problem saying, "Mind if I get someone else to deal with me."
http://www.ripoffreport.com
Sam, the Tiger - 7-Mar-11 18:33
A video recorder I bought from them a few years ago broke down while still under guarantee. I took it back and they refused to replace it; said they would have to send it away for an engineer to look at, this would take "up to 17 days".
I asked if they had a video to lend me "for up to 17 days" as the one I had brought back was still under guarantee and I felt I was entitled to a replacement. "No." "So what do I do without a video for 2 and a half weeks?" "Sorry, there's nothing we can do."
"Well", "I said, I'm thinking of buying a pvr fairly soon, if you can lend me a video now I will definitely buy the pvr from you. If you don't lend me a video I will definitely NOT buy the pvr from you." Still no dice.
So, I had to go and buy a cheap video (from somewhere else of course) and then I eventually spent the £300 that Comet didn't want on a Humax, from a small local electrical retailer. I could have got it £30 or £40 cheaper from a large chain, but as it's a complicated bit of kit and all the programmes you've recorded are actually in the machine's hard drive I was happy to pay the extra for the better service and peace of mind.





