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WHSmith customer service and returns

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I bought a PS2 game from WHSmith online for a child's Christmas present.  Only £3.99 with free delivery, 'great' I thought as I paid for the game and ticked another one off the list.  The game duly arrived and I noticed straight away that the box wasn't sealed.  In fact it looked as if it had been passed around the retail network rather too much.  Even worse, there was a scratch on the playing side of the disc so this was hardly ideal Christmas present material.  What if the child found that the game didn't work at a crucial point?

I followed the WHSmith 'returns' procedure precisely.  This stated that returns could not be made to WHSmith high street stores, so I posted the game to their address in Jersey (costing £1.50 recorded delivery).  Now WHSmith's own terms state that they will refund the postage cost of returning imperfect goods.  In my covering letter with the disc I stated explicitly that I was requesting a refund of both the purchase cost of the game, and the cost of the return postage.

In spite of their customer service system being abysmal and uncommunicative, WHSmith did eventually refund £3.99 to my credit card.  However, what about the £1.50 postage?  I called and emailed their customer service department.  They said I would have to submit proof that it had cost me £1.50 to return the item.  How crass is that?  Quite apart from the fact that WHSmith wouldn't have received the returned game if I hadn't paid someone to deliver it, the package had a £1.50 Royal Mail label on it!

A playstation game Anyway, I scanned the Royal Mail receipt / proof of postage slip and emailed the image to them (a few weeks ago) and I have not heard from WHSmith since.  Have I done something wrong?  Perhaps they require me to mail the original Royal Mail receipt (if so, at whose expense would that be?).  I'm keen to keep the original receipt safe in case I have to present it in court.

I will phone the WHSmith customer service department at a weekend when it costs me nothing to make the call, and no doubt I will use-up much more than £1.50's worth of their time remonstrating with them.

Of course there's a principle at stake here - even in these recessionary times the £1.50 is hardly the issue.  So to sum-up so far my experience with WHSmith - as of Feb 2009 I've heard nothing so I'm not going to be shopping with them any time soon; I have found their customer service quite inadequate and the staff I spoke to were totally ignorant!

By: Rik Green


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Shams

Shams

Its really rude of people to have a go at this person and call them cheap. Its a matter of principle. Right and wrong. A company should adhere to their policy and shopping laws.
23/05/22 Shams
0
Tobey

Tobey

Well done for chasing, it is the principle and if you let them get away with it, they get worse. They need to abide by consumer law, otherwise they should feel the heat.
08/06/21 Tobey
3
disgruntled Random lover

disgruntled Random lover

i would like to no how WHsmiths can justify the price of £2.99 for a 160g bag of Rowntrees Randoms !!!!!!!!!! . i have seen them as cheep as £1 , yeah they might be on special offer but £2.99 is a rip of price in todays climate . look at your pricing structure WHsmiths and stop pricing sweets at stupid prices !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
09/07/14 disgruntled Random lover
0
Gwen Hawkins

Gwen Hawkins

I would like to know how WH Smith justifies the prices they charge for humourous greetings cards. Of course, they are not individually priced which should ring bells if you are in a hurry. I stupidly bought seven cards and PAID £19.63. These cards I have found cheaper in local shops and Waitrose!. I had a card shop for 5 years. I know the prices and the mark ups and we didn't have to rob the public to have a very profitable business. Next time I will be far more careful and I will try an independent retailer. WHSmith will not be getting my custom again. Perhaps you might train your till staff to be more polite too!
15/12/12 Gwen Hawkins
-8
Yeast

Yeast

WHSmith - gone to the dogs? Ordered a £20 filofax, and was delivered a £1.50 pack of "Thank You" notes. Have emailed customer services with complaint and will await their response. But really, WHSmith, you used to be good back in the day, but these days, what the hell are you doing?
12/01/12 Yeast
1
deb

deb

if you enjoy reading go to the works ,i bought 3 books for £5.00 at the works ,WHSmiths is selling them at £6.99 for just 1 book
23/01/11 deb
-3
Rik Green is a LOSER

Rik Green is a LOSER

keep the receipt in case you have to go to court, u sad bas****d, get a fu**ing life, have you heard yourself , if i'd have answered the phone to you I would have laughed my head u cheap tw*t!!!!!!!!!!
16/11/10 Rik Green is a LOSER
-9
qudus ayilara

qudus ayilara

stop being a cheap ba***rd and get over it. Buy presents that are worth buying instead of cheap s**t !! idiot
04/06/10 qudus ayilara
-14
Clarite

Clarite

I work in a shop and am fed up with the odd customer who makes up their own trading rules: eg: it is illegal to refuse credit card payment for any amount (99p,...) or if it says £2.99 you must sell it for that even thought it's the only item priced at that so obviously we made a mistake (or it was swapped) and it should be £8.99. I work for a private retail company and we have enough wastage with people opening packets and rendering them useless by damaging the goods or dirtying them. Theft is a big problem too as well as returns after usage as no longer needed. Where are the laws protecting the retailer? Some people assume that it is ok to demand the same from small business as from major chains, it isn't we just cannot afford to waste money on unrealistic demands. Bring back common sense and courtesy please!
09/12/09 Clarite
-3
Mr Basildon Bond

Mr Basildon Bond

WH Smith is a rip-off.They have become too concerned with their profit margins in recent years rather than serving the benefits and offering good value for money to the customer.Simply because they have the monopoly over the distribution of newsprint and magazines in the British high street.89p for a can of coke.What a joke.
11/08/09 Mr Basildon Bond
-11
Nononsense

Nononsense

Use my rule - if the item is faulty under the Distance Selling (Mail Order, Telephone and Internet Shopping) act - they have to collect the item from you in the same manner it was delivered. It is witin your rights. I never take no for an answer and when speaking to a manager they know I am right eventhough they still try to pull the post it back to me line. If an item if faulty you just inform them asap and you are making the item available for them to collect.
15/05/09 Nononsense
-3
shame

shame

Keep the receipt in case you have to go to court? are you really that desperate for one pound and fifty pence? shopping online damages the high street shop. It may be a little cheaper to start with but at what cost to the local community.
10/03/09 shame
-14
Mark

Mark

Good on ya! The thing is, so many people would just suck it up and not bother chasing up the postage. At the end of the day you've been sold goods that aren't fit for purpose, you have a right to send them back and you have a right to expect that carriage to be paid for. Keep on the case and don't let WHSmith get away with this. The bigger they are, the harder they fall!
17/02/09 Mark
-4
MissusHilly

MissusHilly

W H Smith probably outsource their online stores sales and so on to another company, hence their crap service.
17/02/09 MissusHilly
-6
Gandalf

Gandalf

Go higher with your complaint to the Chairmans department, or Trading Standards and CC W HSmith the letter also add on Telephone Calls and Letters and Time.
16/02/09 Gandalf
-18

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