Argos/Sainsburys combo rage

[MsScarlettOHara]

Maybe I am just being grumpy but I really do think that sometimes, companies are using this pandemic as a reason to justify poor customer service. One example I faced this week:

Ordered clothes from Sainsburys online as sizes in store were poor choice and my daughter really needed some summer clothes. Wait 7 days, they arrive and some items didn't fit. Need to refund so I can buy other things. Popped to Sainsburys to refund as I am loathe to spend £3.50 to return it via mail (the returns slip stated to pop to a Click & collect store to exchange or refund).

Anyhoo, I wander up to Customer Services desk which is deathly silent and ask to refund. She refuses and says I NEED to go to Argos to return the clothes. Now, the Argos queue is, quite literally, 70 people deep and snaking round the entire shop. I queried why I should be expected to join a queue which would take at least an hour when she is stood there doing nothing? Plus, I didn't order anything from Argos, I ordered from Sainsburys? I had no transaction with Argos at all. She explained they are part of the same Group and that there was nothing she could do.

Now, I appreciate she is one girl and is only doing what she is told, and I was perfectly pleasant to her. But, why the heck is Sainsburys not realising that by insisting everyone joins one HUGE queue for a simple 3 minute refund process, they are seriously pissing off otherwise loyal customers? How many people out of those 70 were only popping in to return a top? How many were queuing up for barbeques? Argos isnt a speedy shop at the best of times, in my experience.

Yes, everyone needs to do their best in these times, blah blah, but surely this is just lacking in common sense? Whos brainchild was this? Why are they not realising that they could utilise their own Customer Service desk for eh...their own customer services!

[TriciaH87]

It's been that way for about 2 years now. They physically do not have the option on the store tills to do a refund for online and without receipt details the till will not alliw them to refund. I used to work for both companies. It frustrates the hell out of staff because this issue comes up daily. Message head office the more people complaining the better the chance the actually alliw the store to do the refunds in future.

[Worried74]

I am surprised you were allowed to return items, we were turned away being told Sainsbury's new policy during Covid 19 was you could not return items for 100 days, clothing etc included. Rang customer service to be spoken to like dirt. Also had a home delivery with a passive aggressive delivery driver who refused to socially distance, called to make them aware, not interested and a great deal of customer blaming. Used Sainsbury's for over 25 years not any more

[Hingeandbracket]

OP that seems a crazy setup. Not sure I am 100% happy with you calling the CS person a "girl" though - was she 12?

[PumpkinP]

I’m surprised so many were returning things to Argos I heard you had to wait till the stores were open and that Argos in Sainsburys weren’t accepting returns.

[Elouera]

I too didn't think they were accepting returns at the moment. I bought something last month from argos (I realise yours was Sainsburys) and it clearly says you cannot return anything till their physical argos stores re-open.

[Emmapeeler1]

That seems crazy when previously you just used to go to the customer service desk to return stuff which worked fine. I would also be baffled at being asked to go to Argos if I had bought something in Sainsbury's. If that is now the system they need a returns desk, not for you to join the actual Argos queue.

[DitheringBlidiot]

You weren't perfectly pleasant, there's no way of being perfectly pleasant to someone and simultaneously telling them they are "standing there doing nothing"

[Dogsovercats]

They've fundamentally changed the way they operate in order to integrate the Argos stores. You would also go to the Argos for your click and collect regardless of which brand it was, that's where the stock is held and where the tills can handle the process of returning an item. I doubt two years ago when they changed things to make them more efficient they were planning for a pandemic to be causing queues. Just because the colleague was 'doing nothing' doesn't mean she can magically change the functionality of the till to be able to process your return. YABU.