Hotter Shoes - bad experience - Evri and call centre abroad

[LovelyCoconuts]

Hello

As a woman of a certain age, I have regularly ordered Hotter Shoes.

We have had trouble with Evri in the last couple of weeks round here - incidents of theft and also abuse of elderly people on their own doorsteps. According to our fb page, the police have identified him and will be "apprehending him in the next 24hrs".

I phoned Hotter to place my most recent order and was assured they would send it via Royal Mail not Evri.

Well lo and behold they sent it via Evri. I didn't even realise as the lady I spoke to in the South African (?) call centre (she was not a native English speaker) spelled both my first AND last names wrong so I never got any emails with delivery updates.

I phoned today and they confessed. So either the parcel will be stolen (the tracking apparently stopped a few days ago and Hotter can't identify its whereabouts) or a most unpleasant man will have a reason to turn up at my door.

Hotter hold themselves out as a good company to use if you are...let's say...elderly...I would disagree with that now.

Not happy!

That’s worrying! Since they’ve admitted it’s their mistake, if your shoes don’t turn up within a reasonable time they ought to post you another pair free.

Thanks @Theonebutnotonly they are going to replace the shoes but honestly, I'm concerned at their cavalier attitude to who they send to my door! I did explain the whole thing to the call centre handler but she clearly didn't give a shit and let it default to Evri.

I don't want to be a typical MN "shaking and sobbing" but I really dislike the idea that this local Evri creep has a reason to come to my door.

I will absolutely NOT be ordering anything from Hotter online again. Or by phone. Instore only and honestly I'm tempted to boycott them for this, as a small stand against their shocking attitude.

I do hope the Evri creep is sorted out soon. I’m surprised at Hotter, especially as they have a predominantly older clientele. I suppose any company might have one poor employee - it’s how they deal with the error that’s important. I hope you put in a complaint, mentioning the incorrect email address too.

I had a very frustrating, very long phone call a few days ago with Staysure travel insurance. The employee had to ask me a lot of detailed questions but she had such a strong S African accent I found her very hard to understand. It became embarrassing that I had to keep asking her to repeat things more slowly. I gave up and went elsewhere in the end as I was worried I might be invalidating the insurance by giving incorrect answers to questions I hadn’t heard/understood properly.

I assume it’s cheaper for companies to use foreign call centres but it can make phone communication difficult. I moved my banking to First Direct, whose call centre seems to be in Yorkshire!

Have you been in touch with the complaints department at Evri about this employee? Is this man threatening? I’d be putting a complaint in asap.
I find Evri terrible for deliveries. Nothing to do with individual people but the organisation as a whole.

@Theonebutnotonly yes I spoke to a "supervisor" but got a "can't be bothered" vibe. Definitely didn't get the impression that the person who made the mistake would get feedback/training.

John Lewis also use South African call centres and Evri. Really disappointing.

As a middle aged, middle class woman, I really would pay more for quality products and service.

We need a law forcing retailers to give a choice or at least disclose who the courier is before one places one's order!

@mondaytosunday yes, numerous of us have complained to Evri but we may as well be speaking Swahili or posting letters to Santa Claus up the chimney. The police do seem to be taking it seriously tho, especially because of the number of elderly/vulnerable people this creep is upsetting.

Having said all this, I was a bit surprised that my delivery of extremely expensive perfume today (Acqua Di Parma if you're interested, dispatched from Italy) came via a DHL guy who was not in uniform and not in a liveried van. He could just as easily have been an Evri creep! Was rather unwilling to go to my door at first!

To be fair, I get a lot of stuff delivered by Evri and get exemplary service. I always give a 5-star feedback. Maybe it’s dependent on area or on the individuals.

Must say I always choose Royal Mail for delivery, if there’s a choice. I know there are plenty of complaints about them, too, but I’ve never had a problem. I just wish it was always an option.

@Theonebutnotonly yes no doubt there are many decent Evri drivers but ours is so bad that it's caused a local scandal!

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER yeah I think Royal Mail are generally the least-worst option.

My local Evri driver is brilliant but judging by the complaints from my friends who live in the next town over this is far from the norm.

I used to buy quite a few pairs of boots every year from Hotter but the quality is shocking these days. I had a pair that got wet a few weeks ago and the sole has all fallen apart. They're not even a year old! I've started buying from Lanx instead, they're so much better quality.

@BridgetJonesV2 thanks, that's helpful to know. I did think they have become almost suspiciously cheap, esp when on sale AND given further Easter discount!

Ah well, time will tell! And thanks for the note of an alternative. Not heard of Lanx before. Will investigate!

Chat GPT is confirming that the Hotter call centre is based in Cape Town.

Never bought from Hotter, but I can confirm that Lanx are really great quality

Thanks @HopeSpringsInfernal ! I have stuck that on a post-it note inside my wardrobe so that next time I need new shoes I have a go-to!

If I have an Evri delivery, I usually arranged to collect from my nearest collection point. Would that be possible in the future OP?

Just looked at Lanx site. They do look lovely but are pricey and only seem to have standard width fitting, and I can’t see any shoes (only boots) with removable insoles, to accommodate custom orthotics.

Thanks @PenelopeAsks I appreciate the suggestion but I don't really want ANY dealings with Evri going forward. tBH I've decided that if a retailer uses them then that a bad sign about the quality of their products and services overall.

@Theonebutnotonly that's a shame. Yes the main point of Hotter is they do wide fittings.

Having said all that

1. Royal Mail delivered 2 pairs of boots today! Great!
2. They are indeed shocking quality. The zips up the side are clearly going to break in about 2 seconds.

So I'm returning them and washing my hands completely of Hotter going forward.

Lanx are a very generous fit, I take a wide fit in Hotter but Lanx are fine for me. And with their boots, you'd get a removable insole in them.

Thanks @BridgetJonesV2 will take a look. I can't face going round the shops to try on boots this autumn but returns at the Post Office are also a pissfart - and just seen on Trust Pilot that Hotter deduct £7 from your refund if you return! I mean if you were a frequent returner ok....