Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

to never want to order from John Lewis again?

92 replies

crazycatlady · 04/01/2011 20:12

Placed an order for about £200 worth of bedlinen and other stuff over Christmas with a named delivery date of today (which I paid an extra £7 for).

Order has not shown up. No phone call, no email, nothing. Called customer services who were very blase about it and just said I will get a call tomorrow AFTERNOON to explain what's happened. They have no idea where my order is and didn't even apologise.

If I have to wait in another day to receive this delivery, it will cost me my day rate (am self employed) which is more than the cost of the order itself.

I am 8 months PG so this has annoyed me more than it usually would, but I'm so pissed off I'm tempted never to use them again.

In fact I'm totally annoyed with shopping in general at the moment. High street outlets seem to have poor stock, relying on their shops as mere showrooms and expecting people to then order online, and then the online service is unspeakably crap too!

OP posts:
MatureUniStudent · 04/01/2011 20:15

Oh dear - same for me with the camcorder - saved for a year, ordered it in plenty of time for no.3 prom - never arrived. I was weeping on phone to John Lewis but no camcorder. They also had no idea what was going on. I use QVC now.

TattyDevine · 04/01/2011 20:18

John Lewis are using a lot of CityLink at the moment and they are not up to the job.

I had a similar situation with John Lewis recently and I ended up refusing delivery on it (because it was no longer of any use to me, it was for husband's business trip and he'd gone) and they refunded all delivery charges and gave me £10 for my trouble, as well as refunding (of course) for the item I no longer bought. They were also quite apologetic.

Sounds like you got a bit of a rotter on the phone, but they might come good. Do not be staying in for them though, it would do them good to have the order refused to drive home that it DOES matter whether it arrives on time or not.

I reckon its only a matter of time before they bin off CityLink.

Original poster
crazycatlady · 04/01/2011 20:18

That's awful MUS! I thought JL prided themselves on their service? Without that they've got nothing. Their shops are horrid and not the cheapest either...

OP posts:
pooka · 04/01/2011 20:23

Oh I love John Lewis! Am really surprised - haven't had issues with delivery of last few orders.

My only niggle is.having to ring up to activate the free returns label rather than just posting it.

BikeRunSki · 04/01/2011 20:24

I have had fabulous service from them recently , but
1- I only live about 15 miles away from one of their depots.
2 - All my deliveries have been by HDN, not City Link.

I would hazard a guess that the problem is down to the courier rather than John Lewis, aggravated by bad weather and bank hols.

Original poster
crazycatlady · 04/01/2011 20:24

Ooh Tatty I think you're right. Just followed the link in my delivery confirmation email and it's Citylink. Odd that the JL dude didn't tell me this! I just phoned the Citylink depot and their lines have all been closed 'due to high call volumes'. I wonder why Hmm.

If I'd known it was Citylink delivering I would never have ordered from John Lewis.

OP posts:
RiojaLover75 · 04/01/2011 20:24

My gorgeous coffee machine that DH ordered on 15th for next day delivery on 16th didn't turn up either on the day it was supposed to or any day before Christmas Day........... Hmm

I was gutted as DH left ample time between ordering and Christmas, DH is so laid back though and won't let me phone up to complain..... he's prepared to swallow the £10 next day charge Angry.

It was ShittyLink who were supposed to deliver it. It finally got delivered 29th December. Arseholes.................

emmyloulou · 04/01/2011 20:24

YABU on the whole as JL are exeptional. I have had an item go OOS before with them, they refunded us and gave us £50 on top!

This year I had a parcel go astray and turn up a bit late, yes because of their shit choice of courier.

emmyloulou · 04/01/2011 20:25

Don't get me started on shitty link..........off to make a brew before I implode.

Original poster
crazycatlady · 04/01/2011 20:27

Shittylink Grin

OP posts:
mollymole · 04/01/2011 20:32

city link - absolute crap - have used john lewis for years and no problems till they started using this bunch of morons

foxinsocks · 04/01/2011 20:33

I had a nightmare with shittylink too (though via amazon not John Lewis)

I am amazed they are still in business. I didn't have the same issues with either Dhl or fedex! In fact, my parcel to cape town with dhl from London got there quicker than my citylink delivery within England!

Starisonthetree · 04/01/2011 20:33

JL were the only store to deliver the presents on time before Christmas, but they still use their own vans here.

They also normaly give you a chance to tell the what you thought after the delivery, so tell them about Shittylink....

SeaTrek · 04/01/2011 20:40

YABU

I have ordered a lot from JL and they have always been fab.

YANBU

to be frustrated and angry though. It just sounds like they made a mistake and you had the double misfortune to speak to someone not up to their usual standard.

PrincessScrumpy · 04/01/2011 20:40

Email customer service and get money off - John Lewis has a reputation for having amazing customer service - and I have to say I've always been overly impressed, even when sending things back. I'm sure if you take it further you can at least get some money back and an apology.

Good luck!

Original poster
crazycatlady · 04/01/2011 20:43

This is probably verging on obsession but have just searched on Twitter and there are loads and loads of people complaining about crappy service from John Lewis in the last week. What has happened to them?

I am sure a large part of it is down to crappy couriers, but JL has chosen Citylink as its delivery supplier and needs to sort its shit out IMO.

OP posts:
stealthsquiggle · 04/01/2011 20:45

our postie was quietly smug about the fact that CityLink gave up in the snow and dumped a load of parcels into the Royal Mail instead - which they duly delivered with no problem.

However, you need to go after JLP about this, as they need to realise the correlation between rising complaints and their use of CityLink (they will, they are smart people) and switch courier.

In the meantime when they call tomorrow, I would ask for a named slot evening or weekend delivery to suit you, rather than losing another day, and a complete refund of the delivery charge.

said · 04/01/2011 20:46

How far do you live from nearest shop? As you're 8 months' pregnant, probably not the best time but in future could you collect? I think they're ace but I live about 3 minutes away from nearest shop and use them a bit too much

Original poster
crazycatlady · 04/01/2011 20:49

Good advice squiggle.

Said I'm 3 miles from Peter Jones and 5 from JL Oxford St, but I'm damned if I'm struggling home on the tube with bags full of shopping!

OP posts:
said · 04/01/2011 20:50

Ah, yes, London slightly different scenario

Muira · 04/01/2011 20:54

I once paid £10 for their 'next day before 10.30am' delivery. Hours passed, nothing. I kept calling up, being told to wait. At 6pm, I was absolutely losing my mind with anger, on the phone to John Lewis and on my mobile to City Link.

'The driver has tried to deliver it at 10am, you weren't in. He left a card' according to John Lewis.

No he didn't, I was in the whole time, there is no card.

I said to John Lewis, tell me where he delivered it to. 'Number 8, with the green door' is the reply. Why they had a note of door colour is anyone's guess, I think he was bullshitting. I tell him I have a brown door. He accuses me of LYING!

I cancelled my order. I demanded a refund of my £10 - nothing. I emailed John Lewis. Nothing.

I found a customer survey in an old email from them and went nuts in the comment box.

John Lewis is bullshit.

herbietea · 04/01/2011 20:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Smithagain · 04/01/2011 20:57

My mum ordered two Christmas presents - one for us and one for my cousin - from JL. Both were very badly packaged and both were broken on arrival.

Very disappointed in such a reputable company.

Stinkyfeet · 04/01/2011 20:57

I have a story of crap customer service from John Lewis.

Early in December I ordered a Hotpoint oven; the website stated "more than 10 in stock", delivery in about 8 days. I received an emailed confirmation to say that my credit card would be charged when the goods are despatched.

About 5 days later Hotpoint called me to say that the oven was out of stock and wouldn't be available until at least the 28th of December. I cancelled the order.

When I checked my account, JL had taken the money the day after I placed the order. I emailed them to ask for a refund, pointing out that they had now had my money for a week, even though they had no means of fulfilling the order. I received a standard acknowledgment, and it took a further email a week later until they refunded me.

FudgeGirl · 04/01/2011 21:01

City Link - so crap, we won't be using one supplier again unless they guarantee a different courier.

The staff can't READ let alone anything else - I went to pick up a package in a company name and the guy comes out asking for (say the company name was The Chocolate Box) "Mr Bixy? Mr Bixy?" (white and English if anyone was wondering).

Everyone waiting their looks blank as there is no Mr Bixy in the room where we've all been waiting 30 minutes plus to collect parcels - the plank repeats "Mr Chiclit Bixy" and then I realise it was my parcel.

I take it away, ring OH and say I managed to get this big box in my car and he says "there's three boxes you are supposed to collect!" So I had to drive back and get the other two.

They looked like they'd been playing football with them too, and their depot is on a road and with a postcode that doesn't show up on anybody's sat nav. Never again.