to be irritated by Kiddicare.com's service?

[ooosabeauta]

I just need to offload this as I'm really annoyed...

I bought a cot-bed mattress which arrived on Friday, and it is really poor quality. I bought it from Kiddicare.com because I'd used them before and thought they were reliable and wouldn't sell poor quality goods and had fairly customer-friendly policies re. delivery etc..

So, when I looked up their returns policy I found that you have to arrange and pay for your own returns, which is maybe not a massive expense if it's a small item, but for the mattress I bought it's £15. I phoned up their customer service line to get their advice about how I could avoid incurring £15 costs due to them sending me such a poor quality item, and I was told the only other option would be to drive it back to them (with my baby and toddler in tow for a four-hour round trip ), which would cost me about £20 in petrol! She then gave me a helpful nugget of advice, saying that she "would never buy a mattress online" because you haven't seen it first. So Kiddicare's customer service advises against buying some of their products

What really annoys me (apart from that I'm too poor to afford to lose this money) is that every time for the last three months that someone has commented on my buggy board when we're out and about, I have recommended that they buy it from Kiddicare.com. This happens at least twice a week. I want to find all those people and tell them not to!

Thanks for listening :)

Why would you tell them not to?

One of the most important things about buying online, is to check the returns policy before you purchase.

To be fair, companies cant always afford to pick up the tab for customers who simply don't like the quality or have gone off the item when it arrives.

Well, because I feel that I've been sent something really sub-standard by the company. I suppose they can just send anything they like quality-wise when it comes to mattresses and charge you what they like for it and you still have to pay a forfeit for it when you find out. It's little more than a rectangle of rustly cardboard.

I've learned to check the returns policy now, the hard way! I suppose that's one good thing to come of it, thanks.

It's a bummer...but one of the prices we have to pay for the convenience of home shopping I suppose

Yep, you're right. I suppose I should pick and choose what I buy online or in store in future...

In the meantime, if anyone wants to buy a rustly, hard cotbed mattress, I'll deliver locally for free

is it not as desribed, not of merchantible quality?

tbh, i'd have another pop at it being collected free of charge. Write to someone senior explaining that you are a loyal customer who expected better from them, wouldn't give up yet.

i can see why they have the policy- else we would all be ordering every buggy in the store to have a play and send back.

I'm not sure risingstar. To me it seems not good enough to ever put a baby on, and I bought our ds's one two years ago for a similar price from Mamas and Papas, and it is much, much better. But I don't know if I can say it is not of merchantable quality.

I think I will write and explain, like you say. You're right, I suppose people would just 'try things out' all the time if there was no penalty, which would be impossible for the company, but this is a bit different. Thanks.

How much was the mattress in the first place?

If it isn't fit for puropse then I would certainly try again and get arsey with them. I have only ever had grat service from them. I bought a highchair for ds once which was very unstable and you couldn't get the seat in tightly enough so it kept slipping out (was a tripp trap wannabe). They sent their courier round to pick it up no questions asked.

I've had problems with their customer service before. I placed an order a while ago, and foolishly included my telephone number in the contact details. At 1.30 in the morning the phone rang. I was terrified as a loved one was in the army serving abroad at that time, and I thought it was the worst news. I think you always panic a bit when the phone goes at that time because you automatically think it must be bad news. Anyway, I answered the phone to receive an automated message from Kiddicare to tell me my order had been dispatched. I complained by email the next day to let them know that phoning someone at 1.30 in the morning was not acceptable and received an automatic email telling me how important to them my custom was, then nothing else. I wasn't impressed, and haven't used them since.

It may worth pointing out it is of poor quality/ therefore at fault and you will be expecting postage reimbursed so it may be cheaper for them to arrange collection?