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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to wonder how Mamas and Papas still gets customers when their service is so shocking

24 replies

smoggii · 01/02/2011 14:12

I have had three encounters with M&P 1 during pregnancy and 2 in the four weeks since baby came along, all have been awful.

In one case, when returning a faulty swing, i was told by the sales woman that the mechanism in them is crap and it's just good luck that they don't all get returned!!!

The most recent I as sent 20 miles to another store to do an exchange because they had a larger item in stock (their Newborn size doesn't go near my Newborn lol) I had explained at the first store that i didn't have the receipt - no problem as it was like for like, got there, they didn't actually have the item and wouldn't exchange for anything else as i didn't have the receipt.

I e-mailed customer service to complain and they responded without reading my e-mail and autofilled their standard response with the wrong store name. Grrr

Their stuff looks so good and is very expensive but everything i've had so far has been crap and they can't win any awards for service. How are they still trading.

Happy for people to disagree and tell me i've just been unlucky!

OP posts:

Ryoko · 01/02/2011 14:17

I got my pushchair, travel cot/mattress and bouncer from them (the store in Westfield) all are fine and that pushchair has taken a beating over the last 9 months.

I've never had to take anything back but they seemed fine in there, I couldn't however use their online shop as it wouldn't accept my card, there loss.

Sidge · 01/02/2011 14:46

When I bought my double pushchair from an independent local store they said they wouldn't stock M&P stuff as it was poor quality and their customer service was so lacking.

MoaningMedalllist · 01/02/2011 14:48

there prices are as godsmacking as the service, the all look bored sensless when I've been.

StormInaCCup · 01/02/2011 14:49

I've just ordered my pram/ travel system from there. I nearly went to Bambino Direct as was cheapest but didn't after reading the horrendous reviews. I'm hoping that M&P are no where near as bad and that i'll actually get my stuff - and if something goes wrong with any of it that they'll sort it out.

AlicesWonderland · 01/02/2011 15:02

I bought a pushchair from there when dd was 6 months old, it broke after about a month, took it back but was told it had to be repaired as I'd used it ...fair enough

They had it for 2 weeks to repair it and lent me a ziko with a floating harness which was imo rubbish

Got buggy back and they had broken a different part of it took it back again told it would have to be sent off for repair again I said that would be fine if they were to loan me a similar pushchair to the one I had bought but they wouldn't do this.....I said that the buggy I had bought was obv not fit for purpose if it had broken twice in the space of two months and that if they sent it off for another two weeks they would have had it longer than me

They wouldn't budge and I had to stand next to the queue talking loudly about shoddy goods and crap customer service until they gave me a refund just to get rid of me...have never and would never shop there again

Just as we were on our way out a bloke was trying to return his baby walker as it kept collapsing whilst baby was in it....4 weeks to repair...he was trying to get over hsi point that she prob wouldn't need it by then....

Mirabelle77 · 01/02/2011 15:10

Last summer I ordered Moses basket and cot bed on the August bank hol, I was told around 2 weeks for delivery. when this time had lapsed I called and had to leave a message with the customer service rep as they were so busy. I got called back the next day to be tol it would be December , er baby was due in October. I had paid in full in the store so demanded a refund and shopped at Mothercare instead who delivered in 2 days.

If the assistant had told me which cots were able to be delivered in a suitable time I would have bought from them but they couldn't although pleasant when dealing with me I was left with having to choose online instead.

InWithTheITCrowd · 01/02/2011 15:17

I bought one of their travel systems last January. recently went back in, as the clasp attaching the hood of the pushchair to the frame has snapped - I told them it was our fault, and I wanted to order a new hood - I didn't even have the receipt, but the assistant printed our original receipt off, and ordered a new hood free of charge, as it was within 12 months.
It was an expensive travel system (MPX) but a really good one, and that's the only time I've ever had anything to do with customer service, and it's been fine.
It is expensive, and not all the staff are brilliant, but there are good stores too, I think

curlymama · 01/02/2011 15:27

You've got to admit their stuff is cute though!

Personally, I've never had a problem with any of their stuff, so haven't had to deal with their customer services. I got a travel system from them 11 years ago, it did both my two really well, and would easily go another couple of babies. It still looks lovely as well, I always have to gaze lovingly at it when I go into the loft.

nomoreheels · 01/02/2011 15:41

It is stupidly expensive.

I've got a few nice things from there for baby that's on the way, thanks to generous MIL, but £850 for a cot/wardrobe/changing table suite? No way.

I found the customer service in store to be ok - but they had a terrible stock/computer system that kept crashing or didn't register a lot of what was scanned in, so it took ages to sort out. If you needed to order items you could have quite a wait before someone sat down with you too.

Ryoko · 01/02/2011 16:00

I bought all my stuff in a sale.

dreamofgenie · 01/02/2011 16:23

Took my cot over 3 months to arrive too! And then one of the sides was cracked, so had to send it back and wait a long time to get the replacement. Haven't ordered any big stuff from there since although have bought a couple of nice outfits.

bamboobutton · 01/02/2011 16:30

it is stupidly expensive. SIL just spent £2000 on nursery furniture

i didn't have the heart to tell her about their terrible customer service and that the likelyhood of her having the time to hang little outfits up on individaul hangers in their amazingly expensive wardrobe, like the baby magazines peddle, once the baby is here is practically nil.

bamboobutton · 01/02/2011 16:35

whoops! not £2000, i meant £1000.

Spanky100 · 01/02/2011 16:37

If you think they are bad try OBaby.

Mirabelle77 · 01/02/2011 16:37

Yeah bamboo button they were all lined up in the wardrobe before he arrived and after the first wear chucked back on a shelf ( sometimes they get folded )!

Such a con!

bamboobutton · 01/02/2011 16:44

it's 3 years since ds was born and i am still scrabbling about in the laundry mountain for his clothes while the chest of drawers is empty

springbokdoc · 01/02/2011 17:44

Awful awful customer service. Went in and asked a lady to check if something was in stock, waited and waited. Eventually spotted her dealing with another couple. I walked up to her and she looked peeved at being interupted and all she said was 'obviously its not in stock'. Oh that's grand then, don't know why i dared to think you'd come back and tell me regardless. FFS.

Al1son · 01/02/2011 17:51

I had a pushchair from them when DD2 was born because I stupidly believed that price guarantees quality.

How wrong was I?

The wretched thing has never stayed folded and when I took it back they kept it for four weeks and sent it back in the same condition. We kept battling until we reached their cut-off date for returns and then they wanted stupid amounts of money to even look at it. They refused to accept that it had not worked properly since day 1.

The Chicco one I bought for DD1 13 years ago has been used most days in the last 10 years as I am a childminder, has never needed repairing and still looks great, if a little dated. Much better quality IMO.

ragged · 01/02/2011 17:59

I have a traumatic memory of being dozily pregnant and letting toddlers DS & DD wander into an M&P shop. The staff were laid back, just as well as DS & DD were convinced that they'd discovered a toddler-bedroom themepark and thoroughly tested each shop display area . Took an hour to shoo them out of there.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~`
Broken footplate on my Sport03 buggy, they were very professional about taking it in to be replaced (fine, although it seemed to me like a part we should just be able to buy as a spare off the website and fit ourselves). But when it came back from them fitting it... front wheel is very stiff and doesn't swivel properly (we can't seem to fix that), and the back wheels have an unexplained sporadic annoying squeak. I can't be asked to drive 35 miles roundtrip to ask the shop to send it off and get it sorted.

All because of a footplate we should have been able to replace ourselves (whereas Graco lets you replace wheels and hoods & stuff yourself, SNIFF).

Original poster

smoggii · 02/02/2011 03:25

I still have a gift card for the faulty swing and was going to put towards a stroller from there. After reading this i'm thinking I may use it for cute clothes and get a stroller from somewhere decent.

I've essentially written off the gift they refuse to exchange (after originally saying they would grrr) because I don't want to go through the embarrassment of asking the person who made the gesture for the receipt. It will make a very cute £30 coat for my baby's dolly when she is big enough for one!

OP posts:

Oneof4 · 02/02/2011 05:23

I've wasted hours in there waiting to pay - so frustrating! They did have some nice maternity clothes though.

Ba8y1 · 02/02/2011 06:39

I have bought loads of stuff from there - and had several dealings with their customer service (over Christmas as well!) having had to alter deliveries to come to my house rather than to the store as I am now housebound with spd. No probs whatsoever, have always found customer service helpful. Also had furniture delivered and the lid on the storage box was scuffed which they replaced 3 days later with no questions/probs.

Haven't used anything yet as baby due on fri, but will let you know if it all proves to be very user unfriendly!

Clytaemnestra · 02/02/2011 08:54

I've had really good experiences with Mamas and Papas, and I have spent quite a bit of money there over the last 2 years. Our travel system was brilliant, and still going strong, although I've given it to a friend and got a smaller buggy (still M&P) for as DD is bigger. Bedroom furniture is lovely, and all the interiors stuff. Clothes are pretty hard wearing too.

Only thing I have had an issue with was the Beabe steamer/food processor thing, where the lid wouldn't stay on when it was steaming. I took it back, without a receipt, explained and they refunded me with no quibbles at all.

GMajor7 · 02/02/2011 08:58

Way too expensive and on the rare occasions I have ventured inside I have been badgered by staff.

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