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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To feel apoplectic at the incompetence of service providers?

18 replies

Bonsoir · 23/02/2011 10:44

Grrrrr. My washing machine has been out of order for 10 days. I called Darty after-sales service the very second it broke down; it took them 5 days to come and do a diagnosis and another week to receive the parts and come back to fit them. Only the technician who came this morning was not the same one who did a diagnosis and he refused to fit one of the new parts, saying it was unnecessary, and despite my firm insistence that it was. Result: machine still doesn't work, and Darty cannot come back again until Friday morning. The worst thing is that I have already had a very bad diagnosis/repair from the same technician, two and half years ago, and made a formal complaint about his incompetence. My heart sank when I saw him, and I was right to have no faith.

And let's not start on cleaning companies who send cleaners who don't know what a fitted sheet is Shock, tutoring agencies who send tutors who don't understand what you are asking them to teach your child, insurance companies who cannot diagnose a leak.

OP posts:
Chil1234 · 23/02/2011 10:48

Oooh I know... you just can't get the staff these days, can you?.....

Bonsoir · 23/02/2011 10:52

This isn't about "staff", this is about people who supposedly have technical training, knowledge and skills and charge a lot of money for them.

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thefirstMrsDeVere · 23/02/2011 10:54

I have just had my washing machine replaced after 5 bloody weeks. A few weeks ago I sent this email. It was either that or start packing old lemonade bottles with lint and petrol....

My washing machine broke down on 27th January 2011. My husband made a call to the number given on our service agreement. He was given a call out date of 8th February 2011.

I naturally assumed this to be a mistake. My husband assured me this was the first possible date we could be seen but would be put on a cancellation list.

I am writing to you to give you the opportunity to explain how this 2 week wait for an engineer fits in with your assurance that 'Our dedicated team of specialists provide nationwide coverage together with a high-quality, efficient and speedy service'

Whilst I am not disputing the dedication or expertise of your team I cannot agree that a two week wait is either efficient or speedy.

We took out the cover plan for specific reasons. We have a large family with five children and most importantly one of our children is disabled. He has a severe skin condition which is exacerbated by dust mites. We therefore need to ensure his bedding and clothing is washed daily.

The lost of our machine has caused considerable inconvenience and whilst I realise the actual breakdown is not your fault, the lack of an efficient and speedy service certainly is.

In short, I am spectacularly unimpressed with your product.

What are you proposing to do about this?

I must go now. I just heard a rumbling noise and fear my youngest child has been buried in an avalanche of dirty washing. I really should go and dig him out before he the next pile is added and our chances of finding him become even slimmer.

I look forward to hearing from you in the very near future (although I would rather wait a few days than receive a standard reply that says nothing and means even less).

Yours sincerely,

nocake · 23/02/2011 10:54

So you had bad service from this company two and a half years ago but you called them again? Errrmmm... might it have made more sense to use a different repair company?

exexpat · 23/02/2011 10:54

I wrote a very satisfying rant letter of complaint to Home Delivery Network limited yesterday after they yet again delivered a parcel to some other random address within about a half mile radius of my house, rather than where it actually said on the address label....

And it's not as if I live somewhere difficult to find: it's a clearly-numbered house, in the middle of a short, straight, clearly signed street in the middle of a city. How hard can it be?

Luckily there are lots of honest and helpful people living at these various random places who do actually bring things round, but surely that should be the job of the delivery company?

Bonsoir · 23/02/2011 10:56

nocake - Darty are the national white goods sales and repair company. There is sadly no better option - either for purchase or for after sales (for which I have extended guarantees in any case).

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Bonsoir · 23/02/2011 11:06

Now I'm here I want to whinge about the gardienne in our building who never dusts the lift shaft, which is now beyond disgusting and I am ashamed when I have visitors. Have not quite got round to doing it myself other than on my own floor, but I know I will be overcome by the sheer ugliness of all that dust quite soon...

I do have a fab window cleaning service and a fab shirt ironing service though

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ARepleteHmmSkiNun · 23/02/2011 14:01

How about this one.
3 months waiting for a broadband installation. Contacted CEO of Virgin one month ago, apology from him, will put somone on the case (who then went on holiday) then the CEO disappeared so his PA would put someone on the case. Nothing, zilch, no contact, no broadband. I don't know what you think this says about this country/the modern world but when a CEO of a FTSE250 company can't even get his own company to do the absolute basics......

Bonsoir · 23/02/2011 15:15
Shock

I know that I refuse to engage in/have disengaged from some aspects of the modern world (car, mobile telephone, personal trainer) because there is too much incompetence associated with maintaining the service. It just seems a whole lot easier to use public transport/fixed telephone/walk!

OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 23/02/2011 15:19

Handwashing in the stream not an option then??

Bonsoir · 23/02/2011 15:22

My nearest stream is the Seine, several kilometres walk away. And the water doesn't always come up to the short, IYSWIM Smile

OP posts:
Bonsoir · 23/02/2011 15:22

shore

OP posts:
Bonsoir · 23/02/2011 15:23

I did go to the launderette last weekend.

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traceybath · 24/02/2011 18:35

Surely just easier to buy new clothes than go to launderette Wink

Tis frustrating though - I shudder to think how I'd cope without my washing machine for that long as do about 3 loads a day currently.

NinkyNonker · 24/02/2011 19:08

Ahhhh, my Granny's family used to (maybe still do?) own The Lady mag. There always used to be hundreds of copies on her house, I always used to wish for something more exciting... Reader's Digest or something.

NinkyNonker · 24/02/2011 19:08

Oh, and yanbu Bonsoir.

Bonsoir · 25/02/2011 09:09

Ooh my ranting down the telephone the other day worked a treat! Darty sent me a super-duper big boss very good-looking technician this morning who cleaned the motor on my washing machine and fixed all the little bits and pieces on my slightly crumbling tumble dryer.

Grin
OP posts:
TheCoalitionNeedsYou · 25/02/2011 09:12

It took me six months of arguing with Siemens to get a dishwasher replaced :( got them to go up two models though :)

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