to expect a proper apology fro Mothercare for appalling service

[ChrisandChristina]

I have vowed never to use Mothercare again.

A sales assistant was so rude to my wife in their Brighton shop that she was reduced to tears.

The manager was useless when I complained to her and simply waffled on about investigating the incident I.E standard meaningless management speak

When I complained in writing to Mothercare customer services they sent us a £15 gift card to 'offset our disapointment'.... what an insult.

I will never spend another penny with them.

Just wondered if this was common for them and what experiences other people had had there.

[MsVelvet]

why should you put up with bullshit customer service from them, i don't blame you for feeling this way. mother care where i live are always terrible... you did nothing wrong but they screamed of unprofessionalism by having the almost arguments they did in front of you and not away from the shop floor. up to you about the gift vouchers but the rest no way!

[giraffesCantDanceWhileSober]

Can I just join in the mothercare bitchfest and say I have found some of their aisles are too close together and cant get a pram between them (phil and teds, not a mountainbuggy ro anything!) Seems to be in the toy section, they have normal area and then an extra pile of randomly selected items in an annoyingly placed space. Makes me not want to go in and browse while I have buggy as know its more a negotiation exercise.

[Cadpat]

OMG, Mothercare are awful for customer service. I won't say what happened, because it gets my blood pressure up! But I have found that it totally varies from shop to shop, example, I have been treated really well just outside Chester, but appallingly at Birkenhead... it all depends.

[LadyOfTheManor]

I think you are being a little unreasonable-no one desperately NEEDS maternity tops, especially after giving birth.

However, it is Mothercare, so I'm on you're side.

[Maylee]

I agree Mothercare are shite but your wife is WAY oversensitive. She needs grow some broad shoulders ASAP if she is going to raise children - and you need to help her do that, not pander to her.

[Morloth]

I have to say I agree with most other posters. Massive overreaction.

I would have just counted myself lucky that I got the previous top on sale and said 'never mind, I don't want these ones then, bye'.

[52Girls]

What a kerfuffle about not very much, really.

As for demanding the full name of the lady, you have no right to know that information. If you wrote a letter I'm thinking they won't have had too many 'incidents' in that particular shop on that particular day so I'm sure they'll be able to narrow it down. They won't forget you in a hurry.

[Bathsheba]

That soon after giving birth....shop online....always shop online........

[Fuchzia]

Like my experience of their customer service it's not that they do anything wrong it's just completely unproffessional. I returned a electric breast pump that had worked for two whole weeks and explained it had stopped working the woman snapped 'well we don't just take your word for it' and stood their with her arms folded glaring as if she expected me to whip my boobs out in the shop and give her a demo. Fair enough she should check but they could all benefit from some customer relations training IMO, especially as they are dealing with hormone filled new mums like you wife. While this is normally something you should shrug off at her stage she is not BU to be upset.

[Georgimama]

Mothercare is a rubbish rubbish shop - it does have good stock (when it has stock) so online is the way to go. Both you and your wife massively over reacted (she can be excused - hormones) and I can imagine you looked incredibly intimidating shouting the odds at a pregnant woman. This incident is not important. You should have hugged your wife, said "don't worry sweetheart we'll order some stuff online (you could have had it next day) and taken her for a nice lunch.

[Georgimama]

I'm also curious as to what more you want from them? Resignation? Ritual suicide?

[DwayneDibley]

OP you both need to chill over this. You got a £15 giftcard for, well, nothing really. And your wife needs to grow some balls and not cry when she can't get her own way.

From your posting style I dont think for one minute you didn't do or say anything to wind them up a bit so its no surprise they were a bit off about it.

Also at desperately needing the tops. Says it all really

[geordieminx]

I reckon that "Chris" of "ChrisandChristina" has written in his second letter that he will be sharing the details of the "appalling service" with mumset, in the hope that mothercare will be quaking in their newborn booties...

[Bogeyface]

Did you actually stand there nice and calm and put your pov across in a non confrontational manner? Or did you, as I suspect, kick off in no small way?

You didnt just kick off once, you did it twice after winding yourself up a bit more outside the the shop!

We have all done the tears thing when someone has upset us and over reacted a bit, but if my DH started kicking off like that i would walk away and leave him to make a tit of himself, not go back in the shop and join in again Smacks of "LEAVE IT DAVE, IT AINT WORF IT!!" to me! :o

You both sound like complete nightmares tbh, and I wouldnt worry about not going back, they probably wouldnt serve you anyway!

[Georgimama]

^Instead of apologising at that point, she retorted that her member of staff was pregnant herself and was out the back of the shop in tears. She stated that part of her workplace risk assessment was that she had been instructed to walk away from any stressful situations. She continued to trot out management speak about ?investigating the incident? for over five minutes before finally apologising only after being prompted. She then asked what I expected of her.
I explained that a prompt and simple apology would have sufficed and that instead she had chosen to justify her appalling treatment with management hyperbole followed lastly by an insincere apology.
During the conversation, my wife returned however I asked her to wait outside as she was still visibly upset. The manager could have taken this opportunity to apologise to my wife, but did not.^

Just as an aside I can only imagine what you would have said or done if your wife had been forced by her employer to deal with an angry customer during her pregnancy even after a risk assessment had said she shouldn't.

And as another aside I bet your wife came back in because she was as embarrassed as hell and just wanted you to come away. Literally a case of "leave it Chris, it's not worth it."

[Georgimama]

x posted with the great mind above!

[Bogeyface]

Snap Georgi :o

[DeSelby]

Forget about it and enjoy your new baby!

[grumpypants]

but the shop were in the right in the info they gave you? day 1, top part of the 3 for 2; day 2 top in sale, no longer part of 3 for 2. Annoying fuss ensues, wife insistent that she should now pay less, and get it free , lots of wittering, crying, hormonal people, and now you, op practising your complaint letter on us. If it's not about the compensation (yeah, right) what do you want? Bunch of floweres instead? Tell them. TBH you sound like a serial complainer who doesn't understand retail practice.

[coraltoes]

Jesus...hows about to spare her the stress you're so worried about you just shop online and leave the poor petal at home.

[limpingbint]

Crikey is this for real? It is just not that big a deal and honestly I think you have devoted a little too much time and thought to this already

[Gemsy83]

You sound like a pair of tits tbh. First child im pressuming?

[giraffesCantDanceWhileSober]

good advice from deselby

[Northernlurker]

at the idea of 'desperately needing' nursing tops.

[LIZS]

There isn't any excuse for poor customer service but offers can vary from day to day, so she could not reasonably expect the same on her second trip. It doesn't sound as if you personally witnessed the incident yet you are the one complaining . Nor was it reasonable for you to intervene in such a demanding way that the assistant became so upset, frankly you behaved no better if not worse that the shop staff. Think you really need to focus on your wife and how she is dealing with potentially stressful situations at the moment. Frankly I'd have just walked away while the staff seem so at odds and taken my custom elsewhere.