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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to ask you all what your experiences of Comet are

40 replies

GreatBallsOfFluff · 30/04/2011 05:17

I bought a camera in Comet yesterday and, whilst admittedly it was during the wedding at 11, it took about 20 minutes for anyone to offer help. The shop was empty - maybe myself and 4 others in the shop which is a massive out of town branch - and there were about 6 members of staff stood chatting by the TVs. I tried all the usual tricks to get someone over, eye contact, wandering back and forth etc.

I wouldn't usually care about this but I have bought two more expensive-ish items from there in the last year, and it's always ended up me having to go to a member of staff to ask for help having stood around for 20 minutes in plain view of members of staff (which I absolutely hate as I always feel vulnerable going up to someone saying "can you help me/I need help"). I'm sure when I was younger and visiting these types of shops with my mum that they were like vultures and you couldn't move without someone asking if you needed help.

I do wonder if my age is also a factor and they don't take me seriously enough to buy items over £100/£200/£300 etc. I've seen staff go up to and approach others who have arrived long after me in the shop before me IYSWIM.

So is it just me, or have comet calmed down their vulture behaviour? or if it is just me, should I boycott this particular store in favour of one that is going to have helpful members of staff?

OP posts:

Original poster

GreatBallsOfFluff · 30/04/2011 12:44

Yes Dita, we all want details

OP posts:

careergirl · 30/04/2011 13:06

I will never shop in comet again
bought a dishwasher from them. Guarantee ran out like an idiot bought extended warranty from them. In theory you book job through domestic and general get a job number then ring comet to book the engineer
In reality they take you through your online diagnostics test. So you go through everything and they ask you lots of questions. Last time I rang for an engineer was on the phone for 20 mins at cost to me at which point they decided over the phone the fault on the diswasher was the drain hose and my policy didnt cover that. I was upset and rang Domestic and General. They said I was covered for a drain hose problem? They rang comet and Comet denied ever saying I wasn't covered for the drain hose. They said what they asked me to do was unscrew the drain hoses and check them and I refused so they can't send an engineer because I won't comply with them? I said I hadn't refused it was them who had said I wasn't covered! Domestic and General said all they could do was send an Hotpoint engineer out but I'd have to pay for a repair! I said what about my money for the policy £5 a month they said there was no more that they could do
This happened previously only that time I did after much arguing persuade comet to send an engineer.
Comet are rude agressive and do not honour their obligations to their customers and I have no intention of letting the matter rest there.

HalfPastWine · 30/04/2011 13:30

Seems I'm the only one here to have a good shopping experience at Comet. I must have got them on a good day!

DitaVonCheese · 30/04/2011 14:08

Oh sorry, have been tidying. It isn't very exciting I bought a computer package from them (screen, hard disc, printer, etc) and a fortnight later it stopped working. Took two years to sort out, largely because they seem to have zero customer service skills. They wanted me to pay £90 at one point for one of their engineers to look at it; I refused and said they should pay if they wanted it doing, which they did - engineer reported back to say the motherboard was fucked (technical term ) and they still did nothing until I took them to court to get my money back

I feel as though I should make up something far more interesting and sordid involving sexual harassment and hooded threats or something

Anyway, will never ever shop with them again!

ilovepancakes · 30/04/2011 15:29

good for you dita at least you won in the end! unlike most of us on here!

Mumofaflump · 30/04/2011 15:37

Really good experience here! Bought a LCD Samsung TV, got it hone and found the screen was scratched. I called the store and even though it was 10 minutes to their closing time they said to bring it straight back, the manager would wait for me (!!)

I took it straight back, they were waiting with a new TV (next model up as compensation for my troubles), a free blue-ray player and a cheque for £50 to cover my travelling costs!

ilovepancakes · 30/04/2011 15:46

mumofaflump perhaps you went to the same shop as halfpastwine lol!

msrisotto · 30/04/2011 16:08

I hate them too, have always been ignored and the staff totally clueless. Same same with all the other electrical stores like currys.

However, in Birmingham city centre, there is a concept store called Black which is Dixons and Currys together I believe and it rocks. I was loitering round by the printers and a member of staff came up to me saying "Please let me talk to you about printers!", I found it funny anyway, their staff are all keen and knowledgable (could have knocked me over with a feather was such an alien concept to me in these stores!), talked to me about laptops in decent detail too, it is my preferred place to go and find out about products. Even in John Lewis I get ignored because they are so busy and maybe because I am a bit younger than their average customer, I don't know.

I'm not getting paid in any way to promote this store by the way! It is just so unusual IME that I had to share! :o

Acekicker · 30/04/2011 16:19

Loathe them with a passion. Bought a fridge freezer when ds was couple of weeks old. It was faulty and when we rang them the next day the phone went direct to manufacturer from the Comet number. They came out the next day (monday) and said the crucial bit that makes a fridge cold (can't remember name) was broken and Comet as the seller would give us a replacement fridge freezer. Called Comet to arrange and they bollocked me for ringing manufacturer even though it was their number diverting. They insisted it would be 10 days before their guy could come and take a look and then same again for a new one to be delivered. I quoted SOGA at them and while they were trying to persuade me it didn't apply ds woke up screaming (reflux baby)...

...I asked if they could hear him and said I'd be putting him in the car and coming to see them. I pointed out he screamed a lot and I said I'd got nothing better to do for the rest of the day than stand in the middle of their shop floor and everytime a customer tutted at the noise I would be only to happy to explain I was there because Comet were breaking the law and wouldn't sort out faulty goods...

I had the replacement that day on the condition I kept away from their store with screaming ds

DitaVonCheese · 30/04/2011 18:55

Acekicker

careergirl · 30/04/2011 19:28

The rudeness of the people I spoke to at the Comet call centre was appalling. And when they intimated I'd lied that was absolutely the bitter end as far as I was concerned. Dreadful company crap service doesn't give a fig about its customers

cat64 · 30/04/2011 19:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

DitaVonCheese · 30/04/2011 20:05

cat, take them to court!

cat64 · 01/05/2011 00:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

DitaVonCheese · 01/05/2011 01:10

Completely understand, it took 2-3 years for me simply because I didn't have the energy to keep chasing it So I'd write a letter, give them 28 days to respond, nowt would happen for six months, I'd write again etc. Eventually realised that they were just hoping I'd give up so filed with the court. They did let it go all the way to a hearing, though I think probably because they're such freaking idiots - they don't seem to have a legal dept at all and sent along the manager of the store I bought it from, who was a numpty who helped my case at several key points, particularly by mentioning all the without prejudice offers I'd made to settle, effectively admitting they were in the wrong

God it felt good to finally have it finished and not hanging over me!

A few years later, now-DH's car engine exploded midway between his house and mine (we were a few hundred miles apart when we first got together). Local garage replaced it with a secondhand engine they supplied and that lasted a month then also exploded. Garage said it wasn't their problem. This time we didn't hang about - wrote and told them we'd take them to court if they didn't respond within 28 days or whatever, they did the equivalent of a massive shrug, we filed with court and received a cheque in full settlement (including court costs) the same day we received the papers from the court. I think most people just rely on people not bothering actually to go through with it (that's what I'd do too tbh ).

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