to expect Argos to deliver on the given delivery date??? a bit long sorry

[brianhaddock]

2 weeks ago we ordered a new sofa and sofabed from Argos to replace the current sofabed as my mum (registered disabled after double hip replacement) was struggling to get on and off the old one.

I had an automated call on Sunday which i missed asking me to call to arrange delivery. I called on Monday. I explained that in the past Argos had always used a small van rather than big truck due to the narrowness of our street. She said she would need to arrange a special delivery, she put me on hold and when she came back she told me she had arranged delivery for today. I was a bit surprised not to have been consulted and explained it left me with the problem of getting rid of my old sofa. I said i would call her back if i needed to change the date. So we left it that delivery would be today from 7-12.

I put my sofa on Freecycle, explained it needed to go urgently and someone came out and collected last night.

Yesterday i had another automated call. So i called up spoke to someone else who explained that special deliveries don't register on the automated dialler, hence the call. She confirmed everything ok for delivery today.

So you can guess what's happened. They haven't turned up and it seems that the delivery was never booked. The next available date is 26th. So two weeks away. The lady i spoke to today was really apologetic and helpful but could only offer this date. She confirmed everything above is written in my order notes. It clearly states delivery booked for today 7-12.

So now i have no sofas for two weeks, but also my mother cannot come up (from 60 miles away) for the next 2 weeks on a thursday and look after my nippers on a friday, as she always does. She sleeps on the sofabed (hence our concern at her struggling) she is scared to go up and down my stairs as they are steep and her mobility isn't great. Plus the toilet is downstairs and she goes about a million times a night! My only option is to find her a B&B or cheap hotel. To explain due to a family issue earlier in the year i have 4 days of leave to last til the end of the year (covering illness, half term and christmas holidays then) so i can't just take time off.

I am not compo kind of person but Argos's mistake will leave me out of pocket (if i have to pay for a hotel or take unpaid leave later in the year) and without any sofas for the next two weeks.

don't think i'm bu really - more of a WWYD. What should i do? I am going to complain but i doubt it will change the delivery date of my sofas and i'm still stuck on a friday for childcare as it stands.

Call them and ask to speak to a manager. Then calmly ask them what they are going to do to rectify the situation. After all, it was their mistake, not yours. Keep asking to speak to someone above the person you're speaking to until you're put through to someone that can help.

They're a very big company, I'm sure they can find a van from somewhere.

YANBU. I would be ranting at Argos in the circumstances too; but I'm not sure whether it would do any good!

They did it to me - I needed a mattress urgently, ordered it from them, and waited all day. I rang them at 7pm to ask where the driver was and was told to wait until 8pm (having waited in since 7am). No one arrived. Next day I called to be told that at 7pm (the exact time I was on the phone to them) the driver had been ringing the bell and unable to talk to me. Despite the fact that the phone is next to the front door ...

I went mad, but they could not re arrange delivery as the item was on a van on its way back. I cancelled the order and purchased it from another company who delivered the next day.

This i what I recommend you do. I got something cheaper, better quality and at the pre arranged delivery time.

They cannot find vans elsewhere - I escalated this some way through the organisation and no one could do anything about it. It is far easier to cancel the order and buy elsewhere.

the trouble is that with sofas there is usually a lag time on delivery. if i cancelled this order i doubt i'd get anything else delivered before two weeks hence anyway. i'm kind of over a barrell. and i still have the childcare issue which i really am stuck over. also my husband has bought tickets to a gig for us on sunday (my first in yonks) for my birthday (on sat). the plan was to collect mum on sunday, have her stay on sunday night to look after 3DCs and then drop her home on mon. no idea what's going to happen now.

i have an email address to complain to. it is worth knowing that calling and shouting/escalating probably won't make a difference as i'm not really very good a that. i was firm and cross with the lady i spoke to today, but apologised afterwards i had vented as she had clearly tried to fix the problem. without success mind....

Is there not a friend who could lend you a put-you-up in the meantime? You've clearly got to sort out your mum staying with you this Friday.

I do know what you mean about Argos. We have had the same trouble ourselves in the past. They won't budge, though.

A put you up effort wouldn't really work. My mum struggles to get up and down at the best of time (she does a sort of rocking thing to get a bit of momentum behind her), but to do so on a 'portable' bed that would move about, well i think she would end up tipped on the floor. if you add in that she is a little bit heavy and tends to go down with a 'plop' i think it'd almost be a certainty that she'd fall. (she destroys my loo/loo seat every time she uses it for e.g. (not cracks it but pushes the seat from it's hinges)). It's not even as if i could be there to help her to get up each time as she is up and down all night to the loo!

I had this with Littlewoods both companies use yodel to deliver that are a bloody nightmare
Are you on twitter I complained ALOT on their twitter page (actually ranted and ranted) that night I got a reply on twitter they then phoned me and delivery was the next day

I can't link my thread about yodel but if you search you may find it. It was about six weeks ago

I waited five weeks for a delivery, after it said online they were in stock and it would be 2-5 days.

Never ordering from them again.

It's @yodelonline you need on twitter

Agree that Argos are shut and you'd be better cancelling and ordering elsewhere. here does next day delivery sofabeds for example.

I would be pushing for compensation in the firm if done vouchers from Argos too.

I have had the same thing from Argos, as has my sister. I had bedroom furniture due to be delivered on a certain date, automated call to say they had run out of stock but will have some in in two weeks. one week later, "sorry we have no stock again, can we reschedule". told them to stick it and to give me a refund, I went to IKEA instead.

My sister ordered a kitchen table and chairs in sept, they cancelled on her three times until she begged to have it as christmas was looming and they had nothing to eat christmas dinner off. they delivered about a week before christmas but it caused her untold stress.

Would NEVER buy from them again. probably just outed myself to my sister with this post too, in which case "Hi sis, see you tomorrow!"

thanks all, i have fired off my complaint email. not sure what will come of it as it's all very polite! i have asked them how they intend to rectify the problem more quickly than 2 weeks and that i should not be out of pocket as a result of their incompetence. that's about a strong as it gets!!

i have put something on twitter including @Argos_Online, but the general consensus on here is that they don't give a monkeys so i'm not hopeful.

Didn't realise they used Yodel. they stink. Yodel and I have previous.....

In the mean time do you have a bed from upstairs that you could bring down for her, and one of the kids on a put you up or whatever?

Hardly perfect but might be a solution, bearing in mind your dire childcare issues?

Have no suggestion regarding Argos,but have a look on gumtree for a sofa bed,there is sure to be one ,they are sometimes very cheap,when you no longer need it just stick it back on gumtree and you would make your money back

Alas non. The children sleep in bunk beds and our bed doesn't come apart anymore thanks to DH's 'fixing' of it when it broke. While i am really cross about the delivery mess, it's the childcare fallout that is taxing me most. I really think the only solution is a B&B. Will have to look in to it, but shouldn't have to really. So annoying.

Argos have said they'll be back to me within 48 hours. Going to have to pinch the beanbags from the children for the living room for now.

Yup, I had a similar problems with Argos cancelling delivery repeatedly. would never buy from them again unless collecting in store.
Definitely recommend cancelling the order and buying from elsewhere. Ikea do some cheap sofabeds. or why not post a wanted ad on Freecycle you might get your old one back!

Complain on their Facebook page aswell. I think that's worked before. Good luck!

they are shit. Waited in all day on a saturday for delivery. Called at 6.30 to find out if it was coming and told wait til 8. We did, rang again and was then told they had tried to deliver it a 6.45 that morning and had had no response. Well a) that was before the 7am slot so had we not been there, tough and b) we were there, and up, and there was no knock at the door. They just lied through their teeth about it being on the van, and then not and so on. Then they wanted to reschedule for a weekday which we can't do (which was why we'd paid extra for a sat delivery in the first place) then said it would be 3 weeks wait for another sat delivery so we cancelled the order. I reckon that must happen to them a lot! I complained in the store I ordered it in and got the distinct impression that they are massively hacked off with it too.

Whereabouts are you OP? I have a full length single bird in my dining room at the moment that you'd be welcome to borrow if you're anywhere near south wales!

Bird? Wtf?? Bed!!

shame welshmaenad that's where the in-laws are, alas we are a long way from there in the south east (not so alas actually but that's a loooooong story!!). thank you for your kind offer though. i will have a look for a sturdy single sofabed on Gumtree/Freecycle/Freegle.

I have obviously been lurking here too long as i have just forwarded my email to the CEO of Argos, asking him if he feels his team have met the service standards he aspires to for his company!!! From all the messages on here about poor service i'd bet her gets a houndred of these a day so not hopeful it'll make a difference, but hey ho.

Can I ask - did you order over the internet and then they sent you an email confirming the date of delivery? If so, under Distance Selling Regulations they made a binding contract with you at that point to deliver on the day - they need to 'perform the contract within the set time'.

I had this problem with a bed when they phoned the night before and said it was out of stock and they couldn't deliver for three weeks and when could they arrange re-delivery. I stated the DSR rights and said I would accept the bed in three weeks but would expect a 50% discount for them breaking the contract. A supervisor phoned me an hour later and they had managed to source my bed from another storage facility and offered me £40 of vouchers as compensation.

Most people don't know their consumer rights and companies prey on this.

i just can't believe they think that a date 2/3 weeks from the original delivery date is acceptable. this lack of bed for my mum is going to cause us a real problem. the person i spoke to today did her best and couldn't apologise enough but judging from the problems cited just on this page it seems that there is a systemic problem with Argos's delivery service. What i don't get is why they don't fix it.