To wonder where the old John Lewis has gone?

[Deadlylampshades]

Is it just me? I am sitting on the phone waiting on hold for the main John Lewis customer services - it has so far been 28 minutes and counting....
I called twice last week to try to resolve the same issue- they were both wait times of over 15 minutes.....

I am trying to replace an expensive boxed table lamp (bought as gift) which JL online decided they would post in a flimsy grey plastic bag- it arrived completely crushed and split - quelle surprise!

I love JL, l spend probably far too much there, especially in the run-up to Christmas, it's always been a good experience and I have bought with confidence knowing that they have (had) great customer service.

Am I alone in seeing a big drop in their approach to customer service?
If staff post fragile items in plastic bags they will also incur significant costs in unnecessary replcements.

Well I've written this post, drunk a cup of coffee and am STILL on hold after 39 MINUTES.

Please come back old John Lewis- customer service was your USP

Have I just been unlucky?

(finally hangs up after 41 minutes)

Urrgh @lineslinesandmoreliness sounds a dreadful experience

Well, I've just had a cheery email from JL about the washer-dryer I ordered from them on Friday:

WE ARE UNABLE TO PROCESS YOUR ORDER

Order number: 12345678910

Dear Monty,

Thank you for your recent order.

For your protection, we security check all orders to authenticate the information and details provided. We’re sorry, but the details you gave us haven’t passed our internal checks, so we’re unable to complete your order and have cancelled it.

We’re sorry for any disappointment or inconvenience this causes, and we’ll refund any payment taken.

Please do check your details and try placing the order again. Contact us if you have any further issues after attempting to reorder your purchase.

That would be the same account that I have been ordering things from since 2011, using the same delivery address. This time round I used PayPal, which I've used before for smaller orders. And I used this account to order my last washer-dryer from them too, which has now died.

IIJM, or is "our internal checks" code for "we have fucked up our stock levels and don't want to honour the price we offered for Black Friday"? In which case, either DON'T FUCKING OFFER IT, or make it clear it's only for the 2 machines in stock, or whatever. GRRRR.

PS the machine is now showing as out of stock.

I went in last week, the service was atrocious.
I’d ordered carpet samples online, chose the one we wanted and went into the shop to arrange measurement and order the carpet. There was one assistant, who was on the phone, I waited 10 minutes, he didn’t acknowledge me at all- a quick mouthing of “sorry, I will be with you soon” would have been sufficient, but he just ignored me. So I walked away and will order a carpet elsewhere.

In women’s wear, an elderly lady asked an assistant if she could help her find “a plain, cream jumper”. The assistant said “all our jumpers are out on the shop floor” and

walked away!

No wonder their profits have dropped so dramatically recently.

They outsourced customer helplines to Capita a few years back. It was a disaster and there were plans to bring it back inhouse but they had already made the store based telephonists redundant (or redeployed).

When you can find someone in the stores they are usually very helpful. But yes - thin on the ground. Guessing they are seriously impacted by increase in online shopping. Everyone wants products cheaper but and expect the same instore.

We bought a freezer, which they delivered and then drove straight over the lawn on the way out.
JL customer services tried to fob me off by telling me I had to contact the logistics company that delivered it 'as it was not their problem'.

I posted our security camera footage on Facebook. In less than an hour they had arranged for a landscaper to attend to the lawn damage and put £50 of vouchers in the post.

One of the main reasons is its outsourced.

There's also the fact that it's the Christmas season plus any black friday/cyber Monday issues. It all backs up.

I think it's tied up in a cupboard somewhere, whilst a manic glitter unicorn cackles madly at the helm whilst counting all the magic rainbow money they're raking in nowadays.

John Lewis has definitely gone down hill. I purchased a fridge freezer a few years ago and it broke, I had to deal direct with manufacturers to arrange a repair, years ago John Lewis would have sorted it all out for you.

I think something went wrong when they outsourced some of their deliveries. I purchased two items that were to be delivered by DPD I think it was, and they just threw it over the fence.

The coffee shops aren't as good as they used tone

On the contrary - I stepped into the John Lewis at New Street Station in Birmingham over the weekend and within seconds had a free glass of Prosecco in my hand!

They were really snotty with me a few years ago about a delivery that never came. I eventually got a £10 voucher out of them because they were really that arsey (and cost me a day's holiday). That was my first order with them iirc so I've never known them have this legendary service.

Victims of their own success. People took the piss, fabricating distress over minor things and holding out their hands for a gesture or compensation

I view their demise firmly in the we can’t be trusted with nice things bracket

Yes same here, appallingly bad customer service via phone/chat etc. Too far from store to do in person. Finally got results from official complaint.

Yes it's very poor these days. I only shop there when there's a good deal on that I can't get elsewhere. I wouldn't rely on them for good customer service.

I bought a washing machine, it arrived close to Christmas. It was faulty but didn't know what was going on with it straight away due to being away for Christmas/NY. Phoned JL as soon as possible after the holidays to be told it was too late to return it. Not standing for that, I got an exchange and the excuse that the staff member was new.

Some time later needed a new washing machine. Ordered and paid for online as it was 'In Stock and delivery in 5 days'. Payment was processed and notification of delivery arrived for 6 weeks. Cancelled order and bought elsewhere, delivered in 2 days. Took weeks to get the refund.

That is just a couple of the many things I had a problem with and it has been 6 years since I used JL for anything.

On the plus side I'm told that AO.com have excellent installers.

No they don't. One pair were good, polite, efficient and quick.
Next pair flooded the kitchen, lazy, couldn't be bothered, didn't connect pipes and buggered off.
Third pair didn't want to bring the machine in, then didn't want to move the old one out, then didn't want to connect the new one up. Whinged about being tired, whinged about back ache, didn't feel well. Offered to leave the machine in the middle of the kitchen so I could get someone else to fit it. I told them what to do with it, and I wasn't any more polite than they were.
No more AO in this house. I use Euronics now.

My parents waited six months for their new curtains. The blinds they ordered at the same time were faulty. Eventually someone arrived with the spare part and it was the wrong thing. It took the best part of a year to sort it out.

They sent a £200 voucher as compensation which my Dad spent in Waitrose as he now refuses to buy anything from JL.

In the Stratford store they’ve got a bassinet stand on display on the shop floor. DH and I went in to order/buy one... they don’t have any in stock in any stores or online. So they’ve got something on display on the shop floor that isn’t actually for sale. What is the point of that??

Why are the toilets in every JL store I visit consistently grubby and neglected? Even at the newly opened JL home store. Another sign of a downward spiral.

I’ve been waiting for 2 weeks for a partial refund of £66 to go back into my account. I contacted customer services on Saturday. It’s now Tuesday, still no response.

It sounds like a bash M&S thread.
We buy online mostly the cheapest option. I don't because I can afford to not buy the cheapest option but, not surprisingly, most people do buy the cheapest option.

Hence stores which aren't Amazon are struggling. So they cut costs where they can which results in poorer service. It isn't rocket science.

All those faux hand ringing because whoever high strreet shop is not what it was - it's never going to be what it was unless the internet implodes
Accept it and move on.

I've found them more responsive on social media (weirdly) than the phone! On Facebook messenger I had a response within a few hours and a resolution within 24. I quite like that you then have a record of it as well.

I do find that they’ve attempted to go upmarket. It’s full of very expensive things, rather than quality basics.

I dont think you can blame cost cutting for staff rudeness. That's an internal culture iss (could be lack of training- how hard is it "be nice and helpful"?)

I was stood at the collection counter last week. Man in front of me has 10 orders to collect and they refused to do it. Its currenly £2 per order, so he had paid £20 and was told to come back in an hour or another day. My one order arrived very quickly (scan, some one fetching things in the back). Apparently they aren't capable of scanning 10 things through and moving onto next person. Guy was directed to a self service kiosk which he seemed to be struggling with. So it wasn't even an issue with not wanting to backlog the warehouse staff.

I was incensed for him!

Other than the baby dept the customers are all over 50, middle class women who shop in JL because that's what their mother's did.

I’m in my 30s and shop at John Lewis regularly because I love the quality of their stuff.

I’m glad to hear from a pp that they’ve taken the customer service back in-house too, although I can’t imagine what possessed them to outsource it - a terrible idea!

I’ve not had a problem and I’m starting to buy more and more from them as a way of supporting the high street. Their website is also good.