to wonder where John Lewis gets its repution for customer service?

[Greatcheeser]

I'm into John Lewis for £4,000 for a sofa and a washer. Sofa hasn't been made properly and the sections don't align. Washer delivery cancelled by the driver ten minutes before delivery. OK shit happens, but the level of dissimulation, inefficiency, ignorance, ineptitude and refusal to do anything about it makes me think I might as well have gone to Currys or IKEA, at least you know they don't give a f**ck and don't pretend otherwise.

I believe they outsourced their customer service (apart from the physical shops obviously) a few years back - and they're been pretty awful since. I think if you spend £4k you deserve to feel "entitled"!

Nah, I'm with you OP. John Lewis haven't provided the same level of customer service that they previously did for years but still think they can still trade on that.
Plus don't even get me started on their cafe/restaurant. They used to do lovely open sandwiches and salads, now it's all prepacked shit and warmed up chips.
I'm always shocked that the business seems to do so well, I haven't bothered shopping there for ages but perhaps its got too trendy for old woman me! I just feel perpetually disappointed when I do visit the store.
Pay no attention to PP, if you pay top notch you expect top notch and I don't think it's entitled to get what you paid for.

Ordered bedroom furniture back in July from John Lewis. Long story but basically despite the items being in stock when I ordered, after 3 months half the order still hadn't arrived. Communication from them was awful. Will never buy anything from them again.

It’s gone downhill terribly over the last few years. Used to always use JL knowing their customer service was top notch. Now I’ll use Argos as it’s closer and no worse.

Agree about the cafe too. Absolutely terrible now.

JL have always made customer service a selling point unlike Curry’s and IKEA etc. and a reason why you choose them over those stores, but you’re not wrong, their customer service is crap now.

They used to be great but are now very poor. Shame they didn't consider customer service more important.

Another person who agrees with you OP.

My, some people will have a go over anything!

I’ve dealt with them this week.

Faulty light purchased in 2019 - a bit of metal had come apart. 5 year guarantee on the light (unlike anyone else to my knowledge).

Sent a pic. Received a phone call same day: would you like a replacement or a refund?

“Refund please” I said. “But what about taking it down and changing the light over I will need to pay an electrician” I said. “Please send us the electrician’s bill and we will pay it” they said.

Returned Monday, received refund and electrician’s bill paid on Wednesday.

Longer guarantees on gadgets, often the cheapest, very good members perks and I have had every single issue resolved to my satisfaction from Kitchen and bathroom installations to mattresses and iPads.

John Lewis sofas get very bad reviews I would get a refund and buy a British made frame like darlings of Chelsea, Parker Knoll etc. Also, when you say 4k sofa I would imagine a lot of the cost is your fabric choice?. It’s hardly a premium furniture brand and I would imagine everything is outsourced. But I bet you’re more likely to ultimately get resolution.

I would expect better service than at IKEA - maybe that’s just my brand view? Is it really snobbery to suggest this?? Service in IKEA is crap. I thought it was part of the “experience” so I would expect similar from after sales.

They used to be fab and also never knowingly undersold. Free 5 year guarantee on tvs. Now of course they are the same as everywhere else. They use Hermes or whatever they are now called so I haven’t ordered from them in years. Used to spend 3-4k a year.

If it's online or telephone customer service, it's outsourced and always has been. They hire whichever call centre gives them the best deal for the contract, and employees, at least used to be, on the bare minimum wage. I know a couple of people who worked for them when Telepeformance had the contract and honestly wouldn't blame them for not giving amazing service hearing what the job was like!

The past.

Really no need to be rude, bad day poppet?

All our appliances have come from Curry's and everything has been totally fine. When our dishwasher broke, we bought from Curry's because they could deliver the next day and it would have taken JL a week.

Ikea replaced a six year old tap that had started dripping without question and gave us a £15 voucher because the closest similar tap was cheaper.

Friend who gets all his stuff from JL has endless problems with missed deliveries, damaged appliances etc.

I didn't mention "poorer", it's about the service experienced rather than promised, not the income of the people who use the shops.

You can tell a couple of PP's have been on the wine tonight, can't you?

OP their customer service used to be much better than it is now.

They are useless now.

I'm still pissed off with the faulty tumble dryer saga form a few years ago, I've not forgotten them and buy a lot less than I used to.

I also had a very unpleasant episode there recently. . Standing at a counter, waiting to pay. The two till persons talking between themselves now unreasonable customers are and generally a nuisance. I told them, look, I'm standing here, I'm a customer, I'm waiting while you gossip, this is uncalled for, I don't need to listen to this. They did apologise, to their credit.

I had some of my worst ever customer service trying to buy a washing machine from John Lewis and have avoided them since then.

Like a pp - Curry's customer service has been excellent - prompt, deliver when they say they'll deliver, fit household appliances and take away (if you pay for the service). I've been very impressed.

A few years ago I had a washing machine delivered, unpacked and hooked up by JL. Years later (out of all guarantees) we discovered they had left packing polystyrene underneath. It slowly wore away a pipe underneath and caused a leak. Had to rip up kitchen flooring. (Only cheap vinyl btw but still!)

I contacted them and they were fab. They paid to replace flooring. They paid for mending pipe. They even asked for a quote first and said if it was too much they’d replace for new instead! Sadly it wasn’t but still!! You can’t say fairer than that!

hahah, why are people saying you are being a snob, John Lewis’ selling point is their customer service and at the price you’re paying you should expect it. I couldn’t afford furniture from there but hey ho, doesn’t make op a snob for saying Argos and IKEA have crap customer service, they do!

John Lewis is crap now, I’ve ordered bits and bobs from various sales, ordered makeup that was in an enormous envelope and not a box with packing, it arrived with a boot mark on it and hole and half the ordered was crushed and or had fell out.

Another order of seat cushions last week, half the order was wrong/and or dirty.

Last weekend I was requested by family to register for a piece of baby equipment from there, I went in and asked the advice of the saleswoman, who said ‘normal mothers research before they come in’, excuse me for asking the dedicated sales assistant for the baby equipment section at a scheduled appointment what were the most popular (identifying product) and their pro/cons. It was so awkward! Won’t be shopping there again.

Interesting. My parents are having same problems with them with an electrical item. Don't return to us, return to the manufacturer. Manufacturer couldn't care less, sends it back to parents. JL don't want to know. It's shocking.

I think problems with the manufacture and delivery of sofas are universal and JL do provide better customer service than most, you have just been unlucky.

I am more surprised about the washer. That is pretty poor.

Curry's customer service has been excellent

Yes they do what they say on the tin, pretty much, I've never had any negative experiences with them.