Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to want to actually buy something from mothercare...

24 replies

biddysmama · 03/05/2010 16:34

instead of going there, looking at it then then paying for it while the staff order it off the internet to be delivered...

i'm talking about prams and things like that... are all of them like this?

OP posts:
MoneyNoPockets · 03/05/2010 16:41

Pretty much it seems, they have very few in stock which is as annoying as hell.

TakeLovingChances · 04/05/2010 07:44

Also, for such big shops they have so few staff. The one nearest to me moved from a small shop into a purpose built huge unit nearby, but IMO they didn't hire new staff.

I've gone in several times to buy things for DS and had to stalk down a member of staff and ask them politely if they would please sell me something at the till

The other day I was trying to exchange an outfit my friend had bought DS for the right size, but they didn't have his size on the rack. Once I finally found a sales person she said that she couldn't go to check the overstock room as there'd be no one left on the shop floor!!! WTF? In the end I exchanged it for something different rather than stand around for half and hour before someone else appeared on the shopfloor.

Sorry, rant over!

In short, YANBU.

mintyfresh · 04/05/2010 12:22

Can't believe Mothercare is still in business tbh. Clothes, baby items and nursery things are totally overpriced (even clothes in the sales!) and non-existent staff. I've also had to wait for small items to be delivered cos they weren't in stock.

Saying that, I do sometimes use them online when they have 10% deals on! I never bother with the stores now - just look online or go to supermarkets as much cheaper.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 04/05/2010 12:29

That poor sales person being left on her own. It's very stressful when there's limited amount of staff.

PiggyMalone · 04/05/2010 15:53

I went on Sunday to buy some happyland stuff

There were no trolleys, when I eventually tracked down the one memeber of staff she said they only had 4 - wtf! The happyland that was 20% and 50% off online was not the same instore but as there was only one assistant I gave up and came home and ordered online.

The place was busy and the toy section was like a jumble sale.

A horrid shopping experience and couldnt have been that nice for the workers.

CheekyVimtoGal · 04/05/2010 15:55

Its so expensive there. I remember going to look round when i was pregnant with DS1 and we ended up getting some ex-display cot bedding (winnie the pooh) for a total of £25 instead of £80 which it would have all come to

ProfYaffle · 04/05/2010 16:00

I had the same experience biddysmama. I live in the middle of nowhere and order stuff online all the flipping time. For a pram I wanted to actually see it and try it out which is why I made the special trip to the store. If I wanted to order online I can do it from the comfort of my home without a 50 mile round trip in the car!

I told the assistant I wanted to buy one there and then and asked which models they had which were similar to the one I wanted. She just waved her hand airily at the display and said "Oh have a look".

I went over the road to Toys R Us and got what I wanted straight away.

Starlet71 · 04/05/2010 16:15

Don't get me started on mothercare! I'm still waiting for a spare wheel for my (ugly bulky and heavy) excursion pushchair to be delivered to the nearest store (a bus ride away - delivering to my home is too difficult, apparently). I ordered before Easter. They said it would take 5-10 days, which in my opinion is way too long to be without use of a pushchair but my wheel had quite a bad puncture and I'm crap at fixing them I went ahead with the order (approx £15).

In the meantime, my dad managed to fix the puncture. Mothercare are now refusing to cancel the order as it was for a spare part. It's not a custom-made spare and I had already been waiting 2 weeks for the delivery. The sales person said he'd 'see what the manager said' when the wheel arrived, but wasn't hopeful. Still not heard anything. Will not be shopping with them again!

AllarmBells · 04/05/2010 16:17

What annoys me is how all over their catalogue it talks about how important it is to get car seats fitted and how they do it at all their stores....

Try getting a car seat fitted in Mothercare, you've got no chance. Last time I tried I was told - surprise surprise - they don't have enough staff to come to your car with you and fit the seat, although they are trained. What makes it worse is that it takes two staff, as it's not safe for one of them to go off to the multi-storey with a customer. This assumes they have at least 4 in the store in the first place and none on breaks, which is never the case.

They told me to go to a bigger store (Croydon, a two hour round trip) because that store has car parking spaces right next to the store, but I didn't trust them enough to try.

I totally understand the lack of staff thing, but if they can't/won't fit car seats why is there all this almost fear-mongering stuff all over their catalogue about how
important the fitting is?

I've also had the experience of having to chase a staff member down and beg them to take my money. It's a shame because I did like a good Mothercare....

queenclarion · 04/05/2010 16:26

I don't shop in Mothercare anymore.

I am fed up of them not having the actual product you want. Last time I went (about 18 months ago), there were 2 women in the carpark complaining to eachother about the same issue and resolving not to go back there again. Mothercare are missing out on lots of custom due to crap stock management.

porcamiseria · 04/05/2010 16:28

their staff have an average age of about 12, I complained to their HQ, I think their CEO must be a KNON as they have an almost open market and they fxxk it up

GFatemybaby · 04/05/2010 16:36

Oh agree completely. I went there to buy a price matched Phil and Teds. I'd seen it on kiddicare, went to Mothercare and they said they'd match it if I could show them a copy of the web page. I said it wasn't a special offer, they could just pull it up on the internet. She said they didn't have access to the internet at the store .

Obvioulsy I ordered it from kiddicare.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 04/05/2010 17:17

Oi porcamiseria, thats not fair. My mental age is at least 13.

I can easily accept it when people complain about prices etc but when you mention staff can you at least say some of the staff. Dont throw us all in the same boat.
Thank you.

We cant access outside websites instore. All sites except ones that are connected to ELC/Mothercare are blocked.

porcamiseria · 04/05/2010 17:20

sorry amazing!!!!!!

AmazingBouncingFerret · 04/05/2010 17:22

tis ok.
We all love a good rant and I know mothercare is fair cop on here!!

Im actually ELC staff but still under mothercare so I sometimes take it a little personally. I know I shouldnt because I am obviously an amazing member of staff and all my customers love me!

Original poster
biddysmama · 04/05/2010 17:27

as for the car seat fitting... i went to get one from there and the woman said it didnt fit our car and was no point in trying... my friend works at babies r us doing the same thing but an hour away so we went there instead!

that was the same woman that sold a forward facing seat to a family with a tiny tiny baby!

OP posts:
Spatchadoodledo · 04/05/2010 17:36

I do think they are incredibly overpriced. But add 'baby' or 'wedding' on to anything and the price automatically doubles!!

Original poster
biddysmama · 04/05/2010 17:38

^^ you are telling me... i'm having a baby this year and getting married next year... hopefully we will win the lotto this week!

OP posts:
LittleSilver · 04/05/2010 17:41

YABU, why are you shopping there in the first place? The quality is rubbish!

Original poster
biddysmama · 04/05/2010 17:43

because i want to look at all the pretty things i cannot afford

i want to check double buggies out and look at the carrycot for my loola

OP posts:
LittleSilver · 04/05/2010 17:47

biddy have you got a John Lewis anywhere near you? Better quality, better prices, exemplary customer care and oh, they actually have staff.

memorylapse · 04/05/2010 17:48

I hate Mothercare...when I had DS2 9 years ago..I bought a pushchair from there which broke a few weeks later..when I took it back they refused to replace it and said it would go away for repair..fine I said..do you have a loan buggy..to which they replied no..and 10 year old member of staff (Store manageress I think)shrugged her shoulders and said it wasnt her problem..unfortunately for them they hadnt banked on the fact that I had PND and when I proceeded to have a meltdown in the middle of the store after half an hour of me pleading with them to ring round other stores to see if they had a loan pushchair..an embarrased call was made to head office and loan pushchair was delivered to my door..put me right off the place and the crap pushchair broke again a few weeks later

Spatchadoodledo · 04/05/2010 17:52

biddy when you book your reception, dont tell the it is a reception, iyswim? Tell them it is just a really fancy function!! Get quotes on what you want. Then tell soontobe Dh to call up and say how much does a wedding package cost and what extras do I get etc (and there might be some, to be fair, but they are usually built in to the cost and the functions are just costed seperately) and watch the price skyrocket!!

BertieBotts · 04/05/2010 17:58

Is there a local baby goods type warehouse anywhere near you? We have one here (took a bit of digging to find!) and it's great, they have everything in stock and the staff are knowledgeable. They charge a deposit for fitting car seats but that is only because they lose out if people get them to fit their chosen seat in lki car and then go and buy it online elsewhere.

Mothercare is good for trying out the different buggies but then I would order online from somwhere else - you will save a lot of money (and usually get it delivered to your home)

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread