Get onto them on social media! Embarrass them… Worked for me.
Few years ago, in mid September, I ordered a pre lit tree from Balham Hill. It arrived, and straight away I noticed that the glove that came with it looked like it had already been worn. It had been clearly pulled off somebody’s hand and just chucked in the box. Anyway, Tree wouldn’t light up. Called them and they said, 9 times out of 10 when this happens it’s the adapter plug. So I will send you out a new adapter today. If this doesn’t work, we will replace the tree. Great.
A couple of hours later, I get an email stating that the adapter plug is out of stock. Due to be back in stock by the end of the week. Ok.
By the end of the week, nothing. I wait a few more days, and contact them again. Sorry, still not in stock: due to be in stock by the end of the month. Definitely? I ask. Yes, they reply. Ok.
End of the month, still no adapter plug. I contact them again. I say to them, I need this tree replacing… Don’t worry, they say: adapter plug will be in stock in a week. Guess what …
By this point, this has been going on around five weeks. I ring them again, say look, where is this adapter plug? They couldn’t tell me when it would definitely be in stock. Kept saying, it should be in stock within the next 10 days. So I say, no sorry: I want a replacement or a refund. They say, sorry… You are outside the returns period. We will not issue a replacement or a refund. So I said to them: but I am only outside of the returns period because of your insistence of the replacement plug! Guy on the phone told me he would pass it up the chain … Got an email saying, nope, you’re outside the returns period.
So I went on Instagram on their official account. Put a posts on there about their shocking customer service… And guess what? I got my tree replaced and as soon as I opened up the new tree I could see the difference. It was wrapped in plastic, there was two gloves and they were in a plastic bag with paperwork… None of this had been in my original box. I believe that I had been sent a defective tree that had somehow ended up back in the food chain IYSWIM.
So what I’m saying is, please be very aware of their little games.
They actually did send me a new adapter plug… In mid January.
And I second the Christmas tree world trees. I’ve got several ultra mountain pine pre lit trees and they are fabulous.