John Lewis Flooring - is this normal?

[Mogs43]

My kitchen and living room are one room. John Lewis provided lovely wooden flooring but advised not to put it around the kitchen. I didn’t, put in vinyl and it looked terrible. Last year had a leak and thought oh well at least I can replace the vinyl.

In January I went in store and placed an order. In February (they couldn’t come sooner) the John Lewis estimator came out and in March I paid nearly £1k for 3sq m of flooring. Could get it cheaper elsewhere but thought the service would be good /reliable etc .

In April (again couldn’t do it sooner ) the fitter came out. Instantly without opening the packs said it was the wrong flooring (different finish) - didn’t match the other that had been laid. I called customer service who said I should allow them to put down the wrong flooring - fitter agreed that would be ridiculous:. Unfortunately it transpired that John Lewis don’t stock the old wood . I chose an alternative flooring (LVT)- not great but I just want some flooring in . Since April I have had no kitchen floor - the fridge freezer and wooden finish/panels from my kitchen in my living room (according to the fitter not safe to go back). Yesterday John Lewis informed me that it will take between 6-8 weeks longer to fit the flooring. Only one week of that is getting materials - the rest is wait time for their fitters.

I have been really disappointed by their service. No apology or sympathetic attempts to understand the inconvenience- I’ve had to take two days off work (fitter and estimator), spent hours on phone, emails not answered, living room a mess etc.. I gave them my money in March - to say I won’t get any flooring til end July is really disappointing. But is that just the way it is. They used to be so good??

They are pretty shit now, tbh.

I have found JL (telephone/online) customer service to be dire of late. Do you have a store nearby you can visit, I always find the in store staff much more helpful. It’s such a shame as they used to be fab at after sales care. Hope you get sorted, I would be frustrated too.

Funny you mention the difference between in store and on the phone. In store they were great - on the phone I felt like I was interrupting their day.

They've outsourced their helpline. Which is a huge mistake imo as they are generally pretty useless knowledge wise and the service is extremely poor.

I can only think you haven’t started a case and escalated your issue. Because what you’re describing is pretty major inconvenience.

I have always received financial compensation and grovelling apologies for any issue I’ve raised with them.

I’ve bought kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, all white goods, all electrics. I use them a hell of a lot. On occasion there are issues. They’ve always been swiftly handled.

Even since capita took over their phone support the only noticeable change is staff needing higher authorisation before settlement is agreed. Often someone now calls back. They used to have more autonomy. But they’re still polite, swift and accommodating.

Have you raised a case?

My parents just went to JL for a quote for new flooring and the whole department is being sold off now, so it's no longer even John Lewis. Maybe thats where some of the waiting comes in?
My parents went to somewhere local recommended by a friend and found the exact same flooring for £10 per square meter cheaper!

Thank you for your replies. I should definitely have gone local - but I use them for so many things and they’ve previously been really good: not had this experience,

I’m not sure how to raise a case and am very impressed that pp have managed to get compensation. How on earth did you manage that? In the past staff have been so helpful and nice but not this time. I think the flooring department may be being taken over so maybe the staff are a bit unsettled but still they should provide some sort of service? Be polite and interested? Respond to your calls and emails?

I just want it completed now - it’s been so long and I’m just fed up of it. Really disappointing.

John Lewis customer service have been shit for years.

I actually feel a bit sad about it. We had our wedding list at Peter Jones, I loved the partnership so much. All through having DCs we had everything from there, clothes, furniture, all my maternity bits, the works.

We bought some furniture in approx 2015 that’s when I realised Things Had Changed. The furniture was worse quality than ikea. A bed split down the slats, literally split in two - and not from being misused - it took weeks and weeks for them to sort it, I was made to feel like a total complaining inconvenience to them. They seemed to have no process for escalation, no manners and certainly no apologies. I nearly lost my mind with them. I vowed never again. They have totally lost me as a customer. Even their online store is rubbish, you search for something and anything but the thing you searched for comes up. Just useless; they’ve lost the magic touch they definitely used to have. Such a shame.

Are you just ringing the local branch for an update/chatting to staff in store?

Tweet them, phone their national customer service line or use the contact form on their website. Any of these will result in a case/escalation.

Keep it succinct, express your dissatisfaction and explain it is time to be compensated for your endless patience. I would also be pushing to move to the top of the installation list. You’ve waited long enough.

This. I ordered a freezer from them that was discovered to be out of stock. I rang up and said, fine, can you refund me and I'll order something else. They told me they had to wait until they got the refund from the supplier of the freezer (Beko, for arguments sake). I had a massive argument with them saying my contract was with them not the supplier. It took me hours on the phone to get someone from JL as opposed to their outsourced helpline to agree I was right and refund me. Absolutely dire.

Thank you all - I’m sorry so many have had similar experiences. It is a shame as they have previously been great. Could always rely on them. I do wonder why it has changed.

I have taken the advice and emailed them. Fingers crossed it gets resolved. Thank you.

No surprise. I love John lewis but their customer service is dire. I ordered shutters back in June last year and it still isn’t properly fitted! Like you - the panel had broken and they sent another one which was the wrong panel and now awaiting for the correct panel to be sent. Fucking ridiculous!

Sorry to read that. I love John Lewis as well - it’s so disappointing. Still haven’t had the flooring installed (they promise it will be soon although they e been saying that for months). Escalation doesn’t seem to have done anything. I do hope you get the shutters sorted soon. It’s so frustrating - especially when they have had your money for months!

I am actually awaiting for them to come today to finally finished off my shutters. Only 8 months after they said they would! I still love John Lewis and I buy most of my furniture for my home from them but steering clear from their home services! We are hoping to get a new kitchen within 18 months and John Lewis is not an option!

Hoping you get your flooring sorted quickly. It really is frustrating.

I wasn't impressed with customer service a while back. Wouldn't buy anything important from them.

I had amtico from JL. More expensive than local but I wanted peace of mind. The service was terrible, the fitting of the floor had bumps underneath from nails I presume. also looked bad in certain areas where they said the light hit the floor 'critical light' they call it. Had two assessors visit one who said he would absolutely not accept it, the other was from JL who said it was acceptable. The asssessor who was independent said that JL had been using too thin ply or screed underneath and this was the problem, and that JL had been cutting back. JL was very unsympathetic from the outset, this went on for months and months. It was so stressful I am in my 60s and this was our new home and last home for retirement.

Eventually I requested to have access to their files and then things changed and said they would give me a ridiculous sum compensation, something like £300 the flooring cost £3,000 for a small through room. I said I wanted a full refund. Eventually they agreed but then wanted to come and rip it out. I said that's fine but you will need to put an alternative down as that is what was there previously and I was not going to be left with no flooring due to their incompetence. Eventually they agreed to leave it down until I could replace in my own time obviously I would have to start all over again.

I will never buy anything that needs fitting from JL again. Fine for small purchases from their shops but nothing of any consequence I just don't trust them anymore and this is from someone who absolutely loved the shop, even had a kitchen put in by them many moons ago.

Try emailing the CEO and complaining OP. I did that and they have given me a 10% refund. Tbf I’m not happy with that but it’s something but will try for more.

Thank you for responding. Sorry to read others have had similar experiences.

So after emailing the CEO (thank you to previous posters for suggesting this) a case was established and they finally came out yesterday to fit the flooring. Unfortunately John Lewis had ordered the wrong trim so fitters had to come back again today. They have now fitted the tiles and another trim but it’s still not the one that I ordered and consequently is different to the trim that is laid elsewhere throughout my flat. It looks really unprofessional having all bits of different wood in such a small space - like I’ve tried DIY and not done a very good job?

I spoke to the fitter (a subcontractor) who blamed John Lewis and said that I need to get onto them - they hadn’t ordered the right materials so he had just used what he had in storage. Unfortunately he also damaged the skirting board when fitting the trim - goodness knows how.

I have emailed John Lewis but not sure how I should ask for it to be resolved. To be honest I just want them to go away and never come back. So far I’ve paid nearly £1k for 3sq metres of LVT- the LVT doesn’t match anything else but they couldn’t get the wood I originally ordered and paid for, and it now has a different wood trim. Hideous. Have taken 4 days off to wait for fitters (late every time) and had months with no kitchen flooring and keep crashing into the fridge freezer and bottom of my kitchen which are stacked up in my living room. Wondered what would you do? Thank you.

John lewis have offered 25% compensation for the flooring . I just want it over so think I will accept. However I can’t believe the mess that I have been left with- will have paid over £700 for 3sq of vinyl. The vinyl tiles themselves only cost just over £200. It was the rubbish service that cost so much. Took 5 visits but less then an hour to fit - it has a trim that doesn’t match the flooring and they have damaged my skirting which I will need to get someone out to fix. Really poor service. It’s such a shame. Thanks for all your advice.

So sorry OP for your awful experience. John Lewis should be ashamed of themselves. 25% is something but I echo what others say - I would never buy anything like a kitchen, flooring, bathroom etc off them again.

Thank you. I completely agree- lesson learnt. A real shame!