Don't use John Lewis

[Twicke]

I just had to write something as we have just had our second product problem with an item from JL- both of which have been dealt with badly. This was after they had to apologise for a series of errors they made when delivering this stuff from our nursery list over a year ago.
Firstly a problem with one of the buggy wheels - rather than helping with the problem, the first question I was asked was whether I had misused the buggy in some way. When someone finally decided I was within my rights to send it back (after having to wait for 3 different staff members to come out) they couldn't find me on the system. Turns out if you bought products from the nursery list, after a certain amount of time you are not stored electronically, but manually archived!!! And nobody wanted to go through the paperwork to find my purchase so it was up to me to look up all the details- fortunately I had a long stream of emails from them at that time detailing all the mistakes they had made with the delivery so that sufficed at that point!
Second product taken back was maxi cosi base constantly beeping. On going to collect we immediately questioned it as the note from the company said there was no problem with the base and they had just replaced a button. JL staff insisted it had been fixed- so traipsed to car park with base and baby, only for it to start beeping when installed. On going back up to nursery section we were then told we had to queue again to be dealt with- all with unhappy child.
My advice is use a local shop if you have one. It will make returns easier plus they will know their stuff better. The JL staff are living off reputation- as I said I usually have to speak to a number of staff before I can find one who can answer my question. Really poor.
New mums don't make the mistake we did of thinking this is the best place to get everything- if you can find a good local shop expect you will receive much better and more knowledgeable service.

They were pretty sniffy when I had a problem with my Quinny Buzz. First time the dept manager was sneary but fobbed me off with the display model. Second time (when display one was as bad) I phoned instead of going in. That time it got sorted. Should have been fixed with less hassle though.

I sympathise. I had apalling customer service at JL with a VERY expensive top of the range tumble drier. We were probably £500 out of pocket at the end of the sorry saga and it took me a long time but I finally forgave them. Most other times they have been fine. And we live close to High Wycombe, so...
I would always go to Co-op online for white goods now though, their after service is amazingly good.

I'm with Mrs Davidbowie. Kingston John Lewis is my second home and deservedly so.

Can I check I got this right OP? You had a faulty buggy. JL asked you for the cause of faulty buggy and proof of purchase how dare they manually archive records. And then they replaced it.

Then maxi cosi base was allegedly fixed by the manufacturer. JL tell you what they have been told ie it is fixed. It wasn't, the base still had a manufacturers fault, so you had to walk from the warm, clean and dry nursery section to the warm, clean and dry, underground car park and then return to the nursery section to remedy the manufacturers faulty good.

At which point was JL at fault? Asking for proof of purchase? Telling you what they had been told by the manufacturer? Or expecting you to stay in the warm and dry until problem is resolved? I'm sorry, I don't think JL was at fault.

The very same nursery section told me which door to enter during the January sales to ensure I was the first into the dept to get the biggest price reduction on the cotbed mattress they were right, the Thameside door.

A million years ago, in a galaxy far far away, my husband broke one of my precious 1 of a set of 6 Limoges porcelain plates that came as a wedding gift. I went to JL, described the plate, that they didn't even stock. They looked it up on the internet, found plate, ordered online, applied their bulk buyer discount, and passed that saving onto me.

They give unbiased views on white goods and extended warranties as the norm on any electricals. They even tell you if a product is cheaper elsewhere currently. They cannot help you enough, and if they can't help they apologise.

John Lewis are the gods of customer care of high street stores. OP, sorry you were inconvenienced but I don't see how they were at fault.

Just this year I bought a dual-tension mattress from the Newcastle JL, reduced from £1400 to £700 because it was ex-display. I'd tried my side (medium) out in the shop and it seemed very comfortable, but when I slept on it I found it was much too soft and gave me lower back pain (though DH loved his firm section).

I gave it a couple of weeks but when things didn't improve I went into the store and explained my problem. The assistant I spoke to went off to consult some supervisory type and then told me I could swap it for another mattress, or have a refund. He even offered to get another dual-tension mattress which he thought might suit me more sent over from the warehouse so that I could try it out.

I felt very guilty opting for the refund, especially when I used it to buy a Vi-Spring which was reduced in a sale elsewhere. Hope nothing goes wrong with it because I know for certain I won't get the same fantastic service I had from John Lewis Newcastle - and have always had.

They wouldn't let you jump the queue when you came back?! How outrageous!

Omg, in my original reading of your account of events OP, I missed you had to queue up again after you left the queue, the department, and the shop.

You are right, appalling service, don't go back

ResponsibleAdult....I am going there today. Bliss.
I have £150 of vouchers from the Partnership card so am going to have a nice little spend.

Wow- this is why I never post anything about child care/ rearing as people get so vindictive! I might have been annoyed with JL as a store but I have never been rude or sarcastic to anyone on chats. Do you not have a lot on ResponsibleAdult?
I will say that I should have titled it 'think twice about using John Lewis' as I don't think their service is guaranteed now and I really wish I had used a more local shop but my default thought was to use JL for everything. Just saying worth exploring other options!
To the sarcastic comments re having to queue again, we had already questioned if the base was really fixed as manufacturers notes implied it had not been and funnily enough we were not keen on leaving the department, and shop to go and check with already bored and hungry baby. Having been assured by shop assistant that all was ok, I think is fair enough to not have to start again when we returned. On second thoughts we should have told the useless woman to read the flipping note properly and not believed her and never gone to try it - but that seemed rude. Won't worry about that in the future.
To the non JL loving new mums my advice is to have a look and see if you have a good local shop rather than doing what I did and defaulting to JL. Easier to return things if you can just wander in and often happy to negotiate if you buy a few things at once. I'm out!

OP, I am not being vindictive or rude, I am merely disagreeing with your thread title "Dont use John Lewis". Think about your original post, based on your two inconvenient incidents that is a big ask.

Ask why should you go to the front of the queue? If a sales assistant had accompanied you to the car park, helped with the base, agreed it didn't fit and then returned upstairs, then yes you would have been entitled to continue to be served by that person.

But you weren't. So you aren't entitled to jump the queue.

Years ago a much more experienced mother of four saw me trying to encourage and failing miserably PFB to eat. Neither I nor PFB were getting anywhere. Her advice, and I share it with you, is pick your battles. You were inconvenienced, nothing more. "Don't use John Lewis", I disagreed with you, nothing more.

I have to go now, as I have a lot on. I am off to John Lewis for a spot of light shopping see you there Mrs DB

I agree with you Twicke. Although I do use John Lewis for a lot of my shopping - in particular electrical products and other large household goods- I have found that in relation to their nursery appointment service and other advice given about baby/ childrens' products in both Kingston and Peter jones stores has not been great - at times bordering on incompetent and rude.
At my nursery appointment, the staff member advising me clearly didn't know about the products she was talking about and wasn't able to answer practical questions I had. Disappointing. When I went to collect the products that I had paid for at the car collection point, some were missing and at 9 months pregnant I had to spend a lot of time chasing these items not helped by fairly rude staff at car collection point (seemingly irritated I was holding up the queue.!) Not great when the reason I (and assume most people) would use this service to make process of buying baby stuff stress free.
So I'm not going to stop buying from John Lewis but I won't be relying on their staff to recommend products and I don't have unswerving faith in their customer service anymore.
I may have been unlucky with poor service twice but at the end of the day it's poor service that shouldn't happen at all.
ResponsibleAdult - just because you happen not to have received poor service, why is it unthinkable that others haven't?! JL clearly at fault if they assured Twicke her car seat product was repaired and it wasn't. I wouldn't have been happy to re queue in same situation either.
Your tone is unnecessarily aggressive - maybe your busy plans for John Lewis shopping/ browsing will chill you out a bit.

John lewis is always brilliant when I have a problem. Last week I bought a £40 iron which leaked, when I returned it they did not have the same iron so replaced it with a £90 iron at no extra cost and an apology. That is customer service!!

Wandle, OP, I really don't think my tone was aggressive. Direct certainly, but not aggressive. I am merely disagreeing with you. I disagree with the OP thread title "Don't use John Lewis". Syrely that is the purpose of discussion forums, to discuss.

As I state up thread,"you were inconvenienced, nothing more,....... I disagreed with you, nothing more.". I think that is a statement indicating we'll be best served to agree to disagree.

I haven't suggested anywhere that it is unthinkable that others have experienced poor service. Many on this thread clearly have, including you Wandle and OP

IME I haven't. I did indeed go to John Lewis my spiritual home, it did indeed chill me out.