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Original poster

M&P Ultimo 6 in 1 & M&P customer service

27 replies

CaraLondon · 21/05/2007 14:59

Does anyone have this travel system? It is very expensive at £535 but it seems to do everything and is quite light so I was wondering if it was worth it?

The staff at the new Regent's Street M&P shop are distinctly unhelpful and very disorganised, so it was a real pain to try this out in the shop, although the design looks very good.

In addition, they didn't know what their own delivery policy was and so they won't give a set time for delivery. They have also refused to carry "bulky" items up any stairs - which I would have thought would be an obvious and rather necessary service for their customers, a lot of whom are, by definition, pregnant and should not be doing any really heavy lifting .

I would have thought if you're pregnant and living in a flat and have forked out a lot of money for one of their more pricey items, it would be the least they could do is to make sure it gets to you and let you know when it is arriving. Has anyone else had any bad experiences with them?

OP posts:
shonaspurtle · 21/05/2007 15:04

If you live in a flat and will have to negotiate many stairs then I wouldn't recommend it.

I have an M&P Ultimo and although it's a great pram, really comfy and easy to use it is a pita to carry up stairs and not particularly light if you put a baby into the equation. I eventually managed to work out how to "bump" it down the stairs but needed to carry it back up and ds is too big now (6 months) to carry it and him at the same time.

I keep the pram in the car now - wouldn't fit with the carrycot but now that I'm using the buggy attachment it does, just (Clio). I'm on the 3rd floor. If you're higher than the first I would look at something else. I think the Pramette might have been a better option for us.

shonaspurtle · 21/05/2007 15:07

Oh, and if you do want to go for it get it from somewhere else. We bought ours from the Glasgow Pram Centre (is online) and it was cheaper than buying direct. Kiddicare also a good online option I hear.

nearlythere · 21/05/2007 15:07

but on the whole M&P customer service stinks!! its not just in the shop! we dropped M&P as stockists as we were having too many probelms and not enough help! I'd go elsewhere, there are other sets that are as comprehensive, far cheaper and are made by companies who actually care!

Original poster
CaraLondon · 21/05/2007 15:21

Thanks! yes - I'm on the third floor too, but have storage on the ground floor, which is a bit of a bonus - it does mean waking up the baby once she's been out for her "walk", I suppose. Am due in July, so do have time to test these out - and yes - I haven't really thought about how much additional weight there will be with a baby inside it .

The pramette can't be used as a cot for the first six months as the 6 in 1 can, though, right?

How did you find the customer service at M&P?

I was shocked at how rude and unhelpful the staff were today - they just shouted abuse at my sister when she asked them whether they could deliver to the shop and we could pick up the pram from there, as an alternative to home delivery - which I thought was a massive over-reaction! They didn't have all the different parts of the 6in1 on display for us to look at as well, so it was a bit difficult to see what the whole system actually consisted of - really poor service in what is meant to be their flagship store!

OP posts:
Original poster
CaraLondon · 21/05/2007 15:25

Am glad I'm not the only one who has had a bad experience with M&P! Will try Kiddicare.

It's just that the M&P products do seem really well designed and well made, and one sort of gets sucked in to believing that spending that little bit more is actually better - when we are just being taken for a ride!!

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nearlythere · 21/05/2007 15:25

the carrycot from the 6 in 1 will only last the same amount of time as a moses basket (unlikely to be 6 months!), so you're better going for the pramette and buying a separate moses basket or crib for sleeping in- you'll be better off in the long run with a lighter buggy!

Have you looked at silver cross, babystyle etc?

nearlythere · 21/05/2007 15:26

and believe me they aren't that well made- i destroyed one in a matter of seconds in front of their rep to prove a point!

Original poster
CaraLondon · 21/05/2007 15:38

Silver Cross have some lovely prams - some of which you can imagine haven't changed in design since the '40s because they are so good! They just all seemed a bit on the heavy side - but the pushchairs in the sleepover models will last until the baby is 45lbs (4-yrs-old!), so I guess it is worth the investment.

Don't know about other models, so will check out your suggestions.

Hmm, maybe will have to rethink M&P if they are not all that well-made! Thanks for the warning - or are you particularly aggressive in front of their reps?!

OP posts:
nearlythere · 21/05/2007 15:46

he really wound me up by saying that M&P were "the best" baby branding around and i was a fool to drop them, i needed to prove a point and an ultima chassis came to hand- only took two swift stamps correctly placed!! then it got thrown at him as he started to run away!

FUNNY- He's never got back in touch to see if i have had a re-think! Maybe i should give him a bell!?

Original poster
CaraLondon · 21/05/2007 15:56

Sales reps can be a real pita, can't they? My sister trained as a sales rep and knew it just wasn't for her because of how aggressive you need to be whether or not you believe in the product - I guess it is just a particular skill you either have or don't...

It is amazing though to be treated so badly by sales staff in a flagship store - they explained that they were short staffed, but it took four members of staff (crowded around their computer) and the best part of 20 mins to find out that they did not have the 6in1 in stock! They didn't even bother to suggest an alternative shop where we might be able to find one, and as stated below, they hadn't got any sort of grip on their own delivery policy. Really, really poor, but I guess it just isn't worth the hassle of making a formal complaint.

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nearlythere · 21/05/2007 16:01

you could try making a formal complaint but they'd probably ignore it- doesn't tend to bother them in the slightest due to having their heads up their own arses!!

I'll have nothing to do with them from now on, i just wish that people would realise what they really are like as a company- unfortunatly they prey on the uninformed and make themselves out to be such a caring friendly company!

Original poster
CaraLondon · 21/05/2007 16:12

Well, I shall do my best to spread the word about them - and I totally appreciate that I am exactly the kind of first time mum-to-be that they would prey on: having saved up that little bit more to spend on the baby and knowing that I am vain enough to want pretty things for her, even though she won't care less ! Silly of me, I know! Well, I shall put my practical hat on and see what else is out there - thanks for your help.

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MrsBadger · 21/05/2007 16:22

at that price you might almost as well buy a Bug, but I do like the Sleepover myself.

Either that or go for the other end of the spectrum and just get a Techno.

Original poster
CaraLondon · 21/05/2007 16:34

eek! what's a Bug?

OP posts:
nearlythere · 21/05/2007 16:36

BUGABOO! Look at the xplory- littlelapin will hate me for saying it but the buggy is fab!

MrsBadger · 21/05/2007 16:38

Bugaboo

Original poster
CaraLondon · 21/05/2007 16:39

Ta! I really am quite new to all this!

OP posts:
shonaspurtle · 21/05/2007 16:46

Look like you've moved on from the Ultima, but if youve got downstairs storage that's a big plus. You can remove and carry the carrycot with the baby in it. I used to negotiate 3 floors with carrycot and folded chassis hooked over other shoulder... Hard work though! If you can leave the chassis downstairs though it would be okayish. I stopped using the carrycot at about 4 months.

It's worth thinking about whether you want a rear facing pushchair as a lot of the more compact systems don't have this as a feature. It's what put me off going for a Maclaren for the early months. Will probably be getting a Quest or similar pretty soon though so I can get my boot back!

Re: using the carrycot overnight, we did do this but tbh, you can get one of those pop-up travel cots for not much which would do the same job for a lot less £££ if that was the main attraction of it.

Original poster
CaraLondon · 21/05/2007 17:00

it's not so much the 6in1 itself, which I am still thinking about - together with the Silver Cross sleepover and the xplory and the Bugaloo ranges and all the other suggestions - but it is just that the customer service was so bad that I feel put off. On the other hand, I don't want the baby not to have something simply because I couldn't get on with the staff! I guess it comes down to the value for money, but at the top end of the all-in-one ranges available - or whether buying things separately is actually more worthwhile.

OP posts:
MrsBadger · 21/05/2007 17:15

well, put it this way

  1. There are better carseats than the Primo Viaggio. And does it fir your car properly?
  2. How often will you really want to clip the carseat on the chassis (bearing in mind they shouldnt be in a carseat for more than 1.5hrs at a time)?
  3. By the time the child is 12mo you'll be fed up of lugging a big pushchair around, even if it is rear-facing, and will buy a Maclaren Triumph or similar.

So the 6 in 1 may not be such a bargain after all...

pistachio · 21/05/2007 17:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

nearlythere · 22/05/2007 10:02

i will echo the opinions of the last few posters- don't go for something just because the bits will be useful, often it ends up so much cheaper to get them all separatly and you end up with better quality stuff. If you are set on m&p and are happy that they can provide the service that you want then go for it, if you are unsure keep looking!

tbh the carrycot thing is a minefield, its lovely to have a proper pram BUT 4 months on you are going to have a useless bit of kit sitting in the loft, then the reason you bought the system becomes a bit invalid!

Don't spend a fortune on a pram because you think it is the best pram to buy, everyone swaps at least once to a maclaren or similar!

Also don't give in to peer pressure, just beacuse a pram is trendy doesn't mean it will suit your lifestyle- bugaboos are fab but lugging them up stairs is near impossible, pramettes are lightweight and carryable, but on rough terrain they are useless!

A trip out to some shops might make things a bit clearer. If you are in london then go down to daisy and tom, John Lewis etc and some smaller shops if you know of any- they tend to be more specialised and know more about their business than the average sales girl!

ScottishMummy · 22/05/2007 10:53

imo for that money buy a bugaboo cameleon
great pram
easy to maneouvre
holds resale value well on ebay
easy to use on buses - i should know i do it daily sole mode of transport fits easily alongsoide other prams
nice range of accessories

try Glasgow pram centre they do saturday delivery - v good

misdee · 22/05/2007 10:57

koffs am selling a 7month old bugaboo cameleon. £450 ono insured delivery.

MrsBadger · 22/05/2007 11:12

misdee, what colour is it again?

DH keeps pointing them out in the street and asking 'If they're supposedly the best pram in the world ever why aren't we getting one?'...