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Which organisations have you decided never to use again after poor customer service?

331 replies

tortoisefairy · 25/03/2010 13:16

Right I will start. The idea is name and shame and maybe these huge organisations will realise to stop using ridiculous automated telephone services and to stop ripping us off!!!!

Currys - very low level of customer service after our HP printer stopped working as it was 2 months past the warrantee date.
Handy that.
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

That's better, especially now when I phone to complain and tell them I've written all about it on here.

OP posts:
craftynclothy · 25/03/2010 17:16

CLARKS - terrible service in store (they even asked me if I wanted to buy the shoes that didn't fit dd ) and have failed to reply to my two complaints (one online which I got an automated response from and one postal)

TheCrackFox · 25/03/2010 17:32

Good:
Amazon
John Lewis
Habitat

Crap:
BT
BA
British Gas
Bank Of Scotland

wannaBe · 25/03/2010 17:38

oh can add anglion windows. We had a quote from them for a conservatory which turned out to be twice the price of the next cheapest quote. Salesman rang me every day for a week until I told him we'd gone elsewhere, then he proceeded to slag off the company we'd gone to.

Ryanair. Will not go into detail as it will just make me angry all over again, but I posted about it in great length at the time.

Vodafone - bought a phone from them which supposedly would have accessibility software installed on it. Was delivered without the software so they arranged to have a replacement delivered which never turned up. Eventually managed to send the original phone back and told them I'd changed my mind, then they proceeded to charge me line rental because I'd gone outside the fourteen day period. even though it was their fault

newpup · 25/03/2010 17:42

Good Service - Amazon and John Lewis, really good customer service, these companies have invested big time in their customers! Also Monsoon, helpful staff who will go out of their way to find an item for you.

Bad service - Next - poor poor service at the till. Staff ignore you or are rude! This happened to me at least 6 times in our local store, I will no longer go in there!

Cakesandale · 25/03/2010 17:51

British Gas
British Gas
British Gas

I could go on, but you get the picture

fanjolina · 25/03/2010 19:35

oh yes, just remembered - Lloyds Bank

chegirlWILLbeserene · 25/03/2010 20:12

Two both related to the illness and death of my DD. I have told these before so apologies.

SKY. I cancelled when I gave up work to look after DD after dx. They pestered me for the next 18 mths to resubscribe. They phoned once a week at least. They escalated their calls and this coincided with DD's terminal dx when she was at home because no more treatement was possible.

They kept phoning and phoning and I was getting increasingly stressed by having to field these calls. I eventually told them that my DD was dying and I really couldnt cope with their calls and would they please stop calling me.

The person on the phone said (without skipping a beat) 'well we cant take you off our call list unless you make an appointment for one of our reps to come round and discuss your subscription with you' (not exact words but more or less).

Abbey National. - I eventually got the nerve to shut down DD's account about a year after she died. I had to queue for ages to talk to someone who turned out to be about 18. I told him I wanted to close down my DD's account and he said 'why?'. I told him she had died. He said 'you have to bring in her death cert to prove she has died'.

I said I didnt want to bring it in and she was only 14 and I was the holder of the account so didnt need to.

He stood and argued with me that I did and wouldnt have it that he was wrong. I left in tears.

When I came back a week or so later he was stil there. He said 'oh yeah I remember you, I told you to bring in the death cert and you stormed off in a right mood.'

It took me weeks to shut that account down and hours of sitting around that fecking bank.

Both companies are going to go under at some point because I send them so many bad vibes they cannot possibly survive.

weepootle · 25/03/2010 20:17

BT.

Bellemaison - what an expensive mistake that was.

MinnieMalone · 25/03/2010 20:20

DEBENHAMS online - repeated cocked up orders, seemingly incompetent staff. Not worth the hassle.

Totally agree re: CLARKS. I have boycotted them for years. Poorly stocked, feckless staff with no interest in helping customers.

I am on the verge of sacking off using NEXT online. The staff on the customer service line are so rude and unhelpful. I feel like screaming 'i am spending a lot of money, here. Be nice to me!' every time I get off the phone with one of their mardy, jobsworthy 'customer service' folk.

I do still occasionally use MOTHERCARE online, but I agree - the service both in-store and online is generally very poor.

BarryKent · 25/03/2010 20:52

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chegirlWILLbeserene · 25/03/2010 21:17

Thank you Barry. Yes it was fucking awful. The trouble is these things happen when you are least able to fight back.

If it were to happen now there would be little left of the perps apart from a pile of ashes at my feet.

But then I just couldnt deal with it.

MrsFlittersnoop · 25/03/2010 21:17

Virgin Media. Beyond dreadful.

Lied to us repeatedly about installation timescale and initial start-up costs. Cancelled installation engineer 3 times with less than 2 hours notice on each occasion. This left us without internet (meaning DH unable to run his business) for 6 weeks - eventually signed up with BT and were online within a week.

Tiscali. Same experience as potplant.

daysoftheweek · 25/03/2010 21:18

Mothercare
M&S (really poor near us currently waiting for a reply from customer services so I might change my mind)
Amazon would never use at christmas only use if I have to the rest of the time.
British Gas

have to confess I'm wavering over John Lewis tried to swap a childrens toy (was cheap and obviously in superb condition) but the wrong gender and way to young for my dc. I got shouted at by manager

zapostrophe · 25/03/2010 21:23

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ByTheSea · 25/03/2010 21:30

American Express. I was an excellent customer for many years and for first time ever was late with 2 payments due to death in the family. I used to travel loads for work and had amassed 120,000 bonus miles/points and they just took them all away.

ajandjjmum · 25/03/2010 21:33

Carphone Warehouse.

Took out contract for dd, with automatic cut-off if she exceeded her time. They then said whether they applied it was discretionary. Spent 12 months arguing, with me pleading with them to take me to court, to let the judge decide.

After a rainforest's worth of letters, they finally went away.

aniseed · 25/03/2010 21:47

Amazon, JoJO, Blooming Marvellous are very good and I get a lot from them.
Coventry builing soceity are always very helpful on phone and don't keep you waiting for long.

Boo! Debenhams online - think you've got a sale bargain and then they e-mail a few days later to say it is no longer available.

Dreams - would never ever buy anything from there. They do not do refunds or exchanges despite telling you they do before you buy. When complain to management you get a horrid letter telling you how it is all your fault. Now stuck with a kingsize mattress I do not need!!!

M&S - make continual mistakes on receipts, i.e. miss of offers etc and then blame you for not checking you receipt. I don't shop there anymore.

darcymum · 25/03/2010 21:48

Boden.

Do you think I will be reported for that and have my post deleted by mumsnet?

Tanga · 25/03/2010 21:50

Next (in store) rude, unhelpful, never again.

Asda delivery - DIDN'T SEND NAPPIES!!! with no substitution! Just said the special offer had left them without stock. Same for DH's beer, but wasn't quite as horrified by that.

Curry's - bought vv expensive extra warranty thingy which guaranteed a qualified service ngineer within 24 hours. 3 month old fridge went tits-up - suddenly it was 'oh only if we have a qualified engineer in the area'.

Love your Shoes - order never arrived. Two weeks to even contact them - had to threaten legal action to even get a response. Was refunded the cost (minus the delivery charge!!)

vanimal · 25/03/2010 21:52

Mamas and Papas - would not swap an outfit I received as a gift for DD1 because I was 1 week over the 28 day returns policy.

I wasn't trying to return it, I just wanted a bigger size. And I couldn't get to the shop any earlier as I was recovering from a C-section and town was too far for me to walk to safely with DD.

They just refused point blank and didn't give a shit.

yama · 25/03/2010 21:53

BT

BT

BT

BT

I don't want to talk about it - too soon (3 years).

gleegeekgleek · 25/03/2010 21:56

Heartwarming, not just good: Jellycat *as in teddy bears...when ds was about a year old, a particular teddy became a favourite. I searched high and low for a spare but it was discontinued by then.

I ended up calling Jellycat and asked if they had any left and why I wanted a spare. The man sent me one from their 'archive' free of charge. What a nice man.

Love it: Waitrose. I LOVE the staff in my smallish local branch. I know lots of them - they've been there years it seems and they are so friendly and helpful. And they don't stick rigidly to stupid rules like other shops - they have the scope to use their common sense when it comes to things like refunds.

Good: the AA - despite others' experiences they have always been brilliant when we've called them out.

Amazon too - so reliable.

Bad: most big high street stores. I hate it when you ask staff for help e.g. advice on a product and they have no idea and start reading the product packaging - erm I could manage that.

gleegeekgleek · 25/03/2010 21:58

OH and I love First Direct. When you phone them up the call centre staff actually sound like they want to talk to you.

ScreaminEagle · 25/03/2010 22:01

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nigglewiggle · 25/03/2010 22:04

I have no new bad stories to add, but second Great Little Trading and Cotswold Co's.

On the good side - I recently ordered a new bed for DD from Aspace. It was reduced as it was in a discontinued colour. They rang after my order to say that the bed was no longer available, but because it was showing available when I ordered they would send me a more expensive one instead. As we put it together we noticed damage to the bed-end. When I rang they were very apologetic and without me having to say anything she anticipated that we would not want to disappoint DD by not finishing putting the bed together. She immediately organised delivery of a replacement part and told us to keep the damaged one as a spare.