v rude store manager in LK Bennett

[Whoneedssleepanyway]

I took a cardigan back to LK Bennett today as after one wash it had shrunk badly and some small holes had appeared on the seam near the neck.

As soon as I showed it to the manager she became very hostile and said they are very careful about the stock they display and would not have sold something in that condition and then started questioning me very agressively as to how I had washed it, the instructions said hand wash 30 degrees, I had washed this cooler than 30 degrees. She basically then said very patronisingly please take me through the steps as to how you washed this and then found the holes as I want to understand how this happened, I said "I washed it, laid it to dry on the airer, went to get it to iron it once it was dry and saw it had shrunk and noticed little holes", she then said "so it sounds like it got caught on something", at this point I did say to her "you seem to be implying that I have done something wrong to the cardigan", she refused point blank to give me a refund or credit note, at which point I quoted legal rights to her as a consumer, she then said it was her right as a company to send the cardigan to a technical expert to have it tested to see if it had been washed properly, I said really and then she just said "fine have your money back". I am so cross that she basically made out I was lying to her and treated me like I was trying it on in front of other people in the store. I am not really sure what the purpose of this thread is but am just really annoyed and needed to let off steam.

Kelly it's because marble stated that the reason people aren't getting refunds is because it's a company policy they have to follow. This directly contravenes the Sale of Goods Act, which states that if an item isn't of satisfactory quality you have the right to a refund, replacement or repair.

Yep, she's basically saying it's company policy to ignore the law.

Ooh I was on this the first time round

I'll repeat though, they have got the WORST attitude I have ever come across when trying to return faulty items.

Horrendous. Very very rude.

I never even WORE my frock. I took it out of the bag and looked at it, realised it had a duff seam in the centre at the front and took it back.

The hell they raised was just incredible.

Btw Marble - I have worked in retail and not once have I treated a customer in the way I was treated in LKB.

Never been back again, and never will.

so really, get to feck with your 'working in retail is so hard' balloney.

We know this but it is no excuse.

We have a outlet/sale store where I work. Bought a nice bag from there wasn't really my taste but eventually sold it on Ebay.

I remember years ago buying a pair of sandals (heeled) from LK Bennett, trying to refund etc and getting a credit note. God knows if their service has changed now.

I don't get anything there now - the 2 shops are in the Village and the concession is in a big dept store.

But I also feel quality of e.g. Whistles has gone downhill. got bag from Ebay - Whistles and though nearly new stitching came away from handle - didn't come away with their old style bags with pink lining!

Ditto - nice tan jumper bought recently in Whistles - very nice but stains and creases VERY EASILY!

I love my pyramid bracelet and the black tube skirt and navy knit (in sale) are growing on me. but got skirt, knit, bracelet and knit in sale or with Grazia 25% off.

The fact is that we would be directly disobeying the company if we overrode policy, which would in turn get us into trouble.

I fucking hate this attitude. I am lucky enough to work for a company where challenging policy and strategy and wanting to improve things is seen as a positive - not something that would get you sacked. I realise this is not a common attitude.

Amazon, love 'em or hate 'em, are the biggest retail business in the world and they are based on putting the customer first - it doesn't always work in practice - but they are built around cheapest price, best service and no quibble returns / complaints policy.

I've only shopped in LK Bennett once I am far too young but this kind of shitty high street service is exactly while I almost exclusively shop online e.g. through Ebay (where the vendors are unanimously lovely and helpful IME).

What's more, I bet it doesn't add up on a P&L - weighing up the costs of losing customers AND the costs of testing versus the piddling cost of refunds or better quality control.

Wow this thread has been an eye opening case study in how not to handle customer complaints.

And eye opening in how customers who are given a bad experience vote with feet & purses!

Never been back, never will.

I recently visited their shop in Winchester, really snooty staff who had better things to do than serve me!!! I have bought shoes from them in the past and the quality of the leather used is of poor quality in my opinion. So, I left the Winchester store having told the staff that I would spend my money elsewhere...their loss, not mine!!

this is the longest recurring thread in the world surely

I don't believe the hard-working LKB staff that have defended the company are anyone other than the head of PR and her minions.

Note: we generally like your stuff (especially shoes, cardis not so much) but read the facts. Service C-, returns policy D, clothing C (unless you're Carole M, god bless you ma'am).

Now stop with the silly defensive shit, and crack on with looking at your completion and meeting expectation.

Sticking nude sledges on Kate's hooves will not sort out your long term strategic goals.

Agree with TSS

Marbles - how can you give some of the best customer service on the high street when you ignore consumer rights and generally are required to ensure that getting a refund is one of the biggest PITA's ever?

I cannot think of another shop which acts like this. Therefore, your customer service is, as a matter of fact, some of the worst on the high street

This total lack of insight is actually at the root of the problem

alicecrumble

was the same store I had issues in

Just wanted to add my recent experience. I wore a £150 pair of court shoes to a London wedding several months ago. I was 6 months pregnant at the time, so arrived and left in flats(carefully carried the LK shoes in dust bag) and barely left my seat all evening so definitely did not collide/bump into anyone neither trip/fall flat on my face. I was totally sober and would recall ANY such incident. I've just taken shoes out of dust bag to wear at a future party and was horrified to discover the leather on 1 heel has peled away/scuffed/stabbed it's very noticeable and means I can't wear them. I've worn them twice, they are otherwise in pristine condition, I took photos and sent into their customer service.

I've had 2 responses saying they won't accept the leather is to blame, try to make out I caused this, but say they'd be "more than happy" to arrange a cobbler to repair, entirely at my own cost!! I have quoted sales of good act and the satisfactory quality term which includes durability- which leather on these shoes clearly wasnt. For them to keep insisting I must have had an accident in them (I've explained I was/am pregnant so clearly would not have got into any situation they insinuate of reckless behaviour causing this damage and would also remember it!) and also how "happy" they'd be to take even more of my money simply to enable me to wear shoes for a third+ time is disgusting. I have now remembered stories about just this and am so angry I have given them business.

Please people: let's spread the word about the poor quality of LK Bennett leather and LK Bennett's disgusting customer service which seems to be on a par with Ryan Air's in grabbing our money then running away the moment something goes wrong- actually detesting their own customers?!

Many thanks for that - I shall never darken their doors with my presence!

Yeah maybe a few responses are PR concocted but mine is real - and I could tell you a lot about the company.. both the good and the not so good. It's a shame you have all had negative experiences, but I don't think these are representative about what customers think of the company. When I worked at the westfield branch we had great feedback and people seemed to really praise the quality of the product and the great customer service. I suppose I care enough to comment because I have friends who still work there and they give 110% every day on the job. Most people don't realize how difficult it is, and how much of themselves people give just so that you can have a good customer service experience. I must say, my opinion on people who work in retail has really changed and I respect them so much. Think about that next time you go into a store and shout at someone because something happened to your £200 shoes.
They will do the best they can do for you, and to be honest yes sometimes you need to be pushy to get what you want, but there is a way of doing it respectfully.

If you don't like l.k bennett, that's fine. Boycotting them won't really affect them - the company is going from strength to strength every year and rightly so - I've met people who design the clothing, who are involved in visual merchandising, the entire creative process. They do an incredible job and they are one of the few brands left who are passionate about retaining quality and injecting excitement each and every season. I can't say that about many brands at present, and I certainly monitor the fashion world on a regular basis.

Find another store and you'll realize that customer service is entirely down to the individual you meet. Sometimes they hire the wrong staff, sometimes it's just poor training. I hope you have a better experience and if not, then just write a letter to head office and maybe they can take some feedback from you. If there's one thing I have learnt - they are always looking for ways to improve and ways to satisfy you. That company do the absolute best they can, and that's why I care so much.

They sound rubbish. I'll spend my money elsewhere too.

Despite your impassioned plea, electric, I shall go elsewhere.

electricblueberry how incredibly naive to imagine that boycotting a company won't affect them!
This thread, and several others like it, has been going for a long time, and more and more people are adding their unfortunate experiences.
Since Mumsnet has hundreds of thousands of people reading and posting here every day, I'd guess it's only a matter of time before it has a significant impact!

It's such a shame when customer service is terrible because really, unless you're very magnanimous and / or in live with the brand, you won't go back after a bad experience. I had some free time unexpectedly and popped into LKB to look at a nice pair of shoes and okay, to be fair I was a bit scruffy that say as I'd just been studying all day (I was in jeans and studenty stuff) but the staff were awful - they were very rude and when I asked to try a different size they did the absolute bare minimum to serve me, took ages, generally discouraged me from associating with their brand and clearly wanted me to get the he'll out if their
shop as quickly as poss. I never went back, obvs.

So Electric, you may know some great people working for the company but if the good ones are let down by a significant number of terrible ones, the company has some pretty serious thinking to do. So many companies have gone under in the last 5 yrs - this is not a time to be complacent and self-congratulatory in the retail industry when people are unhappy with the service they receive.

My bad experience is not LKB but a similar high-end-of-the-high-street brand. About 12 years ago I went in and explained that I'd just finished my postgrad, so money was fairly tight, but I was about to start a fairly well-paid job so wanted to spend about £300 on a core starter wardrobe I could build on. To start with, the assistant was really helpful, but then went into hard sell overdrive on a really expensive winter coat that was more than my entire budget. I told her that I was going to wait until I'd had a few pay days before I bought things like winter coats, especially as it was only early September at the time, but she was really persistent, insisting that I try the coat on over each outfit just to see how it looked. I had to get quite persistent back and when I finally got through to her that I wasn't buying the damned coat that day, she threw me a look like I was something she'd stepped in and basically abandoned me. So I abandoned the pile of clothes I had been going to buy and went to an independent boutique instead.

I didn't know at the time that her lowly SA salary justified any snootiness. My mistake.

Dumpy, couldn't agree more.

Electric, my complaintbwas dealt with by head office. Their attitude was totally blasé, arrogant and unhelpful, despite fact these shoes were hugely expensive and a gift from my husband. They really couldn't care less.

So your statement "few brands left who are passionate about retaining quality and injecting excitement each and every season. I can't say that about many brands at present, and I certainly monitor the fashion world on a regular basis." I must say is laughable!! I work for a leading British designer brand, miles ahead of LK and their attitude to quality issues is miles above and so helpful in getting things resolved for the customer.

Mumsnet is one of the most visited sites in the UK by EXACTLY LK Bennetts target consumer group - ie. women 25-45 with brains, style, sense and in a lot of cases money to spend on decent products. A thread like this and the word spread from it of course can and will have an impact.

Arrrgghhhh stories like this make my blood boil.. Some of these recent accounts are totally shocking. I might expect it from Primarni, but not from a store steeling shoes costing £100s....Burbgirl under sales of good act they have to offer something so don't let thm fob you off in such a vile manner.

Further dodgy reviews alo appear here...very worrying www.reviewcentre.com/reviews104111.html

Electric blue - a simple Google Sarch for "LK Bennett reviews" brings up this thread amongst top 5 so of course it'll have an impact...sorry

Boycotting them won't hurt them, they're going from strength to strength reads like screw you, little people, you're irrelevant and we're too big to give a shit.

I would not buy from a company with this attitude and no company is too big to be able to treat its customers with contempt.

Piss off 1 customer and yes, they don't matter. 1 person you can disregard with a lofty wave of the hand, if so desired.

piss off 2, 10 , 200, 500, 1000... how many people is it ok to treat like shit before a company has to start thinking about changing its attitude?

1000 people treated like shit all tell everyone they know, who all decide maybe they'll shop elsewhere...

everyone matters. Every customer matters.