MAJOR MOAN OVER THE WHITE COMPANY long but worth reading!

[missbopeep]

Truly fed up and may never order by mail again. Have just spent 20 mins from a working day on the phone to them- they called.

They wanted my card number so they could take payment for an item which was out of stock when I placed the order last Thursday. (It didn't say on web it was out of stock anyway- a candle.)

So- I queried if they could confirm who they were ( as they phoned me and wanted all my credit card details.)

Then they told me they never save credit card details for back orders AND NEITHER DOES ANY OTHER COMPANY. Err- sorry what about Boden who takes details months ahead in the preivew?

I mentioned I needed to return the items I ordered last week anyway and how would they refund my £10 gift voucher- I assumed it was going to be applied to the candle, which I was waiting for. Oh no- nothing as simple. She said it had been already applied to the 3 items sent. I told her it had not because the despatch note gave me a total charged to my card and the £10 wasn't deducted. She then told me she'd find out why.....

turns out that the invoice they send with the parcel is not an invoice really and doesn't show what has been taken off your card.
They say the REAL amount they have taken will (if you use a voucher) be on your credit card statement ( and would I like to check it now- errrr....it only went onto the card 2 days ago.)

So any vouchers you use online do not show against the paperwork they send you with your order.

On top of which their bags are not re-sealable for returns, no sticky address label and of course no free returns.

I don't think I will do mail order again as they are crap at it.

I've always found them excellent, maybe you've just been unlucky.

Just to be on the safe side, you should call them back on the telephone number on their website. Don't give your card details when they call you.

Their returns process is painful but I have a store locally so always take them in for them to do in store.

Are you sure it WAS The White Company?

I rarely do on-line ordering, and almost never for clothes, because something always seems to go wrong.

I have had similar nightmares in the past. They take orders they can't fulfil and CS can be so inflexible.

Yes it was them- I checked that the number displayed on my phone was in fact their CS number shown on my paperwork and she did offer to give me my order number and details- which I asked for.

What is annoying though is that they don't tell you on the web that an item is out of stock ( it was a Xmas candle) and it doesn't show as being unavailable in the confirmation email. What is more weird is that they have to call you to ask for the card details again, 2 days later when the item is in stock- and talk to you as if you are mad for suggesting this is NOT normal practice.

Oh b*gger, I ordered the Xmas candle...

Seems every odd. In past when things are out of stock online I have called them and there is a little bit of stock left. They told me that they show it as out of stock online whilst still stocking a little to enable them to fulfil online orders when there is a sudden demand. Perhaps with the recent £10 voucher promotion they just sold out of candles too quickly?

Weird as always have found them to be fab!

They are called the shite company in this house.....apparently if your sheets go into holes after 6 months its fair wear and tear.

I buy loads from White Co and have always found them to be great.

I do but quite a bit from them and have actually mostly found their CS quite good. My main complaint is the wierd new system they have in place where you can only return something and have to do a whole new order for an exchange.
It simply doesn't work if gift vouchers have been involved. But usually after some convoluted explanation it gets sorted out. The staff in my local shop are always soooo helpful and lovely though and always give me a refund with no problems when I've bought lots of sale items in a variety of colours and sizes and then don't keep any of them!

I don't have a problem with the politeness of the staff on the phone or in stores. I do have a problem with the invoice sent to me not being accurate re. what's been added to my credit card and somehow I'm supposes to know the £10 voucher has been applied.

I also have a problem with no labels provided for returns, having to pay postage on this, and bags that are not resealable.

In store I have a problem with their insistence on phoning their accounts dept before they can give refunds- to make sure you paid on the card you are presenting to them.

I don't know ANY other store that does this and it usually means very long queues at their tills.

Yes that is annoying. They did once send me a free return label as something was faulty. It was just printed on a piece of paper and I regretted not photocopying it!

I have asked them about it a couple of times and they say it is to avoid extra costs so they can keep prices low...hahahaha. They're hardly budget buying.

It is annoying but to be honest doesn't really put me off buying from them as I do like the stuff.