Whistles customer service

[Filiboom]

Hi there. Slightly random question, but does anyone have a contact for someone good to contact with a complaint at Whistles?

I bought a bag from them that got signed for by someone other than me (our house was empty at the time so no idea who...) and it has taken 2.5 weeks to get anywhere with their standard customer service. Now they want me to print out a form to declare that I didn’t receive it and our printer is broken. Whole thing is just getting deeply frustrating and between childcare, illness and work I just haven’t had the time to pick up the phone to complain. Just had the standard “your enquiry is important and will get back to you in five days” response to my latest email and I want to contact someone directly who can actually do something!

Thanks very much.

I usually find Whistles customer service excellent and helpful, both in store and on the phone.

Your printer being broken, and childcare, illness and work issues surely just normal life stuff? not allowing you time to contact them is nothing to do with Whistles or the problem.

That's not to say Whistles may or may not be offering you good service or taking the appropriate action, and it's certainly a frustrating experience, but it seems some of your dissatisfaction may be a bit misplaced.

This is an issue with the courier, and Whistles will need to investigate that with that 3rd party. Hence why they need a form completed with your side of the story to establish the facts.

You could find out who the courier company would be - it's usually DPD who are one of the better ones - and contact them directly?

I'd bet anything that you'll be fully compensated for this eventually, but keep your cool and go about it in the right way.

Did you pay on Amex? I’d be tempted to let them handle it via a chargeback.

I've actually had good service from Whistles. I did have an item go missing maybe last year at this time, and I did have to fill out a form, but thereafter it was quick. I phoned them on the number on the website, seem to remember getting through quickly. The woman offered to post me a form, or email it to me so I could print it. I said to email it, signed, scanned and emailed straight back, and the refund followed quickly.

I have had wonderful service from Whistles in the past but in this instance it has been slow and frustrating. I have already sent them four or five emails and called them twice. I appreciate that what is going on is life stuff, but the frustration today was that they wouldn’t accept an email declaration from me in place of the print out and I now need to arrange to get this done. I would usually just call them but I know I don’t have time for the next few days as I have a lot of meetings lined up or I am with children doing various nativities etc.. I just had yet another “we will get back to you” stock response and I wondered if there was a more direct email I could use.

The frustration here is compounded by the fact that it is not the first time that I have had problems with the Whistles delivery service and last time they resolved it very efficiently. Plus, sometimes “normal life stuff” is just exhausting. Basically, I just got to final straw stage this afternoon. (And probably good I didn’t call in the circumstances!)

In this case, whilst I appreciate that they have to follow the processes, the fact that the signature bears no resemblance to my name would suggest that the error lies with the delivery company. If I were Whistles, I would have apologised to me, sent out a replacement and followed up with Hermes separately two weeks ago. It is particularly galling that the bag is now half price in the sale!

Oh - and I did look at the Hermes (I think it was) website when it first happened, but it’s a nightmare.

Anyway, it will all get resolved and apologies for the rant. I think I got such good service from Whistles last time there was a problem that I expected the same again, and have been, perhaps unreasonably, fed up that this time it’s been less good.

They haven't fulfilled your contract to you and it is their job, not yours to sort out the problem. If your printer isn't working, they need to find an alternative. Stop doing their job for them and insist that they sort this out.

Thank you! I’m clearly ill as I was starting to think I was being unreasonable to get frustrated when in fact they’ve had my money and I’ve had no bag for over two weeks. It’s a tomorrow problem for now though.

Good summary of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 here

Key section:
The retailer is responsible for goods until they are in your physical possession, or in the possession of someone appointed by you to accept them. This means that retailers are liable for the service provided by the couriers they employ - the delivery firm is not liable. The retailer is responsible for the goods until they are delivered to you and in your possession

Perfect - thank you!