14 November 2006
Two Left Feet claims to be one of the top independent baby goods suppliers in the UK. Based in Bedford, it's invested £1m in its huge warehouse and shop, which it says has the most sophisticated stock control system available. Despite this, Watchdog has received hundreds of complaints about its customer service.
Jane Ainsworth was initially very impressed with the range of goods and the staff's product knowledge. She ordered over £500 worth of goods, which Two Left Feet promised would arrive in time for the birth. As the big day approached, she started to worry. Ainsworth wanted to chase it up with the company, but couldn't get hold of Two Left Feet by phone, because it's company policy that once you've bought something, you can only reach customer service by email. It says ringing the company can slow down its reply service and cause 'undue stress'.
Ainsworth also found she had to contact different email addresses for different parts of her order. In fact, Two Left Feet has 16 different email addresses for after-sales service. Although it says it aims to provide a comprehensive response in three working days, this isn't always the case.
Luckily, like the order, Ainsworth's baby was late, so she did get her goods in time. But seven months on, she's still waiting for her pushchair's shopping basket.
David Bell bought a buggy for his daughter's baby. They soon found a problem with the pram meant that it was difficult to steer. They reported the problem to Two Left Feet but it took seven days, five emails and two phone calls before the company finally took notice.
Jeanette Lund also bought a buggy from Two Left Feet and found she had a problem with it - it wouldn't collapse properly. After complaining, she got a replacement but that one also had a problem, this time with the hood. Two Left Feet agreed to send the buggy for inspection, but said Lund would have to pay any repair costs, even though the buggy was less than six months old.
After Watchdog's involvement, Bell was sent a replacement pushchair which he says has the same problem. Two Left Feet has offered him an alternative. It doesn't agree with the other cases and states that each has been dealt with in a professional manner. It says it manages over 187,000 orders every year, and that it's making a major investment in its infrastructure and staffing.
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