Service with a smile???

Reading Gemmak yesterday on her experiences of the non-appearance of a delivery gave me some cause for concern. You see, a couple of months ago, we decided that we needed a decent recliner chair and sofa instead of the extremely average and not particularly comfortable ones that we already have. We eventually found something to suit - so comfortable we may well never wish to sit anywhere else again! But of course, we couldn't have them for several weeks, which wasn't a major problem as we were about to go on holiday anyway. So we gave the shop our holiday dates and pointed out that we wouldn't be at home during that fortnight.
Needless to say, the day we came home, there was a message on our answerphone asking us to pay the balance so that the furniture could be delivered. This was followed, during the next two days by 4 more phone calls along the same lines. Last week, I got a phone call from the furniture depot telling me that the furniture would be delivered tomorrow and I would get a text message yesterday informing me of the time of delivery.
I did want to believe it and be impressed, honestly!
Well, yesterday came and went and so did most of today and my phone remained messageless. As I hadn't taken the paperwork to the shop with me, I couldn't ring to chase things up until I came home, after 5.30 and, guess what? The depot closes at 5.30! So I rang the shop.
"Oh, sorry, we don't deal with deliveries. You'll have to ring the depot."
You mean the one that closes at 5.30?"
"Oh, I don't think they close that early."
"Yes they do, I've just tried to phone. As you made so many phone calls to ask us to pay the balance, I think you should at least make some effort to track down our furniture!"
I went on to explain that I needed to know whether to stay in tomorrow or not and that I didn't feel I should need to stay in the whole day anyway, I painted a picture of us sitting on the floor, having given away our present suite - all to no avail. In the end, he passed the matter on to his manager, who reiterated that there was no way of contacting anyone before tomorrow.
"They have had problems with text messages being received by customers," she said.
So wouldn't it be a good idea to phone people instead?
"Oh, I don't think they know how to use a phone!" she trilled. Ha, Ha!!
An hour later, another phone call, this time from a very nice, "don't shoot the messenger" type lady, who informed me, very apologetically that one of our items of furniture (she didn't say which) had been lost in the warehouse, so, although 'they' were searching for it as she spoke, our furniture would not be delivered tomorrow. So when? Who knows?

3 comments:

gemmak said...

Doesn't it just drive you demented! I used to have to arrange and deal with deliveries in my job and whilst we didn't always get it right we did alot better than your and my experiences of late. At least when we messed up we fell over ourselves to put it right and make recompense............fat chance now. The trick is to have the same person arranging deliveries as the one taking the frap if it goes wrong! It kinda concentrates the mind when you have to take the fallout for errors too! :o)

Jennytc said...

You've hit the nail on the head. If someone would actually take responsibility for what's happened it wouldn't be so bad! Hope you got your delivery eventually!

gemmak said...

oooppsss @ 'frap', you know the word I meant :o/

And yes thanks my delivery came in the end with much apologising from the driver which somewhat took thw wind oyt of my sails and prevented him from my full wrath! hehe

Hope yours is 'found' before too long, the word refund has a habit of ensuring action where I work! :o)

Plaster board and dust

So, we're still no further forward on the British Gas smart meter front and I've given up making non-existent appointments with them...