We finally decided in October last year (2011) that we needed to get a 'proper' family table instead of the pine one that is hidden in the corner of the dining room. We decided on a drop leaf but couldn't find one we like anywhere so we decided on a nice wooden 4-seater one which was dark wood with nice cream covered seats. All was well until around the end of November when hubby sat on one of the chairs and it collapsed beneath him (hurting his back in the process). Now don't get me wrong Mike is not a small guy but he isn't a hefer either and doesn't normally go around flattening chairs!
We contacted Argos and complained who asked us to collapse the table and chairs and take it back, problem is it took 2 hours to put up so they were asking us to pack it away, bring it back to store and have it replaced? All we wanted was a replacement chair - apparently it is easier to circumnavigate the globe in a hot air balloon than it is to get a replacement chair! As emails were going back and forth we noticed that another chair was starting to split so a complete replacement did seem to be the best option.
Have I yet to mention that Argos have the worse customer service ever? In store, via telephone, via email and on Twitter? I emailed their customer service to see if there was any chance they'd collect and replace, no luck. I email their directors office, I was told they would not deal with my complaint as not in line with the escalation process, Twitter - pretended to help outwardly but nothing ever came of it. I finally emailed the customer service MD direct (raye.summers@argos.co.uk - just in case you ever need it) and finally started to get some response, might I add by this time it was about 1 week before Xmas, which is not the best time to be tableless as by this point we only had 2 usable chairs for a family of 3 along with about 10 people coming for a boxing day lunch. Luckily I finally had contact with a helpful gentleman in the directors office and he arranged for a table to be delivered by taxi from one of their stores and the faulty one was collected.
What the gentleman at the directors office wouldn't have known was that we were sent a second, it was scratched to hell all over the table top. The seat cushions were stained with wood stain and all in all just a bad manufacturing job all round. Contacted directors again and after more emails it was agreed they would exchange or refund and offer me a pittance compensation (£40).
Cut to this weekend.- We dismantled the second table took it to Argos and had to explain to 2 different customer service representatives the whole story from start to finish as they were obviously not happy to replace the item, I then had to show her my phone with the email on from the directors to prove they were allowing the exchange. I was asked how much I paid for the table which I couldn't remember as the item was first purchased over 5 and a half months ago so I gave the customer service lady my Argos card to which she replied was not helpful because if I purchased anything else that month it would not be able to be determined how much I paid. This is not my issue, this is an issue at Argos. She called the card services customer service department, came back and more or less stated I was a liar as my card had no transactions between June and November 2011. How was I to know that two Argos cards on the same account do not show the same transactions? (which as they are for the same account surely they should?). Luckily my husband was with me and he handed over his card which turned out to be the card we used. I advised that I no longer wanted a replacement of the same table (due to already having two that were sub-standard) and wanted the a different one they had on offer which shows as being in stock for home delivery on the Argos website - I advised her of this, I got a dirty look and a comment of if I continued to check out then it would say it was out of stock, apparently another Argos blip.
At this point I became frustrated so just advised that I'll just have a refund. To which her response was yes as long I have brought back everything including the chairs, was she having a laugh? why would I keep the chairs??? She had no idea to do a refund might I add and two customer service agents had to help her to add I received no please, thank yous, apologies or even a smile while I was in store - I was treated like a complete nobody, shocking customer service! I checked when I got home and she was indeed right, the Argos website lets you go all the way to checkout until it tells you there is no stock, interesting that Argos have no stock when it is being offered at half price don't you think?
The situation I now find myself in after 5 and a half months of trying simply to buy a table and sort all the errors out is no dining table whatsoever for myself and my family (eating dinner at the coffee table is neither comfortable or appropriate) and I am 23 days from the birth of our second child!
We now desperately require a table to fill the gap we have in our dining room which not only do we use for our meals I also recently use to work from home off of, so it is quite difficult and inconvenient to say the least!
I have now asked that they get the table that I want, to me ASAP, however I won't hold my breath because I think dying from asphyxiation would be unpleasant!
What do think my chances are, I think bugger all but maybe if I got Watchdog involved it may help? We'll see.
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