![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I wish to register a complaint.
Jul. 9th, 2009 09:49 amWhen I buy things, I tend to expect a certain standard of customer service. Obviously I'm not fool enough to think that the person selling me things actually likes me, but I hope for them to at least pretend to value my custom and opinions for as long as it takes for the transaction to be completed.
On the other side of this is that when things go wrong I get to write stroppy complaint letters, which is always fun. I recently attempted to buy some stuff from the online store of the Republic chain, which proved to be a serious error.
When complaining I've often found that it pays off to take your compaint as far up the management structure as possible, so I got my hands on the email address of Tim Whitworth, their chief executive, and sent him this.
A little over two weeks ago, I made a purchase from your website. For your records your UPI number was XXX XXXXXXXX and your Senders Reference was XXXXXX. On the 26th of June I got a 'we called, you were out' card through my letterbox from your contracted delivery company Home Delivery Network. I enclose a scan of this document so you can see what I've had to work with. Most of the card is completely unintelligible as I don't read Serbo-Croat, but someone suggested that the word after 'we left your package in a safe place' is 'Behind'. That's all we can work out.
I live in a top-floor flat. The only way to leave anything 'behind' my flat is to throw it out of a window, so it can't possibly mean that. But behind what? Or who? Or where?
After searches 'behind' (behind the bins, behind the door, behind the tree over the road, behind the cat) proved fruitless I rang Home Delivery Network on June the 29th to ask about my package and was told that, in fact, they still had it and would be happy to deliver it to me on Wednesday the 1st of July.
As it hadn't turned up on Friday the 3rd of July I rang again and was told that someone who could help with my problem would call me back.
I spent the weekend of the 4th and 5th untroubled by anything like a call back and so rang Home Delivery Network again on Monday the 6th, when I was told that someone who could help with my problem would call back.
On Tuesday the 7th, I rang again and was told - you guessed it! - that someone who could help with my problem would call me back.
You won't be surprised to learn that nobody did, and so I rang again yesterday - Wednesday the 8th - and was promised (scouts honour, hand on heart) that someone who could help with the problem would call me back "Within half an hour".
After a further 24 hours of silence I've given up on Home Delivery Network and I'm writing to you direct. I'd rather not be doing so and I'm fairly confident that it's not what you wanted when you got out of bed this morning either. I have a contract with you, Mr Whitworth, to deliver me a new pair of trousers. I would still rather like them. Unfortunately your delivery subcontractors have no messed me around half-a-dozen times and they're doing my opinion of your customer service no favours. My normally patient and sunny disposition is wearing thin.
I'd be grateful if you could have a word with them and get my purchase to me as soon as possible. Failing that a refund would be an acceptable alternative, but I'd rather get the stuff I actually bought from you.
I look forward to hearing from you, if only because I haven't heard from anyone else.
Yours, etc.
On the other side of this is that when things go wrong I get to write stroppy complaint letters, which is always fun. I recently attempted to buy some stuff from the online store of the Republic chain, which proved to be a serious error.
When complaining I've often found that it pays off to take your compaint as far up the management structure as possible, so I got my hands on the email address of Tim Whitworth, their chief executive, and sent him this.
A little over two weeks ago, I made a purchase from your website. For your records your UPI number was XXX XXXXXXXX and your Senders Reference was XXXXXX. On the 26th of June I got a 'we called, you were out' card through my letterbox from your contracted delivery company Home Delivery Network. I enclose a scan of this document so you can see what I've had to work with. Most of the card is completely unintelligible as I don't read Serbo-Croat, but someone suggested that the word after 'we left your package in a safe place' is 'Behind'. That's all we can work out.
I live in a top-floor flat. The only way to leave anything 'behind' my flat is to throw it out of a window, so it can't possibly mean that. But behind what? Or who? Or where?
After searches 'behind' (behind the bins, behind the door, behind the tree over the road, behind the cat) proved fruitless I rang Home Delivery Network on June the 29th to ask about my package and was told that, in fact, they still had it and would be happy to deliver it to me on Wednesday the 1st of July.
As it hadn't turned up on Friday the 3rd of July I rang again and was told that someone who could help with my problem would call me back.
I spent the weekend of the 4th and 5th untroubled by anything like a call back and so rang Home Delivery Network again on Monday the 6th, when I was told that someone who could help with my problem would call back.
On Tuesday the 7th, I rang again and was told - you guessed it! - that someone who could help with my problem would call me back.
You won't be surprised to learn that nobody did, and so I rang again yesterday - Wednesday the 8th - and was promised (scouts honour, hand on heart) that someone who could help with the problem would call me back "Within half an hour".
After a further 24 hours of silence I've given up on Home Delivery Network and I'm writing to you direct. I'd rather not be doing so and I'm fairly confident that it's not what you wanted when you got out of bed this morning either. I have a contract with you, Mr Whitworth, to deliver me a new pair of trousers. I would still rather like them. Unfortunately your delivery subcontractors have no messed me around half-a-dozen times and they're doing my opinion of your customer service no favours. My normally patient and sunny disposition is wearing thin.
I'd be grateful if you could have a word with them and get my purchase to me as soon as possible. Failing that a refund would be an acceptable alternative, but I'd rather get the stuff I actually bought from you.
I look forward to hearing from you, if only because I haven't heard from anyone else.
Yours, etc.
