Hi everyone,

Has anyone tried to take a faulty phone back to Woolies, and be offered  a refund 3 times and then be told they changed there minds. And as far as they were concerned there was nothing wrong with the phone. And be told to speak to the techinical dept who dont know anything, and dont even talk the same language. I am wondering if the fact that Woolworths is loosing lots of money, by emerging with Kingfisher, has anything to do with it.

hiya,

 i feeel your fustration. i have wondered about woolworths of late, they seem to be "going down the pan". their products also seem to be of a lower standard these days. whats going on?

As you say Woolies is a very bad retailer whose main function seems to be keeping the directors and top management in employment. I have never had a problem with refunds within twenty eight days.

What I am confused about is when you say they offered a refund 3 times do you mean you refused it three times (unlikely) or did they some how make offers without backing them up and then changed their minds? Also how did they have the cheek to say there was nothing wrong when they have no facilities for testing a phone or did they plug it into their system (unlikely)?

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your replies, I was having problems with the camera, the pictures had lines going across them, and my friends could not get through. Woolworths could not find the fault so dismissed it, I had in writting I could get a refund, they ignored this, I had a code from the customer services, this was dismissed apparently it does not mean anything. And then the manageress relented and said she would give me a refund, and because I  said I had put money on this phone and wanted this back, she did a complete u turn and changed her mind, I was absolutely fuming. This company derserves to loose money the way they treat there customers, they have now decided to send me an envelope to send it back to them, what happens if it goes missing in the post or even gets broken in the post are they going to give me my money back, hell no I have totally lost trust with this company, they do things underhand, there is no customer service, Woolworths used to be a good Company, as far as I am concerned its gone to the dogs.

This is ludicrous! I wonder whether just possibly because of their plight some badly worded memo has gone round about being tighter on returns and it has been misinterpreted by the manager. It is just not acceptable to buy it from a store and then be told to send it back and in addition be at the mercy of it being lost or damaged in the post. Couldn't you have a quick word with trading standards to confirm this is unacceptable/against the law and then go back into the store and say very calmly something like "I have spoken with TS and they (don't say you if you see what I mean) blah, blah and if she refuses just ask for the correct spelling of her name (don't tell her why, it's implied) and see what happens (when I have done the spell your name bit in the past it unnerves staff - I only do it with horrible ones). Worst case scenario you're no worse off than you are now. I hope you win!

Hi ty4that,

Thank you for your reply I have been intouch with Trading Standards in the past, and they used to be good, but even there policies have changed. They only seem to offer advice, and never get involved, which they always did previously. They would contact anyone and this made a diffrence and the shops feared them. Nowadays the consummer is in the wrong the shops have all the power, and if you loose your flimsey peice of paper, your reciept Lord help you, the Law is on the side of the shops, our consummer rughts are not worth the paper they are written on. Even if you ring Headoffice no manager cares,  they know they have all the rights on there side. I agree with you on the memo going around the office in Woolworths, they has lost millions emerging with Kingfisher, so everyone who has brought anything from this store, is going to have to take on the staff, Management, Headoffice, its like having the third degree, all of them will try and talk to you at once, they have had some very good courses on how to be pompous intimidating dictators, and this seems to be the trend in many shops. Hopefully our rights will eventually be in our favour, these shops are lucky we buy from them, what happened to common curtousy, manners, and helpfulness, now its give us your money get out of my shop, and dont dare bring anything back.

Hi again,

This I found from another dissatisfied customer, and this customer spent a lot of money in Woolworths and look at the way they have treated this person appallingly, its unbelievable.                                                                                                                                                                       

 

 

BROUGHT MY SON A XBOX360 0N 23 FEB, IT WENT WRONG ON 31 FEB BUT WOOLIES REFUSED TO CHANGE IT SAYING I HAD TO DO IT VIA MICRO SOFT.4 APRIL MICRO SOFT TOLD ME WOOLIES HAD TO CHANGE IT,SO RANG THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE TO BE TOLD TO TAKE IT TO MY LOCAL STORE AND GIVEN REF NUMBER, TOLD WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM. AT THE STORE THE DEPUTY MANAGER WAS AGRESSIVE AND RUDE , ARROGENT AND AGRUMENTATIVE, HE STATED HE HAD PHONED THE MAN I HAD SPOKEN TO AT CUSTOMER SERVICES, THEN HE RANG MICRO SOFT AND TOLD THEM HE WOULD CHANGE THE WHOLE UNIT ON PUTTING PHONE DOWN HE, HE REFUSED TO DO SO AND ONLY CHANGED THE CONTROLER.TOLD ME IF THAT DIDNT WORK I HAD TO TAKE IT BACK TO WERE I HAD BROUGHT IT.WHEN I GOT HOME IT DIDNT WORK SO I PHONED THE SAME MAN I HAD SPOKEN TO ON CUSTOMER SERVICES AGAIN HE TOLD ME TO TAKE IT BACK, I HAD BEEN LIED TO THE DEPUTY MANAGER HAD NOT SPOKEN TO HIM BUT I WAS TO INSIST THAT HE DID THIS TIME. I WENT BACK TO THE STORE WERE THE DEPUTY MANAGER REFUSED AFTER BEING RUDE TO CONTACT HEAD OFFICE CUSTOMER SERVICES AS REQUESTED AND I HAD TO PHONE THEM AND GIVE THE PHONE TO THIS DEPUTY MANAGER, THEN ON PUTTING THE PHONE DOWN HE DEMANDED THE REF NUMBER HE HAD HAD EARLIER WAS AGRESSIVE IN HIS MANNOR WHEN I REMINDED HIM HE HAD HAD IT EARLIER AND DEMANDED I SENT SOMEONE HOME FOR IT BEFOR HE WOULD DO THE CHANGE OVER.I WAS REALLY UPSET AND RANG AND PUT IN A COMPLAINT BY PHONE AND WAS TOLD TO PUT IT IN WRITING TO STORE, I DID. THISMORNING INSTEAD OF THE £50 COMPENSATION FOR WHAT I HAD SUFFERED I RECIEVED A LETTER DATED 5.APRIL BANNING ME FROM ALL THEIR STORES, SO I PHONED AND FAXED THEIR LEGAL DEPARTMENT, AS YET I HAVE HAD NO REPLY.SO THEIR STAFF CAN BE AS RUDE AS THEY WANT BUT IF YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT IT THEN YOU GET BANNED FROM ALL THEIR STORES FOR LIFE. WELL I HAVE E-MAILED TRADING STANDARDS TONIGHT AND AM NOT GOING TO SIT BACK AND PUT UP WITH THIS.IT IS BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE TO SAY THE LEAST AND I AM STUNNED I CAN GET A BAN WHEN I WAS NOT ABUSIVE ,THREATENING,VIOLENT AND I AM NOT A SHOPLIFTER morveryn  Guest
     

Sorry to play the devils advocate here but companies don't just ban people from their stores for nothing. I suspect the customer did something and just doesn't see where they went wrong. The fact that they type in CAPITALS is an indicator that something's not quite right there......

Hello Daniel and christy.

I know of a case where the customer got banned for her conduct and in isolation this was correct BUT the in store CS person had started out 'difficult' (as though she had left home that way and brought her attitude to work) and the customer quite reasonably acted unreasonably but NOT violently as a result, one might almost say as a result of goading by the CS person. When the customer walked out I happened to hear the conversation with her supervisor who walked over. The supervisor was supportive to th CS saying she had seen and heard the whole thing. This was impossible. I had been looking in the direction she came from and during the whole altercation she was nowhere to be seen. I got the impression that the two were 'friends' and not just work colleagues. Also and most important it was entirely unreasonable to be supportive of the CS at the expense of the customer.

I have no wish to take sides here and I hope I haven't. This is just what I witnessed. :-)

ty4that:

Hello Daniel and christy.

I know of a case where the customer got banned for her conduct and in isolation this was correct BUT the in store CS person had started out 'difficult' (as though she had left home that way and brought her attitude to work) and the customer quite reasonably acted unreasonably but NOT violently as a result, one might almost say as a result of goading by the CS person. When the customer walked out I happened to hear the conversation with her supervisor who walked over. The supervisor was supportive to th CS saying she had seen and heard the whole thing. This was impossible. I had been looking in the direction she came from and during the whole altercation she was nowhere to be seen. I got the impression that the two were 'friends' and not just work colleagues. Also and most important it was entirely unreasonable to be supportive of the CS at the expense of the customer.

I have no wish to take sides here and I hope I haven't. This is just what I witnessed. :-)

 The problem is that it's a small step from rowdy customer to violent customer and to be fair if I worked in retail I wouldn't want to have to get paid a cruddy wage to deal with these people and the threat of abuse and violence. I've worked in retail and customer service and I'd say more often than not the customer service rep is right and the customer is either just being unreasonable or just doesn't quite "get it".

 That said I've worked with people like the ones you've discussed and they just go out of their way to screw customer so it goes both ways sadly :(

Hi ty4that, and Daniel,

Thank you for your replies, the only side I will be taking is the customers, and I to have worked in retail and never treated customers in this way, and I have come up against all sorts of customers, and if your diplomatic, and listen you get results, the reason the customer gets upset like I did, is when your banging your head against a brick wall,  Customer services will do there utmost to antagnise the customer, they are smarmy and rude, they have consummer rights on there side, so they really play on this. Years ago you could take something back and be treated with respect, nowadays you get more abusive staff, who are not interested in the job, only the wages at the end of it. And if any these shop assistants have had a bad morning or at anytime of the day, look out customers you will get hell.

Yes sure is?

I bought a 32inch tele quite a layout I thought. the Screen has a fault I phoned the technical "help" line, and was told an engineer would come out and replace the set, Has anyone seen their engineer??????

I waited a month no response,,,,, I phoned again,  same story no response I phoned the "manager" of the store and he pnoned me back saying that after contacting them I was first in line for a replacement when a suitable set arrives. 

After a few more weeks had passed I went ot the store and was told more or less my story was ridiculas.

So it seems we do need impeccable evidence

do not bother recording the "refference number" of calls record the call make sure names are taken. They havent been rude or impolite with me. they have just ripped me off!!!!!

I am going to explore the option of the small claims court. Any one had any luck there???

I am banning myself from their dodgy dealing stores!!!!!!... I would have got the same deal off Arthur Daily and much cheaper.

Hi daisywheel13, and everyone.

Thank you all for your replies, I have to agree on your opinions, Woolworths needs to change its whole policy about dealing with there customers, it needs a shake up. And the Chief Executives and Directors, are ruining  the reportation of Woolworths good name. It needs to go back to basics and look at where it is going wrong especially when they are loosing money, they should do a customer survey all around Britain, these are the important people, who will give them an honest feed back on there experiences shopping at Woolworths. And when they have the customers opinions the shop hopefully will change the way it operates, and Woolworths will become the store everyone will once again shop in.

Just phoned the ""helpline"" again today, and they have finaly given me return code lets see what happens??????

Just took my tele back to shop with all its stuff, gave them the ran number and they gave me a reciept with the credit details to my switch card. Fell over backwards with shock. How easy this was. The staff at this branch seemed equally as frustrated. At the present situation.

Strange things seem to happen these days ( not to mention when I tried to leave the carpark after paying my ticket to a machine another machine complained it could not read said ticket and asked me to call a human, The human who like many these days  Whom although being particularly inteligent are prepared to work for nothing due to poor English skills asked me if I had Paid, As I was in a particularly laid back mood I sympathised with his position and explained how I had come to be calling him there  and although he probably could not understand anything but the £1 I said I was then shortly on my way.

Back to woolies Very Very Strange when you buy somthing from a shop the onus about what do do to satisfy a customer sureley should be with that shop and not strangers down the line. Not directley involved in the original transaction.

Got my money back I think ???