View Full Version : Currys - Whatever happens (What a joke)
bluemoonjo
05-03-2011, 14:44
I purchased a 50" Samsung Plasma tv in March 2009 and took the whatever happens insurance plan with it. On 15th Feb 2011 my tv stopped working so i telephoned the whatever happens telephone number and was advised that an engineer would visit on saturday 19th Feb which was 2 days later than it states on my documents as it says if you call before 6pm on a Tuesday an engineer will be with you by the Thursday.
On saturday 19th February 2 men and van turned up to collect my tv and not an engineer as they stated. They then took my tv away and told me it would be returned in 7 days. By the 24th February i had not heard anything from them so i gave them a call only to be told the tv was a write off and a voucher code was being generated and should be available by Monday 28th February.
On Monday 28th February i called them as i did not hear from them to check to see if a voucher code had been generated to which i was told to try again tomorrow, which i did then again the next day and the day after which was now Thursday. On the Thursday i was given a code over the telephone and told to take this code to my local Currys with some ID and they would issue vouchers for a replacement tv.
When i arrived at store with the code the girl behind the counter said it didn't look like one of their codes but not to worry she would give them a call and sort it out. After 2 hours on the phone being passed from pillar to post and me stood in store with my children she passed the phone over to me only to be told i should never have been given this code and that this was a code for Samsungs reference and should try again tomorrow to see if a code has been issued.
Friday 4th March i called them yet again only to be given the same code as the previous day to take into store which i then had to explain to them what had happened the previous day and inform them that the code they were trying to give me was not a voucher code. They then transferred me through to a different department who then told me this code was for a manufacturers exchange and then gave me Samsung customer service's telephone no.
I then called Samsung and quoted the reference no. they had given me to which i was told they were organizing a replacement for a 15" lcd tv. which i then told them was incorrect as mine was a 50" Plasma bought in 2009. They then informed me it was out of manufacturers guarantee so they would not arrange replacement and it would be down to my insurance company to organize a replacement.
So with that i then called whatever happens back yet again, only for someone to try to give me the same reference no. yet again so i had to again explain every thing that had happened he then asked me for my number and told me he would call back. At 5.55pm he called back saying he's had to go through all the departments as nobody seemed to know what was happening, but as we spoke there was a manager generating a voucher code but their department closed at 6pm so i would have to call back tomorrow for the voucher code.
Today Saturday 5th March i have telephoned and asked for my voucher code only to be given the samsung ref no. again, after explaining yet again everything that has happened the man said he would call me back. After about 1 hour he then called me back and told me that that nobody knew anything about any voucher code, but he had spoken to somebody else who said that they would arrange a credit letter to be sent out that would take at least another 7 days.
My policy states that there is a 21 day replacement rule on it which is supposed to mean that if your product is not returned in 21 days a replacement will be given. I have wasted numerous time and telephone calls and am still no nearer to finding out when i am going to get my replacement can anybody help please!!!!!
Sounds like Currys are still as crap as ever.... and now they're sharing shop-space with PCWorld so things can only get worse.
Our newly-amalgamated store had my PC for 4 weeks "waiting for parts" which never arrived. A local PC shop did the repair... correctly... in less than half an hour!!
[QUOTE=bluemoonjo;35187457]I purchased a ...snip QUOTE]
Thats a horrible story but only what i would expect from DSG ,have you thought of giving trading standards a ring ?.
On a side note i think some official body realy needs to sort out these extended warranty insurance policies as very rarely do you hear of anybody getting satisfaction from one
Tezcatlipoca
05-03-2011, 17:03
<tale of woe>
Ah, Currys & Whateverhappens... :rolleyes: :mad:
You may find this thread about my own tale of woe interesting & informative, from September/October 2009:
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/22/33655952-currys-coverplan-whateverhappens-avoid.html
Give the whole thing a read.
Try & get hold of "Claim Management" if you can. They seemed more helpful & clued in, to me, than the normal CS muppets or the "Medics Team" (who, for a "resolution" team, failed to resolve anything). There should be an option on the normal 0844 number to get hold of the claim side of things. Explain the problem and hopefully you'll get through to someone who isn't a complete idiot.
[Unless of course you've already been dealing with Claim Management, in which case I guess there's no one useful left at all now!]
I'll have a route around & see if I have any direct numbers written down anywhere. I hoard things, so I may do.
You may also have luck emailing the Dixons Retail PLC (formerly DSG) Chief Exec. That was going to be my next thing, if the phone people had continued screwing things up. Try john.browett@dixons.co.uk and john.browett@dsgiplc.com.
Ravenheart
05-03-2011, 17:11
Friend had a similar problem with Whateverhappens. When she did a search online similar problems appeared all over the consumer sites like MSE and the Consumer Action Group
A handy few tips in this thread on MSE (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=41003190) I'd also agree with Martyh and have a word with your local trading standards office.
You really can't believe that the DSG group are still treating customers so poorly after all the negative press they've had over the years for the same problems.
Tezcatlipoca
05-03-2011, 17:12
A ha!
0844 561 4000 - support line
0844 561 7000 - delivery line
0115 9923072 - Medics Team
Phone 0844 5614000 (the normal no.) choose options 3-1-1-2. That should be the claim side. Explain everything to them. Try & get hold of Claim Management (may be called Case Management - my notes vary).
EDIT: The Currys website has a different number: 08445 61 62 63. Not sure if mine is obsolete, or if it's for a different part of CS.
Rockabilly Spike
05-03-2011, 18:08
its no surprise at all. its quite rare that anyone has a good story about WEH.
makes it very difficult to sell it to a customer who's had a bad experience!
i have very little faith in the service....I work for the company too.
from this month the'yre starting a 9 month roll out and rebrand of the Tech Guys and their respective services changing WEH to Knowhow Support.
having seen some of the new ideas they wanna impliment, it sounds good on paper, but in the really real world, I can see us on Watchdog again before the year is out!
from what I can remember
free 2 year warranty as standard on laptops
new service will offer an inhome service for collection, remote access for software probs, 7 day turnaround.
on TVs its supposed to be inhome fix or write off. basically from what my GM has told me, they wanna have the KNOWHOW call centre do a diagnostic over the phone and an engineer will bring parts with them to repair in home. if it can't be, repaired or will take 7 days to get the parts and fix it OR its damaged accidentally beyond repair, its a write off.
all sounds great on paper
its no surprise at all. its quite rare that anyone has a good story about WEH.
makes it very difficult to sell it to a customer who's had a bad experience!
i have very little faith in the service....I work for the company too.
from this month the'yre starting a 9 month roll out and rebrand of the Tech Guys and their respective services changing WEH to Knowhow Support.
having seen some of the new ideas they wanna impliment, it sounds good on paper, but in the really real world, I can see us on Watchdog again before the year is out!
from what I can remember
free 2 year warranty as standard on laptops
new service will offer an inhome service for collection, remote access for software probs, 7 day turnaround.
on TVs its supposed to be inhome fix or write off. basically from what my GM has told me, they wanna have the KNOWHOW call centre do a diagnostic over the phone and an engineer will bring parts with them to repair in home. if it can't be, repaired or will take 7 days to get the parts and fix it OR its damaged accidentally beyond repair, its a write off.
all sounds great on paper
All sounds a bit of a whitewash to me .
most companies in the EU already offer a minimum 2 yr warranty since 2006 so that is nothing groundbreaking
The rest is just a rebrand/rehash of the existing scheme .Also unless they are going to give people thorough technical training in the products they sell then it is a waste of time
A quick example of the tech guys in pc world last weekend when looking for a HD monitor ,i was advised that there is no difference between a VGA connection a HDMI and a DVI connection apart from the shape
Rockabilly Spike
05-03-2011, 18:40
All sounds a bit of a whitewash to me .
most companies in the EU already offer a minimum 2 yr warranty since 2006 so that is nothing groundbreaking
The rest is just a rebrand/rehash of the existing scheme .Also unless they are going to give people thorough technical training in the products they sell then it is a waste of time
A quick example of the tech guys in pc world last weekend when looking for a HD monitor ,i was advised that there is no difference between a VGA connection a HDMI and a DVI connection apart from the shape
yeah its a massive rehash!
just repainting vans and having new uniforms doesnt change much.
most companies in the EU may indeed offer a 2 yr service BUT, most places in the UK don't cos its not a UK law to offer 2 yrs.
its only a directive to countries like the UK.
either way, I'll keep yas informed when I've done the training for sales colleagues.
think mine is in about 2 weeks
yeah its a massive rehash!
just repainting vans and having new uniforms doesnt change much.
most companies in the EU may indeed offer a 2 yr service BUT, most places in the UK don't cos its not a UK law to offer 2 yrs.
its only a directive to countries like the UK.
either way, I'll keep yas informed when I've done the training for sales colleagues.
think mine is in about 2 weeks
quite correct ,i think we haven't adopted it as law because our sale of goods act will allow customers the right to claim for upto 6 yrs after sale dependant on circumstances so are a lot more strict that other EU countries
bluemoonjo
05-03-2011, 19:10
Thanks everyone for your advice i am going to contact trading standards on monday and am also going to get an appointment with my local citizens advice and i have been given a number to contact ombudsman i will keep you updated with what happens.
Thanks everyone for your advice i am going to contact trading standards on monday and am also going to get an appointment with my local citizens advice and i have been given a number to contact ombudsman i will keep you updated with what happens.
Please do ,it will usefull to other members as i notice that we get one of these stories every few months
best of luck ,hope you get a satifactory outcome
DSG are as much use as a lighthouse in the desert
Cobbydaler
05-03-2011, 19:45
DSG are as much use as a lighthouse in the desert
Would have thought a lighthouse in the desert would be pretty useful if it was next to an oasis... ;)
Uncle Peter
06-03-2011, 17:18
The only thing Currys are bothered about is training their staff to con people into buying £70 hdmi leads which supposedly deliver better quality 1's and 0's to your telly.
Once they've got your money then the customer is just a pariah. As an ongoing concern they no longer deserve to exist.
I went to visit my brother recently and he swore blind that the pictures from his blu ray player were of a better quality on his large 1080p telly once he swapped the supplied hdmi lead for an uber-expensive one. There really was no telling him.
Rockabilly Spike
06-03-2011, 17:28
The only thing Currys are bothered about is training their staff to con people into buying £70 hdmi leads which supposedly deliver better quality 1's and 0's to your telly.
Once they've got your money then the customer is just a pariah. As an ongoing concern they no longer deserve to exist.
harsh that you would wish a company employing over 40,000 people in the UK alone, out of existence.
yeah we get that you dont like the customer service or the target driven hard sell or the apparent lack of product knowledge (thats not ALL of us BTW, just the majority)
but to wish an entire company would go under is a little OTT
Arthurgray50@blu
06-03-2011, 19:29
Curry's are the worst company going, I vowed that we would never go back after we had trouble with a Tv that took SIX MONTHS to repair.
We saw a washing machine for sale in our local branch, so we bought it, but then they had trouble finding the booklet and also the box, they found it, but then the booklet was the wrong one, The machine broke down the NEXT day, but they refused to take it back, but asked for an engineer visit, this was booked THREE times, and he failed to arrive, When the engineer finally arrived after TWO weeks, he told us that the machine was obsolete, and there were no parts, and ordered Curry's to take it back, THEY refused as it was AFTER seven days gurrantee the branch allowed.
In the end we had to contact Trading Standards and they evenutally offered to SELL us another machine - which we declined, we got so frustrated l called a mate of mine who works on them, and he repaired it, it needed a new motor.
NEVER, go to Curry's, all they worry about is selling the product - there warranty, is not worth the paper its written on.
Curry's are the worst company going, I vowed that we would never go back after we had trouble with a Tv that took SIX MONTHS to repair.
We saw a washing machine for sale in our local branch, so we bought it, but then they had trouble finding the booklet and also the box, they found it, but then the booklet was the wrong one, The machine broke down the NEXT day, but they refused to take it back, but asked for an engineer visit, this was booked THREE times, and he failed to arrive, When the engineer finally arrived after TWO weeks, he told us that the machine was obsolete, and there were no parts, and ordered Curry's to take it back, THEY refused as it was AFTER seven days gurrantee the branch allowed.
In the end we had to contact Trading Standards and they evenutally offered to SELL us another machine - which we declined, we got so frustrated l called a mate of mine who works on them, and he repaired it, it needed a new motor.
NEVER, go to Curry's, all they worry about is selling the product - there warranty, is not worth the paper its written on.
sounds like you bought an ex display model Arthur
Arthurgray50@blu
06-03-2011, 20:10
It was, but you still get your normal rights.
It was, but you still get your normal rights.
Not necessarily,It all depends if there were any conditions attached to the sale ,sometimes a shop will sell an ex display without warranty or with a limited warranty ,in your case i believe you said seven days ,also it is not expected to get all original boxing and instructions that come with a "new"product
It should however perform the function it was intended for, for a reasonable amount of time as per the sale of goods act ,so after 2 days yes i think you had good grounds for a refund
Rockabilly Spike
06-03-2011, 20:30
none of this surprises me at all, however out of all the electrical chains going, DSG are still making enough money to keep going, refurbing shops and the like.
someone must be buying from them!
actually over Xmas we had the ability to check the store reports from other stores in the chain, which we don't usually.
on boxing day between 10-4pm, Teesside park took £255,000 in sales.
none of this surprises me at all, however out of all the electrical chains going, DSG are still making enough money to keep going, refurbing shops and the like.
someone must be buying from them!
actually over Xmas we had the ability to check the store reports from other stores in the chain, which we don't usually.
on boxing day between 10-4pm, Teesside park took £255,000 in sales.
lets face it ,if you want a washing machine ect were do you go apart from a DSG shop ,sometimes you can get deals at asda or tesco,or buy online ,which has it's own issues especially if you want the item immediately basically DSG have the British market sown up
Uncle Peter
06-03-2011, 20:42
lets face it ,if you want a washing machine ect were do you go apart from a DSG shop ,sometimes you can get deals at asda or tesco,or buy online ,which has it's own issues especially if you want the item immediately basically DSG have the British market sown up
I always buy my appliances from John Lewis. Last thing I nearly bought from Currys was a tv a few years ago. When the box arrived at the checkout it looked like it had been booted out of an aircraft from 40,000 feet and resealed with about 3 miles of brown tape. Got the lad to open it up and the tv was obviously an ex display model - the bezel was scratched and the remote was out of the plastic bag with the batteries installed. Never again.
lets face it ,if you want a washing machine ect were do you go apart from a DSG shop ,sometimes you can get deals at asda or tesco,or buy online ,which has it's own issues especially if you want the item immediately basically DSG have the British market sown up
Comet.
Everytime i've been in a Curry's looking to buy something there and then, washing machine, tumble drier, cooker, etc, i've always had some jumped up assistant say something to the effect of "we only hold the more expensive models in stock, if you want anything cheaper you'll have to wait for home delevery". Never had this problem with Comet.
Comet.
Everytime i've been in a Curry's looking to buy something there and then, washing machine, tumble drier, cooker, etc, i've always had some jumped up assistant say something to the effect of "we only hold the more expensive models in stock, if you want anything cheaper you'll have to wait for home delevery". Never had this problem with Comet.
I always forget about them ,plus i thought they were part of DSG but apparently not ;)
Rockabilly Spike
06-03-2011, 21:04
I always forget about them ,plus i thought they were part of DSG but apparently not ;)
yer not the first, only the other day I had a bloke kicking off at me that he had bought a TV and it had gone down in price about 2 days after and he wanted the difference refunding.
it was from Comet.
as far as Dixons retail goes
Currys.Digital are on the high st. (formerly Dixons stores)
Currys and PC world have the XL/Super/Megastores
Dixons Tax free are the only stores to bear the Dixons name now.
Dixons itself is a web only store, prices are different, they will not be matched in a Currys or PCW for this reason.
having said all that, I reckon the Currys n PCW names will eventually be chucked and Dixons will be back for ALL stores within the next 5 years.
Tezcatlipoca
06-03-2011, 23:45
I went to visit my brother recently and he swore blind that the pictures from his blu ray player were of a better quality on his large 1080p telly once he swapped the supplied hdmi lead for an uber-expensive one. There really was no telling him.
I find it sad that people still fall for that. I guess the cashebo effect is powerful on some.
harsh that you would wish a company employing over 40,000 people in the UK alone, out of existence.
yeah we get that you dont like the customer service or the target driven hard sell or the apparent lack of product knowledge (thats not ALL of us BTW, just the majority)
but to wish an entire company would go under is a little OTT
Dixons / Currys / PC World have without doubt THE worst customer service of any electrical goods supplier in the UK. The staff are poorly trained, have very little product knowledge once you ask anything more than "does it have hdmi" and are consistently rude and obnoxious. This is the case for every store I have been in for the last 25 years or so. As to after sales it is totally non existent, they do not give a damn about you. I only ever buy in their shops if I know it is considerably cheaper than I can get anywhere else.
While I would never wish a company out of business. They need to be fined and investigated by watchdogs. They really are a terrible company, with the worst staff in the high street.
Rockabilly Spike
07-03-2011, 10:28
thats probs mostly true Risco, however there are a few of us who actually have qualifications in our chosen departments, but since the pay grades are rubbish and the bonus scheme is almost impossible to achieve whilst maintaining any sort of morals, we mostly start looking for other jobs ASAP.
am ready to leave after 3 years of company bullying tactics and being regarded as untrustworthy by customers who just think we're out to earn commission.
let me tell you, even with the best intentions in the world, the company will drive any morals out of you.
i went in there after being made redundant from working as a PC repair tech/sales in a local computer shop.
i had a raging argument with my FIVES trainer over the bull he was spouting about the Belkin HDMI cables. I offered up the argument that the quality of the USB lead between printer and PC wouldnt improve the photo printed, the printer would!
so why would an HDMI cable of 0-5-2m have eny effect on the same digital signal between TV and whatever input device. the devices either side of the cable are the ones that matter.
was told to sit down and shut up, cos I was being disruptive.
you're targeted on 11 different things and unless you hit over the minimum standards on ALL of them every week, you will be berated by management.
the company says its all about what matters to the customer, but its not, its about making profit, like any other business.
the main item you want to buy, makes between 3-10% margin (for those not in the know, margin is profit - expenses)
a superstore costs about 190,000 a year in just electricity alone, plus staff, rent, rates, heating blah blah blah.
so the only way to remain profitable is to sell the add-ons. without those sales, there would be no company.
but the general public see the ticket price and will have no qualms about telling me to my face that the internet is cheaper. it may well be. a lot of times we just feel like a showroom for internet only companies like Amazon.
how long til theres no high street electrical stores at all?
how long til the super/megastores are gone cos everyone wants stuff at net prices?
problem is, dixons group pay badly. if you want well trained colleagues and no hard selling, you have to pay the staff more. that increases running costs, which means having to charge more than the competition for the main items.
vicious circle.
you can't seem to have it all ways, without going and selling other things too.
John Lewis has this fab reputation (tho my personal experience of the newcastle store is about the same as currys...but they have nicer clothes on than our uniforms!!)
JL make stupid amounts of margin from the markup on their expensive home goods.
so they can afford to sell TVs with virtually no profit.
the entire concept of high street shopping has gone right down hill.
folks still want discount for cash, free stuff thrown in but now also want the best customer service, internet prices, free delivery, free warranties and expert advise.
007stuart
07-03-2011, 13:13
Didyou pay by credit card, if so then the Consumer Credit Act may also give you some recourse via your card provider.
Googe the Sale of Goods Act.
I am presently pursuing a claim for a faulty laptop and have had success in the past this way
roger skillin
07-03-2011, 16:42
I only use DSG store now for browsing, i then go home and find the same product online at a much cheaper price and buy that, some people out there are still scared of buying things online but i wish they would as you can save so much money
Rockabilly Spike
07-03-2011, 17:03
I only use DSG store now for browsing, i then go home and find the same product online at a much cheaper price and buy that, some people out there are still scared of buying things online but i wish they would as you can save so much money
exactly what I said earlier. just a showroom for the internet. soon you wont have any shops left at all, you won't be able to see anything before you buy it
sparky1511
07-03-2011, 17:52
BE WARY THESE ARE PART OF THE SAME OUTFIT
PIXMANIA.COM
We are Thieves, Liars and Dishonest
JUNE 2009 I brought a 60inch LG Plasma TV with a 5 year WARRANTY from these CHARLATANS costing around £2000.00.
DEFINITION of WARRANTY; a guarantee on purchased goods that they are of the quality represented and will be replaced or repaired if found to be faulty.
SEPTEMBER 2010 the TV became faulty, (3 months into the extended warranty) I rang Pixmania as required; a lame excuse about Curry’s not helping them with the warranties. They ask me to get a report from a local TV repairer that cost me £65 and they informed me the TV screen needs replacing.
To cut a long story short FEBRUARY 2011 after lots of emails & photocopies, of information they already have, I am £65 out of pocket and the TV still not repaired. This has happen with a £2000.00 purchase, if you purchase anything smaller you would not stand a SNOWBALL IN HELL’S CHANCE of a repair or replacement.
This is a French Company which is part of Dixon’s, Curry’s and PC World. I am concern that Dixon’s, Curry’s and PC World have found a French Company to rip off the British people.
DON’T BUY ANY ELECTRICAL GOODS FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES FROM PIXMANIA YOU MIGHT MISS THE GAMES.
I am posting this on all Social Networks and Forums I am involved with, and informing family and friends to do the same, pass it on, pay a bit extra with a British Retailer and get better service.
Google Pixmania Problems and see for yourself.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=677665
http://www.thewwwsite.com/pixmania.htm
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/forums/index.cfm?action=showthread&threadid=215258&forumid=2
http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?270468-pixmania-refund-problem-(
A few sites to get you started there’s a lot more, remember this is a French Company who have the right to rip off British people
thats probs mostly true Risco, however there are a few of us who actually have qualifications in our chosen departments, but since the pay grades are rubbish and the bonus scheme is almost impossible to achieve whilst maintaining any sort of morals, we mostly start looking for other jobs ASAP.
am ready to leave after 3 years of company bullying tactics and being regarded as untrustworthy by customers who just think we're out to earn commission.
let me tell you, even with the best intentions in the world, the company will drive any morals out of you.
i went in there after being made redundant from working as a PC repair tech/sales in a local computer shop.
i had a raging argument with my FIVES trainer over the bull he was spouting about the Belkin HDMI cables. I offered up the argument that the quality of the USB lead between printer and PC wouldnt improve the photo printed, the printer would!
so why would an HDMI cable of 0-5-2m have eny effect on the same digital signal between TV and whatever input device. the devices either side of the cable are the ones that matter.
was told to sit down and shut up, cos I was being disruptive.
you're targeted on 11 different things and unless you hit over the minimum standards on ALL of them every week, you will be berated by management.
the company says its all about what matters to the customer, but its not, its about making profit, like any other business.
the main item you want to buy, makes between 3-10% margin (for those not in the know, margin is profit - expenses)
a superstore costs about 190,000 a year in just electricity alone, plus staff, rent, rates, heating blah blah blah.
so the only way to remain profitable is to sell the add-ons. without those sales, there would be no company.
but the general public see the ticket price and will have no qualms about telling me to my face that the internet is cheaper. it may well be. a lot of times we just feel like a showroom for internet only companies like Amazon.
how long til theres no high street electrical stores at all?
how long til the super/megastores are gone cos everyone wants stuff at net prices?
problem is, dixons group pay badly. if you want well trained colleagues and no hard selling, you have to pay the staff more. that increases running costs, which means having to charge more than the competition for the main items.
vicious circle.
you can't seem to have it all ways, without going and selling other things too.
John Lewis has this fab reputation (tho my personal experience of the newcastle store is about the same as currys...but they have nicer clothes on than our uniforms!!)
JL make stupid amounts of margin from the markup on their expensive home goods.
so they can afford to sell TVs with virtually no profit.
the entire concept of high street shopping has gone right down hill.
folks still want discount for cash, free stuff thrown in but now also want the best customer service, internet prices, free delivery, free warranties and expert advise.
Respect for your honesty Rockabilly ,the only thing i would say to that is that if DSG paid more attention to customer service ,i.e trained the staff a bit better in the products,and didn't keep losing items sent for repair/replacement then they would be able to charge a bit more on white goods and pc's ect as the inconvenience of internet shopping does put people off and the difference in price isn't that great imo
Rockabilly Spike
08-03-2011, 15:46
thing is, you can have all the product knowledge in the world but when the targets are there, its hard to give the customer what they need, not what you wanna sell them.
as for the training, its just not mandatory enough, apart from things like legal requirements over credit procedures etc, none of it is enforced.
even if it was tho, theres a good portion of the general public that will still take their mates word over yours and will argue with you til one of you gives in and walks off!
some of the stuff i hear from customers
don't wanna plasma TV cos they leak gas, overheat, explode if you smoke near them, catch fire, only last 2 years cos my mates did,LCD is better cos it just is, LCD is newer, LED is the best, my mate said so cos its why he bought one, I just don't like them.
norton security is the worst,it slows your computer down,avg free is just as good, the kid nextdoor told me and he's a computer whizz.
i don't want plasma cos i don't want a picture that moves (honest truth, thats what she told me)
the problem is that DSG doesnt target a certain area of society. John Lewis and the like seem to target your higher earners, the ones who shop there and M&S for all their food.
the ones who have money and dont mind paying extra cos the service is better.
but Dixons don't target anyone in particular.
they want us to appeal and be able to talk to anyone from the worlds dumbest chav (or charv) who has money saved up from wherever and just wants a "geet massive telly" to hang above their fireplace, to the intermediate who knows a bit and is open to suggestions of alternative products than the one they may have chosen, to the full on techno folks, who a lot of time (just my experience) wanna get one over on the sales staff so they can walk out and feel superior.
i was recently told i need to dumb down some of my sales pitch cos i was coming across too technical for some folks.
i was a bit insulted, but i once had a customer ask me for "a computer with a foldy down lid"
thing is, you can have all the product knowledge in the world but when the targets are there, its hard to give the customer what they need, not what you wanna sell them.
as for the training, its just not mandatory enough, apart from things like legal requirements over credit procedures etc, none of it is enforced.
even if it was tho, theres a good portion of the general public that will still take their mates word over yours and will argue with you til one of you gives in and walks off!
some of the stuff i hear from customers
don't wanna plasma TV cos they leak gas, overheat, explode if you smoke near them, catch fire, only last 2 years cos my mates did,LCD is better cos it just is, LCD is newer, LED is the best, my mate said so cos its why he bought one, I just don't like them.
norton security is the worst,it slows your computer down,avg free is just as good, the kid nextdoor told me and he's a computer whizz.
i don't want plasma cos i don't want a picture that moves (honest truth, thats what she told me)
the problem is that DSG doesnt target a certain area of society. John Lewis and the like seem to target your higher earners, the ones who shop there and M&S for all their food.
the ones who have money and dont mind paying extra cos the service is better.
but Dixons don't target anyone in particular.
they want us to appeal and be able to talk to anyone from the worlds dumbest chav (or charv) who has money saved up from wherever and just wants a "geet massive telly" to hang above their fireplace, to the intermediate who knows a bit and is open to suggestions of alternative products than the one they may have chosen, to the full on techno folks, who a lot of time (just my experience) wanna get one over on the sales staff so they can walk out and feel superior.
i was recently told i need to dumb down some of my sales pitch cos i was coming across too technical for some folks.
i was a bit insulted, but i once had a customer ask me for "a computer with a foldy down lid"
good post and very true :tu: How you describe pc world ,curries ,dixons reminds me of a old boss i used to have in the window game years ago ,he like to descibe the buisness as a "hit and run" buisness ,in other words sell it ,deliver it ,and thats it ,in a ideal world all companies would be like that ,but it's not an ideal world things do go wrong so we have to have after sales and guarantees
see you round kingston park ;)
Rockabilly Spike
08-03-2011, 19:24
see you round kingston park ;)
not a chance!!! the manager there was the guy who i had a massive argument with on my training.
i work in a high street store
not a chance!!! the manager there was the guy who i had a massive argument with on my training.
i work in a high street store
I shouted at the manager in pc world in kingstone pk when i bought my lappy ,it was supposed to be dual core ,the reciept said dual core ,the money i paid was for dual core , and the lappy said single core ,the product code said single core but getting the manager to accept i had been given the wrong laptop was nigh on impossible despite all the evidence ,he was a manager therefore he was right
Rockabilly Spike
08-03-2011, 20:11
so it was a mislabelled product?
if the ticket, reciept and product info on Eclipse all said it was dual but the actual laptop itself was single, what he shoulda done was checked the display model too, then refunded or offered a replacement model, then put the info into the feedback section of eclipse so that head office can redo the ticket info etc.
happens quite a lot.
customer reporting that a laptop has a webcam according to the ticket and product info page but doesnt in reality. packard bell actually wrongly stickered a model of theirs and it had to be withdrawn a while back.
so it was a mislabelled product?
if the ticket, reciept and product info on Eclipse all said it was dual but the actual laptop itself was single, what he shoulda done was checked the display model too, then refunded or offered a replacement model, then put the info into the feedback section of eclipse so that head office can redo the ticket info etc.
happens quite a lot.
customer reporting that a laptop has a webcam according to the ticket and product info page but doesnt in reality. packard bell actually wrongly stickered a model of theirs and it had to be withdrawn a while back.
In this case the sales assistant had simply picked up the wrong box
the product code on the box i was given was c54ea the code on the box i should have been given was c542ea ,the 2 denotes dual core ,it was a simple/easy mistake to make by the assistant but unfortunately the manager didn't see it that way ,and i realy felt for the assistant because after i had the correct laptop in hand the manager made the assistant feel about 2 inches tall in front of me ,which is in my opinion bad management,having some experience in management i would never reprimand one of my apprentices/fitters in front of a customer
Rockabilly Spike
08-03-2011, 21:33
if the sales person scanned the barcode it woulda flagged up as a different price surely?
idiots
bluemoonjo
14-03-2011, 17:19
Hi everyone just a quick update to my origional post about whatever happens, as of today i am now finally the owner of a new tv. It took a lot of phone calls and runaround but they have finally somehow communicated with each other and issued a voucher code for the replacement of my tv which is now installed and working thank god. Thanks for all your suggestions and help guys. xx
Glad it worked out for you in the end Jo. :tu: looks like you kicked off quite a discussion here in the meantime. :D
They giveth with the large print
then taketh away with the small print
Tezcatlipoca
14-03-2011, 22:58
Hi everyone just a quick update to my origional post about whatever happens, as of today i am now finally the owner of a new tv. It took a lot of phone calls and runaround but they have finally somehow communicated with each other and issued a voucher code for the replacement of my tv which is now installed and working thank god. Thanks for all your suggestions and help guys. xx
Excellent - I'm glad you finally got it sorted :)
They are terrible!
we brought the insurance cover when we purchased our dishwasher, and then when we went to make a claim they had the wrong make/model on file, the lady on the phone didn't know what I ment i don't think but i explained very clearly that we had purchased this in Currys and we took it out at point of sale (otherwise we couldn't have the policy, or this is what the man said selling the thing) when they said they couldn't exchange it as we haven't made a minimum of 12 payments they can put us through to a sister company to come and have a look at it, then they asked for £75 excess fee! what an UTTER Joke I will be writing to their head office first thing in the morning!
Rockabilly Spike
16-03-2011, 18:52
you can take whatever happens ANYTIME within your 12 months (monthly or term)
there shouldn't EVER be an excess charge, its not an insurance its a service plan.
theres no set lenght of time you need to have WEH before they can exchange it, they exchange a product if they can't repair it due to it being beyond economic repair due to parts being unavailble, too expensive or its damaged.
Thanks Spike,
I will explain that to them in the letter of complaint I am disgusted with them
just constantly lying to me
007stuart
16-03-2011, 21:34
Did you pay by credit card? If so your card issuer is jointly liable for faulty equipment. (check out Consumer Direct or MoneySavingExpert for guidance).
I have just had £456 repaid by the card provider under consumer credit act section 75 regs when the retailer failed to respond to my letter of complaint. You can proceed against both parties at the same time and if you visit either website there are template letters available.
Will21st
16-03-2011, 22:49
A friend told me he had to once threaten to sue them over a faulty repair of a washing machine,even got £300 compensation out of them!
Awful company,no doubt :td:
Funnily enough, I had a small service contract with them (for a TV) which I have been thinking about cancelling as I dont really think it that useful or necessary. After reading this yesterday, it made up my mind, and I cancelled it today.
Rockabilly Spike
17-03-2011, 09:56
as far as it goes, I have actually seen a few customers come back into store with their vouchers, having had no problems at all. TV or faulty item written off within allotted time and vouchers issued.
have also seen a lot MORE unhappy people who have either had their item lost by tech guys (a whole batch of laptops over Xmas time went missing between Newark and Newton Aycliffe), or been given vouchers after months of bugging head office.
some who've misunderstood the replacement offer and thought that since they paid over a grand for their 32" TV like 4-5 years ago, they'd get a grand back, but they find themselves with around £349 for a new 1080p LG and don't understand that its quite a bit more superior in spec than the one they had, plus they did have 4-5 years use of the tv.
the salesmen/woman now have to be very very clear on this matter and we regularly have to take an assesment on the legal requirements of selling it....however many will just continue to lie and deceive customers to get that hit on the targets.
theres no commission to be made but bonus can be achieved by going over the thresholds of margin per hour. and guess what makes most margin?
Did you pay by credit card? If so your card issuer is jointly liable for faulty equipment. (check out Consumer Direct or MoneySavingExpert for guidance).
I have just had £456 repaid by the card provider under consumer credit act section 75 regs when the retailer failed to respond to my letter of complaint. You can proceed against both parties at the same time and if you visit either website there are template letters available.
Yes I did pay by credit card and have this listed on my statements, I will try and do that thing that ya said and see which comes back first, thanks for ya help :)
Tezcatlipoca
17-03-2011, 18:56
have also seen a lot MORE unhappy people who have either had their item lost by tech guys (a whole batch of laptops over Xmas time went missing between Newark and Newton Aycliffe), or been given vouchers after months of bugging head office.
They lost my TV 18 months ago (thread linked earlier), instead of delivering it after repair. I still don't understand how they can manage to be so incompetent!
some who've misunderstood the replacement offer and thought that since they paid over a grand for their 32" TV like 4-5 years ago, they'd get a grand back, but they find themselves with around £349 for a new 1080p LG and don't understand that its quite a bit more superior in spec than the one they had, plus they did have 4-5 years use of the tv.
When I (finally) received my voucher code, it was only for £350. It didn't bother me though that I had originally paid £600 for my lost TV, as the £350 voucher was enough to pay for a bigger & better TV than I had had originally :)
dubstep789
15-07-2011, 21:49
I am an employee of DSG working for a currys/pc world and have been working there for two years. firstly, I find the attitude of some of you posters outrageous and disgusting. it is not the colleague that is rude, but the customer.
i am speaking about a very small minority here, as i am truthful when i say most customers i get are friendly and without a doubt cooperative. but a large number of customers are literally out to be very highly rude.
i love my job and believe that the environment i work in is a good one. i would not be working there if i didnt like it. that is not to say that i agree with everything the company stands for, but please get rid of the view that we as the staff are only after your money and dont give a damn about you. THIS IS NOT TRUE!
there is nothing worse than getting a customer with no manners. if you help me then i will do my best to help you. trust me, you get a much better experience when you treat us as human beings...not something you just scraped from your shoe.
my biggest annoyance with customers comes from DISCOUNT. the price is there for a reason, please dont ask me what the best price is. i will do my best to see what i can do, but we are a business. what gives you the right to demand discount and believe youre of such importance to deserve it?
you wouldn't go into a branch of argos or asda and expect money off would you?
as for whatever happens, there are flaws in the system and i do understand customers have bad experiences. but please do not tar us all with the same brush. i am neither pushy nor persuading. if you are served by me, i find the best deal for you and help you as much as possible. like i said, i dont push or persuade, my job is a sales advisor so that is what i do..advise.
the customer service you speak about on here must account for a very small amount of rude and sly staff members (which i have experienced myself). we are not all like it.
so please let us do our job. we do not deserve to be spoken to like dirt and to be belittled by you. we are not all money grabbers and we are not all igorant and 'stupid'.
currys is a fantastic retailer and the bad press we recieve is down to the customer being so rude and arrogant.
You do realise that your post just proves all the points already made in this thread.. :rofl:
Tezcatlipoca
15-07-2011, 22:16
I'm sure that some customers are rude - they exist everywhere.
But the bad press Currys / DSG receives isn't "down to the customer being so rude and arrogant", it is due to the "service". I very much doubt that anyone would ever class Currys as a "fantastic retailer" other than yourself and other employees.
bluemoonjo (the OP in this thread) wasn't rude. The problem was the "service".
When I had my Currys / DSG nightmare (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/22/33655952-currys-coverplan-whateverhappens-avoid.html), I wasn't rude. The problem was the "service".
Here's another: http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/26/16656-mastercare-or-currys-coverplan.html
If you search the web, there are many, many, many Currys / DSG horror stories out there...
Rockabilly Spike
15-07-2011, 22:37
i disagree with everything he said...and I've worked for Currys for 3 years now!
we are a bunch of money grabbing, lying toe rags.
i lie every day that Belkin HDMI cables costing £40 plus will improve the picture on your TV.
if i don't lie about it, i dont get any sales of something i'm targeted for and I will suffer the wrath.
its all about the profit and the numbers, not the customer care.
there is nothing worse than getting a customer with no manners. if you help me then i will do my best to help you. trust me, you get a much better experience when you treat us as human beings...not something you just scraped from your shoe.
Firstly every customer based job is the same, your are paid to deal with it. So its a bit of a cheek for you to complain about difficult customers when ultimatly its them that pay your wages
my biggest annoyance with customers comes from DISCOUNT. the price is there for a reason, please dont ask me what the best price is. i will do my best to see what i can do, but we are a business. what gives you the right to demand discount and believe youre of such importance to deserve it?
you wouldn't go into a branch of argos or asda and expect money off would you?
And maybe this is because the majority of whats on currys shelfs are over expensive compared to argos/asda to begin with, the reason that for every 1 person walking out a currys store with a purchase there are another 10 people that walk out empty handed? Just a speculative observation i made one day when i was bored eating my chicken terriaki subway.
The vast majority of products I have purchased have been fine.The microwave,The gas stove,the tumble dryer,the fridge,The oil filled radiator,the washing machine that was 10 years old and I have only just replaced from Currys.
I have a ghettoblaster that dates from the 80s that is still going strong and yes I purchased it at Currys.
The only damned item that I've never had any luck with from Currys is kettles.Mind that's also been the case for any I've bought elsewhere as well.Me and kettles just don't get on.
However I never pay for the extra warrenty deals.They are a waste of money.
kettle never off the boil maggy? :D
i disagree with everything he said...and I've worked for Currys for 3 years now!
we are a bunch of money grabbing, lying toe rags.
i lie every day that Belkin HDMI cables costing £40 plus will improve the picture on your TV.
if i don't lie about it, i dont get any sales of something i'm targeted for and I will suffer the wrath.
its all about the profit and the numbers, not the customer care.
:clap:
Well said
My experience with Curry's would fill a couple of pages, But i have better things to deal with than post about a company that does not know the difference between its arse and its mouth
denphone
16-07-2011, 09:38
:clap:
Well said
My experience with Curry's would fill a couple of pages, But i have better things to deal with than post about a company that does not know the difference between its arse and its mouth
Well my bad experiences are not with Currys but with Comet on severals occasions and l will never shop there again, l remember on one occasion they came to plumb in a washing machine and when we used it for the first time l came out to the kitchen and the floor was flooded ruining our totally new carpet so when l phoned them up to say they had not fitted it properly they totally denied it was their fault but when my brother came to look at it and he knows quite a lot he said straight away that they had not fitted it properly but they still denied it so l eventually got to speak to their area manager and what a arrogant pr*t he was and he kept telling me it was my fault and not theirs , anyway we had to pay for new carpet because of those idiots and have vowed to never shop there again and remember at the end of the day that we the customers are buying the item and if its not up to our standard then shop elsewhere.
Whenever I buy my electrical goods I always use Currys...
To prod and poke and have a right good shuftty at the products before I nip to Argos and get it at a better price, but to be honest Currys have on more than one occasion price matched for me as I always tell them what I am doing, alas Argos's customer service is way ahead of Currys so I always decline.
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