View Full Version : Poor Service at Argos
I had to ordered a 48 piece spanner set at Argos during the sale in which the set was reduced by £10.00 ,but because it was'nt in stock i was given an order number slip .They took my home and mobile number and said they would phone when it came in .I waited a week but got no calls . I phoned only to be told that the lorry was late and they WOULD phone when it came in . On Sunday just over 2 weeks after i ordered it ,and still no contact .I went to Wick to pick up some things and hopefully pick up the spanners . ARGOS checked and the spanner set was now in stock, but would not Honour the price on the slip as it had now gone back up .The manager was a complete waste off time ..He took the slip then refused to return it ,knowing full well that without the slip and the numbers on it .This makes it impossible to complain .SHAME ON YOU ARGOS .....
I would have refused to leave until I got the slip back then called Head office and had a barny.
Kingetter
03-Oct-06, 09:51
So much for Customer Rights and Big Stores.
shocking,make a complaint anyway,isnt this the newly appointed manager?useless?
shocking,make a complaint anyway,isnt this the newly appointed manager?useless?
Is keeping YOUR slip not theft?
Customer Service like this really get's up my nose. What would it have taken and COST Argos to honour the price? It would have cost them £10.00 and they would have had a loyal and happy customer (something you can measure in pounds and pence). Now it's cost them maybe several hundred or thousand pounds if you, I and everybody else in this thread thinks twice about going there in the future. Golden statistic that I was told many moons ago - 'a happy customer tells one other person, an unhappy customer tells 9'. It's something I always remember for my own business.
This is the problem with companies this size that continue their corporate 'policies and procedures' and don't let managers think for themselves. Then again maybe the Manager is at fault and a complete waste of time.
I'd go back to the shop, ask for the Manager and ask them how to take the complaint further. Don't get into the issue again with him as he's already made his position clear. They should be able to give you verbally or in writing, a copy of their complaints procedure. Ask for his name and take it from there. Oh, and take a witness (preferably independent).
Kingetter
03-Oct-06, 11:07
Why go back to the Manager who appears inept anyway, why not just go straight to the top - Chairman/Managing Director or whatever and use the same argument you've just presented?
The current trend for wanting the 'big shops' in Caithness ignores this sort of issue.
Why go back to the Manager who appears inept anyway, why not just go straight to the top - Chairman/Managing Director or whatever and use the same argument you've just presented?
The current trend for wanting the 'big shops' in Caithness ignores this sort of issue.
Hi Kingetter,
You're wasting your time trying to speak to the MD or Chairman. That's why the have PA's to try and redirect your calls to somebody else. The letters also go on the same course. With all due respect for you and dozy, the MD of Argos is not going to be bothered by a £40.00 (or whatever the cost) socket set. Let's be honest.
One thing I have noticed is that if you come across as reasonable (to the complaints department not to the Manager as you've already tried with him) you often get further. When I have tried this in the past I usually get what I was looking for. However I often don't come across as reasonable unfortunately as bad customer service REALLY get's up my nose.
I do agree with what your saying about the big shops in Caithness and it's something we're not too used to up here. Not wanting to start another thread or war about it but if we want these shops, we need to start working to their mentality as they're not going to change to ours!
Kingetter
03-Oct-06, 11:21
I guess things have changed - that used to be my approach, nowadays I just endure I guess, not that I have any gripes currently in that respect.
I guess things have changed - that used to be my approach, nowadays I just endure I guess, not that I have any gripes currently in that respect.
Hi Kingetter,
We're getting old! :)
I used to be a lot worse than I am now but I got to the stage where bad customer service was annoying me so much that it was starting to affect the rest of my day (sounds sad but these things really got to me!)
When I've been employed by companies in the past they always made a big thing about customer service and it's always something I've tried to provide. Things really have changed since then (and that was only about 15 years ago) and it's incredibly sad that companies, especially larger ones, really don't care.
Things go wrong sometimes and you accept that. Nothing and nobody is perfect. However you can tell how much a company really values you though by the way they deal with it, and you, at those times.
it is all very well having these shops in caithness,but if this is the customer service people are providing then there isnt much hope,id rather pay the petrol to go to inverness!!! when i was working at BT if i treated a customer anything like this even beingover the phone,i would have been verbally warned/more likely sacked,ok they are a taking in billions a year but thats because they have good customer service(95% of the time) more that can be said for this so called fool for a manager at argos!
Kingetter
03-Oct-06, 11:44
Hi Kingetter,
We're getting old! :)
I used to be a lot worse than I am now but I got to the stage where bad customer service was annoying me so much that it was starting to affect the rest of my day (sounds sad but these things really got to me!)
When I've been employed by companies in the past they always made a big thing about customer service and it's always something I've tried to provide. Things really have changed since then (and that was only about 15 years ago) and it's incredibly sad that companies, especially larger ones, really don't care.
Things go wrong sometimes and you accept that. Nothing and nobody is perfect. However you can tell how much a company really values you though by the way they deal with it, and you, at those times.
Getting old? jeepers, I'm already there I think cos I have problems really remembering 'the good old days' and think they might have been a figment of my imagination.
Boozeburglar
03-Oct-06, 12:20
"Prices may change on a daily basis due to special offers. The price you pay will be the price in store on the day you collect and pay for your items."
Perhaps the manager is not familiar with his own companies terms and conditions, or chose not to explain them.
I think in the name of Customer Care he could have made an exception.
You should have had it explained to you that when stock comes in prices may have risen.
it is all very well having these shops in caithness,but if this is the customer service people are providing then there isnt much hope,id rather pay the petrol to go to inverness!!! when i was working at BT if i treated a customer anything like this even beingover the phone,i would have been verbally warned/more likely sacked,ok they are a taking in billions a year but thats because they have good customer service(95% of the time) more that can be said for this so called fool for a manager at argos!
Hi saxovtr,
I think we need to take this in perspective. This is only one complaint (so far) about Argos and the Manager in particular. Not every business coming into Caithness has lousy Customer Service. However as I said in my previous post I think we all need to reorientate ourselves to their way of thinking as I doubt they will do that for us.
When you worked at BT your calls were no doubt recorded so you could get 'away' with less if you see what I mean. There is no evidence that the Manager at Argos did act the way Kingetter said (no disrespect to Kingetter, but the Manager could deny it and it would be his word against the Manager's unless there were witnesses).
Finally I think we all know that the reason BT make millions (well billions) in profits is not due to their wonderful customer service. I personally moved everything away from BT due to the repeated lousy service I've had over several years. I'm not alone, but that's for another thread.
willowbankbear
03-Oct-06, 12:57
I personally moved everything away from BT due to the repeated lousy service I've had over several years. I'm not alone, but that's for another thread.[/quote]
Surely not, BT do a great job, dont they?:eek: :eek:
Boozeburglar
03-Oct-06, 12:58
As far as I am aware in terms of BT there was a stack of complaints so high they could hardly cope, and customer service was appalling.
The customers were seen as a joke, and you said whatever you could get away with.
That would explain why the BT Internet was taken away from the local call centre originally and farmed out to a foreign company.
The reasons they still make billions are more to do with the legacy of market position.
You start them up on a level playing field today and they would have no hope.
I personally moved everything away from BT due to the repeated lousy service I've had over several years. I'm not alone, but that's for another thread.
Surely not, BT do a great job, dont they?:eek: :eek:[/quote]
They do ... sorry, silly me. BT are great as long as you don't have any dealing with them at all (a personal opinion of course).
As boozeburglar said, BT's position of making billions is more to do with the legacy market and the fact that they are really the only ones who have the infrastructure (again legacy) and experience (because they are really the only ones who have the infrastructure) to actually provide the services. Other companies do provide services on a much smaller scale but nothing to the extent of BT.
What is clear to me is that the number of times I have worked closely with BT (and to be fair I could count them on one hand) for corporate clients they have always made a mess in one area or another. The majority of clients I've worked for actually use other providers (Cable & Wireless (now ntl) being the most popular). At the end of the day it still goes through BT's infrastructure though but when the likes of RBS don't use BT for much of their network links you know there is a reason why ...
Seems this thread has strayed just a little :-)
personally BT's training program i did was really good,you would not get away with anything if the calls were being recorded! i thought it was excellent working for them,because i was trained to such a high standard when i walk into shops i notice the customer service isnt particularly the best,the people that work in these shops just care about how much wages they are getting at the end of the week,not in the customers views and needs.
see when people phone BT they just think its all off BT,they have alot of sub categories they fall into,like answering machince helpdesks,business mobiles etc.... the main billing section of BT is under pressure getting thousands of calls with people roaring down the phone about a mistake on there bill when they could quite frankly be nice about it,i havnt had any problems with BT(not biased because i worked for them)if people werent so happy with them,they should go elsewhere,therefore they wudnt be making billions!
essay over lol
philupmaboug
03-Oct-06, 17:47
Is it Argos or Agro?? I purchased a digi box last week and when I got it home it wouldnt turn on! went back next day and was told that I cannot have my money back but could have a replacement!! I asked why and was told " it says so on your reciept" !!! why would I read the small print on a reciept unless I expected to be putting it back!!!! Girl was polite enough but system seamed flawed to me...didnt get replacement and now it works intermittantly!!!!! definately AGRO.
Is it Argos or Agro?? I purchased a digi box last week and when I got it home it wouldnt turn on! went back next day and was told that I cannot have my money back but could have a replacement!! I asked why and was told " it says so on your reciept" !!! why would I read the small print on a reciept unless I expected to be putting it back!!!! Girl was polite enough but system seamed flawed to me...didnt get replacement and now it works intermittantly!!!!! definately AGRO.
That's not right on two counts (or at least one and maybe one!)
I'm sure your statutory rights indicate that you are entitled to a refund if the goods are found to be faulty (within a certain period of time which I'm sure next day counts as!). Doesn't matter what it says on the receipt the law supercedes it ...
"The law says that you must be given a 'reasonable' length of time to examine the goods and check they are satisfactory. If they are not, and you are quick, you should be entitled to reject them and have a full refund.
What is a reasonable time depends on individual circumstances. You would probably have less time to check a toaster than a car, say, but it might not be long, and recent case law suggests that it might be as little as a week or so."
Taken from Trading Standards (http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/calitem.cgi?file=ADV0043-0100.txt) page. You may want to read the rest of the 'IF YOU ARE SOLD FAULTY GOODS' section. I'd report the matter to Trading Standards and let them sort it out. You can enter your postcode on that webpage and it will tell you your closest. Saves you dealing with the staff (who don't appear to know the law) and the Manager (who isn't up to scratch according to the comments in this thread).
I also thought Argos had a 16 day money back guarantee which is printed on the back of their receipts - it may be gone now but they certainly used to have that.
willowbankbear
03-Oct-06, 17:55
I havnt been in the shop yet im afraid, Hopefully when I eventually do I dont get customer service like some of ye folk on here:eek:
every time i've been in there the staff were nice. the last time i was in was the day before the new books came in and stock was eveywhere i had to wait a while before they found the items but the woman there kept on apologising for keeping me waiting.
If you have a complaint, you can go on ARGOS web site and e-mail your complaint, I did when I reserved an item and went to Wick to pick it up to be met with slack jawed vacant stares. and no item. Got a letter of apology and a voucher. Makes it worth having a good moan
A couple of years ago, we bought a TV DVD combi from Argos in Inverness, 3 months later the TV DVD combi packed in, it was under the year guarantee, contacted the makers of the TV DVD, they told me, if I have had the receipt for it, I said yes, where did I buy it, told them Argos - Inverness, they told me it was still under the guarantee, phone Argos - Inverness, inform then it was still under its year guarantee if any problems get Argos to contact them
Phone Argos up - nae probs bring it back, they will check their stock to see if they had another TV DVD combi (same model) if not they will refund my money. They check had one stock, they will keep it aside for me, and to bring in my receipt as well. Brought it back, and got the TV DVD combi plus a year's guarantee as well. If you have the receipt copy it for yourself as a back up, also contact the makers of the product, so they know that you had a problem with their product, so Argos can't complain.
[quote=philupmaboug;142027] was told that I cannot have my money back but could have a replacement!! I asked why and was told " it says so on your reciept" !!!quote]
very strange. Not sue if they are sticking to the book too much as they are new?
B/f and i recently bought a set of hair clippers from argos. Once we got home we realised it wasnt the set we meant to get, took it back couple of days later and got a full refund, no questions asked.
Boozeburglar
04-Oct-06, 02:08
You are absolutely entitled to return the digibox for a refund within a reasonable time.
They added the caveat regarding digiboxes as so many folks were coming back saying their reception wasn't good enough, but it cannot be upheld legally.
It may be exempt, like earrings, from their normal guarantee, but this does not diminish your normal right of return as a consumer.
I have returned loads to Argos, use it as a hire shop frequently. If I ever get so much as a look I ask whether the 16 day moeny back guarantee is no quibble, or not.
I took a vacuum back last year, they asked what was wrong with it.
I told them it sucked.
:)
I have returned loads to Argos, use it as a hire shop frequently.
:)
One reason why prices are so high!
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