Your best and worst customer service experiences [rant & praise]

jimmii

To be honest that really doesn't sound so bad was it their tone that was the problem? It looks like they explained that they check the buggy's to reassure you that they don't just throw them out there and hope for the best and when you asked for another they gave you one! The voucher comment was definitely unnecessary I don't see why they felt the need to mention that.

slimjimmc

Merged into Best/Worst customer service experiences

Woshy

We had a very bad experience at Tony Kealy's in Walkinstown recently. We've spent a lot of money there over the last two years on travel systems, car seats etc so I'm extra annoyed.

We're due baby number two in May and I popped in there to order an additional seat to turn our buggy into a double. The first time we visited the guy who showed us the seat didn't seem to know much about it at all, including telling us that a newborn insert for the seat didn't exist. When I went home I had to do my own research and the newborn insert that apparently didn't exist is actually sold on their website! He said there were plenty of the seats in stock so we could come in nearer my due date to get it.

I went in two weeks ago to order the seat and was told none were in stock but I could order it in and it would take two weeks. That was fine with me so I ordered it and they asked me to pay a deposit on it, which I reluctantly did. The next day my husband got a call telling him that they actually weren't going to do an order to the company until the end of June (more than 2 months away) and even then they couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't be later in the year than that. He told my husband they were the only stockists in Ireland for the seat but we could look online and try get it from overseas if we wanted. My husband said we would be really stuck without it but the guy he spoke to didn't seem to care at all. It turns out them being the only stockist in Ireland was a lie.

I found the seat in stock in plenty of other baby supplier shops in Ireland, ordered it that evening and had it, delivered directly to me, within a day and a half. I called Tony Kealy's to cancel the order and ask for my deposit back and they told me (a heavily pregnant woman) I would have to go into their shop in Walkinstown (from Bray) to get my €15 back. I said that was absolutely unacceptable and after being on hold for a minute the manager came on and did the refund over the phone, and to their credit the money was returned to me quite quickly.

I will never buy any products from Tony Kealy's again. The service I received from the other store was miles and miles better in every way, from the customer service to the product knowledge. I now also ordered the newborn insert from the other store as I won't be spending a penny in Tony Kealy's again.

veryangryman

Graciefacey wrote: »

When I asked liberty about a courtesy car as is promised to help me complete my journey,

The promise is to help you complete your journey. How they do that is up to them. Do not confuse this with what you accident cover gives you. Breakdown and accident cover 2 completely different things.

The person being foreign doesn't change this. Every breakdown policy has this same rule.

Virtanen

Well this is just turning in to a "Virtanen's weekly rant at how shockingly bad Sony's customer service is" thread

The latest debacle. On Wednesday I finally receive a delivery. Hurrah, the problem's finally over! I wish. They (I should say SBE Ireland are the ones responsible for the exchanges, but they obviously have a contract with Sony, so they can both go down for this) send me a carbon copy of the phone I sent them. After being promised an upgrade. Get in contact with them again. They'll authorise an exchange that will be processed immediately, once I send the phone off again (it's a good thing I don't have to pay for this constant need to return phones to them.

Today, another delivery. Hurrah, the problem's finally over! I wish. They sent me a phone that is locked. And not just locked to a single network, no, this phone has never been activated, meaning it is locked out of every network. Cheers lads. Another call later, and another promise of a call back later, I'm sitting here with the phone I was promised, but unable to use it as more than a paperweight

March 12th I sent them my phone for its initial repair/replacement. They received it the next day. 6 weeks later, I still have little to show for it. I already have a letter of complaint prepared to send to Sony, that is a constant state of "work-in-progress" since I constantly have things to add to it. At this point, trading standards will be hearing from me too

slimjimmc

Virtanen wrote: »

At this point, trading standards will be hearing from me too

Trading Standards is a UK body.
The relevant authority for consumer protection in Ireland is the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. You can make a complaint against a business but they do not get involved in getting you redress, that's what the Small Claims Court is for.
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer_affairs/consumer_protection/consumer_complaints/consumer_complaints.html

Graciefacey

Good

veryangryman wrote: »

The promise is to help you complete your journey. How they do that is up to them. Do not confuse this with what you accident cover gives you. Breakdown and accident cover 2 completely different things.

The person being foreign doesn't change this. Every breakdown policy has this same rule.

Wow you are really jumping to conclusions! I was promised a replacement car. Never got a call back. They then sent breakdown assist from Galway, two hours away! Being 'foreign' as you put it was not the issue but it is very hard from someone in nz to know even roughly where you are, and I was on a motorway!

veryangryman

Graciefacey wrote: »

Wow you are really jumping to conclusions! I was promised a replacement car. Never got a call back.

At what point was this promise made? When they sold you the insurance or during the breakdown call itself.

veryangryman

It really sticks in my craw how the general public (not just you) don't get how breakdown rescue works. Its very simple. They get you to your destination - how they do that does not necessarily require a hire car. In fact, as a former employee at the rescue companies, they do the cheapest solution to keep premiums down - ergo rarely is that a hire car. Here is the policy just to prove i'm not making things up. Its your money, worth reading about what your paying for.

Aviva Breakdown Policy (From http://www.aviva.ie/direct/HibernianRescue/PDFs/rescue_policy_bklet.pdf )

If we are unable to repair your vehicle within a reasonable time or if our
patrolman/contractor considers the repairs unwise, we will transport your vehicle
to the nearest competent repairer or your own garage, whichever is closer.
• Transport for you and up to eight passengers to the above destination. (If there
are more than five people this may require two separate vehicles. An adult from
the covered vehicle must accompany any children.)

And just to show that there is nothing special about any insurers breakdown, heres Axa's also

Axa Breakdown Policy ( http://www.axa.ie/car-insurance/breakdown-cover/ )

We will also pay agreed costs*-
To get you and your passengers to your original destination (this may involve car hire)

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Ken.

Good

Lidl in Newbridge,particularly Marcel. I went in looking for an item. They didn't have it when I asked. When I said no problem I'll try Kildare or Naas he rang both for me. They didn't have it either so he saved me the trip.

dublindiehard

Why is this public service stuck in the last century?

The services and hours they open compared to other countries is a disgrace, and the recent stuff I read about them in RTE news shows the staff working there have no desire to actually provide a proper service.

Now they are ripping out the self service machines from across the country, the only way some of us could actually post anything properly, no doubt to force people to go back to the post offices?

How about instead of offering candidates for election they actually offer a better range of service and opening hours then they won't need to actually try and force people to use them.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Good

As a rural pensioner, I find their service, facilities, and opening hours absolutely terrific. Certainly when it comes to deliveries they are miles ahead of private sector couriers. They deliver on time and with no messing about trying to find our address.

Yggr of Asgard

Poor

My local post office used to be a dump and it was impossible to go there on certain days of the week due to the place being full of people drawing their social welfare which had no separate queue and hence it was impossible to get a service as all was done out of a post office that was smaller than my ground floor. Plus the post master was a real unfriendly person that did not want to deal with anything that required a little bit more service.

They than changed to a new bigger space, introduced a queuing system and got a new post master which has it under control. On payout days they have a separate queue for payouts having the other counters open for post services.

Plus the counters don't have glass walls anymore between me and the staff, they are friendly and helpful and dealing with them is great.

Unfortunately recently they changed their opening hours, they used to be open on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday but that has now stopped.

I like my post office and the people are actually helping when it's something more complicated.

dublindiehard

Alejandra Defeated Spine wrote: »

As a rural pensioner, I find their service, facilities, and opening hours absolutely terrific. Certainly when it comes to deliveries they are miles ahead of private sector couriers. They deliver on time and with no messing about trying to find our address.

Try going to the post office to post something if you work. It's Impossible.

In a capital city it is crazy that you have post offices open hours such as 9.30 - 5.00pm and closing for 1hr 15 mins for lunch and not open at all on weekends. I know AN Post are not alone with this and the banks are just as bad, but still.

I'm not saying AN Post itself is terrible, but the provision of services for Post Offices is terrible for anyone who works. The removing of the self service machines is a very retrograde step, especially if it's because of this current 'Save Our Post Office" campaign which really is a smokescreen for running the company on behalf of the staff rather than the customers.

If they opened at times where working people could access them, and not close for lunch, then there would not be a need for self service machines anyway, but for many working people this was the only way they could access postal services without taking a day off, now they have no choice at all.

slimjimmc

As there is no specific consumer issue here just a general complaint about opening hours, staff, and politicised campaigns I'm moving this to the best/worst customer experiences thread.
This is Consumer Issues so please leave political angles out of it.

Michael D Not Higgins

dublindiehard wrote: »

In a capital city it is crazy that you have post offices open hours such as 9.30 - 5.00pm and closing for 1hr 15 mins for lunch and not open at all on weekends. I know AN Post are not alone with this and the banks are just as bad, but still.

I agree with this. I live in Edinburgh and there are 3 post offices within a mile of where I live (close enough to the city centre) that are all open on a Saturday morning.

Some branches of banks are open on Saturdays as well.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Good

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

I agree with this. I live in Edinburgh and there are 3 post offices within a mile of where I live (close enough to the city centre) that are all open on a Saturday morning.

Some branches of banks are open on Saturdays as well.

And 3 post offices within 5 miles of me are open on Saturday. When I worked I could always use a post office at lunch time or on Saturday. I feel the OP has a problem with his local PO.

dublindiehard

Alejandra Defeated Spine wrote: »

I feel the OP has a problem with his local PO.

My problem is the withdrawl of self service machines which is a retrograde step.

They provided a chance for working people to actually post things outside times the post offices were open.

An Post is now removing these machines and at the same time not providing peoplle with a viable alternative.

I hope they have not been withdrawn due to pressure from certain groups. But considering the timing of their removal seems to be at the same time the postmasters are making a fuss, it does seem a bit of a conincidence.

Almost all the Post Offices that are not in the city centre and are near places of work are closed 1.00pm to 2.15pm.

Fey!

The post offices in Galway are open through lunch with final post going at 5:30, and are open all say Saturday. Staff in the Eglington Street one are always friendly and helpful.

The downside in Galway is the location of their depot on the Tuam Road if you miss a delivery; no public transport anywhere near it, and insane traffic to and from it at all times during the day.

Fey!

Laptec in Woodquay, Galway. Excellent, efficient and friendly service, without costing an arm and a leg.

Michael D Not Higgins

Alejandra Defeated Spine wrote: »

And 3 post offices within 5 miles of me are open on Saturday. When I worked I could always use a post office at lunch time or on Saturday. I feel the OP has a problem with his local PO.

Sorry I took him at face value and have only found the UCD post office closed on a Sunday in Dublin (for obvious reasons).

On the lunchtime hours, it seems to be split between various post offices, but there are plenty of post offices around the M50 (i.e. well outside the city centre) that are open through lunch, e.g. Stillorgan, Sandyford, Palmerstown, Kilnamanagh, Castleknock, etc.

dublindiehard

There's a lot of post offices closed 1:00 - 2.15 especially on the North East of the city.

Saturday Avaliability actually isn't terrible, and is quite possible, but at the same time I shouldn't have to wait a whole week to go to a PO because of this.

Now they have removed self service kiosks for "Operational Reasons" from the whole country, they should abolish closing for lunch in compensation, after all this is supposed to be a public service.

I expect the staff not to allow that however.

Michael D Not Higgins

dublindiehard wrote: »

There's a lot of post offices closed 1:00 - 2.15 especially on the North East of the city.

Saturday Avaliability actually isn't terrible, and is quite possible, but at the same time I shouldn't have to wait a whole week to go to a PO because of this.

Now they have removed self service kiosks for "Operational Reasons" from the whole country, they should abolish closing for lunch in compensation, after all this is supposed to be a public service.

I expect the staff not to allow that however.

North East of the city open at lunchtime:

Strand Road
Edenmore
Killester
Donaghmede

Maybe these aren't convenient for you, but that's not really An Post's problem. I have never had something so urgent that it couldn't wait til the weekend.

galah

Screwfix Ireland, they were brilliant in handling my problem with a product i bought through their site, and very generous with their returns policy. Great friendly service, will buy from them again, was very very pleased!

dublindiehard

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

North East of the city open at lunchtime:

Strand Road
Edenmore
Killester
Donaghmede

Maybe these aren't convenient for you

If I was at home, they would be since they are near enough to me, but sadly I have to actually work which means they are not possible to get to.

but that's not really An Post's problem. I have never had something so urgent that it couldn't wait til the weekend.

You don't think that it is An Posts problem that they have withdrawn access to postal services for a good percentage of the public without providing an adequate alternative?

An Post is a public service, and has decided to stop providing said services ot a section of the public. It's even more infuriating when the whole reason the opening hours in some post offices were cut back was due to the installation of self service machines.

Now the self service machines have been removed, they should revert the opening hours back to what they were or reinstate them.

veryangryman

If you are getting packages delivered, i would recommend getting them sent to your employer instead of home address. That way you will have it no problems.

-garden-

Worst customer service - UPC transferring me to another colleague and then I am on the line for the next 2 hours and 40 minutes at which point I decide to hang up because it is unacceptable .
Galway Bay Medical Center -never have available appointments
Curries - don't really know anything about the product and always trying to sell you add on features that you don't need and on top of it are overpriced.
Woodies Headford Road ,Galway not sure why they hire people without any clue regarding diy or gardening .

Best customer service

Hollands and Barretts always very helpful and knowledgeable.

Michael D Not Higgins

dublindiehard wrote: »

You don't think that it is An Posts problem that they have withdrawn access to postal services for a good percentage of the public without providing an adequate alternative?

The alternative is adequate. You can go to the post office after work, they're open til 5.30. Or you can take your lunchbreak at another time and go to the post office. Or you can go at the weekend. Or go to one open at lunchtime. All adequate alternatives.

_Tombstone_

-garden- wrote: »

Worst customer service - UPC transferring me to another colleague and then I am on the line for the next 2 hours and 40 minutes at which point I decide to hang up because it is unacceptable .
Galway Bay Medical Center -never have available appointments
Curries - don't really know anything about the product and always trying to sell you add on features that you don't need and on top of it are overpriced.
Woodies Headford Road ,Galway not sure why they hire people without any clue regarding diy or gardening .

Best customer service

Hollands and Barretts always very helpful and knowledgeable.

Near 3 hours on hold?? What lol.

What do you buy in H&B that staff are knowledgeable about?