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

the happy consumer

Ten years on and i seems that Samsung's customer services have not changed in the slightest.
i paid 1500 euros for a new Samsung american style fridge , far more than many of its rival brands, but thought it better to go with the quality brand name. But after only 3.5 years of use, the compressor packed in and the fridge was deemed not worth repairing by the engineers . Scrap..
I contacted Samsung customer services in the UK regarding the premature failure as the expected life of a modern fridge is around 7-10 years. But after about 10 emails , numerous telephone conversations, and some 30 days later they finally decided that they were not liable or willing to make any concessions towards a repair/ replacement , nor offer any gesture of good will on that matter. Going on to advise me to take it up with whom ever i bought it off...was out of warranty so not their problem !! ..and so we start the who is responsible merry-go-round again......
So much for the renowned efficient and courteous Korean manufacturer's customer service. !!!! Some things dont change.

Jules_G

Praise to Apple Green service station on M1 southbound Castlebellingham. I stupidly left my handbag behind in the toilets, my purse with money and cards was inside along with some sterling.
I didn't realise my stupidity until I was home, an hour away. I rang them and was told they'd had it handed in! So back I went. It was after 10.30 by the time I'd got back and was very relieved to find everything still inside! The cleaner had found it hanging on the back of the loo door, exactly where I'd left it!
I left a token of my gratitude as a thank you, and was given 2 cups of tea on the house!
Absolutely brilliant staff, they could easily have kept the money, but thankfully they were honest!

dudara

Post split out from old thread and moved to Best/Worst Customer Service thread

dudara

dudara

the happy consumer wrote: »

Ten years on and i seems that Samsung's customer services have not changed in the slightest.
i paid 1500 euros for a new Samsung american style fridge , far more than many of its rival brands, but thought it better to go with the quality brand name. But after only 3.5 years of use, the compressor packed in and the fridge was deemed not worth repairing by the engineers . Scrap..
I contacted Samsung customer services in the UK regarding the premature failure as the expected life of a modern fridge is around 7-10 years. But after about 10 emails , numerous telephone conversations, and some 30 days later they finally decided that they were not liable or willing to make any concessions towards a repair/ replacement , nor offer any gesture of good will on that matter. Going on to advise me to take it up with whom ever i bought it off...was out of warranty so not their problem !! ..and so we start the who is responsible merry-go-round again......
So much for the renowned efficient and courteous Korean manufacturer's customer service. !!!! Some things dont change.

In fairness, customer service aside, they were right. Your contract of sale and rights lie with the retailer where you purchased the fridge. That is where you should have started.

Goblet Chaser

My best experiences would have to be with Apple and the present-day UPC.

The worst has to be GLS and NTL (the old UPC).

Amazing how much UPC have turned around over the last 3/4 years - I had absolute hell with NTL dating back to 1999, and they were the same incompetent morons until the last time I got rid of them in 2006. But since 2012 when I returned again as a customer (I always only returned due to them offering the best (or only) Broadband in my area), they've been the polar opposite.

athtrasna

Had a best and worst customer experience with the one company within hours today.

Ordered a birthday present for my mother at around 11am on Monday from Millies.ie, about three minutes later I discovered my sister had already bought the identical item. I emailed immediately asking if it was possible to cancel the order. Their site did allow for "change of mind returns" but charges a 15% restocking fee.

Fast forward 28 hours to 3pm on Tuesday and I got a dispatch email. I was not impressed that I hadn't even had a reply to my email. I posted a comment on their FB page, not aggressive, just saying I was disappointed at what had happened.

Tonight I had two replies and an email. In brief they've told me that for some reason my email went into their junk folder. They've apologised and told me to refuse delivery from the courier and that my card will be refunded first thing tomorrow. Well done for turning around a situation where I went form being disappointed to impressed. Will definitely order from them again!

LillySV

ned14 wrote: »

Having worked in a similar shop before, in my experience this is what we would have done. If the price is displayed in error, the price displayed is the price you pay. If there are 2 prices on show (Which can easily happen since prices change so often, trust me), and the customer had spotted the lower one, I would always have sold for the lower price displayed. From the customers perspective, it could have been viewed as a special offer. I would immediately remove the price to prevent this from happening again (naturally).

The only exception to this is if the price displayed is obviously an error, for example the incorrect model number, or an obvious mistake in price (€4.99 instead of €499). As far as I am aware, the "invitation to treat" only applies to adverts posted external to the shop (Print, online etc. and is subject to E&OE normally). The point of sale is at the price tag in front of the item.

Post in the Currys/PC World forum, chances are they will at least offer a gift voucher for the €10, if not offer to make the refund.

I'm by no means an expert but this is what was explained to me by my manager at the time.

their forum is closed...obviously cause dealin with customer complaints is too time consuming for them!!
The lower price was definitely for the same tablet...it was advertised for same price online and in currys...and the guy had said to me earlier when i was there that it was the lower price...the place is a sh@thole and they wont ever see a single cent from me again...and ive alot of friends fond of their gadgets who is aware of what happened and annoyed about how she was treated also...theyl lose alot more in revenue from this than that 10euro!

razzler

Had a great experience with Vodafone this morning. I bought a new phone (not from Vodafone) 2 days ago. My old phone was basic and I could only read text from the internet, couldn't watch youtube or listen to podcasts and such like (perfect for reading Boards.ie though:)) With my new phone I was watching movies, listening to old radio shows etc. Next thing my E10.70 remaining credit was gone. With my E20. monthly top up I thought internet was free. Rang Vodafone this morning to see what took my credit, but I already had a good idea I'd exceeded my 250MG free internet usage but just wanted to be sure. I'd no idea at the time it would have run out so fast. Customer Service lady not only refunded me the whole E20 credit but also refunded me back the 250MB free usage and no need to top up for another 30 days. (She also advised me to connect to WiFi while at home to save my free mobile internet.) Great service seeing as my lost credit was my own fault and they weren't obliged to refund me anything. I would have been happy just with an explanation of where my credit went. Very happy bunny here.

wmpdd3

While that's great, and if your phone is unlocked you should really look at another mobile provider.

Most pay as you go providers do over a gig or unlimited (loads but limited at the top end) for €15 or €20 per month.

Obviously you'd have to ask around about the reception where you usually use your phone.

sunnyview

About a month ago I decided to try the Amazon Prime Trial as I urgently needed something I had ordered and through Amazon Prime it would get here a lot quicker. I was convinced I had gone back and cancelled the trial so it would not auto renew but was horrified to discover €59 had been taken from my debit card for a 2 year subscription. Admittedly it was obviously down to my own stupidity that I hadn't double checked I had definitely cancelled but the €59 disappearing from my bank account meant I would be screwed money wise this week for food. I had also found Amazon Prime to be a bit crap in terms of how much of a benefit it is to someone in Ireland. However, I went on to the Amazon website and clicked online chat for help and support and literally within 3 minutes a lovely customer service agent had cancelled the membership straight away, emailed a copy of the cancellation and and issued a refund to be sorted in 3 days! Great customer service considering not reading the terms and conditions was my fault.

AlmightyCushion

sunnyview wrote: »

About a month ago I decided to try the Amazon Prime Trial as I urgently needed something I had ordered and through Amazon Prime it would get here a lot quicker. I was convinced I had gone back and cancelled the trial so it would not auto renew but was horrified to discover €59 had been taken from my debit card for a 2 year subscription. Admittedly it was obviously down to my own stupidity that I hadn't double checked I had definitely cancelled but the €59 disappearing from my bank account meant I would be screwed money wise this week for food. I had also found Amazon Prime to be a bit crap in terms of how much of a benefit it is to someone in Ireland. However, I went on to the Amazon website and clicked online chat for help and support and literally within 3 minutes a lovely customer service agent had cancelled the membership straight away, emailed a copy of the cancellation and and issued a refund to be sorted in 3 days! Great customer service considering not reading the terms and conditions was my fault.

I wish my experience cancelling prime was this good. I started a prime trial back in January because I wanted a product quick and thought the free next day delivery would be sweet. Turned out that we don't get that here in Ireland so I cancelled it more or less straight away. I received a cancellation email and everything.

Then in February, a month after I started the trial, I received a charge on my credit card for Amazon Prime. I emailed Amazon about it and they promised me that the cancellation went through on the day I cancelled it, that they haven't charged me and that this is probably just a holding charge (not the word for it but you know when a company puts a hold on funds on your card so that when they take the money later on they know it'll be there) and that the charge should drop off after a few days. I said that if it was just a holding charge it wouldn't show up as a transaction on my online banking but they assured me otherwise and I stupidly listened to them. I'm still emailing them about it and they still insist that they haven't charged me for it. This is despite me receiving an email about my prime subscription about 2 weeks ago. Amazon's customer service is normally pretty damn good and sometimes even goes beyond their own high standards but this has pissed me right off.

tiger1234

Food very very poor. Chef and waitress no people skills at all very rude and certainly doesn't believe n the Customer is always right. asked for more food at a function and waitress takes it from another customer disgraceful sandwiches had more bread than fillings and the place was freezing.everyone keeps passing book no one takes the blame never have I been treated so bad as a customer

slimjimmc

What did the manager say when you discussed your complaint with him/her?

PS Customer isn't always right.

gugleguy

tiger1234 wrote: »

Food very very poor. Chef and waitress no people skills at all very rude and certainly doesn't believe n the Customer is always right. asked for more food at a function and waitress takes it from another customer disgraceful sandwiches had more bread than fillings and the place was freezing.everyone keeps passing book no one takes the blame never have I been treated so bad as a customer

what establishment?

Ken.

Good

gugleguy wrote: »

what establishment?

Your probably on mobile. They have it at the top of there post. Ballbrigan golf club is where there talking about.

sawfish

sunnyview wrote: »

I had also found Amazon Prime to be a bit crap in terms of how much of a benefit it is to someone in Ireland.

Its great in combination with Parcel Motel.

Order your Amazon item one day, and it`ll at your local Parcel Motel the next evening.

sunnyview

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

I wish my experience cancelling prime was this good. I started a prime trial back in January because I wanted a product quick and thought the free next day delivery would be sweet. Turned out that we don't get that here in Ireland so I cancelled it more or less straight away. I received a cancellation email and everything.

Then in February, a month after I started the trial, I received a charge on my credit card for Amazon Prime. I emailed Amazon about it and they promised me that the cancellation went through on the day I cancelled it, that they haven't charged me and that this is probably just a holding charge (not the word for it but you know when a company puts a hold on funds on your card so that when they take the money later on they know it'll be there) and that the charge should drop off after a few days. I said that if it was just a holding charge it wouldn't show up as a transaction on my online banking but they assured me otherwise and I stupidly listened to them. I'm still emailing them about it and they still insist that they haven't charged me for it. This is despite me receiving an email about my prime subscription about 2 weeks ago. Amazon's customer service is normally pretty damn good and sometimes even goes beyond their own high standards but this has pissed me right off.

Nothing has come through on my account yet but I will keep an eye on it. That is awful on their part considering for ages they have been one of the few companies who get it right with customer service. Beyond frustrating when you have to chase a company like that.

sunnyview

sawfish wrote: »

Its great in combination with Parcel Motel.

Order your Amazon item one day, and it`ll at your local Parcel Motel the next evening.

For the item I signed up for to get the trial it was a great service I think I had it in a couple of days at my Parcel Motel. But any other items I was trying to buy would come up as not eligible for Prime and would still have a good 5-10 days postage. Now maybe it was just down to what I was ordering and loads of other items are covered by Prime.

PeteK*

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ABajaninCork

I thought you couldn't get the movie streaming here? Or am I missing something??

Of course - if you have a Tunnel Bear, then it's possible, but wouldn't last too long with the free space!

mrcheez

kristian12 wrote: »

I recently bought some flooring and ended up with far more than was needed, I'd given the guy the room measurements and allowed for extra but was way out. Not knowing at the time and trusting the guy in the shop we went ahead and as i said added an extra box to be sure. Turns out we were out by 5 boxes. We went up at the weekend and they had a sale on but we went into the main store and picked out this flooring not in what we were led to believe was the sale area.

I phoned up and asked about taking the spare flooring back for a refund as all work is now complete and also checked on the facebook page and was told it was fine. Went up and tried to get a refund and was told no chance as it was bought in the sale. I pointed out it is still the same price as i paid and they were still selling it so its not like they were going to be stuck with it but they were adament. The guy in the shop was nice about it and said it was just policy not to refund.

I commented on the facebook page even saying i liked the flooring it was just the policy i was disappointed with and now with no reply i have had the comment removed and can no longer post. Poor customer service means i'd tell others to be wary when buying and make sure they don't overbuy as there is no moving them from customer policy.

Another mention of Door Depot here, absolute shower if you have any problems with the products they sell.

I've been waiting 5(!) months for a door to be replaced after they acknowledged it was damaged and said they would replace it back in November.

I once took a day off work to wait around the house all day for the door fitting, but the carpenter forgot to show up, despite the fact they said it would be done on that day!

Highly inefficient operation and woeful customer service (try calling to speak to a rep and the disinterested phone operator says they will call you back, but 9 times out of 10 you never get a call back).

AVOID if at all possible!

GarryC100

Had the misfortune of visiting the restaurant in this hotel today and felt obliged to post a review when I returned home this evening. I visited Garryvoe beach with my wife and 14month son along with many other people eager to soak up the first signs of summer today. After our walk we decided to pop into the hotel restaurant for a coffee and take the opportunity to give our little boy a slice of toast with cheese. We were charged €6 for two slices of bread with a melted slice of cheese on top for our little boy. When I asked the barman to give me a breakdown of the bill, he confirmed that it didnt seem right. I questioned this with the manager but was brushed aside... its obviously been a long time since he'd been to customer service school. I am very happy to pay for good food and service but we received neither in this place. I am disappointed to see that Rip Off Ireland is unfortunately alive and well in this hotel... We certainly wont be back and would urge people to steer clear...

coylemj

You're going to reach a much bigger audience if you post that on Tripadvisor. That review/comment above will gradually drift down the pages on boards.ie and nobody will see it after a few days.

P. Breathnach

A portion comprising two slices of cheese on toast for €6. That doesn't seem to me to be excessively expensive.

The age of your child is irrelevant to your complaint.

dudara

Written letter to hotel management would be the next step for me.

Thread merged into Best / Worst Customer Service thread

dudara

Fiolina

I was in Tesco Clarehall last night and there was a staff member standing at the entrance of the shop with a sash on and a couple of manager types hanging around. I assumed there was some kind of promotion going on but they didn't seem to be approaching any customers.

After doing some shopping I went to pay and overheard the (rude) guy at the till joking with his colleague about how few customers had gone upstairs to the special tasting that was going on. Another staff member said to him (while i was paying) "will you pleeease tell people about the event upstairs" and his answer was "yeah yeah, whatever". I stood there waiting for him to mention it but he didn't.

Anyway, my point is do the staff generally not a give a $hit about the company or the customers?

dudara

Merged into the Best / Worst Customer Service thread. Please do not create new threads just to rant.

dudara

Sandrutute

1. Vodafone : I placed order at march 6th 2014 . I was told I will receice my broadband in 10-15 days. And that I won't loose connection. Now i'm without internet over 3 weeks. They are telling me to wait more 1 week. When I call in back again and I said i'll get a solicitor and take them to the court because I found out they are going to take a payment at 31st of april and I have no service. The customer representive gave me a cheak and a lauge when I told her that . She goes yeah know there is a waiting time ! I told her that i'm past the waiting time and I have loss of earnings ! Then she told me I have to wait for 6 weeks more !! And she will give me a discount for 5 euro a month from my bill ....

2nd : clares jewelery ! I have my nose and belly done I buy jewelery but quality is poor !! I pay 9 euro for 3 nose studs the metal is cheap and bends !! Belly rings the stones fall out after 1 day. Clares do not take it back. No refund or anything ...

Good :

Got jewelery from Piecings and more. One lady on facebook . The prices are very low ! 0.50 eu for nose stud and the quality is amazing. I was thinking it's fake but still tryed my luck. She is amazing at recomending !! Doesn't take the payment till she doesn't receive the order. Received my item after 8 days of ordering !!
I was very happy , I now always ordering from her. Save my money and don't waste money on pure quality. Plus she takes back the item within 2 days if wrong size. Or if anything happens like stone comes out she replaces the item within 2 months !!!

PeteK*

Sandrutute wrote: »

going to take a payment at 31st of april

Are you sure?

ZENER

. . . . 30 days has September . . . .