HMV Rant!!

git_ireland

Hi Guys,

I bought a box set in HMV as a present and it turned out that the person I bought it for had already recieved it. So off I went into town today to get a refund. Went up to the sales desk and handed my Laser card which made the original transaction along with the receipt. I then asked for a refund onto the card. The girl was about to put the refund through the system when a manager came over and asked what she thought she was doing.

She explained the situation to him and he informed me in a smug voice that because the item was not faulty I was only entitled to a gift voucher. Smiling like a dick all the time.

I asked to speak to him in private away from the till but he would not have any of it. Quoted me consumer rights ****e.

What bugs me is the inept way he dealt with the situation and there was more than a few lining up for him to deal with. His attitude was basically the item is not faulty so go f**k yourself, stinkin attitude!

I now have a rather substansial gift voucher which I probably wont ever use because of their stinking attitude. I for one can guarantee that they have now lost one rather regular customer. Bring on the recession into full swing and lets see if their attitude changes.

Basically what I am going to do from now on is shop Irish. The likes of Golden Discs!!!!!!!!!!!!
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Rant over

Tabnabs

"Where there is nothing specifically wrong or faulty with the goods and you simply no longer want them for whatever reason, this is regarded as a "change of mind". You have no automatic entitlement under consumer law to a refund in such circumstances.

Many retailers are happy to exchange or refund goods in these circumstances, provided you have proof of purchase and meet their terms and conditions. This, however, is a gesture of goodwill on the part of the retailer rather than a legal entitlement."

http://www.consumerconnect.ie/eng/Hot_Topics/FAQs/Refunds-and-credit-notes/

Consider yourself lucky you got a credit note...

Alanstrainor

You had no entitlement to a refund. Or anything for that matter. You're lucky to get what you got. Im sure a year ago they would have been happy to give you a cash refund, but given the current economic climate im not surprised they are refusing to refund people, Who "change their mind".

git_ireland

That part I understand. I have no problem with that. The problem was with the attitude he had. The way he spoke. The tone and manner in which he approached the situation.
I work in sales and know consumer rights. I deal with it day in day out.
Just not in the manner he or tone he used with me.

Galvasean

git_ireland wrote: »

I now have a rather substansial gift voucher which I probably wont ever use because of their stinking attitude.

You might as well use up all the credit on the note, just not exceed it. At least you'll be taking some of their stock.

kermitdfrog

Did you say all that to him/her (not shopping there anymore, poor attitude, no problem with the point but the manner etc)? Or did you just skulk off and then complain here? I'm not havign a go, butif more people actually stood up for themselves and made fools of those who try to belittle them, their customers, that kind of attitude wouldn't be so prevalent.

Alanstrainor

Im sure he deals with stuff like this hundreds of times a day especially after Christmas. The fact that you asked to speak to him privately away from the till was a bit much tbh, you knew you had no entitlement to a refund and still persisted.

git_ireland

kermitdfrog wrote: »

Did you say all that to him/her (not shopping there anymore, poor attitude, no problem with the point but the manner etc)? Or did you just skulk off and then complain here? I'm not havign a go, butif more people actually stood up for themselves and made fools of those who try to belittle them, their customers, that kind of attitude wouldn't be so prevalent.

I did, I am not one from shyin away from someone who confronts rather than try and help. I might give the vouchers as a present to someone but I certainly wont be spending them.

git_ireland

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Im sure he deals with stuff like this hundreds of times a day especially after Christmas. The fact that you asked to speak to him privately away from the till was a bit much tbh, you knew you had no entitlement to a refund and still persisted.

The reason I asked to speak to him away from the till was to highlight his stinking attitude. If I wanted I could have cause a stink in the shop by really letting rip, but I opted to try and sort it out in a quiet calm manner.

I hope no one speaks to u in this way because it seems u would just rather sit there and take it!

Mark200

Spending them? The vouchers entitle to you any of their stock for the price they are worth. You would be doing them a favour by not spending them.

Wouldn't it be a fantastic business to sell millions of Euro worth of vouchers and then no one who receives the vouchers ever uses them.

And also, I was in Zavvi in Blanchardstown today in the queue behind some woman who seemed to be having a similar argument with staff that you had. It was annoying, she was holding up everyone trying to get a refund when she clearly wasn't entitled to it or had any right to it.

ferdi

when it became clear that you werent getting a refund, you should have taken back the receipt and box set, then you should have left the store for 30 seconds and opened the packaging. Then you should have returned and asked him for your refund saying that the product didnt work, smiling like a dick all the while.

VolvoMan

I haven't bought anything in HMV since I placed a deposit on the Xbox 360 around the time it came out. I paid 15 Euro trusting that they would call me when it was in stock but needless to say they never did. I then went in with my receipt and asked them what the story was and why I hadn't been contacted.

At that stage they were all sold out and they looked up my details I had previously left with them on the computer and they said there was a record of a deposit being left but no money was paid. I questioned them on how could I have placed a deposit without any cash involved? The ignorant little cow just said nothing and left me 15 quid out of pocket.

I know I didn't put up much of a fight for my money back, but they lost my custom forever down to that one experience.

FrCrilly

git_ireland wrote: »

Basically what I am going to do from now on is shop Irish. The likes of Golden Discs!!!!!!!!!!!!
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Rant over

After working inside customer service of an Irish company, I believe you're really shooting yourself in the foot with this moral stance attitude. It's ridiculous to deprive yourself of competition in this sector out of protest. I had a situation with HMV.com in which I had a disk missing from my order and it took over 2 months for me to receive it. At the time, I fully understood that I'm only a statistic and that "sh*t happens" within a mass distribution system. I fully understood that there was no reason to believe that the same couldn't happen with any other provider. I have since bought from HMV.com again, purely on the basis of competitive pricing on what I was looking for and I have had no problems with their deliveries.

So in conclusion, get it into your head that you're only a statistic, your existence was completely forgotten about when you walked out of the shop and stop treating an organisation like a person who is thinking about how it's just screwed you (organisations don't have feelings). Also, Irish organisations are in it for the money like any foreign organisation, so you're living in a fantasy thinking they'll be "Caring, because we're Irish".

(For competitive pricing, I use the price search function on www.dvdbargainalerts.co.uk)

rubadub

One reason I do go to HMV is their good returns policy. In these days of cd & dvdburners I am surprised they are so open to returns.

A tip is to always go for vouchers with them. If you do a direct exchange and then try to return it again it will shop up on the receipt that you already did return it, and it can raise questions. With vouchers you are back to square one each time.

Consider yourself lucky you got a credit note...

+1

Im sure a year ago they would have been happy to give you a cash refund, but given the current economic climate im not surprised they are refusing to refund people, Who "change their mind".

Their current policy is on the wall for several years now. I think they have 21 days "no quibble" exchange policy. Which is very good IMO, I buy music/dvds I would not otherwise "risk" buying, I doubt they ever would give cash back in a case like this.

Cabaal

git_ireland, they didn't have to give your anything and clearlyu your actually dont know your consumer rights, I'd suggtest you read up on them because returning something because somebody already has it is not one of them!

tony1kenobi

git_ireland wrote: »

The reason I asked to speak to him away from the till was to highlight his stinking attitude. If I wanted I could have cause a stink in the shop by really letting rip

Then you would have been told to whistle

ferdi wrote: »

when it became clear that you werent getting a refund, you should have taken back the receipt and box set, then you should have left the store for 30 seconds and opened the packaging. Then you should have returned and asked him for your refund saying that the product didnt work, smiling like a dick all the while.

And would probably have been told to stick it up their gicker. With a dick like smile.

Change of mind returns is up to the retailer. Play nice and you'll get what you want. Be an ass and, in the current economic climate, the retailer may in fact take pleasure putting the consumer in their place.

gerrycollins

so you know you were not entitled to a refund and the guy acted like a prat big wow, write a letter to his superiors if any or directly to him pointing out his attitude etc after that move on mate sorry but your just annoyed look at it in the cold light of day

mathie

ferdi wrote: »

when it became clear that you werent getting a refund, you should have taken back the receipt and box set, then you should have left the store for 30 seconds and opened the packaging. Then you should have returned and asked him for your refund saying that the product didnt work, smiling like a dick all the while.

Then he'd have given you a replacement.

"Repair, replacement, refund."

Simple as.

rubadub

mathie wrote: »

Then he'd have given you a replacement.

"Repair, replacement, refund."

Simple as.

The thing is some people do have equipment where cds will not work. e.g. I had a PC cd drive which refused to play a cd, kings of leon I think, I think it was due to some copyprotection on it, so a replacement was no good to me, my mate had trouble too. They played it in the shop saying it works fine, I was saying, "thats fine so, you can sell it again but it is useless to me". And I was offered a cash refund, but took vouchers since they were going to have to get a manager for cash which could have taken longer.

Red Alert

Technically they should not be selling those discs as CD's - I've a multi-changer that throws a wobbly when I try to play Copy Protected cd's so I don't buy them anymore.

wmpdd3

No way would I exchange a media product for anybody.
If the item is faulty I'd offer a replacement same title.

eth0_

I thought HMV had a policy of giving refunds within 30 days? Have they changed this?

Syferus

So many people have completely missed the point of this thread.

It was clearly never intended to be a legality battle, enough though half of you took that tact.

The fact is it's not good business practice to have an employee, a manger no less, who takes a smug or rude tact with a customer, even if they happened to be the most abusive ass imaginable.

It does not matter if that person has to deal with it a thousand people like with the same problem that same day, he is getting paid to do a good job, not to offend staff.

In the end, if that same person has a simliar effect on say, one in every hundred problems he deals with the money lost will add up over time. It should not be tolerated by customers or companies and it helps neither.
As many of you have said in other contexts, every penny counts.

foggy_lad

The fact is it's not good business practice to have an employee, a manger no less, who takes a smug or rude tact with a customer, even if they happened to be the most abusive ass imaginable.

especially if that "manager" overrides a descision already made by another staff member.

Walkman

foggy_lad wrote: »

especially if that "manager" overrides a descision already made by another staff member.

Foggy lad what would be the point of having a manager if he cannot override decisions made by staff. I presume by that post you have never managed any type of business.

Guy:Incognito

Walkman wrote: »

Foggy lad what would be the point of having a manager if he cannot override decisions made by staff. I presume by that post you have never managed any type of business.

Whats the point in directing staff to do things a certain way if the manager just overrides it when a customer has a strop.

It just makes the staff look like tools.


Dont know if it's just the way the OP wrote the post but I got the impression he stormed in expecting to get what he wanted .

There was no " I went to town to ASK for a refund" it's " I went to GET a refund"

Red Alert wrote: »

Technically they should not be selling those discs as CD's - I've a multi-changer that throws a wobbly when I try to play Copy Protected cd's so I don't buy them anymore.

Any I've bought like that never had the "CD- compact disc digital audio" stamp thing anywhere on it.

robo

Maybe the way that the manager is percieved by the OP is a bit OTT. They should not have maybe acted as the OP described, but HMV were in their right not to give any refund, replacement or vouchers in this case...they did, so this is not a consumer issue.

Maybe we need a new forum where we can describe unfriendly service?? This would perhaps fall under this?
This is not a Consumer Issue...:rolleyes:

Syferus

robo wrote: »

Maybe the way that the manager is percieved by the OP is a bit OTT. They should not have maybe acted as the OP described, but HMV were in their right not to give any refund, replacement or vouchers in this case...they did, so this is not a consumer issue.

Maybe we need a new forum where we can describe unfriendly service?? This would perhaps fall under this?
This is not a Consumer Issue...:rolleyes:

Maybe alot of things. To even have a conversation in a thread like this you have to accept the general gist of the original poster.
You weren't there, the poster doesn't seem stupid and the situation is far from the realms of the unlikely.

And again, it clear that the lack of a cash refund was not what really ranckled him.

Anything that adversely effects a consumer is an issue. This isn't 'Consumer Issues Relating Exclusively to Breaches of the Law'.
Everything does not stop at the foot of a twenty year old sales act.