Now that´s what I call service!

[The Mouse]

Yesterday lunchtime, I went online to order some enviromesh from Gardening Naturally, so that I could take up the 10% discount that they were offering if I ordered in November.

When I got up this morning, there it was on my doorstep!

Incredible

[oldherbaceous]

That's nice to see, a nice thing happening to nice person.

[Chantal]

I have long said that Gardening Naturally is a great company with fabulous customer service, I'm glad you agree

[The Mouse]

It's the second time I've bought from them, and I'm sure it won't be the last!

[The Mouse]

That's nice to see, a nice thing happening to nice person.

OOOh, you say the nicest things!!!

[Primrose]

How encouraging to know that a few organisations out there still exist who deliver good customer service. I feel I should send your comment on to the supplier of the new oven we bought back in the summer. It came with a cracked oven light and it's now virtually December and we're still waiting for a replacement! German efficiency !! Humph !!
I always make a point of thanking suppliers who give good customer service. It's so rare these days that I feel they should be encouraged to keep it up, especially as they're a dying breed.
I really like John Lewis in this respect. A few years ago, we had a new bed delivered which somehow had oil stains on the mattress, despite being plastic wrapped. To make matters worse, the deliverers broke the glass on our porch light as they were bringing it through the front door. They arranged to replace the bed immediately, sent us a cheque to get the light repaired and when a replacement bed was delivered, the Departmental Manager came out with the van to ensure that the new bed was installed OK and that the porch light had been repaired to our satisfaction.

[The Mouse]

Hi Primrose.

Your experience with the oven is typical.
I bought a fridge-freezer from Comet about 18 months ago. When we unpacked it after delivery we found that one of the glass shelves in it was smashed, its plastic surround broken right off. I phoned them straight away, and was told it could take three weeks for another shelf to be sent. I waited- nothing!
I phoned again, was put on hold for 20 mins, then cut off!
I tried again and got a message telling me they´d closed, even though according to their documents, I had another 30 mins to get them.
Tried next day, and was told there was no record of the order, and I would have to wait three weeks.
Nothing came, and when I chased it up again it was the same story - no record of it!
We let them put it on order again, but a few days later actually went to our nearest store and marched out with the shelf out of the display model - heaven help them if they´d tried to stop us (but they didn´t).

But that kind of service has become the norm from so many big-name stores!

That said, I have every intention of emailing Gardening Naturally to thank them for their speedy service - I meant to do it yesterday and forgot, so I´ll do it right now.

[glallotments]

Our worst problem was when we had our bathroom refitted which was fairly expensive.

Things went OK for a while and it was as if the sub-contractor decided he was taking too long. The tiles under the window needed replacing three times as the workmanship was poor but that was just one issue.

In the end I took a lot of digital photos of the bits that needed sorting and phoned the manager saying that if they didn't come out the day after (a Saturday) and sort it I would be on their doorstep Sunday morning with leaflets showing my bathroom problems which I would distribute to all their potential customers.

It worked a guy arrived the next day and said "I don't know what you have said to me boss but he told me that I had to work on my day off and no wasn't an option!!"

I often see the same company handing out leaflets in supermarkets.

[Chantal]

My boss was having a new phone extension fitted in his spare room. The BT engineer drilled a hole through the wall, through the picture leaning on the wall on the other side, through the side of the antique chest of drawers and into the underwear drawer! He apparently never thought to check what was on the other side and seemed surprised when my boss kicked up a fuss.

It took MONTHS to sort out compensation, culminating in a call to a help line in Bangalore, where it was apparently like a script from It Ain't 'Arf Hot Mum. The guy on the other end, having first ascertained that no, running a telephone cable through the aforementioned underwear drawer wasn't what was actually wanted, kept saying "Oh my goodness me, oh bloody hell", but he did sort it out, eventually.

[Catherine]

I had a tv from Comet years ago that had a five year guarantee. The TV broke down so I sent it back to Comet to have it repaired, some time in September. I made numerous calls to see if it was repaired and eventually it was delivered back to me in November, they had broken the flap in front of all the buttons. I called them and they arranged to take it back, which they did, numerous calls later they told me that they could not repair the flap as they were no longer made so they got an old case and put it on mine. Mine had no scratches or marks the one they sent back had loads of marks, water marks and scratches. I threatened them with Solicitors if they did not sort it out. I made loads of calls, got cut off loads of times and never sorted the problem out as I eventually gave up. They are a horrid company to deal with.

We had a new kitchen installed and the installer would not take all the packaging away as they said that it would cost him to remove the packaging so we had to get rid of it.

Now we will never suffer from bad service ever

[The Mouse]

I started this thread so as I could give some rare and well-deserved praise to a company.

Your replies have reminded me just what terrible treatment we have all become used to!

How often do you go into a big store, knowing exactly what you are looking for, only to find that the only one left in the shop is the display model, which they can't possibly sell you even if it's perfect!

And if by some miracle they do have what you wanted, you know from bitter experience that when you get back home and get it out of the box, there will be something missing or broken.

My OH is convinced that this only happens to him, that somehow or other they deliberately sell him the rejects! Paranoia

I'd better stop now, because if I start to list all the usual gripes, I'll be here all night.

I'll end on a positive note.
I did email Gardening Naturally to thank them for their great service, and they emailed me back, thanking me for thanking them!!!

[Shallot Man]

For some years now I have been buying Wild Bird Seed from a well known Company in "Ipswich". I feel that the last bag was made up of sweepings from the silo floor, despite two emails, it would seem it is company policy not to reply to complaints. No problem really, will buy from another supplier in future.

[glallotments]

We get ours from Haiths and they have been very good.

[Geoff]

I think I suggested Anne Kennedy http://www.wildbirdfood.uk.com/ when this came up before. Recently had a new supply and still excellent. I always buy Economy Peanuts but this time they came as the dark ones rather than the pale even though these are usually a higher price.

[Catherine]

Just come back from a little shopping trip to Clitheroe and bought a few things in Booths. Now that is a place that knows how to treat its customers. Several times I heard people asking the staff where such and such a thing was and each time they broke off what they were doing (filling shelves) and went to find the item for the customer. They always look pleasant and happy about their job.