General Forum

Re: And you think B&O has bad service from time to time?

mfirst — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 12:33:12 GMT

Since I started the latest bashing - just to show a good experience.....

Nordstoms (US department store) - well known for the customer service

About 6 years (at least and yes years) ago I bought a pricey (but not obscenely so) winter coat which I loved and wore all of the time and everywhere for everything. Last winter the sleeve cuffs and some of the stitching was getting a little frayed, but not coming apart and just a few loose threads here and there. I got it dry cleaned, per recommendations, which did not help much. Brought it back to the store to see if they had any ideas to freshen it up, no receipt or proof of purchase - although it was their store brand. The brought it to the tailor to tried cleaning it up - still not quite right. Sensing a little disappointment (but not that much - afterall it was 6 years old and worn very heavily and loved!) - and knowing how much I enjoyed the jacket...... the sale person, without even asking or further discussion out of the blue went over to the rack and gave me a brand new one - exactly the same. I said it was not necessary given the circumstances. But her response was we want out customers to always be happy with what they buy, period. She gave me a new receipt and said bring it back again if I ever have any problems.

That is why most of my good clothes are from Nordstroms.

Another.......

I have an Infiniti G35 - again, not that expensive a car (yes, it is a luxury model, but cheaper than the least expensive BMW - at least her in the US). I have had it for 5 years - never a problem! (knock on wood). I have a 9 year 100,000 mile complete warranty. When I need an oil change (which I do rarely) - I call the dealer, they send someone out, give me a loaner of a similar or better car, change the oil and wash the inside and out - all for the same price as my local quick change place. Similar service when I had some minor recall stuff taken care of. 24 hr roadside assistance - run out of gas? flat tire? They will send someone out ASAP. Car break down? They get you a new loaner. Trip interrupted - they pay you for your trouble. I got stuck in the snow last winter (my fault for doing something stupid). A tow was out and I was free within an hour. The guy would not even accept a tip.

Now that is service.

-michael

Re: And you think B&O has bad service from time to time?

Alex — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 12:10:04 GMT

The big organisations are definitely the worst. The issues we've had with BT are insane, we spent around 6 months trying to get broadband, and we got nowhere.

Not only that, but they charge an absolute premium because they know if they lose one customer, or a hundred customers, or a thousand customers, it doesn't matter that much...

And you think B&O has bad service from time to time?

Calvin — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 07:46:53 GMT

I know that occasionally we get posts complaining of poor service that they've received. Well, I thought that to counter this, I would write down my experience with trying to get hot water in the UK. If you think that over-charging for installlation is bad, read this:

I moved into the flat at the start of June. It had been unoccupied for some years and needed a new gas meter that would work with current coinage. I asked specifically for a normal direct debit meter, similar to the electricity one that bills my bank account. However, the chap arrived 4 hours late and installed a pay as you go one anyway. I phoned up British Gas (the last known supplier) and asked for it to be replaced properly, especially as I had no way of topping it up. After a week, I received a card to use with it which didn't work. At the same time, they were billed me and claimed I had a direct debit meter installed. Fast forward 4 weeks and 2 other cards later, neither of which worked. I still had no gas, no way of topping up the meter, they still insisted I was being correctly billed for gas I was using and refused to give me a normal meter, even though I had a normal electricity meter and owned the property. At this point I switched to EDF Energy instead. EDF have since said it will take 28 days until I am allowed to have a direct debit meter, even though I already have one for my electricity, which they supply. They also claim that if the card isn't working, it's a broken card because the meter (according to them) is highly unlikely to be the broken link in the chain. They also still refuse to replace the meter until 4 weeks has past. I will be away in China on business at that point so assuming I get back and arrange installation, I should hopefully have gas by the end of September. Thanks to all this incompitence, my mother and sister (who were planning on visiting London and housesitting/holidaying at my flat) have had to cancel this arrangement. However, as my sister has already arranged a 2-week internship with the BBC, she is going to have to stay in a Hotel or somehow put up with my living conditions: currently, I am living in the flat, although I have no access to gas (I'm cooking using an electric hob I bought in Argos) and I have no hot water so am having ice cold showers in the morning. Because it is central London, it also takes me around 3 hours to do laundry by the time I take a train to a laundrette.

Bascially, I'm just trying to say lay off B&O staff when things arn't perfect, most industries have their good and their bad, and B&O is for the most part a lot better than most. Oh, and if anyone is a lawyer and thinks I have a good court case for breach of contract or distress and fancies suing an energy company, let me know