Ranty Friday — Communication fail

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It’s Friday and I haven’t had a rant for a while.  I wasn’t going to have one today either, until ten minutes ago.

Let me bring you up to speed.    Earlier this week I placed an order for Mr B’s wedding anniversary present for next week, with a popular online department store.   Feeling lazy, and tight (sorry, but £6.95 for delivery is a bit riduculous), I opted for the “deliver to nearest store” option.  It was free and could be there for the following afternoon.   Excellent.    I went for the present, the card, the wrapping paper and a big fancy pants box to really show I care.    Somehow I don’t mind spending £8 for a cardboard box but not £7 for delivery.  Go figure.

Anyhow

The next morning I got an email telling me the delivery would not be in store that afternoon, but had been delayed.  They were sorry, and it would be there the next day ie yesterday.   Brilliant.   I knew not to head into the store the following day as planned but knew I could put it off.

I then got a second email telling me the box was going to be delayed but the rest of the order would be in store for me collect.   Oh well, it was only the box, what the heck, at least I had the present, and the card and the wrapping paper.

Events overtook me yesterday and I had to wait until today to go and collect it.   A special trip into town plus £1 parking and I was starting to regret this decision but it was done now.    Imagine my annoyance then dear reader when I picked up what appeared to be just the wrapping paper.   In a huge box.

No sign of said present, and no notification as to where it might be.   But I could phone the customer service number for more info.

Harrumph.  Not her fault, so off we went.

This is where my ranting starts.   The present element was dispatched by a courier company on the 18th “but there have been some operational delays”.

Delays that nobody has thought to advise customers about.   Including me.

Why?

No communication, no update, no advice.  A complete fail.

To add to my frustration I was told a new order could be placed, with next day delivery to my house.    Oooh that sounds like a great solution.  But I would have to pay for it.   And then wait for the original item to be delivered into the store, where it would sit for seven days before being returned.  At which point I would be refunded.

Does that sound like a reasonable solution to you, given this item cost over £100.   I pay for a second one and wait for a refund on the first one?    Given that I had no reason to believe the item was not already sitting in store waiting for me

From where I am sitting that doesn’t really sound like a terribly good resolution to the problem to me.

This whole thing is a farce.

Meanwhile I am now waiting for a phone call to tell me where the original item might be, and when I might get it.   It’s laughable that with all the communication tools available to companies they fail to use them.  Would an email have been too much to ask?  I got one for the box so why not for the present?

Nothing makes me more angry than lousy customer service.  It isn’t exactly rocket science is it?!