Cex

kpie

We got a CEX in Preston a few months back, & thought it was a pretty good idea.

However, I went in once on a Sunday afternoon about 30 mins before they were due to close. Me & my partner both picked up some boxsets, then went to queue. There was a massive queue, with only one member of staff serving, despite there being 5 or 6 around the tills. One of them was even rolling up! Then when I did get served, the woman moaned at me for buying boxsets!
Another time I went in & they were playing some hiphop with excessive swearing & the use of sexist language in...this was on a Saturday afternoon when the store was full of families!

I find that the staff are unhelpful & pretty useless. I wrote a letter to the head office complaining but received no reply, which I felt was quite rude.
I've worked in retail before, & know that its not the easiest job ever & you do have to deal with some people who are total pain in the !!!!!!, but I couldn't believe that there was such a huge queue with so many staff around, & no managers appearing to do anything!

And it really doesn't surprise me that they don't pay people for what they sell!

amcdermo

Cex.co.uk is good since they seem to only sell good condition stuff. When I've ordered games they've always come with the box, manual and good quality discs. In-store not so much. Same price as online but none of the games had a manual and not all had boxes. The online store shows 12-36 of a game i just bought available in stores but only the one available online which is now bought by me. So the website is excellent but my experience of shopping at the Coventry isn't.

There's 2 city centre stores in Coventry a tiny one and a big one. I went to the tiny one and the guy treated me like scum. No communication and denying me a hand written reciept when the till machine apparantly jammed. I asked what I could do if it didn't work. No reply. It wasn't a high value item so i left it at that.

When i went to the bigger store the staff were helpful and polite helping me find games etc. The problem with that store was the music was so loud neither of us could hear each other. We ended up communicating in writing! Not her fault but of other members of staff who were obviously into it (they were dressed for a night out with so many piercings you hang a curtain!). Not that CEX is unique with loud music in Gamestation and HMV as well. I've walked out of both stores after getting a headache. The problem I found with CEX in particular though is the long wait. Not the staffs fault because all the stuff is kept behind the tills to stop it being nicked. With all the stock they have it can take a long time to be served. Even not finding it in the end even though their computer said they had 7 copies. Again not the girls fault as she did try her best to find it. There was a 'faster' till for buying on;y but it's the finding games that was the problem. Lots of staff hanging round but not on the tills for whatever reason but that seems to be the same in a lot of shops. I've had problems at the deli counter in Tesco with the two people there busy talking with their backs to the counter and some distance away.

I've seen and experienced the way some people treat retail staff (see ihatecex for an example) working at a supermarket myself so i know they're treated like :mad: a lot of the time. You hardly feel like being polite and focused on the customer when you know how little they likely think of you. Retail staff are treated badly but, as rocky shows, they're often only working there while at college/university and without them where would you be? Manufacturing is mostly dead in the UK so the retail industry is the one that lower skilled (temporary or not) workers have to go into. We're forced to serve people all day who look at us like we're scum and can't even say please or thank you. If you think we like the jobs or do it by choice your wrong. We're paid peanuts so why should we act any cleverer than monkeys. Checkout staff have no power whatsoever; you need a supervisor for that. Oh wait that exceeds their limited power, better call the manager. Oh no, you'll have to contact head office for that. So don't blame the CEX staff if they refuse to buy an item or aren't exactly what you want; they deserve your respect as does any human being.

I've worked for 10 years in Sainsburys and still treated like I know :mad: all by customers and staff alike. I'm now going back to college to get out of it before it kills me.

Sorry for the long post; once i get passionate about something it all just flows out.

ihatecex

I've seen and experienced the way some people treat retail staff (see ihatecex for an example) working at a supermarket myself so i know they're treated like a lot of the time. You hardly feel like being polite and focused on the customer when

Heya..hello..did u mention ihatecex..lol

I am not a person who don't think and don't know how to treat ppl, there are nasty and rude ppl in life, but it whether depends on you as well. let's see if you see them with a smile on your face, who would being rude to you ? Mostly if you go to the supermarket, I noticed it that all the checkout counter always seem misery and never smile to it customer. That's why, might be, the checkout machine is introduced.

The points I was trying to say regarding Cex company on it owns, I didn't say or comment about staff, unless they start to be blah blah blah first.

f you think we like the jobs or do it by choice your wrong. We're paid peanuts so why should we act any cleverer than monkeys. Checkout staff have no power whatsoever; you need a supervisor for that. Oh wait that exceeds their limited power, better call the manager. O

I believe if you are working more than 10 years in Sainbury, you should have got a chance to be promoted to supervisor or store manager as I bet no one has experience that much to be able to compete with you.

Manufacturing is mostly dead in the UK so the retail industry is the one that lower skilled (temporary or not) workers have to go into. We're forced to serve people all day who look at us like we're scum and can't even say please or thank you. If you think we like the jobs or do it by choice your wrong.

I think you are totally wrong about this, every job is a skilled, in different aspect. There is no one can force you to serve ppl all day, it was you who decided to apply for the job, and you must be happy with it, proof is you been working there for 10 years. If you are not happy with it, you wouldn't stay there for 10 years.

p1an0player

I know amcdermo wants to get out of the job he/she has been in for 10 years. but it reminds me of this story from businessballs.com

This is a true story. Some years ago the following exchange was broadcast on an Open University sociology TV programme.

An interviewer was talking to a female production-line worker in a biscuit factory. The dialogue went like this:
Interviewer: How long have you worked here?
Production Lady: Since I left school (probably about 15 years).
Interviewer: What do you do?
Production Lady: I take packets of biscuits off the conveyor belt and put them into cardboard boxes.
Interviewer: Have you always done the same job?
Production Lady: Yes.
Interviewer: Do you enjoy it?
Production Lady: Oooh Yes, it's great, everyone is so nice and friendly, we have a good laugh.
Interviewer (with a hint of disbelief): Really? Don't you find it a bit boring?
Production Lady: Oh no, sometimes they change the biscuits...

My thanks to Shirley Moon for this lovely story, who also points out the following lessons within it:

• Do not impose your own needs and ambitions on to other people who may not share them.
• Don't assume that things that motivate you will motivate someone else.
• Recognise that sources of happiness may vary widely between people.

30dirtybirds

I would like to recommend that nobody ever uses this company.

The first time I used CeX a few months back I was super impressed, I sent off a relatively small order and got paid within a week. it was tracked online so I could see it happening and I felt comfortable enough to send in a bigger order.

The second time there were a few problems, the order waited at its last status for over a week, eventually I got a response from CeX and the order went ahead, I should have baled out at that point but I did get my money so put it down to a technical hitch and gave CeX the benefit of doubt and sent in a larger order.

My latest one was stuff I was selling for over £150, that's a lot of money to a lot of people, me being one of them. I sent the order nearly a month ago, they still havn't paid me, they have come up with multiple excuses , the latest being that they had power problems in the warehouse which meant they couldn't test the stuff I'd sent.

The problem is they take days and days to answer emails and there is no telephone number to call and the forums they have are also ignored.

I am just about to phone the CAB to find out how I can get my £150 or my goods back so please take a kind suggestion from another MSE user.

Avoid CeX like the plague

mcwildcard

I'm currently having a bit of a nightmare with them, thankfully it's not leaving me out of pocket, but it's still woefully frustrating when they don't answer the simplest of emails. Web customer services can work fine if they do their jobs properly, but when a query that could be sorted with a 30sec phone call takes them days to reply to (if they bother at all), then it's a bit of a joke really.
Used to be a great company, but they've clearly decided that cost saving > proper customer service.

I especially like that the only way to complain is via the same route, as if they're ever going to answer emailed complaints about themselves!

I'm going to post a link to this thread in their forum, although I won't hold my breath for a response of any sort.

mizzy2

I have only been instore to the leeds branch. It does smell, the music is so loud and awful. However, I usually swop my items like dvds and xbox 360 games for vouchers or cash. All the games we have got from them are in good condition and when we have finished with them we swop them back.
The queue isnt as bad as it used to be, as they get people who are just buying to go to a seperate till.
The staff in there are quite slow as they seem to stop in the middle of serving you to talk to their mate about some random computer game or something weird. However Im willing to put up with this as they are 'kindly' giving me money or vouchers. Some of the staff are very friendly, others are very odd and start headbanging whilst serving you. O well. All in the name of saving money.

chinbergs

I'd add to the list of avoiders. I've sold through them a few times and they're not paid me the full amount and they haven't responded to emails.

I want to trash their name along with the others on this board, because they've disappointed me!

30dirtybirds

strange stuff...

after weeks of crap communication all of a sudden (after posting in here, coincidence?) the communication improved, I've had 3 emails from them in one day!!! record breaking, looks like they've bumped my order along now but its still at stage 4, waiting for payment.

So hopefully I should get some well needed money soon, but I still would advise people to stay away from the online selling site.

Keep to ebay, usually get better prices anyhoo.

sweetnskint

so many people with complaints... ive learnt never to accept checks off them they always bounce...