Argos - can you stop telling lies?

Timman

Argos, I beg of you for the sanity of others STOP TELLING LIES!

Please, It’ll take only 60 seconds and for your own future sanity read this and think again before shopping with Argos.
I bought a bed, a nice bed, an expensive £500+ bed. A bed to stop me having a bad back. First one, wrong type. Second one, broken. So I make that 2 – 0 to Argos.
So far about £100 in lost salary waiting twice all afternoon for a replacement. A lot, but I’ll have to put up with it. Now its 3 -0.

I ask for a replacement - its discontinued and its impossible, yes impossible to send another as the maker has stopped making them. But wait, Sealy does still make them, for I checked. But no, its Argos policy - no one, not even Sara Weller the MD can buy one. They can buy lorries, they can build shops, they can buy 18,000 other items. But no, not one of its 53,000 staff can pick up the phone and get a replacement. After a nice chat, they admit they could buy one but won’t. Oh, you mean stuff you dear customer. So that’s 4 - 0 to them.

After getting home, guess what – it’s still for sale in the new catalogue. Still available for order to. Wow, they must have been really laughing at me on the phone pulling the old “its discontinued now sir” line. I can hear the finger they were giving me from 200 miles away. 5 – 0 now.

So to re-cap, £100 down, 8 hours of waiting for deliveries, a bad back from the bed moving, a busted bed and one number middle finger to the customer. 5 – 0 as I said.

I can however have a different bed. One that I can't see first, one that I won't know if its the right size, shape or colour. OK I say, I'll take a gamble and go on the 2 inch picture of what its like, and I'll really trust the exotic description you've given it. I'm a sucker like that.

I ask for help to put it upstairs as after moving a bed 4 times in two weeks, my back hurts. Impossible they say, Health & Safety Sir. After a challenge,as professionally I know a bit about risk assessments, manual handling and method statements there's a silent pregnant pause on the phone - oh the driver will offer to put it upstairs for you if he determines its safe. Funny that I didn't get asked the first two delivery times. Now I can hear the driver flicking the middle finger to me as well. Wow, I make that 6 – 0 to Argos.

God their good at winning the customer service battle aren’t they. I’m a rank amateur here.

What happens if he won't put it upstairs I ask? You can get your money back off us.
Great I say. But wait, Argos expects you to sleep on a wooden floor after that. You see, they'll take the bed away, but won't give you your money back until they've inspected it and decided if you can get your money back. Then you wait for the cash. After getting the cash, you can order a new bed from someone who actually cares, a bed which will take 4 weeks to come. All the while sleeping on the floor.

You know, loosing 7 – 0 in the customer service battle has never felt so good. Little did I know what the joys of being shafted by a company felt like.

So £100 out of pocket. 7 – 0 down, and either keep a busted bed or gamble on a new one which you can't see first. Oh and a bad back as well and no guarantee that I'll get any help putting 50kg + of bed upstairs for the 4th time.

So to Sara Weller the MD of Argos – don’t deceive your customers. I’d also talk to your team and tell them to tell the truth rather than hiding behind obvious “policy” lies. The truth is that you don’t care as I’m not important enough would have been better than the lies you told.

The cherry is the bed is now £30 cheaper in the new catalogue:rotfl:

[FONT=&quot]Thank you for reading. The moral is if you don't expect anything from Argos, you won't be dissapointed.
[/FONT]

cajef

Timman wrote: »

[FONT=&quot] The moral is if you don't expect anything from Argos, you won't be dissapointed.[/FONT]

The moral is if you want decent service and a good bed go to a reputable local furniture shop where you can test and inspect the item before purchase, not a catalogue company.

nearlyrich

There are a whole host of independant bed shops who will supply a bed at a good price sometimes cheaper than Argos, deliver it remove old one and treat you like a customer, if you want to be treated with contempt use Argos, I don't.

Timman

cajef wrote: »

The moral is if you want decent service and a good bed go to a reputable local furniture shop where you can test and inspect the item before purchase, not a catalogue company.

Ah well your so right. But I tried to be clever didn't I. Found a bed I liked in a more expensive shop and stupidly bought one from Argos for a few quid less.

Lesson well and truly learnt. Sometimes you pay for what you get.

cajef

Timman wrote: »

Ah well your so right. But I tried to be clever didn't I. Found a bed I liked in a more expensive shop and stupidly bought one from Argos for a few quid less.

Lesson well and truly learnt. Sometimes you pay for what you get.

It is false economy as far as I am concerned, Argos are a cheap catalogue company they are OK for small branded items but I would never buy anything major from them, at least you had seen the bed before you went to them, how people can buy furniture such as chairs and settees from them without first being able to examine the quality and test them for comfort I can never understand, then they moan when they fall apart after a couple of years.

lindos90

Very entertaining post, I bet it did you good to get it out of your system!!!!

Ive had my fair share of problems with Argos, including a hairdryer that gave me an electric shock when I used it!!

I dont think its an accpetable excuse to say that 'you get what you pay for' even cheap stuff should be useable, and not every one can afford to go to cole brothers!

Hope you get a good nights sleep sometime soon!

bitsandpieces

I remember getting a gym balls from Argos. The pump was bust. I took it back, and they said the ball was still OK - so I suggested that they inflate it. Looking in the back of the store, I saw a member of staff trying (unsuccessfully) to inflate it by blowing into it. You have to admire that level of dedication

(after a lot of blowing, they did refund me)

Jules22

Argos have lost another customer with me.

customer service is nil. policy is c**p.

the muppet show has competition!

Timman

lindos90 wrote: »

Very entertaining post, I bet it did you good to get it out of your system!!!!

Hope you get a good nights sleep sometime soon!

Thanks, it was great finding this forum to vent my frustration.

Next step is to get the local rag around to photograph my very cute 4 year old asleep on a wooden floor thanks to Argos. Though, I'm not sure my morals will sink as low as exploitation of my little girl and telling lies like Argos.

PinkLipgloss

Timman,

I fully agree with your comments.

I ordered 2 bikes from Argos a few weeks ago (they were in their clearance sale). I was told that they would arrive on Friday morning between 7 and 12.

One bike arrived at 9am on Friday. When I queried the location of the 2nd bike I got a blank look off the driver and was told to call the store. When I called them they apologised and said the 2nd bike would arrive on Monday morning.

After waiting in all morning on Monday no bike arrived. When I called them I was told "the delivery of the 2nd bike has not been scheduled"!?!?!?

Bizarre - given that they were both ordered at the exact same time and on the same receipt.

Finally got the second bike on the Wednesday.

Never again.

AVOID ARGOS!

Timman

Thanks for the encouragement peeps.

Latest is....a nice lady called Abigail phoned my wife yesterday and promised faithfully to call me at 1pm today.

I waited, I waited and I waited. I was stood up

Abigail, if you read this - honestly I'm not that bad. I just want my bed, you know the one you took £549 off me for. Hope you enjoy your weekend lie-in in that comfy bed you probably own. Pity its not the same for your customer though.