SVP appalling service Interlink Express DVD recorder

mattersdorff

I hope this post is in the right section - please feel free to move if it is not! I am simply trying to alert fellow MSE users as to the potential pitfalls of using the very popular DVD, CD and other media selling website SVP Communications and their appalling delivery company Interlink Express - other users out there deserve to hear of my appalling experience which I hope will serve as a warning if nothing else of what can go wrong.

Dear fellow MSE users and no doubt fans!

I must firstly add how indebted I am to MSE for the incredible service it offers every day people out there, including myself.

Calling on everyone out there that uses SVP Communications to purchase their blank DVDs, DVD players and recorders and other related items,

I've been a loyal SVP customer for over a year now but I've HAD ENOUGH!!! As many of you know SVP has some awesome products at some awesome prices but their big problem, in my opinion, has been their decision to use Interlink Express as their delivery and pick-up company.

Never in my life have I ever come across a more incompetent and downright useless delivery company than Interlink Express.

Here you have a company that fails to make a delivery when they say they will, that fails to leave calling cards when they do attempt a delivery and you're not home and then have the gall to call you a lier when you call up to complain about their incompetence. And all that relates to a botched delivery back in October last year.

From January 2, 2006 I have been embroiled in the most painstaking return of a faulty item to SVP that I have ever experienced. I contacted them on the 2nd to let them know I'd discovered faults with the 4KUS DVD recorder which I bought from them in late October.

They arranged for Interlink to pick up the recorder that Friday, I then sat at home from 8am until 5pm and Interlink never arrived (AND failed to provide SVP with a reason why they didn't turn up).... so the pick up was rearranged for the following Friday - AGAIN, the same thing, I stay at home waiting from 8am until 5:30pm and they NEVER ARRIVE! Again, SVP aren't able to get a reason why they failed to come. 'They are very busy today but assure me that they will call you before the day is out' SVP tried to tell me in an email that arvo.... sure enough no one ever calls.

So here we are today - MONDAY - frustrated at all these failings, I decided to call up Interlink directly and their staff member insists today's delivery would be at my home between 2pm and 5:30pm..... so I make sure I'm at home before 2pm and I wait and wait and wait and wait....it gets to 5pm so I decide to call Interlink back and..... you guessed it 'our delivery man came by at 1:30pm'!

I've rearranged for a fourth attempted pick up on Wednesday but god knows if this blasted DVD recorder will EVER be picked up.

Through all of this, SVP's only response has been a catalogue of SORRY, I'm so sorry, sorry for this...... no offer of compensation for the 3 days (which will be 4 days on Wednesday) I've had to take of work and haven't been paid for.... NOTHING.

So next time you order from SVP just beware.

If anyone's interested feel free to contact me for other disaster experiences with Argos, Madasafish, Tiscali, Ebookers, DVD Plus and more!

mattersdorff

Posted on 10 Jan 2006 Tue 12:02 PM
Hi,

Thanks for your email.

I have attempted to call you however, I have been unable to get through.

I am extremely sorry that our couriers failed to arrive, they have been unable to provide me with a reason as to why they did not call. I have arranged for a courier to call today, however if this does not happen then please let me know and I will contact our couriers and pursue this matter further.

I am sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Kind regards SVP

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Posted on 10 Jan 2006 Tue 04:41 PM

Hi,

Thanks for your email.

I am extremely sorry about this. I can confirm that our couriers, Interlink Express were given the correct address.

I have arranged for them to call on Friday morning.

I am sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Kind regards SVP

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Posted on 13 Jan 2006 Fri 03:57 PM

Hi,

I am really sorry about this. I have contacted our couriers and they are extremely busy today. They have assured me that they will call today. If you are worried please call them on 0845 306 1234.

I cannot apologise anymore for this.

Kind regards SVP

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Posted on 16 Jan 2006 Mon 11:30 AM

Hi,

I am extremely sorry about this. I am currently trying to get through to our couriers for an explanation.

Our phone lines are manned Monday-Friday 9am-5:30pm. I am sorry if you have not been able to get through, we are extremely busy.

I have requested for another collection for today so please feel free to call out couriers yourself on 0845 306 1234.

I will continue to try to get through to Interlink for an explanation.

I am sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Kind regards SVP

---

I'll try to post tomorrow's apology as well, as well as Wednesday's one and Friday's probably aswell and then next monday, wednesday, friday, mon, fri, mon, fri. It's destined to go on forever.

supersol

Today DHL Express delivered a DAB radio from Amazon. They arrived and then dropped a delivery note in my letter box saying my parcel was under the porch. They did not even ring the door bell, but left my parcel in full view of anyone looking in my open (not glassed in even) porch. They then sat in the delivery vehicle for a full fifteen minutes.

Luckily I was at home and heard the vehicle draw up, so would have certainly heard a bell or knock, should they have so much as bothered.

I think this is a very insecure mode of delivery, to leave a parcel, in this case worth £59.99, in the open, without even trying to deliver it to the intended recipient.

As it was, l was lucky in that I was at home and no harm was done in this instance.

Amazon has an otherwise excellent service, and in this case, as in many others, the best price and free delivery (if you can call it delivery).

Poppycat

I have used SVP for over 5 years and never once had a problem. I realise problems does excists and I am aware problems has arisen with carriers.

I have found the carrier very good tbh, interlink express, I have regularly chat with the delivery driver who is a great chap. He even lets me pick the items up should I be out and I no he parks at a certain time in a certian place for his dinner.

I was rather disspointed then the other day that its now Citylink they are using althogh tbh I havent had problems with them either, in anything tehye delivery is quicker. I have a parcel coming tommrow from SVP. Theye were quick to desptach the items, I only ordered yesterday and the new site and delivery desptached is if anything quicker.

I have found Steve the onwer very decent chap tbh I have emailed him several times only the other day, and he was quick to respond. I have had on rare occasions some discount too.

I am in now way syaing you havnet had probelms all companies do, but SVP in my view are one of the best companies I have experinced in many years.

If you ahve any problems with SVP then Steve will respond very quickly, just raise a ticket on there web site. Unfortunately all companies experince problems with coutiers and in fairness to all of them they are at the mercy of a 3rd party. Comapneis that listen to compllainst and deal with them promptly are the ones we should commend.

mattersdorff

supersol wrote:

Today DHL Express delivered a DAB radio from Amazon. They arrived and then dropped a delivery note in my letter box saying my parcel was under the porch. They did not even ring the door bell, but left my parcel in full view of anyone looking in my open (not glassed in even) porch. They then sat in the delivery vehicle for a full fifteen minutes.

Luckily I was at home and heard the vehicle draw up, so would have certainly heard a bell or knock, should they have so much as bothered.

I think this is a very insecure mode of delivery, to leave a parcel, in this case worth £59.99, in the open, without even trying to deliver it to the intended recipient.

As it was, l was lucky in that I was at home and no harm was done in this instance.

Amazon has an otherwise excellent service, and in this case, as in many others, the best price and free delivery (if you can call it delivery).

that's amazing Supersol, you are right that Amazon/DHL are usually very good - in fact I had a delivery from them just today - no problems - brand new Panasonic Microwave delivered to my door at a good time of 10:30am - that was after they left a calling card last Thursday when I wasn't home and I was able to organise redelivery via DHL's automated telephone service. No probs.

YOu'll laugh at this - when I called up Interlink Express today, the guy who I got through to suggested that I leave the DVD recorder outside with a note for the courier when he comes by..... I said 'are you bloody kidding?? Leave a brand new DVD recorder outside - I live in London - it would be gone in about 5 seconds'..... and I know Interlink wouldn't accept responsibility WHEN it got stolen.

The guy I spoke to sounded like he was 15 years old and he was the same idiot who said the pick-up would be here between 2 and 5:30pm (the delivery guy supposedly came at 1:30pm of course).

the utter incompetence of some companies continues to astound me.

- Argos - said delivery of bed, bed frame and wadrobe would be made separately with the bed coming last Monday - call them back to be told that I'm going to have to wait 28 days until all 3 can be delivered at once - I've been without a bed for the past 3 weeks.

- Ebookers - I book return flights for my wife and I to Sydney via Malaysia with KL - Langaki leg included in the price - they fail to send us appropriate tickets, we get to KL and are told we have to buy full priced brand new tickets - takes me another month after my return to get refund.

- Tiscali - took me about 2 months wrangling out of their broadband service which had hourly drop outs - this was back in the days when they only had a premium rate telephone number and customer service never responded to emails. Luckily I was able to avoid paying out the full contract.

- DVD Plus - ordered Sex and the City DVD box set Series 2 for my wife's birthday - they send me Series 4. I have to pay for the return of the DVD and after asking for the right DVD to be sent back - what do they do but refund me the amount and never tell me so my wife's birthday comes and goes without me getting the right DVD in time - ended up buying from another company.

I could go on all day.

Johntea

I think the problem here is Interlink Express, I too have never had any problems with couriers (City Link, DHL, Parcel Force, Interlink, Business Post).

I know Interlink has a varying service in different areas of the UK so this is a key issue. Have you tried asking SVP if they can somehow get the parcel back from you by using an alternative courier?

mattersdorff

Poppy cat - how the hell can you defend SVP?

I don't doubt that you've never had any problems but I'm not talking about one failed delivery or pick-up, I'm talking about 2 separate botched deliveries (one last year, and my latest one this month) and each of those 2 deliveries took about 10-15 emails, 4-6 separate delivery attempts and god knows how many phone calls before they were sorted out... my current one still isn't sorted, more than two weeks after I alerted them to my faulty DVD recorder.

And don't try to tell me that it's acceptable that on the four or 5 occassions I've tried to CALL SVP on the number they provide in their emails, that it completely rings out every time... and that they've never offered me anything by way of compensation. I have never every been able to speak to one of their staff despite countless attempts to call - they do respond to emails but only the next day! Useless if you're trying to chase up why a delivery has failed to turn up.

you should do a google search for SVP and Interlink and you will see that MANY other people out there are fed up with the incompetence of Interlink Express.

I know SVP are a relatively big company that sells some good products but after all the reported problems, they should have dumped Interlink Express a LONG TIME AGO!

So, NO they shouldn't be commended at all! I've delt with hundreds of far smaller companies out there and NEVER have I had so many problems with the simple process of making a delivery or pick-up... especially when you specify a time and date in the first place!

mattersdorff

Johntea wrote:

Have you tried asking SVP if they can somehow get the parcel back from you by using an alternative courier?

I haven't unfortunately - I would have hoped SVP would have gone ahead and done this considering the present dramas with Interlink.

If Wednesday's attempted pick-up doesn't happen, I will certain ask them to do this - if I haven't already gone mental from bashing my head against the wall.

It's like being a prisoner, locked up inside your home unable to leave until this imaginary delivery happens at any moment between 8:30am and 5:30pm....

Poppycat

I am only posting my experinces with them, I found them very good. I dont despute your problems, companies do make mistakes its the decent ones who try and correct them. Perhaps on this occasion there service wasnt up to scratch.

There are countless other people who post links to SVP on here, so they cant be all that bad.

I accept they have had problems I no of another site forum where theres a post about courier problems. I am mealy giving you my experinces, if it was bad I would do the same and report here.

Johntea

mattersdorff wrote:

I haven't unfortunately - I would have hoped SVP would have gone ahead and done this considering the present dramas with Interlink.

If Wednesday's attempted pick-up doesn't happen, I will certain ask them to do this - if I haven't already gone mental from bashing my head against the wall.

It's like being a prisoner, locked up inside your home unable to leave until this imaginary delivery happens at any moment between 8:30am and 5:30pm....

"If you don't ask you don't get"...

ferretktf

Hmmmm ... I could start to list the catalogue of nightmares that I have had with City Link ... nicknamed Sh**ty Link by many an online poster.

It got so bad that at one time I would ring up customer services of any company to find out which courier they used, and if I was told City Link then I would not place an order.

Quite frankly I am amazed they are still going!


Best Couriers for me are the "household army" who deliver for catalog companies, next etc. When you are being personally paid for each parcel you deliver, as opposed to driving a van in salaried employment, I think it makes you a little more concientious