Aaaaaargh! Comet!!!!

glowy69

The only reason we ask them to be referred to the manufacturer is so that the company that makes them and understands the insides may look at it first. I agree that sometimes the fault is clear to see in store, but if we are going all legal, legally the staff are not certified to confirm faults.

At our store if it is inconvenient for you to contact the manufacturer then we will do it for you.

I pride myself at comet for giving as good customer service as I can give. I have many a customer come back because of th service they received.

What you said about comet being notorious passing you over to the manufacturer, its only because they ask us to say this, its not just comet either, curries/dixons/argos would all do the same. Picking on a company because you have had a bad experiences and spreading what you call 'help' isnt very nice. Not everybody is out to screw you y'know smcaul.

smcaul

glowy69 wrote:

The only reason we ask them to be referred to the manufacturer is so that the company that makes them and understands the insides may look at it first. I agree that sometimes the fault is clear to see in store, but if we are going all legal, legally the staff are not certified to confirm faults.

What total tripe - the only reason Comet and the others do it is so that they do not have to deal with returns, either to themselves or to their suppliers. How come many of the other retailers, both independents and chain stores don't have this policy? Comet try it on all the time - I gave them the benefit of the doubt on more then one occasion, yet I proved correct that they are a company who try to flout the law, and others in this thread and on other sites back me up with their own expierance of comets shocking customer serivce.

At our store if it is inconvenient for you to contact the manufacturer then we will do it for you.

Ahhhh, give your self a medal, you are so good taking control of a situation that by law you have to anyway!!!!!

I pride myself at comet for giving as good customer service as I can give. I have many a customer come back because of th service they received.

Well you may well be one of the few, but that does not make up for the fact that you know very little about consumer law or the sale of goods act, so before you try to defend the company you work for any more I suggest you go and read up on the SOG act.

What you said about comet being notorious passing you over to the manufacturer, its only because they ask us to say this, its not just comet either, curries/dixons/argos would all do the same. Picking on a company because you have had a bad experiences and spreading what you call 'help' isnt very nice. Not everybody is out to screw you y'know smcaul.

No you are right, Comet will quite happily screw anyone who shops there, your problem with me is that I will not bend over and take it like many of your customers who you lie to about the SOG act and consumer law.

As I have asked numerous times before from you, go and ask your legal dept how many small claims they have let go as far as court? I think your view of the company you work for may well change!!! Now I did not single you out in this thread, only the company you work for, so next time please show me the same respect I showed you and dont direct something at me - If you cant de-personalise something then please don't bother replying in future.

glowy69

Im not going to argue, you are obviously some kind of idiot that cant see through his tainted glasses, could you imagine how many members of staff it would take up if comet dealt with all their returns? You would be waitng for longer than 45 minutes then believe me. Dont say 'employ more' there is a money issue as well remember. I really reallly hope you never set foot in a comet store again, you sound like a right !!!!, even if somebody tried to help you would stand there spouting your law. Im not going to come on here again, people like you give the 'general public' a bad name.

If you know so much why the hell dont you work for trading standards, if Comet is so anti law then why the hell are they still operating? You really infuriate me, you have a bug up your !!!! and you want to make sure everyone knows about it, boo hoo.

The company must be doing something right, the average mystery shop is now up there second only to John Lewis...prbably because we do our best to keep people like you out of our stores.

Dammam

Glowy, my point is that from a customers standpoint when the item is obviously faulty (and when a Satnav crashes every time you try to find Birmingham it seems fairly safe to assume there's a problem), then to be told that rather than offer you a replacement they are going to send the unit away to confirm what you already know, and that in doing so is going to deprive you of it at the time you actually need it, then the customer is going to be pretty unhappy with what has occurred.
I don't think that it is unreasonable to expect that the store manager, upon seeing the item in action and agreeing that there's a fault, could use his discretion (or plain common sense) and come to the following conclusions:-

1. I have an unhappy customer. An unhappy customer is NOT a repeat customer.
2. Am I being conned here? Unlikely - the customer has not asked for a refund, only a unit which actually works.
3. Is the customer going to be placated by the possibility of losing the equipment before getting a replacement? I doubt it.
4. Should I, given the above, make a decision to swap unit - or at least the software - to ensure the customer is satisfied and take up the problem myself with TomTom?

What is the worst possible outcome from Comets point of view? The Unit goes back to TomTom, they say it's working fine and send a working model back to the shop, or alternatively they say yes there's a fault, fix it and send it back to the shop.
I'd be very surprised if Comet do not have an agreement with TomTom that unserviceable units returned to TomTom are replaced by brand new ones.

Best scenario is that everybody is happy, the faulty unit is sorted and the customer leaves giving rave reviews of the great service and understanding he received from Comet.

I'll hold my hands up here and admit I deal with customers on a daily basis - not in electrical goods but in aircraft engine spares. Every one of my customers knows that if they are unhappy in any way with anything they receive from me (and most of it is overhauled equipment) they can send it back - I'll even arrange a courier to pick it up. That's because these customers are important to me, I want them to keep coming back to my company and feel confident that they are getting the best possible service for their hard earned money.
I wouldn't even DREAM of saying to my customer "oh, well we were sold those fanblades by British Airways - tell you what, send them back to me and Ill send them back to BA so they can sort it out for you. I didn't make the bloody things after all, I only sold them in good faith." Or "Ah, I would have refunded you so that you can buy another set, but you had them 5 weeks ago and should really have tested them before this". This wasn't exactly my companies' view on how to work out problems when I took over the roll. I had to escalate my opinion up through the chain of command as I saw many customers who had a problem with equipment didn't return to us with future orders. I changed the system by putting the customers case to the management. As the management had always assumed the job was rolling along ok, they never felt the need to change things.
It sounds the same in Comet - there is a complacency within a number of the staff which runs as far as (and probably beyond) Store Management. Nobody wants to rock the boat and risk upsetting the boss by asking if this is the right way of doing things, so they slavishly recite the company lines of 28 days, right to inspect and tough titty customer.

As I said, I wont shop at Comet again - nor will my friend or any of my family (or his, no doubt). Work colleagues also know of this problem and I'd guess would think twice as they know people who have had grief at Comet. From my side, Comet have missed the opportunity to sell me a nice big LCD TV before Christmas - not much of a loss to a company the size of Comet. But if just 5 of the other people I mention above also decide not to buy an item like that from Comet it starts to add up. Multiply this by all the other unhappy customers across the nation and you start looking at big money.
Now, John Lewis have had some great reviews - I personally know people who can't speak highly enough of them, so I'll get my TV there.

Sorry to go on, but as someone who puts his customers first I find it unbelievable that a succesful high street chain behaves as Comet do. It suggests to me that even if Comet were to honour a warranty quickly, they may not be around long enough for it to be of any use. Then, sadly, everyone's out of a job - the good AND the bad.


p.s I work for probably the biggest and most successful company in the world. I like working for them but I know they can and do get things wrong. If I see something wrong I am confident enough in myself AND the company to raise my concerns. If my concern is valid, procedures are changed. If it's invalid it is explained why and I can then quote this back to the customer with confidence. I tend not to trot out the company line and accept it's right because it's there and has always been like that.

smcaul

Glowy, It is time you grew up, I have my own company, I have a select number of customers, I have to keep them happy, if I don't I can't pay the mortgage, If I were to treat them with the contempt that Comet have shown me and others then I would be out of business. And there is no fear of me shopping in Comet ever again - nor any one else in my family - at this rate it might not be long before Comet start issuing P45's to all their staff!!! And the reason they are still operating is because they never actually let anything get to court, they always backdown when the going gets tough, now if they were in the right why do they not let these cases get to court???

Dammam

glowy69 wrote:

Im not going to argue, you are obviously some kind of idiot that cant see through his tainted glasses, could you imagine how many members of staff it would take up if comet dealt with all their returns? You would be waitng for longer than 45 minutes then believe me. Dont say 'employ more' there is a money issue as well remember. I really reallly hope you never set foot in a comet store again, you sound like a right !!!!, even if somebody tried to help you would stand there spouting your law. Im not going to come on here again, people like you give the 'general public' a bad name.

If you know so much why the hell dont you work for trading standards, if Comet is so anti law then why the hell are they still operating? You really infuriate me, you have a bug up your !!!! and you want to make sure everyone knows about it, boo hoo.

The company must be doing something right, the average mystery shop is now up there second only to John Lewis...prbably because we do our best to keep people like you out of our stores.

Wow! I didn't read this before I wrote my epic. A customer facing employee should really be able to show a little more restraint. I don't want this to sound like a witch hunt because I think it can be useful for employees of companies mentioned here to explain their side of things, but this post brings up a few points which really ought to be made.

1. "could you imagine how many members of staff it would take up if comet dealt with all their returns?"

I certainly have no idea. Do you find that Comet has an inordinantly high amount of returns? I daresay that a steadily decreasing amount of repeat customers would ease the pressure somewhat. But do Comet not have penalty clauses with suppliers? i.e are they not able to claim compensation from the manufacturer for the inconvenience of processing the return of goods unfit for sale?

2. "I really reallly hope you never set foot in a comet store again, you sound like a right !!!!, even if somebody tried to help you would stand there spouting your law."

It's not HIS law, it's OUR law - yours too! It's there to protect us as consumers. If somebody really DID try to help there would be no complaints and people like myself wouldn't leave Comet feeling completely shafted. You have said several times that what is written on the receipt is legal and you seem convinced that this in someway overrides the law. The only reason it is allowed to stay there is because of the proviso at the bottom "does not affect your statutory rights". Comet (and others) use this to capitalise on most peoples ignorance of consumer law. The age of broadband has started to make this a less viable option, but it still works at present.


3. "If you know so much why the hell dont you work for trading standards, if Comet is so anti law then why the hell are they still operating?"

Who he works for is irrelevant. Did you read the reply I got from trading standards? Several of the things told to me by TS flew in the face of what the store manager said to me. Comet aren't anti-law, but they operate on the edge of it and use the proviso I mentioned above to stay within the rules. Why are they still operating? Because the few cases that eventually take the legal route are settled out of court. I would liken it to the cases brought against the banks regarding illegal charges - the banks cave in before court because they know that if they lost their case then the floodgates would open - they can't take the risk. In the settlement letter they state they are certain of their case, but that to contest it would not be cost effective. However, they have had to pay millions in refunds so far - if they went to court and won then all the claims would stop.
Because the cases don't get to court, no legal precedent is set to make them review their practices, so they continue to employ them in order to snare the tens of thousands of people who have no idea that they're being screwed.

4. "The company must be doing something right, the average mystery shop is now up there second only to John Lewis".

Does a mystery shop include a trip through the returns process? The staff I come across are charming whilst they're selling you something, it's when they have your money and you need support that the problems start. Also, a mystery shopper isn't actually splashing out their own money are they?

5. "prbably because we do our best to keep people like you out of our stores."

I can only assume my treatment is because you don't want me either.

Dammam

Forgot to say, the only way I could get my friend to Birmingham with peace of mind was to put a 'cracked' version of the software onto an SD card and into his machine. totally illegal but he HAS bought the software - it's just the bought version doesn't work. The cracked one is fine.
The time and hassle of taking this through the small claims court, so once again a victory for Comet in that they have sent another customer away with a flea in their ear and no repurcussions. A green light on the customer services dashboard, but a red light on the invisible customer retention dashboard.

mishkanorman

Arrrggghh , this bloody thread again !!!


smcaul if you dont like comet DONT SHOP THERE !!!!!!!!!!

glowy69 is trying to defend (very honorably) the company he works for, he never said they were perfect, he never claims to have all the answers but he is here and trying to help, stop making it a personal attack.

dammam, the item you purchased is faulty, BUT comet didnt make it, test it or sell it as a better alternative to a £1.99 map. they are merely a go between, and as such its very difficult situation to be in. Customers do scam the retailer, very frequently, and unfortunatley its the untrust worthy people of this country that you have to thank for the situation you find yourself in, not the retailer. If you feel the solution the store offered is not acceptable, go to their HO, It may feel like you are being messed around but what if your mate hasnt worked the thing properly ??

I dont work for comet, but ive worked in retail situations, and until you do you could not realise what a tough job it is. Legalities aside, dealing with the general public daily is hard at the best of times !!


Please, please, could people on this thread realise that petty digs at one another (and the company in question) is not going to solve posters questions.


mishka

smcaul

mishkanorman wrote:

Arrrggghh , this bloody thread again !!!


smcaul if you dont like comet DONT SHOP THERE !!!!!!!!!!

I don't, try reading the thread before you throw your tuppence worth in.

glowy69 is trying to defend (very honorably) the company he works for, he never said they were perfect, he never claims to have all the answers but he is here and trying to help, stop making it a personal attack.

Again, read the thread, pay particular attention to whom called who an "Idiot"

dammam, the item you purchased is faulty, BUT comet didnt make it, test it or sell it as a better alternative to a £1.99 map. they are merely a go between, and as such its very difficult situation to be in.

What????? They are not the go between, they sold the item, the contract exists between the customer and the retailer, not the customer and the manufacturer - I hope and assume you no longer work in retail!!!!

I dont work for comet, but ive worked in retail situations, and until you do you could not realise what a tough job it is. Legalities aside, dealing with the general public daily is hard at the best of times !!

You don't know that I havent? But in my line of work I have to know all the laws that relate to my business, yet neither you nor Glowy seem to know any consumer law or the SOG act.

Please, please, could people on this thread realise that petty digs at one another (and the company in question) is not going to solve posters questions.


mishka

Hypocrisy rules, huh!

Whits

During my training, I've seen the results of a completely independent survey that was done by a highly regarded company.

It was all about 'ownership of issues' and states that Comet have improved their performance from last year from somewhere in the 20% region to way over 80%.

Don't get me wrong here, but if this survey is taken seriously, then anyone having a moan about Comet is in the minority.

I delivered to customers house yesterday and after having a chat, the homeowner pointed out the washing machine, dishwasher, tumble dryer, oven, plasma tv and dvd recorder that have all been purchased within the last year from Comet. I don't think for one minute that with all those purchases, everything went perfectly but I hope that if something breaks down, it will be repaired or replaced without as little disruption as possible.

I don't work in stores so I don't know how the training works there, but if it's company policy to return an item to the manufacturer for testing then that's that. I would prefer the store manager to offer a replacement but he didn't and there has to be a reason for this, obviously not a reason that's done company image any good, but a reason nonetheless.

Unfortunately, loads of companies get the odd customer kicking off about their treatment. I'm not saying Comet are perfect, but if you work out how many complaints we recieve compared to how many items we don't recieve complaints about, I think it would be minimal. However, no-one recalls all the good sales, only the screw-ups.

That's life I'm afraid.



p.s. If I was called a spotty little oik and recieved no apology, I'd call the police. Personal insults are one thing nobody should have to put up with at work.