ASDA hulme dreadful service

fluffytrollop

Hi all,
well, I'm still speechless.
I bought a bike from here before xmas - £30, so not top of the range but I did expect it to at least be functional.

I got it out of it's packaging to assemble it and it was useless. The front fork slot was mangled. I then realised it was also missing several parts, bolts and instructions.

It was their own brand and they see me regularly in there - having had a few conversations about my kids - so I imagined, given that I part with a huge sum each week in that place, that a refund on the grounds of 'unfit for purpose' AND 'not of merchantable quality' would be reasonable.
Not quite. First I was told nothing could be done without a receipt. 'After all, madam, you might have stolen it.' (Thanks Mr Manager.)
So I went home and emailed Gavin Andrew at Asda customer services and explained all the ins and outs, and detailed my average weekly spend.
He replied telling me to return the packaging - not even the knackered bike - just the packaging - to store or them and they'd refund me.
So I thought I should return it whence it came. Bike too, as I don't want the damned thing - hello - it's broken! I emailed to say I would do this today. We've been unwell and unable to get out as all four of my kids have a genetic disorder or it would have been sooner.
I went back in with the bike, and was told I would get nothing, as I had no receipt. I used my mobile phone to produce the email sent by GavinAndrew, which I showed them and they said I had to go 5 miles or so back home to print it out for them as they had no access online in store for me to show them.
There had been no communication between them and Gavin Andrew, obviously.
I continued to say 'here is the reference number - can you ring Customer services they will verify it' but was told there are no outside lines there either. (Louis, Chandra, Irfana,).
So asda has no web access or links with outside world.
Along came another 'lady' - Kellie - who began yelling 'YOU CANT HAVE YER MONEY BACK IF YOU DONT HAVE THE RECEIPT', half informed as she had barely heard a word of the conversation.
She kept yelling, ranting over me and carrying on like a proper fishwife.
When I asked her for her surname she refused to tell me, and told Chandra not to tell me either. Eventually I began to lose it, so I said loudy enough for others to hear - 'I HAVE THIS EMAIL WHICH STATES ...'
At which point it all began to deteriorate into high farce. She started to threaten to get me removed by security as she wasn't going to 'take any more of that abuse'...er...what abuse? I kept repeating over and over that I was told to return it for a full refund.I eventually said she was acting like a dimbo, which she was - who did she think she was, yelling at me?
I asked to see the manager, who then came bimbling over and kept fixating on the first upset - that I'd somehow snuck a bike under my top (I'M skinny where would I put it?!) and stolen it. I tried repeatedly to get her onto the salient point - namely not of quality/fit for purpose, and she accepted the reference number given by customer services, onto a strip of paper, and then tried to refund me £20 when the bike was £30 before xmas. I walked off at this point. I had a woman stop me outside - I was in tears at this point, my son was trying hard to not explode, with this blasted bike.
I tried to call Gavin Andrew again tonight but he failed to return my call.
In the end, I dont like being called a thief, or a liar but the worst bit is that my son still doesn't have a christmas present. Asda is about as appalling for customer service as it gets but I dont think even I knew it could be as bad as this. I'm still reeling and hell would freeze over before I went in there again. This is not the first time this has happened, the rudeness and assumption of criminality is breathtaking. I took a joint of organic beef back as it had rotted before it's date and shot down in flames then too.
Any suggestions?

isplumm

Problem is without reciept they refund what bike is worth at that moment ... but you don't need a receipt ... did you pay on card or cheque ...did you get any money back ....??

Mark

djb215

Agree with the previous poster, you don't need a receipt but you need a proof of purchase (such as a bank/card statement) - did you have one?

lindyloulou

I work for Asda and confirm that you do not need a receipt for the bike, they do insist on a receipt for some items but a child's push bike is not one of them. However without the receipt they will refund on a gift card at it's current selling price. Telling you that have no outside line is a load of rot, they have a direct line to Asda House and by quoting the reference number you gave to them they can confirm what you have been told by the person at Asda House.
Wonder why you did not bother to keep the receipt you were given at the time of sale, at least until you had checked the bike, saves a load of hassle.

Anihilator

So you don't have any proof of purchase
You abused the staff etc who are legally 100% correct
You didnt have any proof of this so called HO correspondence.

Who exactly is being unreasonable here?

Take it back with a receipt or contact HO again and ask them to deal. Its not fair to expect staff in a store to risk being sacked and do a dodgy return.

What the manager says is also very fair. Its very common for thiefs to return goods hence the process.

dehaani

Anihilator wrote: »

Its very common for thiefs to return goods hence the process.

I've worked in retail for about 8 years and I can attest to this. It is very common. Thiefs generally do not want the product, they want to get rid of it ASAP. Refund value is always much higher than 2nd hand resale value.

Tozer

Anihilator wrote: »

What the manager says is also very fair. Its very common for thiefs to return goods hence the process.

Unless he has any evidence, asserting that someone may have stolen something is a totally inappropriate thing to say.

Ivrytwr3

you're obviously not that speechless are you?

Anihilator

Tozer wrote: »

Unless he has any evidence, asserting that someone may have stolen something is a totally inappropriate thing to say.

He didnt do anything of the sort
He stated company policy was not to refund for the bike without a proof of purchase as it could have been stolen.

It could have been.

Tozer

Anihilator wrote: »

He didnt do anything of the sort
He stated company policy was not to refund for the bike without a proof of purchase as it could have been stolen.

It could have been.

Perhaps people skills are not really his thing. Or yours.

fluffytrollop

Anihilator wrote: »

So you don't have any proof of purchase
You abused the staff etc who are legally 100% correct
You didnt have any proof of this so called HO correspondence.

Who exactly is being unreasonable here?

Take it back with a receipt or contact HO again and ask them to deal. Its not fair to expect staff in a store to risk being sacked and do a dodgy return.

What the manager says is also very fair. Its very common for thiefs to return goods hence the process.

Yes I did, I used my mobile phone to access the email I had received.
No I don't think I was in the wrong for stating someone's behaviour was stupid when she'd been screeching at me for a good 10 minutes and threatening me in front of one of my children. I'd taken almost half an hour of abuse myself by then.

I'm usually spot on with receipts but the box file and account book were destroyed over the xmas period by a bungling builder who managed to contaminate the whole kitchen with asbestos.

Trolling your thing, is it?

I had some receipts in my handbag showing my usual outlay at that store - £700's worth - so why assume criminality? If I'm spending that much doesn't seem likely I'll struggle out of the shop with a massive box in my pocket, does it?