Gesture of Goodwill - Strange offer

captainharris

Not sure this is in the right forum but..

I've had loads of problems recently with a Plumbing company who I called to fix my leaking tap and loose pipe work.

• The first appointment I arranged they called with 15mins notice and cancelled after I took half a day off work
• 2nd Appointment - came and assessed the problem - half day off
• 3rd appointment - brought replacement peices. Began to fit them and realised they'd ordered the wrong set and needed to reorder and come another time - half day off
• 4th appointment - fixed the new piece, but damaged another part of the sink- half day off
• Waiting for them to come and sort it

(i'll just add that I rent my place so the cost of the job is being covered by the landlord, although I have been really inconvenienced)
Anyway... I received a letter from them yesterday apologising for the length of time and inconvenience and was told it didin't match their usual 'high quality' and as a gesture of goodwill they would like to offer me a £370 gift voucher for a photo portrait session and makeover.

I'm a single, 26yr old male with no kids or pets. I really don't want a makeover and photo.

Now, I'm sure for some people this would seem like a good offer, but I find it a little bizarre. £50 of high street vouchers and I would have been happier, but this is something I'll never use (it's not even based in my city!).

I don't want to appear ungrateful as I didn't even ask for a 'gesture of goodwill' but now I feel a bit peeved that I've been offered one, and its frankly a bit crap.

What's the best thing I can do without coming across as a complete ungrateful sod?

gemmy26wales

just politely decline. as for getting something else back-go for it.

i would send an email saying thanks for the goodwill gesture but unfortunately i have no use for it. dont suppose you happen to have any other gesture of goodwill?

pendulum

captainharris wrote: »

as a gesture of goodwill they would like to offer me a £370 gift voucher for a photo portrait session and makeover

:rotfl: I'd wonder if they're taking the !!!!.

What a random and strange thing to offer for a bodged plumbing job.

Alarm bells are ringing anyway. A £370 voucher huh? Well you can be damn sure that £370 voucher isn't worth £370. They'd never give you that much as a gesture of goodwill! It's probably £370 off if you spend a grand or something, with the plumbing company earning commission if you do it!

I'd let them know that I thought they were being cheeky and invite them to offer a discount on the bill instead. The only other thing I'd say is self-employed local one man bands are often better for doing the small jobs. They'll come, do the work there and then (visiting B&Q or somewhere if they need to, their open to 9pm..) and I've always been able to find one who works evenings. And they're usually cheaper!

Starrystarrynight

Maybe the plumber won the voucher in a competition and had no use for it either and was trying to palm it off!

glider3560

Starrystarrynight wrote: »

Maybe the plumber won the voucher in a competition and had no use for it either and was trying to palm it off!

That's what I thought too. Or maybe they were given it as a gift but want to get rid.

Darksun

They're probably getting kickbacks off one of these dodgy photo studios, you know the ones where you 'win' a free photo shoot and then they use hard sell and other dodgy techniques to make you part with hundreds.

captainharris

well the only thing i can gather is that they're both located in the same postcode so obviously they've got some kind of deal together.

The actual offer and value of the gift is genuine, the website is here
yaffefusionart dot com

I just find the whole thing a bit strange. I think i'll be writing them a letter tomorrow thanking them for their recognition that the job has been taking far too long, although their goodwill gesture is rather bizarre and inappropriate.

Lip_Stick

Perhaps they've given you that for you to show off your new plumbing.

oo-er, that sounds a little... wrong.

captainharris

I've decided to write back to them with the following...





Dear Mr Smith
Thank you for your letter dated 13th May 2010. I appreciate that you have acknowledged that your repair service thus far has not been satisfactory and has led to me being deeply inconvenienced since you first were alerted of the problem at the above address in mid March. The inconvenience has led to me taking three half working days as holiday to the cost of £96 as well as a Saturday appointment and now a further Thursday.

Since the initial contact, five separate appointments have been made with your company to fix a kitchen tap and a leaking pipe under the sink which you have agreed is unacceptable. I appreciate your attempt to rectify the situation by offering replacement fittings.

I would also like to thank you for offering a gesture of good will. However, I don’t feel the offer is suitable to the situation and is somewhat inappropriate. I feel a Fusion Art portrait session is of no use to me nor is it based in my city. I have enclosed the offered gift voucher which I politely decline.

Yours sincerely,
_____________________________________


Let's see what comes of it.

pendulum

captainharris wrote: »

I've decided to write back to them with the following...

You don't ask for an alternative gesture of goodwill, maybe you should?

captainharris

pendulum wrote: »

You don't ask for an alternative gesture of goodwill, maybe you should?

No, as I never asked for a gesture and/or compensation in the first place it doesn't feel right to say what you've offered isn't great so offer me something else. I've hinted at the how much out of pocket i am.

I'll see what they say.