M&S sale starts this Thursday

smk77

Ami82 wrote: »

OMG LOL! All 29 items has been cancelled! Ah well, saved some money. Makes me laugh though, not even 1 item LMAO :rotfl:

That's shocking..I'm expecting the same now...or, more likely, all items apart from my "Disney's Cars My Story Collection Activity Book" which cost 50p...but with a £3.50 delivery charge!

kiwimama

I only ordered two items, a boys top and a Thomas the tank engine dressing gown, both items are waiting in store for collection, ordered a couple of days after sale started too.

Shocking that not one of 29 items could be delivered, what a crappy stock management system they must have!!!

Wizard_of_Oz_fan

And now my turn.. yep cancelled some of my order (even though I ordered early in the sale)..
dissapointed..

NBirdy

Kitty_Wren wrote: »

I don't understand why all the people complaining didn't choose next day delivery. Even if you're not at home to take the parcel, at least the parcel would have been packed up and dispatched to you and delivered at another time.

I DID choose the earliest nominated delivery date (which was today), for the order I placed online as soon as the prices changed. They emailed me this afternoon to inform me that 10 of the original 15 items are out of stock and won't be coming, and the remaining items should be here at the start of August.

When I phoned to complain, they did me a huuuuuge favour (you would think, to hear them) by not charging me for nominated delivery. So now I'm just paying for the standard £3.50 delivery. :rotfl:

Lemony

I don't think people should have to pay MORE in delivery fees just to ensure they receive items that were in stock at the time they placed their order. M&S should reserve those items for those who have already ordered them. I also think it's perfectly reasonable for people who have PREVIOUSLY had issues with M&S to place new orders in the hope that M&S might actually have listened to previous complaints and to have improved their service. It is not the fault of customers if M&S don't use a proper and fair stock control system or listen to the views/complaints of their customers.

I have NOT received ONE single item that I ordered as soon as the sale went live. I have had issues with M&S before but I had hoped things may have improved (clearly they haven't). I will see what happens but I'm not holding my breath. I must say I'm very disappointed so far.

And I have orderd more than 30 items I might add, so you would think SOMETHING could have been sent to me!

Doc_N

It's a shame that the M&S directors don't get to see the sheer volume of near-identical complaints about their online disaster area (sorry, website) in this thread, and many others. Maybe if they did, things might improve.

As it is, nothing ever changes - though I did extract £50 compensation from them on one occasion for all their gross incompetence.

pwl2706

Doc_N wrote: »

The fact that this is the way they've always behaved (despite a large number of complaints) doesn't make it right. They haven't a clue how to run an online operation, despite having to import Amazon software to sort out the even worse mess of things they originally made. You have to assume either that they're using an old version of the Amazon software that Amazon ditched long ago, or that they just haven't the competence to use it properly.

not correct....

M&S have the largest online customer base, and were the first major retailer back in the 1980's to migrate to a computerised system...I kmnow cos I was there at the DSL warehouse in Tunbridge Wells when they implemented the MUWS system!

Unfortunately, now they're wedded to that system, and it doesn't support realtime updates (only every 20 minutes or so apparently)...

The Amazon online software sits as a front end on M&S' backend Warehouse stock management system, probably using a database like Oracle or SQL Server.

To change to realtime updates (that no other competing retailer of similar size with a similar amount of business anywhere in the world has) would mean spending tens of millions of pounds - I don't see that happening fast...

It's true there are problems, but they improved their website last year, and now if the stock for a particular size/colour says less than 10 and you make an order, then expect disappointment in the sale when 10 other people might do the same thing!

BTW, Amazon is or seems to be real-time because their whole warehouse is automated - about the only thing people do is look at a computer screen!

M&S still use people to handle stock, count it, and pick it (I know, how simply 20th Century :rotfl:) so real-time stock updates are out of the question....

I don't see anything wrong with their behaviour, surely if you go into a store and it's not there, then you can't have it can you?

As for 'deleting things from basket', actually that's helpful, stops you wasting time buying something that's out of stock.

As for the dreaded 'cancellation email', well, like I say, it's not a realtime system, and you haven't paid for it until it's picked, wrapped, addressed, and on the truck!!!

HTH
Philip

pwl2706

Lemony wrote: »

I don't think people should have to pay MORE in delivery fees just to ensure they receive items that were in stock at the time they placed their order. M&S should reserve those items for those who have already ordered them. I also think it's perfectly reasonable for people who have PREVIOUSLY had issues with M&S to place new orders in the hope that M&S might actually have listened to previous complaints and to have improved their service. It is not the fault of customers if M&S don't use a proper and fair stock control system or listen to the views/complaints of their customers.

They did listen, and vastly improved the webiite system in 2009....

Now we have a 10 year wait while they think about dumping their entire system (that originally dates from the 1980's, and represented a huge investment) and start from scratch, not using people at all, just an automated RDC run by computers!

No retailer of similar size and business anywhere has a real-time 'fair' system...

Philip

Doc_N

pwl2706 wrote: »

not correct....

Unfortunately, now they're wedded to that system, and it doesn't support realtime updates (only every 20 minutes or so apparently)...

To change to realtime updates (that no other competing retailer of similar size with a similar amount of business anywhere in the world has) would mean spending tens of millions of pounds - I don't see that happening fast...

BTW, Amazon is or seems to be real-time because their whole warehouse is automated - about the only thing people do is look at a computer screen!

M&S still use people to handle stock, count it, and pick it (I know, how simply 20th Century :rotfl:) so real-time stock updates are out of the question....

I don't see anything wrong with their behaviour, surely if you go into a store and it's not there, then you can't have it can you?

As for 'deleting things from basket', actually that's helpful, stops you wasting time buying something that's out of stock.

As for the dreaded 'cancellation email', well, like I say, it's not a realtime system, and you haven't paid for it until it's picked, wrapped, addressed, and on the truck!!!

HTH
Philip

I think you're being far too kind to them. It isn't really about items being deleted from baskets, is it?

Haven't you read the number of comments from people here who have had email 'confirmations' (OK - I know there's no legal contract at that point) and fully expected their goods to arrive as arranged? Only to find that 'their' items have gone to someone else who decided on an earlier delivery?

It's like going to the shop, standing in the queue to pay, and then having the goods grabbed off you by an assistant to give to someone further ahead of you in the queue.

By any standards, this is a poor, shoddy operation (contrast it with Amazon's) and if they can't be bothered to spend the money needed to make it fit for purpose, they don't deserve to be in business. And, who knows, if they carry on with this typical disdain for the people who pay their wages and dividends, they may not be in a few years time. There's no God-given right for M&S to stay in business - they need to earn that.

emmaroth

16 of my 18 items (ordered Wednesday night around 10pm) are on their way to me, one has been cancelled (only a tie) and another is coming in a seperate package. I'm a happy M&S customer once more! Plus they refunded the delivery charge I paid when I e-mailed them to complain that I hadn't been able to choose nominated day at checkout! :j