Argos, what a nightmare

continualdiamond

Id like peoples opinion on this as i dont think im being unreasonable in how i feel.

My bf and i are buying our 1st place, we currently rent fully furnished. We placed an order with argos on the 17th Sept for a double bed, bedside cabinets, chest of draws, single bed for guest room, cabinet for lounge room.

It was being delivered to my bfs mums house, she said she'd hold onto it for us. Well everything was in stock with 21 days for delivery, they rang his mum with a delivery date about 4 days after we ordered, but she was on a course that day.

She rang back to book another delivery date to be told all the stuff was out of stock and couldn't be delivered until 8th Nov. Its company policy that if you cant accept it on the deliver day then it goes to the next customer.

Does this seem unfair to people? It was in stock when we ordered it and we paid up front so surely its ours, it should of been reserved and kept until we could accept it. Someone who ordered it with a longer delivery date is now laughing as they got what was ours.

I just dont understand this policy. I mean we ordered a sofa from dfs, its made and ready but they're quiet happy to hold onto it until we have our move in date, they're not passing in onto the next customer.

Seems such a harsh penalty by argos that if you cant accept an order when they want you to they give it away.

Where now faced with having to find all our stuff asap as we'll be moving in before the 8th Nov.

A_Nice_Englishman

Just take your business elsewhere. There are plenty of furniture stores around.

jen_jen_2

What is going on with argos - i reckon they are about to go under.

ordered stuff on 23rd sept and have rung twice to be assured they will deliver latest by 23rd.

rang on 17th to be told that it would definately be in stock and delivered by 23rd but couldnt arrange a date (??) today i get a letter dated 16th oct saying it wont be in warehouse until 1st nov. and that their computer wasnt told about the warehouse no stock until the 18th (Yeah i believe you!)

When i asked which item wasnt there as about 10 ordered (sofa, fridge, bed etc) i was told none of them were in the warehouse, how can a company the size of argos with 28 days notice not have ALL of my goods ready for delivery???? What a joke, goods have been cancelled, money to be refunded and off to buy from elsewhere.

I used to rate argos, goods okay, delivered on time with no fuss. Something is going on...............

stugib

jen_jen wrote:

What is going on with argos - i reckon they are about to go under.

Just done a quick google and that doesn't seem to be the case! GUS (its parent company) made £300M last year (think I was looking at the right figure, I'm no financial guru!).

But, GUS have just split up their company into Experian and Argos/Homebase, which now come under the name HRG (Home Retail Group), which might account for recent downturns in service while it was all sorted out. No excuse, but a possible reason nevertheless.

gyzmo

Placed an order with Argos last week. They started messing around with delivery dates, and even said that they would leave the goods in my garden if there was no one in.

1 quick email later re Distance Selling Regualtions and hell to pay if they kept messing me around soon got them sorted out.

firework

gyzmo wrote:

Placed an order with Argos last week. They started messing around with delivery dates, and even said that they would leave the goods in my garden if there was no one in.

1 quick email later re Distance Selling Regualtions and hell to pay if they kept messing me around soon got them sorted out.

Ooooooooooh! What's distance selling regulations???

firework

just googled it ! now i know and have put the OFT website in my faves list !! Having similar delivery problems from woolworths regarding a tv - ordered 7th oct, del date given as 18th - no delivery as yet and just had email telling me they will be in touch NEXT Weds/Thurs to arrange a date. Have already sent complaint email off after using template on howtocomplain website.

Altarf

gyzmo wrote:

Placed an order with Argos last week. They started messing around with delivery dates, and even said that they would leave the goods in my garden if there was no one in.

I am surprised that you were not happy with that, then you could have got your 'friend' around to steal them.


http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=3247475&postcount=5

gyzmo wrote:

Distance Selling regulations will apply - you can get a refund.

or, if you are as minded as an aquaintance of mine.....

If such a delivery happened, she would leave it a week or so (after actuallt receiving he item), adn contact the store to ask when she could expect her order. The store, having no proof that she had received it, sent a replacement. She flogged the replacement on ebay.

I would never, ever, of course, recommend that anyone do this when they have received shoddy service by mail order, so avoiding making some profit out of a corporation's stupidity and misfortune...........

C_Ronaldo

surely once you pay for a product its yours if someone is holding onto it

Altarf

C_Ronaldo wrote:

surely once you pay for a product its yours if someone is holding onto it

You have not bought a specific item, only one of that sort of item. Even if you have paid for an item and they have it in stock it is not yours until it has been allocated to you. Remember the problems when Time Computers went bust, people had paid, there were computers in the warehouse, but they were not 'their' computers, so people got nothing.

In the OP's situation unless they had specified that the goods had to be delivered by a specific date, then they are out of luck. Argos makes money by cutting costs to the bone. One of those costs it has eliminated is holding paid for stock in storage until the customer wants it. It is cheaper just to allocate the stock to the customers that can accept it, and push the customer that can't back down the list.

gyzmo

Altarf wrote:

I am surprised that you were not happy with that, then you could have got your 'friend' around to steal them.


http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=3247475&postcount=5

my friend (sans qutation marks) did something wrong. I would not, hence in similar circumstances i would take the course of action described in my first post on this matter.

Posession is 9/10ths of the law!