I won't buy from John Lewis ever again

Gers

Gers wrote: »

We bought this Siemens machine from JL before Christmas:

http://www.johnlewis.com/230911076/Product.aspx

We had to download the pdf document and send it off to Siemens, it's not JL who gave the extended warranty. The 5 year warranty came in by email very soon after - and there was also an offer of free Finish tablets (3 months worth apparently) which also arrived in a timely fashion.

fortythree wrote: »

Yes, gers, we previously though the same and have had many white goods delivered from them over the years. The woeful customer service and their inability to sort the problem has changed our minds though.

My main point was that the extended warranty wasn't from JL and the letter from them with the usual bumpf only reflected their usual two year warranty. The extended five year warranty had to be applied for. "Claim your FREE 5 year guarantee via redemption"

Seems you jumped the gun slightly in the first place by refusing delivery when you didn't understand the warranty situation and then it went downhill.

fortythree

Gers wrote: »

Seems you jumped the gun slightly in the first place by refusing delivery when you didn't understand the warranty situation and then it went downhill.

No we didn't, Gers and we didn't refuse delivery - the dishwasher hadn't arrived at that point. We told them to hold delivery while we liaised with CS to sort it out. Our paperwork didn't arrive until the morning of the delivery (nearly 2 weeks after we ordered) so we had not had chance to see it and check it. It clearly stated that the warranty was 2 years and was ONLY upgradable to 5 for a fee of £80. I have had 2 previous deals with JL, so I do know how the warranty works and that you have to redeem it with the manufacturer by sending off the paperwork.

I think almost 2 weeks to send out paperwork is unacceptable these days and this should have been resolved by a simple phone call with delivery still able to take place. The fact is it took them 3 hours to sort out the warranty issue, for which there was a problem. It has taken many hours of calls to rearrange delivery. We have spoken to more than 10 people to try to sort this out. We're not trying to split the atom here. The CS has been woefully inadequate and, it transpired last night that it's not even the machine we ordered. So, do I think I jumped the gun? No, I don't, especially when dealing with a company who trade largely on their reputation for excellent customer service.

kazwookie

If you are that unhappy send it back and get a full refund and go somewhere else to buy the machine you want.

vyle

fortythree wrote: »

I bought a dishwasher from John Lewis 2 weeks ago. It was supposed to be (finally) delivered yesterday. We bought it cos it had an extended 5 year warranty, but then yesterday got letter through saying we had a 2 year warranty and could only have the 5 year for an extra £80.

So we now know that this was via redemption, so JL didn't do anything wrong.

So we told them to hold the delivery while we sorted it with CS. The driver cancelled our delivery and told us we'd have to rearrange even though the warranty issue was sorted out at about 11.30 and our slot was till 2. I can appreciate they may have been busy, this is not the main issue.

Whether it's until 2 or not, the drivers have a route planned. If you were actually due for delivery at 9am, they're not going to drop everything and potentially drive the length of the county and put everyone else's deliveries out at the drop of a hat.

Fair enough. But I was then only offered a slot next week. I asked if they could do anything as warranty issue was their fault and was promised a call back today. It never came.

It's bad you didn't get a phone call, but also, the warranty issue wasn't actually their fault.

I've spent all day on the phone to them to sort the mess out.

We were offered a courier to deliver, but had paid them to fit it so refused.

What did you expect them to do?

CS have been confused and would not let us speak to the store manager from the store where we bought it.

Believe me, the store manager would know very little of front line service. He'd mute the phone, ask what CAN be done, then repeat it back. There are too many departments with their own procedures for him to just say: "get this to them, pronto." because he'd then be demanding the impossible and make things worse.

Tonight a driver turned up with our dishwasher. Imagine our delight that they sorted it out... However, there was no packaging on the machine and when I queried it the drivers claimed they'd 'removed it in the van'. The machine was really dusty. When they left (I felt sorry for the drivers as they'd worked late) we looked inside and realised it was A USED MACHINE. It is soaking wet inside, there is water in the salt compartment and white salt marks, and the machine has water marks down it. It has not been turned on or tested so there is no way it has happened here. I showed a neighbour who has just had a kitchen fitted and she has agreed that it is clearly a used machine. I am absolutely livid and completely gobsmacked that JL think it is OK to palm customers off like this, especially as we have paid over £400.

Now, as others have said, and as with my dishwasher, they do arrive wet.

However, a possible explanation for the situation is that somebody bought one, had it delivered, then refused it because it didn't match their units (it happens).

It arrived as a returned item in the shop, who tested it, saw it was fine, and put it back into 'perfect stock.'

There are so many threads started where someone wants to return a product because they don't like it, and don't see why the shop would have to mark it down even if it's fine and hasn't been used. I shall use this thread as an example of why shops don't give full refunds, or ANY for people just changing their mind.

The thing is, that being the case, the dishwasher will go back to the store as a return, will be tested and they'll know it's been returned despite there being no fault with the machine and they'll sell it on as perfect stock and the cycle will begin again.

fortythree

Vyle, you are entitled to your opinion and if it gives you pleasure to try to prove a point then so be it. I am merely stating my dissatisfaction and how JL have let us down on so many fronts - incorrect order, unable to rearrange delivery, wrong machine, clearly used. So in my opinion JL are at fault. We can argue about ut all day, but you won't change my opinion.

The order was cocked up - I have an apology email to confirm that they had messed up on the warranty. I have never said I expected the drivers to drop everything. The fact they cancelled is, as I said, fair enough. However, no one could say it is reasonable that a delivery date should involve 2 days worth of calls with more than 10 people involved. Every time they've called me it has been a different department and person.

As for the machine, if I buy new I expect new. I don't care if it has been sent back and tested. As they've not even delivered the right model, it's a moot point really, isn't it?

This is about JL's failure at every level to sort out a simple clerical error and rearrange delivery of the right machine and believe me if you had spent hours on the phone, with everyone telling you different information each time they called you, I am certain you would probably feel the same way too.

gregg1

dmg24 wrote: »

Surely it is good practice to remove packaging in the van? Saves it coming into your house and having to be removed again.

You are making an issue out of nothing.[/QUOT

I don't think the OP is making an issue out of this.

I would not accept the machine in that condition. JL are fine if you buy in-store but can be a nightmare if you buy online. Their online service has gone down the nick of late I think. I ordered quite an expensive coffee machine from them online and it came with water in it and.....a USED COFFEE POD in it!!!! So I would not be so quick to dismiss the OP's concerns.

vyle

fortythree wrote: »

Vyle, you are entitled to your opinion and if it gives you pleasure to try to prove a point then so be it. I am merely stating my dissatisfaction and how JL have let us down on so many fronts - incorrect order, unable to rearrange delivery, wrong machine, clearly used. So in my opinion JL are at fault. We can argue about ut all day, but you won't change my opinion.

The order was cocked up - I have an apology email to confirm that they had messed up on the warranty. I have never said I expected the drivers to drop everything. The fact they cancelled is, as I said, fair enough. However, no one could say it is reasonable that a delivery date should involve 2 days worth of calls with more than 10 people involved. Every time they've called me it has been a different department and person.

Well at least you got 10 calls back after your annoyance at not getting one lol.

Seriously, though, which department did you initially ring? As the in store call centres have been closed to save money, depending on which number you called, you'd be going to different sections of call centres in either didsbury or exeter. They'll all be able to see your case notes, but the people in didsbury probably don't know each other, let alone be able to liase with random person no.6 in exeter, and none of those people will know who actually works in the stores, or have access to their managing directors.

That's a very frustrating thing with centralisation is it does mean when things like this happens, there's nobody to physically deal with it, and too many companies have gone that way, but they've had to in order to cut costs to compete.

The same sort of thing has happened where I work. In the good old days, if something went wrong, I'd get a phone call and be able to walk downstairs to talk to the dispatch department, or do something on the fly. Now, calls go to newcastle where somebody with no local knowledge makes a decision based on nothing in particular.

As for the machine, if I buy new I expect new. I don't care if it has been sent back and tested. As they've not even delivered the right model, it's a moot point really, isn't it?

You never said anywhere else that it was the wrong model.

This is about JL's failure at every level to sort out a simple clerical error and rearrange delivery of the right machine and believe me if you had spent hours on the phone, with everyone telling you different information each time they called you, I am certain you would probably feel the same way too.

Your initial post didn't mention any of that, you only said something about the warranty, and that you didn't want the courier delivery because you'd paid for installation, and that nobody had called you back.

Oliver14

fortythree wrote: »

We were offered a courier to deliver, but had paid them to fit it so refused. .

That's why the packaging had been removed in preparation for fitting. I would guess that your original refusal of the delivery may have caused the problems maybe the packaging was taken off earlier and because you refused delivery it ended up hanging around or transferred to a different vehicle.

I hava always found John Lewis CS very helpful. No offense meant OP but your posts come across quite aggressive and if you put that sort of attitude across to CS you could be putting there backs up and making them less helpful because of that attitude.

fortythree

Oliver - the machine came from a different warehouse, so it wasn't the same one.

fortythree

JL have arranged uplift pf the machcine, and I hope, a refund.