Advice Needed... please read

TheDude_2

Hi everyone, can you please read this complaint email/letter that I am about to send to 247blinds.co.uk about their idiotic staff. Can people at least understand why I might be furiously angry at the moment?:




To whom it may concern,

I am also sending you this in writing as evidence of our correspondence.
This email will also appear on popular Consumer Watchdog Forum and I will also be sending a copy to the Office of Fair Trading.

On November 2nd 2006, I placed an order with you, 247Blinds.co.uk, for the amount of £325.25 (order reference #########). This order comprised of 2 vertical blinds including rails and face mounting wall brackets.

A week after placing my order, I received a call from your delivery company informing me that my post code was not recognized. I immediately corrected the person on the phone with my post code and I received the order the following day.

I had taken a day off work to receive and fit the blinds. You had sent one set of louvres which had been incorrectly produced, despite my accurate measurement instructions. You had also not sent the 3 wall face brackets for one of the tracks. Within a couple of days, I rang your customer service number (0870 760 2472) informing you of the situation. I was assured you would reproduce the blinds correctly and post them as soon as possible.

Several weeks pass, and I call again, to learn that the blinds have not been sent out. I recall the problem you initially had with my post code, and make sure you have the correct one. At this point, I am amazed to learn that your records still have the wrong post code down. I have this corrected, and am told the blinds will be sent.

A week later (December 1st, 2006) I receive an email from a colleague of yours apparently named Rachel (rachel@247blinds.co.uk - email attached). Rachel writes to apologize about the delay, and informs me my blinds have been lost in the post again because of an incorrect post code. Unbelievable. I was assuming your organization was capable of maintaining computer records of customer details - particularly when told several times by myself. It seems I was wrong.

The blinds do finally arrive the following week - but naively, I expected everything to be fine now. Again I was disappointed, this time, to discover that no wall face mounting brackets had been supplied. I now have one rack, and louvres sitting in my lounge, with no means of installing them.

Since that date (mid December) I have phoned you several times - each time being told that new brackets will be sent out the following day. They still have not arrived.

It is now January 22nd 2007. It is almost 3 months since I placed my initial order, and I still do not have what I ordered. Last week (Wednesday 17th January) I rang up and spoke to one of your employees, who had the nerve to suggest this was my fault - and that I had supplied the wrong post code. I no longer have the will to argue with your telephone operators. I corrected the post code 3 months ago, and have done so several times since then, and it appears to have little effect. The employee told me that he would send out new brackets on first class delivery the following day. I was extremely insistent that he read my full postal address back to me to confirm where the brackets were being sent to. He did this and assured me the brackets would be sent to the "correct address". To be honest, my expectations were low by this point. I have resigned myself to the fact that your company is represented by downright liars who have been wasting my time. This is the only explanation that I can come up with for such appalling customer service.

Meanwhile, the louvres that I ordered are still sitting here, curled up in their original packaging - no doubt permanently mis-shaped due to the unusual length of time they have been stored in this position. I am unable to open and mount them as I STILL HAVE NO BRACKETS.

Not only are your staff incompetent and untrustworthy, they also ignore emails from customers. I replied to "Rachel" twice expressing my frustration, and have still had no reply.

I am a very busy person, and no longer have the energy, or time to keep ringing your staff chasing this up and I can honestly say that this has been my worst experience of online shopping ever.
I am left no option but to make the public aware of how 247blinds operates, and I hope nobody else goes through the same experience as myself.

I would like to give you until 26/01/2007 to respond to this email/letter - and GIVE ME MY WALL BRACKETS and compensate me for this atrocious experience, before I pursue this further.

hjb123

Sounds like you have had a tough time of it. Looking at the email/letter you are sending although you are saying everything that has gone on it seems very long winded and in places pretty harsh.

I assume you will now already have sent it though I think I would give them til the end of the month to respond rather than just 3 days

theblindman

If you have no luck in getting brackets, I can let you have some if you cover the postage costs, measure the width of the headrail, usually around 30mm or 45mm. let me know, far better to use a local blindmaker as you can always pop in for spares if something breaks

iceicebaby

hiya blindman. You sound like the nice chap who fitted my blinds !

gyzmo

It is obvious that the seller has messed up, but your letter will only serve to wind the back up of the person who has to read it.

The best complaint letters ae those that are to the point, neutral in tone but firm in regards expectations and consequences.

Do not be surprised if you get a standard apology letter back.

Poppy9

Agree too long winded. Try this. Also if you paid by CC tell the CC company as you are protected by them. If they fail to deliver within specified time then the CC should do a charge back to them.

Dear Sir/Madam

On November 2nd 2006, I placed an order with you (order reference #########). This order comprised of 2 vertical blinds including rails and face mounting wall brackets.

A week after placing my order, I received a call from your delivery company informing me that my post code was not recognized. I immediately corrected the person on the phone with my post code and I received the order the following day.

You had sent one set of louvres which had been incorrectly produced, despite my accurate measurement instructions. The order was also missing 3 wall face brackets for one of the tracks. I rang your customer service number (0870 760 2472) informing you of the situation. I was assured you would reproduce the blinds correctly and post them as soon as possible.

Several weeks elapsed and as I had heard nothing I called again. I was informed that the blinds have not been sent out. I confirmed my post code and am told the blinds will be sent.

A week later (December 1st, 2006) I receive an email from your employee named Rachel (email attached). Rachel writes to apologize about the delay, and informs me my blinds have been lost in the post again because of an incorrect post code. I am now becoming quite disallusioned as I have twice supplied you with the correct post code.

Finally the blinds arrive the following week. However I am unable to fit them as there are no wall face mounting brackets supplied.

Since delivery in mid December I have phoned you several times - each time being told that new brackets will be sent out the following day. They have still not arrived.

Given that it is now January 22nd 2007 I do not feel the delay is acceptable. On 17th January I rang up to complain again and one of your employees suggested this was my fault as I had supplied the wrong post code. As I have provided you with the correct post code on two occasions and you have made two deliveries to my home I cannot understand how you can maintain that this is a problem unless you have duplicate records for me. One correct and one incorrect. Anyway gain I was told he would send out new brackets by first class delivery the following day. The brackets failed to arrive.

Given the time elapsed I have now been advised by Trading Standards to give you a time limit to fulfil the contract. Therefore if I do not receive the brackets within 7 days of receipt of this letter I will consider this a breach of contract and will expect a full refund. You can arrange to collect the blinds already delivered at a mutally convenient time.

Your faithfully

yummymummy79

Or, give Consumer Direct a ring and ask for a template letter which will keep it much more to the point whilst still allowing for a bit of padding/venting.

pin

Two things (one which has already been mentioned):

If you paid by credit card, contact your CC company.

Also contact your local trading standards office.

Relevant laws you want to also consider are the Sale of Goods Act and the Distance Selling Regulations. There is also some good guidance on the Office of Fair Trading website.

furrypolka

Poppy's letter was more to the point, to be honest - that's the sort of letter more likely to get results. You need to give them a reasonable date to sort it out by and make it clear that you will consider them in breach of contract if they fail to do so, and then claim a full refund.

Probably not much point in contacting your local Trading Standards office (or Consumer Direct - as most TS departments use CD as their front line advice service now) as there's not much more to add to this letter at this stage. Trading Standards can only advise civilly in cases like this, they don't have the power to enforce civil law. Some do offer further assistance in mediating with the trader (level of assistance varies) but they'll want to see that you have made a reasonable attempt to resolve the matter yourself first.

Commander_Bond

I know this outfit well. They are based in Huddersfield and i had a lot of problems when i ordered 3 blinds from them. They took the money but nothing arrived for 5 weeks.

They are just a bunch of internet designers who run this web site and the orders are all fullfilled by a company called Swift Blinds in Huddersfield. The internet design company is called One Step Internet. They have absoloutley NOTHING to do with the blinds you buy. All they do is collect orders and pass them on to Swift Blinds for manufacturing and fullfilment.

Just about 3 months ago, they have moved all 4 of there staff in to the Swift Blinds office on lockwood Rd, Huddersfield.

The problem i had was the same. All promises and no action. I then took time out and went down to see them at Swift Blinds with a few freinds (i dont recommend this approach though...). The MD of Swift Blinds explained everything and gave me my full money back and said he would get it back from 247Blinds. He told me about the two owners - one is called Jason and i forget the other one.

There is a lot of ugly history before this stage but i wont go in to that one.

They dont give in to letters and verbal communication too easily but i really hope you have more luck than me on this stage.

Agassi

I was just looking to order some Velux blinds from these people. Not made to measure, surely they wouldn't mess up my order as well?