B&Q gesture of goodwill??

helenmcneill_2

hi all, just thought id share this as a name and shame as im still pretty angry!

i painted my whole houses interior woodwork with b&q's "brilliant white" gloss paint, used it before so had no issues. within 3 weeks it went yellow!

6 weeks later and tons of emails including weeks without a reply "anyone there / you ignoring me" as the heading from me.

then today this

"Thank you for your email, I have discussed your issue with store management this morning who would like to offer you a full refund for the 3 tins of paint you purchased as a gesture of goodwill."

good job eh? 6 weeks later and 9 weeks after using the paint i get my money back, no mention of the time, labour, upheaval, undercoat, sandpaper, paintbrushes, white spirit, masking tape etc...

they only got back to me after i sent pictures of the paint used beside a white radiator! (id post the pic here but dont see how to)

good will? as in "not legally entitled to but heres a scrap for your incessant complaining!

rant over lol, anyone else had this carry on with B&Q?

edit: just released they offered a £30 gift card when the cost was £47. they did say "full refund"

Shelldean

there was thread about this awhile ago, wonder if i can find it for you??

Shelldean

ah sorry I was thinking about this one HERE but it was Dulux not B&Q own paint

Valli

helenmcneill wrote: »

6 weeks later and tons of emails including weeks without a reply "anyone there / you ignoring me" as the heading from me.

This, IMO, is where you have gone wrong. Assuming you sent more than one email, that is.

Had MY emails been ignored they would have had a snail mail letter, I would have kept a copy, and then I would have sent a letter before action (requesting, in this case refund of cost paid for paint + refund of monies spent remedying the paintwork).

If a method of communication is ignored then the next communication does, IMO, need to be by a different method - it is my firm belief that they ignore in the hope that the customer will 'go away'. By changing the method of communication you are indicating that you are a dissatisfied customer who will not be fobbed off;)

Personally I would deem an e mail as the 'lowest' form of communication, then a telephone call, then a letter, then a letter sent by recorded delivery then a letter before action (sent recorded).

But I wouldn't use them all in succession - the complaint would be in the LBA form sharpish.

Funnily enough none of my complaints, thus far, have ever had to be in LBA form.;)

helenmcneill_2

thanks for the replys but whats the lba form?

after i realised they were offering £30 for £47 worth of paint, i emailed them back stating they offered a "full refund", i got this back...

"How much did you pay for the paint as you have not provided a receipt and the refund is being provided to you as a gesture of good will. I understand that you purchase 3 tins?"

cant believe they will make me argue for £17, if i had my way id argue for, as yo say valli "(requesting, in this case refund of cost paid for paint + refund of monies spent remedying the paintwork)" but getting this far in the timeframe is like puling teeth!

Valli

'Letter before action'

ie I would (eventually) send a letter in the form of a Letter Before Action.

Sorry; the word 'form' could easily be misconstrued to imply there was a form to fill in; I was using the word 'form' in the sense of 'style'


I apologise for that.

A letter before action is a letter sent in complaint, headed Letter Before Action where you give the retailer (or whoever) a time frame (14 business days is reasonable) with which to provide the remedy you require otherwise you will pursue the retailer for a refund through the court (Google 'Money Claim Online) when you will then be asking for a refund of court fees and other related costs eg cost of sending a recorded-delivery letter.

Basically a warning letter - the Action you will take will be to commence legal proceedings should you not be given your remedy.

(Remedy = (in these cases) refund, replacement or repair).

terra_ferma

Valli wrote: »

'Letter before action'

ie I would (eventually) send a letter in the form of a Letter Before Action.

Sorry; the word 'form' could easily be misconstrued to imply there was a form to fill in; I was using the word 'form' in the sense of 'style'


I apologise for that.

I can't see why it would have taken so many emails, it's just a case of telling them what happened, why it's their fault, how much you wanted in compensation, putting forward a good argument about it, in a polite, factual but firm way.
And if they refuse or don't reply escalate to the next level (e.g. emailing chief executive, sending letter as suggested etc).

If when you write the first time you make it absolutely clear what you want and why, and provide evidence, they will have less scope for dragging things on and on and you can just move on to the next step.

Saying that they sound a bit mean, they obviously don't believe their product is at fault here.

helenmcneill_2

just incase anyones interested, heres pics of the "brilliant white" beside crown solo brilliant white which was painted roughly the same time as the b&q paint (by another person)

[IMG][/img]

and another beside white radiator pain, again painted at same time.

[IMG][/img]

helenmcneill_2

LOL i literally just sent them an email mentioning the LBA and that i was considering claiming for work to repair the dmage caused, within seconds i get this back...

"I apologise for the confusion, the full refund of £47.94 is being provided to you by the store. You can either return to the store or I can send you a cheque for the refund from here at our head office. I will also be sending you the £30 B&Q gift card.

I apologise for not being clear on my previous emails."

so... thanks guys! that will cover the costs of me doing it again myself!

last night they were fighting over £17

railbuff

I look at it this way

1 email, if ignored/canned reply then email to CEO which 9/10 gets the desired response

paddedjohn

helenmcneill wrote: »

just incase anyones interested, heres pics of the "brilliant white" beside crown solo brilliant white which was painted roughly the same time as the b&q paint (by another person)

[IMG][/img]

and another beside white radiator pain, again painted at same time.

[IMG][/img]

The cream actually looks quite nice in contrast to the white.