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Avoid currys/pc world!!!
shamrock1964
Posts: 1 Newbie
How about this for a story of abysmal and disgraceful bully boy and, in my opinion, fraudulent sales tactics.
I called into Currys store in Chippenham yesterday (Tues 20th March 2013) to purchase a washing machine. I spoke with one of the staff who was just finishing their shift but before passing me on to another member of staff, who shall remain nameless here but who had a very distinctive and unique name, he did strongly recommend the LG machines primarily owing to long guarantee. After looking through the options with the other staff member, I decided on an Indesit model on the basis that the installation (normally £20) would be free of charge. The staff member and, in her words, the “manager” went about setting up an account which took some time (I wasn’t able to leave the store until nearly an hour after arriving) and included inputting my credit card details. However, during this process they advised that they couldn’t give the free of charge installation and could only offer a £20 Currys gift card which I didn’t want. Therefore and as far I was aware the order was cancelled and I wasn’t given any documentation or anything to sign. We spoke about the other alternatives available, including the LG model with the 10yr motor warranty, and I said to the staff member and the "manager" that I’d have to discuss what to do with my partner and call in again the following day (i.e. today 20th March 2013) and the staff member said that the free installation would still apply.
I called into the store today at circa 1500 and spoke to another member of staff and explained what had happened the previous day and that we’d agreed a free installation deal on any machine. The store member was very dismissive of this and stated that nobody would offer such a deal and basically he couldn’t give a damn if I went elsewhere. When I said if there hadn’t been any such deal how would I know the unusual and unique name of a staff member and he replied arrogantly that the name is on the badge! He said I could raise the matter with the store manager and I asked to see him purely on a matter of principle since I felt what with the prolonged process the night before and the current sales persons somewhat brusque and dismissive attitude that this came across as heavy handed and bullying sales tactics which could effectively harass an older person into simply accepting what they were given. The store manager (I won't name him here but his badge clearly said store manager) was equally dismissive and somewhat aggressive (I felt he was trying to stir me up and he accused me of being “rude” when I was simply being assertive), denied any knowledge of any agreed deal, said that the person I was told was a manager wasn’t part of the management team and wouldn’t agree to such a deal and showed no interest in investigating it and threatened to throw me out of the store stating they hadn’t broken any laws (it came across basically as I don’t give a damn, sue me) :shocked:.
After leaving the store I purchased a washing machine from an independent local stockist within a period of about 15 minutes including payment and returned home immediately after to find that Indesit (the original machine I had looked to purchase from Currys) had phoned my partner to arrange a delivery date for the machine which my partner, who was at that point unaware of the disgraceful behaviour I’d received from Currys resulting in my taking my custom elsewhere, had arranged for Monday 25th March! I immediately phoned my credit card company who confirmed that Currys had charged £268 to my card. This started alarm bells seriously ringing and everything was pointing towards potential fraudulent sales tactics in addition to the bully boy sales tactics I feel I had been on the receiving end of. I then phoned the Currys store manager at the Chippenham store who when I explained the situation initially denied he was the person I’d been speaking to but when I said that he was surely mistaken he said, and I quote, “Oh, you’re the rude customer”. When I explained my concerns regarding the £268 charge he simply denied all knowledge and when I said I'd be calling in to discuss the matter he said he’d call the Police and have me physically removed if I came into the store again and put the phone down on me :mad:.
On advice from the Police I called Currys Customer Services who confirmed that the original order hadn’t been cancelled advised me the order number (which I was totally unaware of) and that she would arrange to cancel the order together with the delivery and refund the £268 within 3-5 working days.
I wasted approximately 4 hours of my time, was treated like a liar and a piece of dirt on the Currys store manager’s shoes when everything I have said was 100% accurate and could have been readily proven by the Currys store manager with a little bit of interest and effort. It is in my opinion criminal that the Currys store manager was totally disinterested in sorting something out which could have cost a customer £269, a not inconsiderable amount of money, as the result of something which was ultimately his responsibility and fault. Suffice to say I shall do as he requested and never again go into or purchase from his store, any Currys/PC World store or online from Currys/PC World ever again.
I've e-mailed Currys' Group Managing Director, [EMAIL="sebastian.james@currys.co.uk"]sebastian.james@currys.co.uk[/EMAIL], and their UK & Ireland Chief Executive, [EMAIL="katie.bickerstaffe@currys.co.uk"]katie.bickerstaffe@currys.co.uk[/EMAIL], to formally complain (please feel free to e-mail them if you have any such issues) and wait to see whether they have the same attitude as their store managers.
It's not surprising that Comet, who had a reputation for such sales tactics and total lack of customer service, went bankrupt without any form of public sorrow at their demise when you can get better service from the likes of Currys/PC World online!
I called into Currys store in Chippenham yesterday (Tues 20th March 2013) to purchase a washing machine. I spoke with one of the staff who was just finishing their shift but before passing me on to another member of staff, who shall remain nameless here but who had a very distinctive and unique name, he did strongly recommend the LG machines primarily owing to long guarantee. After looking through the options with the other staff member, I decided on an Indesit model on the basis that the installation (normally £20) would be free of charge. The staff member and, in her words, the “manager” went about setting up an account which took some time (I wasn’t able to leave the store until nearly an hour after arriving) and included inputting my credit card details. However, during this process they advised that they couldn’t give the free of charge installation and could only offer a £20 Currys gift card which I didn’t want. Therefore and as far I was aware the order was cancelled and I wasn’t given any documentation or anything to sign. We spoke about the other alternatives available, including the LG model with the 10yr motor warranty, and I said to the staff member and the "manager" that I’d have to discuss what to do with my partner and call in again the following day (i.e. today 20th March 2013) and the staff member said that the free installation would still apply.
I called into the store today at circa 1500 and spoke to another member of staff and explained what had happened the previous day and that we’d agreed a free installation deal on any machine. The store member was very dismissive of this and stated that nobody would offer such a deal and basically he couldn’t give a damn if I went elsewhere. When I said if there hadn’t been any such deal how would I know the unusual and unique name of a staff member and he replied arrogantly that the name is on the badge! He said I could raise the matter with the store manager and I asked to see him purely on a matter of principle since I felt what with the prolonged process the night before and the current sales persons somewhat brusque and dismissive attitude that this came across as heavy handed and bullying sales tactics which could effectively harass an older person into simply accepting what they were given. The store manager (I won't name him here but his badge clearly said store manager) was equally dismissive and somewhat aggressive (I felt he was trying to stir me up and he accused me of being “rude” when I was simply being assertive), denied any knowledge of any agreed deal, said that the person I was told was a manager wasn’t part of the management team and wouldn’t agree to such a deal and showed no interest in investigating it and threatened to throw me out of the store stating they hadn’t broken any laws (it came across basically as I don’t give a damn, sue me) :shocked:.
After leaving the store I purchased a washing machine from an independent local stockist within a period of about 15 minutes including payment and returned home immediately after to find that Indesit (the original machine I had looked to purchase from Currys) had phoned my partner to arrange a delivery date for the machine which my partner, who was at that point unaware of the disgraceful behaviour I’d received from Currys resulting in my taking my custom elsewhere, had arranged for Monday 25th March! I immediately phoned my credit card company who confirmed that Currys had charged £268 to my card. This started alarm bells seriously ringing and everything was pointing towards potential fraudulent sales tactics in addition to the bully boy sales tactics I feel I had been on the receiving end of. I then phoned the Currys store manager at the Chippenham store who when I explained the situation initially denied he was the person I’d been speaking to but when I said that he was surely mistaken he said, and I quote, “Oh, you’re the rude customer”. When I explained my concerns regarding the £268 charge he simply denied all knowledge and when I said I'd be calling in to discuss the matter he said he’d call the Police and have me physically removed if I came into the store again and put the phone down on me :mad:.
On advice from the Police I called Currys Customer Services who confirmed that the original order hadn’t been cancelled advised me the order number (which I was totally unaware of) and that she would arrange to cancel the order together with the delivery and refund the £268 within 3-5 working days.
I wasted approximately 4 hours of my time, was treated like a liar and a piece of dirt on the Currys store manager’s shoes when everything I have said was 100% accurate and could have been readily proven by the Currys store manager with a little bit of interest and effort. It is in my opinion criminal that the Currys store manager was totally disinterested in sorting something out which could have cost a customer £269, a not inconsiderable amount of money, as the result of something which was ultimately his responsibility and fault. Suffice to say I shall do as he requested and never again go into or purchase from his store, any Currys/PC World store or online from Currys/PC World ever again.
I've e-mailed Currys' Group Managing Director, [EMAIL="sebastian.james@currys.co.uk"]sebastian.james@currys.co.uk[/EMAIL], and their UK & Ireland Chief Executive, [EMAIL="katie.bickerstaffe@currys.co.uk"]katie.bickerstaffe@currys.co.uk[/EMAIL], to formally complain (please feel free to e-mail them if you have any such issues) and wait to see whether they have the same attitude as their store managers.
It's not surprising that Comet, who had a reputation for such sales tactics and total lack of customer service, went bankrupt without any form of public sorrow at their demise when you can get better service from the likes of Currys/PC World online!
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Comments
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You didn't want £20 instead of them putting the plug into the electric socket and pushing a hose down a tube? That's all the installation is! They were doing you a favour offering you a gift card. You should have bitten their hands off.June challenge £100 a day £3161.63 plus £350 vouchers plus £108.37 food/shopping saving
July challenge £50 a day. £ 1682.50/1550
October challenge £100 a day. £385/£31000 -
What sort of "account" did you set up with them?
How could they charge your credit card without you putting in your pin to a chip and pin machine?
If you genuinely didn't enter your pin as an agreement to pay you need to infom your bank of a fraudulent transaction. If Currys have somehow taken your details without permission then it needs to be investigated.0 -
shamrock1964 wrote: »I called into the store today at circa 1500
yes... of course you did... 500+ years ago:p
unless you popped in at 15:00 hours...
This isn't a complaint or a request for help, this should be on the Praise/vent board.
Pointless post; helping no-one...bullsh1t
You have, apparently dealt with this.
As I said, pointless.
Because you're apparently slagging off Currys - then suddenly praising them...shamrock1964 wrote: »It's not surprising that Comet, who had a reputation for such sales tactics and total lack of customer service, went bankrupt without any form of public sorrow at their demise when you can get better service from the likes of Currys/PC World online!
What ARE you on? What good service did you get from the online store?Don't put it DOWN; put it AWAY"I would like more sisters, that the taking out of one, might not leave such stillness" Emily Dickinson
Janice 1964-2016
Thank you Honey Bear0 -
OP, is there a consumer rights question in there somewhere?
In my opinion this thread belongs on the Praise, vent and warnings board.0 -
so what store was it?0
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I'm guessing they placed an order through the website on behalf of the customer.What sort of "account" did you set up with them?
How could they charge your credit card without you putting in your pin to a chip and pin machine?
If you genuinely didn't enter your pin as an agreement to pay you need to infom your bank of a fraudulent transaction. If Currys have somehow taken your details without permission then it needs to be investigated.Nothing I say represents any past, present or future employer.0 -
OP I also don't know why you took so long in store so it does sound as if there was a bit of miscommunication.
Having said that, it is for experiences like this that I just buy these items online.0 -
I'm guessing they placed an order through the website on behalf of the customer.
Ok I forgot that they could do that now, so my point about chip and pin is void but doesn't the website use verified by visa or MasterCard secure instead? So my point still stands that OP has given these details and agreed to the payment.
It would also explain the lack of paperwork as when I bought something through pc world this way a few months ago the receipt was emailed to me. The way it was explained to me is that there was no stock in the store or any in the area, they could order it in for me but would take a week and I'd have to go back to get it. This way I could get free home delivery in 3 days.0 -
pleasedelete wrote: »You didn't want £20 instead of them putting the plug into the electric socket and pushing a hose down a tube? That's all the installation is! They were doing you a favour offering you a gift card. You should have bitten their hands off.
Your washing machine doesn't need the water inlet hose connecting? Wow!0 -
Any competent (even incompetent) person can install a washing machine (if there has been one there previously). I mean - even I can do it.
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