Curry's poor service and attitude

jclc

Getting_There_Slowly wrote: »

Having worked for Dixons in the past id like to offer a little clarity here.

Some items have an "exchange under warranty" policy and that varies very little from one retailer to another. For example the ipod exchanged immediately by the wonderful Amazon quoted above would likely have been exchanged by Currys too. Whether or not you get an exchange or repair outside the first few weeks is driven by the cost of repair vs replacement for that particular product, and the deal struck between the supplier and retailer for supply of that product. It's complicated!

One frustration I have (I still work in retail) is that because of this, the more expensive the item, the less likely an exchange is. I now work in a DIY shop, and if you come in with a £25 drill faulty at eleven months old, it will be exchanged. Come in with a £150 drill and it will be sent off for repair for a couple of weeks, and sometimes what comes back isn't a repaired drill, but a quote for repair because they have diagnosed "fair wear and tear".

Both these situations are legal and arguably fair, but customers always expect an exchange and anything less tends to lead to disappointment. Of course as retailers, we hate that the customers who have spent the most money are receiving poorer service, but there is very little we can do about it, it's how the world works. Consumers should go in expecting a repair, and treat an exchange as a bonus, but exchange of product is viewed by many as an entitlement.

I also don't subscribe to the "in my day we always got an exchange" school of thought because it hasn't been true in the 28 years I've been in retail, and I don't believe it was before that either. In fact I believe the reverse to be true because items have become relatively cheaper over the years, making replacement a more cost effective alternative to repair in many more cases, and therefore more likely now than ever.

I totally agree on the point that shop workers are often poor at showing empathy, and Currys need to do a lot more training on this, and they have never been successful on this point. Many retailers are the same. Call centre workers are often better, I believe that's because companies like Amazon spend what they save on retail rent on staff training as well as lower prices. Spend your money and take your choice!

OMG, at long last. A meaningful response that is constructive, intelligent and well thought out, unlike most of the rest of them I've received .

There's maybe a couple of minor points I don't quite agree with you in your response, but that doesn't matter to me - the important thing is that it is so refreshing to hear views from someone who clearly knows what their talking about and has fully understood what I was saying in my original post.


Your response clearly shows a full understanding of the whole issue of repairs/returns and gives views from "both sides of the fence".


Thanks

Glum

I think what the punter really needs to know is that the poorly paid, although often quite knowledgeable DSG staff, are under incredible pressure to sell extended warranty cover with almost everything they shift. Their performance is monitored to such an extent that when they don't complete a sale with cover, they are effectively bullied and made to feel that they have let the team and the store down. When you hear the inside stories it makes your blood boil and you vow never to buy from them ever again. Some senior staff have more discretion and common sense and know how to make it up to you, but this doesn't seem to be widespread.

I believe that it is common courtesy for staff to offer some kind of apology when you have been disappointed with a purchase, even if it's partly your own fault for buying a piece of junk. Sadly, there seems to be a growing culture of not giving a stuff and some of us just seem to go along with it.

With regard to warranty repairs and consumer rights, I think the consumer needs to take the view that it is often cheaper and easier to have an expensive item fail under a reasonably priced extended warranty than it is to argue and prove that the fault was there when it was manufactured. If you push your case, you are likely to need a formal engineer's report and that could probably cost more than the item is worth. So it's a fine line between taking a risk on the timing issue, and weighing up if you can afford to chuck the thing away after thirteen months. If DSG staff explained this basic paradox to customers, I actually think they would sell more cover.

However, the worst failing of some stores (not just DSG) is when you take an obviously faulty item back to the store after a few hours (smoke still spewing forth) and they deny you the right to expect a full refund. They will bamboozle you with jargon, imply that your IQ is less than that of a grape, and insist that company policy has always been to "send it away so the manufacturer can confirm it is faulty". Common sense tells you this is utter nonsense but they obviously have to give it their best shot, probably because it is actually unofficial company policy. If customers (not the OP) checked their rights under the law, stood their ground and asked to speak to the manager, they might get chance to explain politely that they are going to complain to head office and Trading Standards. They should leave their contact details and then leave the store (more smoke spewing forth).

In my case, I only got as far as the door...

philatio

jclc wrote: »

I think I’ve fallen into the trap of over-reacting to all of the self opinionated impolite drivel that’s been coming in my direction

It's a common problem when the chip on your shoulder is weighing one side of your spine down. Makes you grumpy.

vuvuzela

Personally I think the OP has been treated fairly harshly on here. I see nothing wrong with their complaint and they've taken the insults here and rolled with them.
To the OP - good luck getting it fixed.

Spank

Glum wrote: »

I think what the punter really needs to know is that the poorly paid, although often quite knowledgeable DSG staff.
Knowledgeable, really? It’s a while (over 15 years, nearly came to blows with a salesman after I called him out on a lie) since I’ve set foot on Currys, but judging by what I read, hear & saw on Watchdog, they are dishonest & devious & just try to upsell the most expensive items.

I believe that it is common courtesy for staff to offer some kind of apology when you have been disappointed with a purchase, even if it's partly your own fault for buying a piece of junk. Sadly, there seems to be a growing culture of not giving a stuff and some of us just seem to go along with it.

With regard to warranty repairs and consumer rights, I think the consumer needs to take the view that it is often cheaper and easier to have an expensive item fail under a reasonably priced extended warranty than it is to argue and prove that the fault was there when it was manufactured. If you push your case, you are likely to need a formal engineer's report and that could probably cost more than the item is worth. So it's a fine line between taking a risk on the timing issue, and weighing up if you can afford to chuck the thing away after thirteen months. If DSG staff explained this basic paradox to customers, I actually think they would sell more cover.
Since when have they sold a reasonably priced extended warranty? They sell expensive warranties that most of the time aren’t worth the paper they are printed on. Richer Sounds sell 5 year warranties for 10%

Yes the OP got shoddy service from the staff, but life's too short to hold a grudge against shop staff.

SeduLOUs

Yep my fella worked in Currys for a short period of time. They got his tax code wrong by failing to send his P46 to Head Office, underpaid him by more than £200 on three occassions and insisted they were correct until he contacted Head Office to straighten it out. He was told he would never be considered for a management position if he kept 'causing trouble' by 'complaining' about his pay.

The targets are awful. In one afternoon he sold several TVs and then got called into a guidance meeting with his manager because he only managed to sell extended warranty on two of them and didn't manage to make any of the customers buy TV stands and cables aswell.

Despite being on minimum wage, if you start you shift later in the day, staff are required to turn up to work 45 minutes before their shift starts (unpaid!) to watch the management briefing (a.k.a. waffle) from the start of the day before they head onto the shop floor.

They also like to give everyone 8 hour contracts despite always working 40 hour weeks. This allows them to rip the staff off and only give them holidays based on the 8 hours, so if you take a week's holiday, you basically lose 4 days of the usual pay you get. On top of that they work their week from Sunday to Saturday, so if you want to guarantee a weekend off for something, you have to book two weeks holiday to do it. Most staff working there just didn't take holidays and lost their entitlement because they couldn't afford to.

It's not surprising at all that the staff weren't jumping over themselves to help you. The staff morale is probably horrendous and a customer bringing in an old item for replacement is just eating into the time they have to sell enough stuff to avoid a bollocking.

Call centre staff are more understanding because they are targeted on satisfaction surveys, so it is in their interest to help you. But in a retail store that drives their staff with minimum wages and hard sales targets, basic customer service will always inevitably take a back seat.

jclc

vuvuzela wrote: »

Personally I think the OP has been treated fairly harshly on here. I see nothing wrong with their complaint and they've taken the insults here and rolled with them.
To the OP - good luck getting it fixed.

Many thanks for your comments - appreciated.


Yes, these insults keep rolling in like the last one sent in just before your post !! No doubt there will be more to come.


I thought this forum was a place where meaningful discussions took place from people who were able to communicate intelligently and give constructive sensible comments.


To-date I've received just a couple of these. As for the rest......

jclc

SeduLOUs wrote: »

Yep my fella worked in Currys for a short period of time. They got his tax code wrong by failing to send his P46 to Head Office, underpaid him by more than £200 on three occassions and insisted they were correct until he contacted Head Office to straighten it out. He was told he would never be considered for a management position if he kept 'causing trouble' by 'complaining' about his pay.

The targets are awful. In one afternoon he sold several TVs and then got called into a guidance meeting with his manager because he only managed to sell extended warranty on two of them and didn't manage to make any of the customers buy TV stands and cables aswell.

Despite being on minimum wage, if you start you shift later in the day, staff are required to turn up to work 45 minutes before their shift starts (unpaid!) to watch the management briefing (a.k.a. waffle) from the start of the day before they head onto the shop floor.

They also like to give everyone 8 hour contracts despite always working 40 hour weeks. This allows them to rip the staff off and only give them holidays based on the 8 hours, so if you take a week's holiday, you basically lose 4 days of the usual pay you get. On top of that they work their week from Sunday to Saturday, so if you want to guarantee a weekend off for something, you have to book two weeks holiday to do it. Most staff working there just didn't take holidays and lost their entitlement because they couldn't afford to.

It's not surprising at all that the staff weren't jumping over themselves to help you. The staff morale is probably horrendous and a customer bringing in an old item for replacement is just eating into the time they have to sell enough stuff to avoid a bollocking.

Call centre staff are more understanding because they are targeted on satisfaction surveys, so it is in their interest to help you. But in a retail store that drives their staff with minimum wages and hard sales targets, basic customer service will always inevitably take a back seat.

Thanks for that in-sight into Currys working practices. It doesn't come as any great surprise. What really annoys me is that if you complain to the managers at their head office, then they will no doubt give the branch staff a rollocking. The branch staff probably deserve a bit of a telling off for their attitude towards customers, BUT - it's the top management at their head office that are the cause of all the crap service due to the way they treat their staff - so they are as much to blame as anyone else if not more.
Regarding the sales incentives to sell warranties / cables etc.. What I can't understand is why the management of places like Currys expect their staff to persuade customers to buy these items. When a warrantee on a TV can cost 50% of the original purchase price and good quality HDMI cables can be bought for less than £2 on-line - and Currys are charging 3 times that price. As for what they charge for ink cartridges - they are having a laugh !!

jclc

philatio wrote: »

It's a common problem when the chip on your shoulder is weighing one side of your spine down. Makes you grumpy.

Chip on shoulder / Grumpy -it's these sort of crass comments that make me not grumpy , just understandably annoyed.

As I mentioned on a recent response I was under the obviously misguided impression that this forum was a place for intelligent meaningful discussions where you could exchange views, constructive ideas etc.. I welcome responses, (even if I don't agree with what they say), from people that obviously know what they are talking about, give a balanced view, and have had relevant experience of the retail industry as either an employee or consumer.
It's becoming apparent that this is a channel of communication for people that "like the sound of their own voice" and have nothing better to do but to be deliberately obtuse. It's obvious from many of the responses that they haven't read the original post thoroughly and digested and understood the points raised.


My only "crime" is that I may have responded to some of these obtuse comments in an slightly abrupt manner which is understandable in the circumstances. However, I must learn not to drag myself down to their level and resist this temptation in the future - it only encourages them.


My advice to anyone reading this who has experienced the same sort of thing - Ignore the crass, silly, unhelpful responses. Rise above them and remember to click the "thank" button for the intelligent constructive ones that you may get - regardless of whether you agree with them or not.

[Deleted User]

mattyprice4004 wrote: »

It's the same policy across many stores

Not at Asda it isn't.

Faulty electrical items are replaced, without question, within the first 12 months.