NEXT Sale - I'm SO ruddy annoyed!!

fraggle7581

Hi peeps

Really sorry but I need to have a rant and also ask a question or two.

On Saturday morning at 9.50am I dragged my lazy backside out of bed to plonk myself in front of the computer to do a bit of sale shopping on the Next website. The night before I had made my list of what I wanted from their 'sale preview pages'. Not being a Next Directory Customer (nor wanting to be), I researched on MSE if non-Directory customers could purchase online with a debit / credit card. The extremely prompt and helpful MSE-er 'spa3k' confirmed that this was possible. :T

Anyhoo, back to Saturday morning. After patiently 'waiting in the queue' due to the entire UK population and their dog shopping for some Next bargains, I'm directed to the sale page and I decide to use the 'Quick Shop' method. So far so good. Then I go to checkout. Not so good. I can see no other way of getting to the Payment stage without registering, and by registering, I'm assuming Next are going to run some unnecessary credit check on me as I'm willing to pay with my credit card. So I stupidly agree to their registration process, get declined for a credit account (didn't want one anyway, but am SO annoyed that it was a wasted credit check and a search against my credit file!!) but was offered a 'Cash Account'. So, a shrug of the shoulders later (and a large slurp of coffee, it's still early for me by Saturday's standards), I soldier on and put in my credit card details, etc etc, and press Confirm. And what happens next?! "An error has occurred, please call Customer Services". :mad:

A quick glimpse on 'SayNoTo0870' later, I retrieve a freephone number for Next as I REFUSE to pay 7p a minute for listening to cheesy music. A very helpful lady finally answers and informs me:

"Due to the Next Sale, Next Directory Customers ONLY (i.e. with a credit account) are permitted to purchase on Saturday. Cash Account customers are invited to shop online on Sunday. For further information, please call back tomorrow morning at 8am. Thank you for your call"

GRRRR!! :mad: What if the items I want are sold out by then?! So I play the waiting game.

The only miracle that occurred today was that somehow, I did actually drag my even lazier backside out of bed at 8am, to go through the same rigmarole. Couldn't find the items online so they've obviously sold out, so I rang Next again to see if I could order over the phone and maybe they had a further stock of sale items? I was clutching at straws by this point!

I am told by another helpful Next representative that due to my online error yesterday, no Cash Account was set up for me and that I'd have to register again. And even though I wanted a cash account ONLY, I was told I'd still need to have a credit check?!?! What the flip?! I politely declined and hung up.

So I'm tired and annoyed and have no gorgeous Next accessories to adorn my home I want to throw a childish temper tantrum but I don't have the energy (even though I consumed croissants and Nutella to keep my early morning strength up).

So, lovely MSE peeps. Please tell me. The sale items: once they are sold out, does it mean they are sold out at the sale price and some original priced stock will still be available, or have I lost my chance to by the perfect bathroom cabinet completely? I've searched t'internet for other bathroom cabinets but they just don't fit the bill. It seems I can't access the normal Next website, I'm just redirected to the sale pages.

Any help gratefully received. And thank you for listening to my rant!

savagevixen

It is lovely that by the time ordinary common lowlife are allowed to shop at Next Sales there is absolutely nothing left that anybody wants. Unless you have a premature/newborn baby or you happen to like disgusting furniture.

fraggle7581

SO TRUE!! It's so unfair (cue childish strop!!)! :mad:

jonnno

:mad:I have to say I am really annoyed with Next this year. I am an account holder and have been for years. I always get invited to view the sale early and to place an order ... not this year for some reason. I haven't been informed of the sale and they haven't sent me the Autumn Winter directory which I should have received by now.

I feel like I have done something to offend them but all I can think of is that although I spend a fortune in their sale, I always pay off my card straight away ... so they aren't earning any interest from me. I have sent them a lengthy email to let them know how I feel.

lizziedrippin

jonnno wrote: »

:mad:I have to say I am really annoyed with Next this year. I am an account holder and have been for years. I always get invited to view the sale early and to place an order ... not this year for some reason. I haven't been informed of the sale and they haven't sent me the Autumn Winter directory which I should have received by now.

I feel like I have done something to offend them but all I can think of is that although I spend a fortune in their sale, I always pay off my card straight away ... so they aren't earning any interest from me. I have sent them a lengthy email to let them know how I feel.

Dont worry jonnno - you didn't miss much. Like savagevixen said earlier - there was nothing left anyway (unless you are size 6 or 22 it seems). I did get a VIP slot - Friday morning 9am for all the good it did me...... out of a list of about 50 items (adults, kids and home) only about 3 were available - a complete waste of time. I haven't emailed yet but might do just to get it off my chest! :mad:

AmyGroovy3

well, the sale goes on for another week so it would be a good idea to go into your local store with a pic of the item and the POS number (items code) and aks them if they have it.

if not they can do a search of all the other stores within the area to see if they have it and then they can reserve it for you to go and collect!

ps. i work at next lol

Keeping_Positive

Ive not braved online next shopping but religously go at 6 each xmas and some summers ( at 6 you miss alot of the really mad people who have queued to get in a 5 lol!). Hate the busyness and finding you have to be stupidly thin or above average to find anything nice. Usually do ok though and due to the floods the store was relativley quiet .

Sorry to hear of your bad luck. I think the next sale has become way too popular and they know it.

savagevixen

I can't beleive so many people support their appalling methods of sales, by going to sales before 8am. It is simply ridiculous. It is also terrible to expect staff who are employed generally between the hours of 8.30am and 6pm to work at this hideous time of day. The staff also have to put up with huge queues and people greedily buying more than they can hold in their arms. Its quite gross. I know people get lots of clothes half price, but the terrible consumerist greed that is produced by their sales is frankly a national embarrassment.
I passed our local store at @4pm on Sat and went in. It was so busy, people were glaring at me for daring to push a buggy through the shop to the kids section. Desperate looks in their eyes as my pushchair came between mad, wild eyed crazy woman shoppers and their possible grabbing of a cheap item of clothing. Without behaving like a possessed demon, I managed to find a couple of bits for my girls and myself a T-shirt that looks like a tent...
The poor sales assistant was on the 10-8 shift and the girl next to him had started at 5. They were hot and exhausted.
Surely if the sale started at 9 the clothes would still all sell, and heaven forbid, if they had a sale online that started on 1 day and was open to everyone, the items would still all sell, and their wouldn't be loads of pi**ed off people and loads of gloating 'VIP's'.
It is a bizarre way to run a business really.