DFS Delivery and notification query

dwill1503

Just after some points of view on a matter we have with DFS....

We placed an order for a couple of sofa's with DFS and were given a delivery estimate. We received an email just after the order confirming order was being started and then a text message two weeks prior to delivery to say "order is being made, scheduled to arrive on time". We then called the store a couple of days prior to delivery date to double check all was ok (we needed to rehome our current sofas) and were told yes, all well to be delivered on time. So off the old sofas went.

We didn't hear anything else so called on delivery date and told there had been a delay. Waited over the weekend and then nothing. Called again and told maybe next day. Called again and told actually there was a fabric delay so order will be two weeks.

Now, we would have been happy to wait the full time plus the two weeks, if we had known. I raised a complaint and the lady came back to me and said the order was being made but actually they don't check the fabric until the scheduled delivery date as it is the last thing to go on. I said that in that case they shouldn't send text messages saying all is well and due on time when in fact they don't even know they have the fabric. The woman at DFS just couldn't get this and said that as delays are VERY rare they don't send an amended text to those delays. She just kept saying the same things over and over and wouldn't even let me speak so I didn't really get anywhere.

I don't want to make another complaint but I am interested to know firstly other peoples opinions of this - do you think they text message saying "order is being hand made, will be delivered on time" is fair? and secondly, are we really the only ones to be delayed???

bod1467

They sent you a confirmed delivery date notification but didn't deliver? See the Failed Delivery? Fight Back! 'If I waste a day, you'll pay' article.

cono1717

The text doesn't say a date - the delivery process works as follows:

You order the suite, you are given an approximate lead time on the contract (depending on the location e.t.c this is between 4-12 weeks).

You receive texts saying "Your order is due to be delivered on time" thats the time specified on the contract, again not an actual date.

You actually don't get given an official date until they run a report (usually the weekend administrators) that shows when goods have been booked in to arrive into store. They then ring you and say "Hi Mr. Bloggs - just to let you know your furniture is due to be delivered to us on 5th November, we'll check it all over for you one last time and give you a call to arrange delivery 24/48hrs after that date" they will also confirm any outstanding balance e.t.c.

If you haven't had that phone call yet no date has been given to you - other than the estimate which is usually a lot longer than the actual delivery time for things like this, i.e a 4 week lead time usually arrives in 3 but is at 4 weeks in case of delays.

In terms of are you the only one - this is entirely possible. You may have purchased a suite that was new or not from one of their factories (so aren't as heavily advertised) if that is the case you would be one of very few to buy them and a fabric delay from that particular supplier could result in you being the only one having a delay.

Word_1503

Thank you. I do think it is wrong that I'm told something will be delivered & then it isn't & then it is going to be later. I haven't been told anywhere that the scheduled date isn't the 'official date'

cono1717

It does say next to the lead time of how many weeks "Estimated"...

dwill1503

Yes but then we get a text to say your order is going to be delivered on XXX - that is not "estimated". Thats a date.

wealdroam

dwill1503 wrote: »

Yes but then we get a text to say your order is going to be delivered on XXX - that is not "estimated". Thats a date.

Please look at the text message again and quote it accurately here.
Thanks.

cono1717

Something here doesn't quite ring true, DFS, for this reason, don't arrange delivery dates until the furniture has actually arrived - I'm not trying to defend them but the process actually inhibits Administrators from doing so:

Goods are given an estimated date of arrival into the store, this is known as a BI date (Booking In). Estimate because, as you know, things can change. When they get this BI date they ring customers to say "its coming to us", as I explained above.

The order doesn't go into their delivery system until it is physically booked into stock by the warehouse team. The only text you get is to say "Your order will be delivered on xxx between 6-10". That is after they ring you to confirm the day.

You may have gotten a text to say "It's coming to the store on XXX" which you're correct is a date but not the date its coming to you that's usually 24/48hours later.

dwill1503

There is nothing here untrue. I received a text message to say "your order is currently being hand made and is scheduled to arrive on time". Actually they have admitted that when that text message was sent they hadn't even begun to make it! The lady did say that they are generic messages sent to ALL customers, no matter what the status as 99.9% of orders are delivered on time so it is only 0.1% that they have "not updated".

cono1717

your order is currently being hand made and is scheduled to arrive on time

So again, you never actually got a date. You just got an On-Time and that On-Time was Estimated.

You took it as X weeks from date of purchase and when that day came and went you considered it late, DFS haven't told you "Come hell or high water we will deliver it to you on 2nd November 2015" they have told you the following:

At the start of the sale: Look, we're gonna try get it to you in 8 weeks it's not guaranteed though

When you got that text: Hey, good news your furniture should be here in those 8 weeks

Then they have gone "Hey, sorry to tell you this but it looks like we can't make it in the 8 weeks, we tried but it'll be a little later"

At no point in that entire conversation do you see a date. You also keep saying you have the text that provides a date, yet the text you put in your previous post merely indicates it is scheduled to arrive on time. I schedule myself to arrive on time for work every day but if things beyond my control happen I run behind schedule and try to get there as quick as I can.

dwill1503

Actually, they didn't say "sorry to tell you this but it looks like we can't make it in the 8 weeks, we tried but it'll be a little later" they said, "it isn't here today (Friday) but it WILL be in on Monday". I even discussed with them that our sofas were being rehired and asked if we should wait. Then "it isn't here today but it may be on the last delivery today or first one tomorrow". It was only after this that they said "actually we haven't even got the fabric yet"!! As per my OP, they really shouldn't say it is all scheduled on time if they don't even know they have the fabric. They clearly need to check their automated messages and email system because we even had two emails before they were delivered saying "now, your furniture has been delivered" and "we hope you are enjoying your new furniture".