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My letter to B&Q
golddustmedia
Posts: 836 Forumite
Thought you might like to read what I've sent to B&Q this afternoon!
I thought you might like to hear a customers view of the hopeless arrangements for purchasing paint in one of your stores (Bridgwater).
I was impressed to find the store contained no paint colour brochures for me to select the paint name I wanted, well except the ones for the obscure heritage and funky paint ranges but not exactly suitable for my kitchen.
This left me somewhat struggling to match the colour idea in mind to an actual tin on the shelf, but never mind as you've painted some sample boards in roughly the right colours and they're only 10ft off the ground! So having craned my neck to find a colour name I pick up a tin to find it bears little resemblance to the sample mounted 5ft above me.
Having failed to find what I wanted I relented that I would pay the extra cost to have a Dulux colour mixed for me as they were the only sample cards available at person height.
Now how much are those dulux paints when mixed? Well there's no price by the Dulux paint charts, but theres the prices.... behind the unstaffed paint mixing counter.... Which is stacked high with obstacles... but if I tip-toe I read some of the prices.
By now I'd spent about 15 minutes trying to choose paint, which must be unusual as the security guard was now following me around the paint section, trying to look inconspicuous by reading the tins and looking out the corner of his eye. I can only assume most customers have given up by now and this made me a clear likely criminal or something, perhaps ironically of all the people in the store I suspect I was the least likely to steal anything, including the staff.
Anyway, having decided I would get some Dulux paint mixed I just needed a member of staff to do it.... Well there's no call button on the paint counter, so I went to customer services where a large queue of other disgruntled customers waited. Eventually I was told a call would go out and the tannoy requested someone go to the paint counter and the next person was ready to be duly brushed off.
So I returned to the paint counter and waited. Meanwhile several other staff members could be seen walking around apparently doing something and after a few minutes a chap arrived.
I gave him the colour card explained the quantity, finish and colour I wanted only to be met with a look of utter confusion. So I showed him a 5L tin of what I was after explaining I needed a 2.5L one. Well after his own confusion of how Endurance paint might differ from conventional paint he concluded you dont sell endurance paint in 2.5L tins. Strange as there are so many premixed ones on the shelf.
By now I'd wasted quite some time in the store and was yet to manage to get some paint.
Whilst leaving I thought to myself what a totally useless experience it had been, until that is I passed a Dulux paint centre on the way home. On a whim I stopped and go the type of paint I wanted in the right size. Ok, it cost £1 more than you charge but the whole job was sorted in a couple of minutes.
So there you have it, buying paint in your Bridgwater store is such a hopeless waste of time I (being well known to friends and family as a complete miser with money) would rather pay more to go somewhere else.
Good luck with the future sales you'll most likely lose.
Incidentally, I'm planning to tile the kitchen floor next month... luckily there was a tile place next door to the dulux paint place too so I'll save the trip to B&Q then too!
As a final anecdote, your website is so slow I've been able to write this whole letter in the time it's taken to load the customer contact details. As a web developer I also find the website obstructive, difficult to use and generally pretty poor. May as well make all my complaints in one go, I can't spare the time to make 2 separate complaints through the site!
No need to reply, I've bought what I needed elsewhere but if you don't hear these views it will never change.
I thought you might like to hear a customers view of the hopeless arrangements for purchasing paint in one of your stores (Bridgwater).
I was impressed to find the store contained no paint colour brochures for me to select the paint name I wanted, well except the ones for the obscure heritage and funky paint ranges but not exactly suitable for my kitchen.
This left me somewhat struggling to match the colour idea in mind to an actual tin on the shelf, but never mind as you've painted some sample boards in roughly the right colours and they're only 10ft off the ground! So having craned my neck to find a colour name I pick up a tin to find it bears little resemblance to the sample mounted 5ft above me.
Having failed to find what I wanted I relented that I would pay the extra cost to have a Dulux colour mixed for me as they were the only sample cards available at person height.
Now how much are those dulux paints when mixed? Well there's no price by the Dulux paint charts, but theres the prices.... behind the unstaffed paint mixing counter.... Which is stacked high with obstacles... but if I tip-toe I read some of the prices.
By now I'd spent about 15 minutes trying to choose paint, which must be unusual as the security guard was now following me around the paint section, trying to look inconspicuous by reading the tins and looking out the corner of his eye. I can only assume most customers have given up by now and this made me a clear likely criminal or something, perhaps ironically of all the people in the store I suspect I was the least likely to steal anything, including the staff.
Anyway, having decided I would get some Dulux paint mixed I just needed a member of staff to do it.... Well there's no call button on the paint counter, so I went to customer services where a large queue of other disgruntled customers waited. Eventually I was told a call would go out and the tannoy requested someone go to the paint counter and the next person was ready to be duly brushed off.
So I returned to the paint counter and waited. Meanwhile several other staff members could be seen walking around apparently doing something and after a few minutes a chap arrived.
I gave him the colour card explained the quantity, finish and colour I wanted only to be met with a look of utter confusion. So I showed him a 5L tin of what I was after explaining I needed a 2.5L one. Well after his own confusion of how Endurance paint might differ from conventional paint he concluded you dont sell endurance paint in 2.5L tins. Strange as there are so many premixed ones on the shelf.
By now I'd wasted quite some time in the store and was yet to manage to get some paint.
Whilst leaving I thought to myself what a totally useless experience it had been, until that is I passed a Dulux paint centre on the way home. On a whim I stopped and go the type of paint I wanted in the right size. Ok, it cost £1 more than you charge but the whole job was sorted in a couple of minutes.
So there you have it, buying paint in your Bridgwater store is such a hopeless waste of time I (being well known to friends and family as a complete miser with money) would rather pay more to go somewhere else.
Good luck with the future sales you'll most likely lose.
Incidentally, I'm planning to tile the kitchen floor next month... luckily there was a tile place next door to the dulux paint place too so I'll save the trip to B&Q then too!
As a final anecdote, your website is so slow I've been able to write this whole letter in the time it's taken to load the customer contact details. As a web developer I also find the website obstructive, difficult to use and generally pretty poor. May as well make all my complaints in one go, I can't spare the time to make 2 separate complaints through the site!
No need to reply, I've bought what I needed elsewhere but if you don't hear these views it will never change.
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Comments
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mmmm i had a very similar experience in B&Q Warrington last week. I wanted a cushion colour copied (ok I know thats sad:cool: ) To cut a very long story short i waited 45 mins for someone to get to the paint area, she then copied it 10 times and got 9 different results so just went with the one she had a copy on and then they could only sell me 5 litres as they had no 2.5L base (a likely story - as it was only for one wall far too much) Taking my pot of white gloss I needed for somewhere else I then waited 15 mins at the checkout - ok I should have walked but you know when you just need it now and its too much hassle to go elsewhere? having said that I will now be giving B&Q superstore Warrington a very wide berth.0
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Please tell me you didn't really send that?Gone ... or have I?0
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Everything you say rings a very strong bell with me... yet... I find sarcasm is wasted on customer service.My TV is broken!
Edit: refunded £515 for TV 1.5 years out of warranty - thank you Sale of Goods Act! :j0 -
What would you expect from B&Q staff on minimum wage. They only go trough the motions B&Q provide no incentive for staff to do well or provide real help.Lets not use quidco0
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What would you expect from B&Q staff on minimum wage. They only go trough the motions B&Q provide no incentive for staff to do well or provide real help.
Why should you need an "incentive" to be helpful? That's their job - "shop assistant" - there to assist - regardless of how much they are paid
.
Too many people nowadays think all they have to do to earn their wage is turn up for work. I'd much rather spend my day being helpful and pleasant to people than go around with a miserable face and trying to keep my head down. Oh, well, perhaps I'm just old fashioned.
Anyway, I'm sure this is not something that affects all B&Q staff. In my experience, they are, on the whole, very helpful.0 -
I really liked your letter! made me smile, because it's so true and it happens all the time. I'm glad you sent it, but I doubt anything will really come of it, they will try to fob you off with some vouchers most likley.. but at least you have said your piece!
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Is there nothing people wont moan about?I came into this world with nothing and I'm gonna leave with nothing.0
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golddustmedia
I appreciate how frustrated you may have been with B&Q but as a way of making your point, I think your letter scores 'null points'.
I totally agree with frivolous_fay that sarcasm is a total waste of time and is the surest way to ensure your letter hits the WPB after a quick scan of the contents.
I'm not sure what your expectations were in actually sending this letter.
You even tell them that there's no need to reply.
A well-worded letter explaining the salient points of your complaint would have had much more impact and may even have resulted in some action.
Polly0 -
golddustmedia. I award you "top marks" for your communication. All to often we receive service well below an acceptable level.0
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Your not very good at writing complaint letters.
Sarcasm as mentioned already doesn't work. You've written too many assumptions it it, use fact only. It seems to drag on, I'm sure you could get it down to one paragraph. The store may have just been short staffed that day, despite what people think telling someone a store is short staffed is never helpful, I can gaurentee they either already know or that is the staffing budget and thats it.0
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