Seeking compensation for Team KnowHow call charges

SimonPhoenix

Hi,
I recently had an appalling experience with Currys. I purchased two washing machines over three months and encountered numerous issues with both products ranging from missed installation and delivery times, poor installation, terrible lack of communication, failure to refund on time, and to top it off technical faults with both machines.

In the end, after many, many calls to the Currys Team KnowHow helpline I was eventually refunded for both machines.
I no longer have either machine. I have got my money back for both. But I now have a telephone large phone bill as a result of the number of calls I was compelled to make to work towards a resolution.

The longest call I have recorded on my bill was 1 hour 17 minutes. I was forced to chase Currys because of their incompetent customer service and faulty products. I was passed around from department to department, told I would get called back (I wasn't). and told incorrect information on a number of occasions.

All these instances required me to call the helpline just to work towards a resolution. Most of my time was spent on hold minimum 25 minute hold time (on a good day). This was something I had to put up with with every new call I made. Looking at my BT online account, I can see the full list of calls. The calls to the Team KnowHow helpline add up to about £100.

I would not have had to make so many calls if there wern't numerous failings by Currys. While I have my money back for the machines, I feel out of pocket as I have lost a significant amount of money via the telephone bill because of the helpline charges.
I've spent that money for nothing in the end.

My question is: can I ask Currys compensate me for the call charges to the Team KnowHow helpline, and if so, how do I get the process started?
If it were a small amount of money, it wouldn't bother me, but it's not. I wouldn't have had to make so many calls - effectively chasing Currys - if their post-purchase customer service was better.
I have the details of the call dates, duration and cost on my online BT account. And I've been told several times by Currys that they records their calls. So it should all match up.

Any advice appreciated
Thanks

agrinnall

Call costs of £100 to an 0344 number suggest you spent in the region of 12 hours on the phone to them. Is that correct?

Boohoo

agrinnall wrote: »

Call costs of £100 to an 0344 number suggest you spent in the region of 12 hours on the phone to them. Is that correct?

If the phone number is 0344 561 1234 then i maybe included in your landline calls package if you have a package and a landline.


If OP called from a mobile then i have no idea of the costs.


Just be gratefull that you got your money back for the 2 faulty machines.


This is 1 reason i don't and will never buy from Currys.

dj1471

Did you purchase the washing machines as a consumer or a business (e.g. to go into rental properties)?

Just checking as that would change your rights significantly. Also how did you pay?

The first step world be to raise a formal complaint with Currys and see what they say. There is also the Retail Ombudsman but I've no idea whether they're any good.

If you paid by credit card you could potentially claim for consequential loss from your card issuer using Section 75.

SimonPhoenix

agrinnall wrote: »

Call costs of £100 to an 0344 number suggest you spent in the region of 12 hours on the phone to them. Is that correct?

It's not usual over a period of almost three months (mid-November 2017 to Jan 2018). I had to endure a minimum 25 minute hold time almost every time I phoned up. Calls typically lasted from 35 minutes to almost an hour. I was being passed around to departments (which had their own hold times) and often told I'd get a call back then not getting the call and having to phone up to go through the whole process again.
It all adds up over time. £5 here, £7 there etc. It was the only way I could get them to resolve my problems.

Boohoo wrote: »

If the phone number is 0344 561 1234 then i maybe included in your landline calls package if you have a package and a landline.
If OP called from a mobile then i have no idea of the costs.
Just be gratefull that you got your money back for the 2 faulty machines.
This is 1 reason i don't and will never buy from Currys.

I called from a standard BT landline, no call packages, extras etc.

dj1471 wrote: »

Did you purchase the washing machines as a consumer or a business (e.g. to go into rental properties)?

Just checking as that would change your rights significantly. Also how did you pay?

The first step world be to raise a formal complaint with Currys and see what they say. There is also the Retail Ombudsman but I've no idea whether they're any good.

If you paid by credit card you could potentially claim for consequential loss from your card issuer using Section 75.

Purchased as a consumer to go into my home.
Paid for the machines online via debit card. I've got the refunds back for both, not without problems mind. They insisted that they had refunded me for the first machine (I got a refund confirmation email), but the money wasn't paid into my bank. They made me go to my bank who told me clearly that Currys hadn't refunded me. I then went back to Currys who changed their tune and told me it hadn't been done and eventually refunded me. This was another instance where I was compelled to make more calls to the helpline and endure the hold process to resolve things.

Regarding the telephone bill. I still haven't receieved my bill yet. It's due this month. I just looked online a few days ago to see what I've spent and found that my call charges are £130, the vast amount of call charges are for Team KnowHow's helpline. I only usually spend about £10 per quarter on calls. So it's a massive difference. I normally pay my phone bill with my debit card online.

Thanks for the advice.

SimonPhoenix

Hi
So I'm preparing to write to Currys Team KnowHow regarding the excessive call charges to the KnowHow helpline (See OP for details).

I was just wondering if anyone knows where the best place to send my email to would be? Would it be worth using the "Resolver" website?
Any basic tips on how I should structure my complaint/request for compensation would be appreciated, too.
Thanks.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Surely that helpline is just for problems with operating things and advice? Were you on it trying to arrange a refund?

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

How come on my mobile package, calls to 01, 02, and 03 are included!

DoaM

Because you have a calls package with your monthly mobile plan? OP used a landline without any calls package. (May have had free weekend calls, but any other calls are chargeable at standard rates).

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

DoaM wrote: »

Because you have a calls package with your monthly mobile plan? OP used a landline without any calls package. (May have had free weekend calls, but any other calls are chargeable at standard rates).

Hence I do not use my landline!
Who does?

SimonPhoenix

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

Surely that helpline is just for problems with operating things and advice? Were you on it trying to arrange a refund?

Curry's direct their customers to the KnowHow line to resolve any post-purchase problems. Reporting faults, arranging repairs, deliveries, installations, refunds etc. It's all via the KnowHow line.

I was trying to do all of the above over a period of almost three months. I had many problems with the washer I purchased and its replacement.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth wrote: »

How come on my mobile package, calls to 01, 02, and 03 are included!

I don't have a contract mobile. I used my standard BT landline with no extra call packages.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth wrote: »

Hence I do not use my landline!
Who does?

Not everyone has a mobile contract. I don't think I should be forced to get one just to call Team KnowHow. I had to make a riduclous amount of calls in order to get things resolved because Curry's were utterly incompetent in handling my problems. That's not my fault.