John Lewis fridge delivery failure twice

Pat26

I placed an order for a Fridge by calling John Lewis Customer Services on 27th Aug. The order included installation service and recycling. As part of a JL deal there was no charge for recycle and delivery. This is to replace an old fridge that already stopped working. The delivery date agreed was 3rd September.

The evening before delivery I was given a two hour delivery slot between 7.56am and 9.56am. On the 3rd at 6.59am John Lewis sent a text message to say the driver is on the road and that they will call to let me know when they are on their way. At 9.21am during the delivery window I got a message saying "Sorry we couldn't complete your delivery…".

I called Customer Service (CS) immediately who provided me with a very vague reason why the delivery failed which sounded like the delivery driver called but no answer from customer. CS offered emergency delivery for Saturday 5th with delivery window 10am - 9pm. Despite my repeated plea to narrow down the delivery window CS said due to the nature of the delivery (emergency) they cannot provide a two hour delivery slot but the driver will 30 minutes before they arrive. I was told I will get an email confirmation of the scheduled delivery. An hour later no sign of an email so I called CS and insisted on an email. CS reluctantly sent an email saying delivery is confirmed on their emergency booking system and includes installation and recycling service. I also submitted an escalation through the JL escalation web form. Despite 24 -48hr response promise I haven't heard a squeak.

On the 5th I waited home between 10am and 9pm and during this time I called John Lewis customer services team twice for updates. They were only able to say that delivery is scheduled but no updates on delivery itself. They said they cannot contact the delivery driver directly but the driver will call 30-minutes before arrival. I waited indoors for the duration of the delivery window. Around 8.35pm I called CS and got an automated message saying that they are closed which is contrary to the opening times stated in some of the johnlewis.com web pages and as per the email confirmation of the delivery. The delivery did not arrive - no calls, no updates and no delivery.

The consequences of these two missed deliveries are:
1. On the 3rd I rearranged my work day to be at home on a Thursday. I cleared the hallway and the kitchen with items moved to my living room and my bedroom and on my bed to provide unobstructed access for the delivery team. I did not even get a call as stated in their message.
2. To accommodate the emergency delivery I cancelled 4 appointments I had booked for the Saturday including a visit to the optician to be at home. I had to repeat the same hallway and kitchen clearance. I live in a tiny one bed apartment and to avoid missed delivery I put notices up notices with instructions for the JL delivery team on both the entrances of the apartment block.
3. Without a working fridge I was shopping daily for food. On the Saturday with a wide 11hour delivery window for the fear of missing delivery I was too anxious to even going to the toilet let alone step out for food.
4. I have been living without a working fridge for almost 7 days and with failed delivery, the total number of days without an essential appliance, especially given the current weather, is a total of 11 days.
5. John Lewis Standard delivery page provides a number to call for help with delivery 7am - 11pm 7 days a week. When I called the number last night (Saturday night) at 8.35pm and then around 9.10pm about the failed delivery I got an automated message saying they are closed.
I have been a John Lewis customer for over 20 years and rely on JL for many things, especially electrical/household appliances. I had a freezer delivered and installed by JL successfully around six years ago. I plan to order a washing machine, hoover and buy a new laptop in the next few months.
I'm lost what to do. I'm relying on them for installation and recycling. Cancelling order means probably going to Curry's for similar service, more delays and with no guarantee how they will handle the delivery.
What are my options?

Aylesbury_Duck

Find a local supplier to do the job and cancel the order. You may pay a bit more but a decent local retailer relies on good customer service and feedback. There's nothing special about JL any more, they're just another box-shifter prioritising margin over everything else.

Grumpy_chap

We have always found the service from local Euronics centre excellent for this type of thing. YMMV.

Pat26

I called CS just now and asked to speak with a manager. The manager confirmed the failed delivery on Thursday was recorded that "the customer was not in" which is incorrect. The Saturday delivery failure after a 11 hour wait which is even more worrying was because the emergency delivery team do not do integrated appliance installation.
Their next available delivery is Friday 11th and with two hour delivery slot confirmed - waiting for confirmation email from the manager who promised the team delivering will be able to complete the installation. I've accepted for now.
I've raised an escalation. What is reasonable for me to ask as compensation?

Boohoo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82127269#Comment_82127269

What are your losses that you can prove?

Did you have to take unpaid leave that wasn't holiday payed ?

Just ask for £25 and see how it goes and if no good say cancel the whole order and buy from somewhere else but do this before the delivery because things will be harder if you have the appliance installed.

Baldytyke88

It's not uncommon for delivery drivers just to tick the box that says customer not home. If that is true, they should have taken a photo of your front door. Is your doorbell working or is your address difficult to find?