Dreams bed Superstore??? Complaints?

burtie

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

Here we go again, the same standard response.

Why do people have to complain in a public forum before Dreams will take their complaint seriously?

Because sadly, they clearly don't give a stuff about their customers, once they've got their money.

We've now emailed and sent copy letters to Nick Worthington CEO, David Tracey the Commercial Director and Peter Lally, the Senior Customer Service Manager. We've had an almost immediate answer from Peter Lally who has also emailed Rachael Ainsworth, the Customer Service Manager, who will be in contact, once she's reviewed the information.
I'm hopeful that the case will be reviewed individually on merit and not thrown on a pile for the lackies at CS to deal with. Unfortunately, Dreams are another company that seem to have stepped off the reality train at the wrong stop and as a result, their CS department just reads from a script and doesn't actually listen to what their customers are trying to tell them. Homeserve are only making matters worse, by labelling everything as 'Wear and Tear', so the customers are not getting the service that they were promised when they handed over their credit cards etc.
In our case, not only do we have a bed that is neither use nor ornament, but we were mis-sold the thing in the first place! When we went to the store at the weekend and asked a few questions, we were told that we should never have been sold that bed. The staff in the stores apparently have their hands tied, maybe it's about time they were allowed to deal with complaints individually, rather than relying on a faceless CS department.
Incidentally, we've just bought a Tempur mattress from another well-known company and their service was excellent. We were even told that we'll get the vat back, as DH has a back problem. Looks like Dreams will have to refund after all!

Pinkypants

No one should be claiming VAT back for a mattress, unless it has specific design features that make it stand out from a normal mattress.

http://www.newsrt.co.uk/news/dreams-is-braced-for-5m-tax-battle-over-beds-for-the-disabled-885001.html

We have this all the time with adjustable beds, which are just that, ADJUSTABLE, they have no design features that make them special for disabled persons.

burtie

Pinkypants wrote: »

No one should be claiming VAT back for a mattress, unless it has specific design features that make it stand out from a normal mattress.

We have this all the time with adjustable beds, which are just that, ADJUSTABLE, they have no design features that make them special for disabled persons.

It was mentioned by the salesman and it's also on the Tempur website as 'Zero rated VAT purchase available to all eligible customers'
We were asked to give details of the ailment in question and they use that information to calculate which demographic is most likely to benefit from their product.
To be honest, when I'm spending nearly 2k on a mattress, an offer of 20% back isn't likely to get turned down.

Dreams_company_representative

burtie wrote: »

Because sadly, they clearly don't give a stuff about their customers, once they've got their money.

We've now emailed and sent copy letters to Nick Worthington CEO, David Tracey the Commercial Director and Peter Lally, the Senior Customer Service Manager. We've had an almost immediate answer from Peter Lally who has also emailed Rachael Ainsworth, the Customer Service Manager, who will be in contact, once she's reviewed the information.
I'm hopeful that the case will be reviewed individually on merit and not thrown on a pile for the lackies at CS to deal with. Unfortunately, Dreams are another company that seem to have stepped off the reality train at the wrong stop and as a result, their CS department just reads from a script and doesn't actually listen to what their customers are trying to tell them. Homeserve are only making matters worse, by labelling everything as 'Wear and Tear', so the customers are not getting the service that they were promised when they handed over their credit cards etc.
In our case, not only do we have a bed that is neither use nor ornament, but we were mis-sold the thing in the first place! When we went to the store at the weekend and asked a few questions, we were told that we should never have been sold that bed. The staff in the stores apparently have their hands tied, maybe it's about time they were allowed to deal with complaints individually, rather than relying on a faceless CS department.
Incidentally, we've just bought a Tempur mattress from another well-known company and their service was excellent. We were even told that we'll get the vat back, as DH has a back problem. Looks like Dreams will have to refund after all!

Rachael has left you a voicemail with her direct extension.

burtie

We've had contact from Rachael Ainsworth and we are getting close to a mutual agreement. I have to say, she's been on the ball and has contacted us when she's promised.
The offending bed is being collected within a week and hopefully, we can put the whole sorry episode behind us.
My advice to anyone making a big purchase like a bed/sofa etc, is get everything in writing and don't do the deal unless you get it. If they want your custom so badly - they'll do it!

Big thumbs up Rachael, you're a star! :T

Delbhoy

Hi folks. Up until just over a year ago I was a manager with Dreams and have just spoken to a former colleague still employed by the company. They mentioned the money troubles the company was having and I did a quick Google search to find out what was going on and landed on this thread.

I have no axe to grind with the company and think some are being unfair in their assessments of sales staff etc.

That being said however let me give you a little bit of background into some of the common practices.

1. The never ending sales - Dreams operates a system which at the time was known as '8 to rotate'. The name may have changed but the principle remains. What this entails is having two different designs of the same bed. A quick look on the Dreams website I can see they are advertising a Kennedy divan bed at £999 was £2,499.

Now on their website they also have a Washington bed priced at £2499.

If you go into a Dreams store you will find the Kennedy divan but you are unlikely to find the Washington divan. Instead the Washington mattress will be displayed on a bed frame or possibly in a store room. These mattresses are pretty much identical, the only real difference is the cover, the specifications otherwise are as near as dammit identical.

I also see from their website that 'Huge Choice, Half Price plus 20% off selected linens ENDS Monday 8PM. What is actually ending here is not the Huge Choice, Half Price but the 20% off selected linens in all likelihood. The tag changes every couple of weeks extra 20% off linens, furniture etc so that they can perpetually advertise last few days or ends Monday.

Now when the Huge Choice, Half Price does actually end the two mattress mentioned above simply change places, rotate. What this means is to all intents and purposes the same bed is still on sale at the same price the only thing that has changed is the covering on the mattress, if buying the divan the base is identical. Generally there would be a selection of 8 beds involved in such practices but it may be less or indeed more these days.

That is really only the tip of the iceberg but I'm kind of pushed for time at the moment.

The company has featured on Watchdog a couple of times for employing this type of advertising. There is more info on this on the whatconsumer site but I can't post the link. Look for Dreams never ending sale for more details.

Despite this being highlighted several times I doubt there has been any great change in the way the company carries out it's marketing...

2. Want a good deal? Simple ask the manager - The manager is allowed to offer a discount over and above whatever the ticket price is. When I was there it was typically 10%. Now the manager would look for the deal to include one or more KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).

The KPIs at the time were TYG (Ten Year Guarantee), Softs (Linens, pillows etc), HB (Headboards) and Furniture.

These were targeted at more or less TYG 3%, Softs 8%, HBs 4% and Furn 5%. The percentage is how much of the stores turnover the KPI must account for. These percentages changed all the time but generally are expected to account for 20% of sales.

So in effect if you are going to buy a £1000 bed ask for a FREE £100 HB. Now in order to stand the best chance of a good deal leave it til the last week of the month, the shops are targeted monthly and the manager will be willing to give you pretty much whatever you want if he is chasing his bonus! Note it won't always be the last week of the calender month and may in fact be the first week of the month depending when the weekend falls.

Now some people are too afraid to ask for discount, no problem here. Just don't buy on your first visit simply say you want to think about it.

The salesperson is told by the company they have to write down the details for you and whilst they are doing this the salesperson or the manager will general at this stage offer a sweetener. Now bare in mind they can go up to around 10% if their offer is nowhere near that refuse and walk out or just simply ask for more. When you do come back ask for more tell them you've seen one very similar for less etc. If you are purchasing KPIs they will be desperate for your money as they need to hit their targets!

3. Delivery. When I worked for the company they had their own delivery vehicles and HDDs (Home Delivery Depots). The company undoubtedly grew too fast and they decided to do away with this. They handed over most of their deliveries to Yodel. Now when I worked there the deliveries were on the whole fantastic. You were frequently updated as to stock on particular models which were in short supply and when you went to input the order onto the system it would allow you to book the delivery date there and then or tell you if it was unavailable. That has all changed and it is now on the whole little more than a guessing game I'm led to believe.

The staff in store are on the whole blameless for this I have to say and I know how annoyed the managers and staff are having to deal with £1000's a month in cancellations due to the company failing to deliver. There is also it has to be said the possibility that some staff in store are guilty of over promising and under delivering but in my experience that wasn't the case. Some stores where guilty of this, as much down to incompetence on the managers to deal with the issue and hope someone at head office would as they didn't want the customer moaning to them.

There is a lot more I can say but I'm kinda busy right now but I'll check back and if anyone has any specific questions I'll try and answer them honestly rather than giving you the stock answer which you would expect (that is if Dreams don't complain and try and have me banned!)

weejenny82

New to the forum...have a problem with non-delivery from Dreams...waiting 3 months now and getting nowhere with the store...can Dreams company representative help me please?

dreamstruth

Dear All,

As a employee of Dreams at a store- I have had enough and are warnng all potential customers.

In November we were promised that we would be paid on 22nd December just before Christmas.

Today all staff have now been told that pay day will be 28th December .

Now, after the article in the Telegraph, it looks like they dont have enough money to pay us.

As customers, be warned, - DONT BUY ANYTHING BECAUSE WE RECKON DREAMS WILL GO INTO ADMINISTRATION VERY SOON -

Delbhoy

dreamstruth wrote: »

In November we were promised that we would be paid on 22nd December just before Christmas.

Today all staff have now been told that pay day will be 28th December .

Have just had this confirmed to me by several members of staff.

These staff have been with the company for a number of years and have always been paid December's salary prior to Christmas and budget accordingly.

This is a despicable move by the company, even more so as they will no doubt be applying extra pressure to all staff to achieve targets despite having to go home and explain to their families the terrible situation they are facing at work and the possibility of redundancy.

I am eternally grateful I left the company when I did as the portents were there. The management structure changed on a monthly basis and I think in my last 18 months alone I worked under 6-7 Area Managers, whilst deliveries were outsourced, staff levels were cut and wages reduced, amongst other things.

I feel sorry for the staff, some of whom were the best I ever had the pleasure to work with but the greed at the top and the way the middle management treat the staff, along with the other issues mentioned, have lead to this.

I hope the company come through it and I hear Mike Clare has attempted to regain control of the company, but as yet has been unsuccessful, as those currently running it into the ground are unwilling to give it up...it is the staff and most importantly the customers who are suffering meanwhile.

dreamstruth

Delbhoy wrote: »

Have just had this confirmed to me by several members of staff.

These staff have been with the company for a number of years and have always been paid December's salary prior to Christmas and budget accordingly.

This is a despicable move by the company, even more so as they will no doubt be applying extra pressure to all staff to achieve targets despite having to go home and explain to their families the terrible situation they are facing at work and the possibility of redundancy.

I am eternally grateful I left the company when I did as the portents were there. The management structure changed on a monthly basis and I think in my last 18 months alone I worked under 6-7 Area Managers, whilst deliveries were outsourced, staff levels were cut and wages reduced, amongst other things.

I feel sorry for the staff, some of whom were the best I ever had the pleasure to work with but the greed at the top and the way the middle management treat the staff, along with the other issues mentioned, have lead to this.

I hope the company come through it and I hear Mike Clare has attempted to regain control of the company, but as yet has been unsuccessful, as those currently running it into the ground are unwilling to give it up...it is the staff and most importantly the customers who are suffering meanwhile.

It seems whenever I air my complaints on hear about the management, directors and some of the most ridiculous business decisions I have had the misfortune to work under - things change......... Yesterday we were sent a memo telling us we will now be paid on the 24th, and the previous communication we had about pay day on the 28th was "sent out in error !! ??"

Maybe they felt the backlash of the staff ?
Maybe they "Listened"
Maybe they just found some cash to pay us
Maybe they sold some more real estate and leased it back

I ask how can a communication be sent out in "error" about not being paid till 28th, on the same day all area managers and directors were in a meeting ???? - poor show

Also, why the 24th ?? - every other year, and, memos sent to us in November said payment would be 22nd.

I guess we should be grateful that we are paid at all.

I used to give 110% to this company, now I, and vast majority of staff are drained. Sick of weekly changes, one week we are told to do one thing, next week its no ! dont do that do this - constantly moving the goals.
Oh, and while we are at it, lets keep the managers busy at the desk by burying them it pointless paperwork, reports, performance reviews, kpi reports, stupid conference calls with inept area mangers - instead of where they should be on the shop floor

So, along with 90% of the store staff, its time to go job hunting.