Have your say & ask the experts

Unbelievable responses to this guys post!

The chap has had a particularly upsetting experience and 99% of the replies are criticising him for grammar, spelling, shopping at Comet and various other shocking crimes. Let's hope that every single perfect human being on here that offered no sympathy whatsoever has an even worse experience at some point very soon, and that they each lose a lot more than £40.

 It's sad that the love of hi-fi/home cinema etc has somehow risen to the heights of snobbery, like some elitist pastime.

 Many of us including me simply like to own decent equipment to enjoy better sound & vision, yet loads of perfect beings like to own what they consider to be the best then boast about it, belittling others along the way for shopping at non-specialist stores & buying 'inferior' products.

 It's a shame that everyone can't just enjoy/listen/sympathise/advise...

 

Hi,

Advice: He was given advice that writing a letter such as this is an art. Some people are not able to write a concise letter to get their point over without sounding like a kid who's taken a strop. This may make the threats therein seem thin and the letter may end up in the 'file'. Where this is most evident in Matthew's letter:-

"...felt his attitude was unhelpful and showed no apathy for a customer in distress,..."

I would hope the manager showed no apathy whatsoever. Presumably Matthew meant to use the word 'sympathy'. This line in the letter contradicts itself. I'm sure the aim was to show how unhelpful the manager/staff had been but unfortunately it shows Matthew in a bad light.

Listen: We did all listen - well read - to his case but unfortunately his own deadlines and threats to 'expose' the store have not been adhered to. He hasn't given them a fair chance to respond to his complaint before he's informed Joe Public that his shopping experience went wrong. He has come across as a customer who's had a bad shopping experience, has 'thrown the toys out of the pram' and who's looking to damage the reputation of the store and/or manager rather than someone who would be willing to sit down with senior management and sort this out amicably.

Sympathise: I think if you take a longer look at most replies, everyone does sympathise with the OP. They also advised to be wary of shops where sales targets may mean more than a happy satisfied customer. They also said to try before you buy. They also wished him luck in the future.

Enjoy: I enjoy hearing/reading the stories on this forum. I'm sure lots more people do too and where possible we give advice about all manner of topics (including golf!).

I hope Matthew does get this sorted out to his satisfaction (no update as yet) but the best option may have been to accept the 'full credit on another item', choose another TV which lived up to his expectations, leave with his goods and not enter another Comet store.

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.

Andrew Everard:

 I'm really against anyone taking up the time of staff at a bricks and mortar retailer then going off and buying cheaper online.

 I would've thought that the practice you describe would be better for your industry Andrew? With less and less 'bircks and mortar' retailers about, surely the consumer is going to rely more and more on decent hifi/home cinema publications to make their purchases?!?

You may have a point, but as you know we always suggest that people should go and listen/look for themselves – and that's going to be pretty tricky if so many shops vanish.

PiperUK:

Andrew Everard:

And what happens when so many people use these chains just as a showroom and then go off and buy online, to the extent that the chains close down. Then where will you find that's 'warm and comfy' for browsing before buying online?

PiperUK:

Well if these showrooms offered good customer service and competitive prices then people would actually stay and spend.

Well, what you do find from time to time with the larger organisations is they'll be offered demos from the various companies; John Lewis certainly do this with their audio gear (or used to at any rate). I'd imagine from time to time there would be a product awareness session at some time or another. Equally, it's difficult for a larger retailer carrying many lines of stock to expect all their staff to be fully clued up. In fairness to such retailers, they exist for a reason and for many, the ability to buy domestic white goods, a telly and a hoover under one roof is all they require.

As a consumer, you shop with your feet IMO!

PiperUK:

What is it with this rubbish country? Most big organisations, be it shops, telecoms, TV, banking - even public services - have absolutely terrible customer service. Is must be our inefficiency at complaining. We are just too bloody polite!

You get what you pay for; we as a society by and large want things as cheaply as possible. You don't then get the quality that an additional outlay gets you.

PiperUK:

If someone could just organise a mass boycott of companies like Comet (replace with any well know usless British brand - Homebase, BT, Sky, Argos, First Great Western, Arnold Clark, BA, Wilkinsons, Barclays Bank, Network Rail etc etc) and force them to sit and listen, then Im sure this country would be a better place for the consumer.

This is beyond puzzling IMO - if you have a grievance, get the name of the Chief Exec. These are all private organisations and as a result have a vested interest in hearing about deficiencies therein. Rather than a mass boycott, which benefits no-one, detailing any issues in a constructive manner to the CE usually get picked up and noticed. A reasonable approach and awareness of your rights is also a big help - I am curious why you picked on those companies though? Bad experiences I take!

To me, the consumer's got it as they wanted it; piled high, cheap, getting cheaper and that's the underpinning factor for a significant number of people.