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Your best and worst customer service experiences [rant & praise]

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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,196 ✭✭✭Tazz T


    I'm amazed no one has mentioned Smart Telecom. I've had NTL in the past for years and Smart makes them a delight to deal. In the year I've had Smartvision (in one of the monopoly areas), I've had to cancel my direct debit twice for lack of service. The first time it took six months to resolve the issue. Right now, the telly service in my area (all my neighbours have been having the same problem) has been going off every 5 minutes for the psat three weeks and they couldn't care less. Never respond the email and if you get through to them they simply tell you to reset the modem (which does nothing) and say a engineer will look into it and they don't.

    After a year of this rubbish, I can tell you categorically that Smartvision doesn't work.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 38 queencakes


    Rant: Specsavers - without a doubt the worst customer service I have ever had the mis fortune to experience.

    I get my contact lenses posted every three months and signed up to pay 30 euros a month direct debit for this. My prescription changed nearly a year ago when I went for check up.

    Ever since then I have recieved the old prescription contact lenses in the post every three months. The first time I was annoyed but fair enough. I had to ring specsavers, go back in with the wrong prescription and get them changed for the right ones. It happened again 3 months later and they didnt have the ones I needed in stock. I had to wait nearly a week. They said they would ring England and get it sorted. Three months later the contact lenses get posted to my old address (???) and what do you know wrong prescription again.

    Aside from all this I was going through my bank statements last night and found that in the last three months I have been charged two seperate payments of 30 euros per month. I rang them about it and didnt get an apology. In fact the girl wanted me to ring their company in England to find out about it. I said hang on a minute I came into your shop and signed up with you - you ring..... Frustration and rage just about covers it at the moment.
    Be Warned


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 54 ✭✭light123


    :)Hello,

    RAVE: Hughes and Hughes in Dundalk. They are always friendly and helpful.

    I rang them and a number of other bookstore in Dublin and they were the most helpful by far. :)

    So when I found a book I wanted I got it there rather than any where else.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 16,396 ✭✭✭✭kaimera


    Praise:

    Dell

    Was installing RAM in my laptop and by some stupid design thinking I had to take off the keyboard to access the second slot. I had no idea where to begin with getting to the keyboard and the lappy isnt even 6 months old. I left the documentation at home so I needed to ring Dell to assist me.

    Kudos to the guy that helped. Got a call back during the week to see if the laptop was running fine and if I had any troubles with Vista x64 on it. [he had told me that Dell dont have much if any support for 64bit vista; I told him I had done my research and was aware!]

    First time to deal with Dell and well happy.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 994 ✭✭✭mental07


    Dinarius wrote: »
    Have to add my tuppence worth re Air France.

    Went with them to London City this weekend.

    They lost our bag. Then found it. Then said it would be on the next flight to London on Friday. It wasn't.
    They lost my friend's bag recently; he got it back a couple of days later. Oh, and they compensated him with a free suitcase :D

    Dell get my vote. I'm not going to tell the whole story because I'd be here all day, it involved them sending me an incorrect part and me trying to get them to send me the correct one.


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  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 19,340 CMod ✭✭✭✭Davy


    Not sure if they have ever been mentioned here, but if people are familiar with the stars cataloge on nintendo.co.uk, cash points in for items. i had lot of points built up from years ago, before Christmas they added a load of new items, so i decided to blow them away. got email saying was shipped before Christmas and to reply if don't get it in 28days. So sent about 5 emails, which i never got a reply, and a LONG time waiting on the phone (they never answer)

    Just for a company of its size and the amount of products they sell, thinking of amount of ds and wii's bought lately i think its bad form the service is so bad, not including the very late parcel, which i was told comes from germany, who ever said they were efficient


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,258 ✭✭✭swingking


    Rant: talktalk

    I have been trying to get them to upgrade my broadband package to 3mb for a long time. This has been going on 3 weeks and everytime I ring up I'm told the line need to be tested and then I'm told that it should be up in a few days.

    I am getting very pissed off with the company at this stage

    Rave: Harvey Norman, Nutgrove. The staff there are superb, very friendly and knowledgable.

    Brought something back and despite me not having a receipt, they managed to track down my purchase throught the phone number.

    Well done :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 207 ✭✭AlexBM


    Good:
    Marks and Spencer, most branches.
    Vero Moda, Grafton St
    Hodges Figgis, Dawson St
    Dunnes Stores, Cornelscourt. So bad I wrote to complain. I got a voucher though, so kudos to them for actually looking after the matter.

    Bad:
    Office, Henry St. I don't go in there anymore after horrific service returning a pair of shoes that were falling apart after 4 days. I was told the manager was good enough to give me a refund, and I should just accept it. I worked in a shoe shop, a more value chain than this, and would have been fired on the spot if I'd spoken to anyone the way I was in there. Horrible, pretentious staff that would rather have a chat to their mates than do any work.

    Eircom and NTL: I think everybody else has already said it here. I can't really add anything to it.

    Brown Thomas shoe rooms: In fairness, really only one member of staff. Awful. I complained and was offered free lunch there by way of an apology. I didn't take them up on it. I bought my shoes in Nine West instead, and saved myself the princely sum of 2 euro in the process.

    I have loads more. I usually complain, either in writing afterwards or in person there and then. There's no excuse for service as bad as some people seem to 'offer'.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 497 ✭✭Musha


    3 Ireland Retail and Customer Service,

    Bought 3 handsets in January, two have been used since the other was for Sales person, New sales person starting tomorrow and went to put SIM in brand new handset yesterday to make sure no old txt etc from previous user

    No display on handset, spoke to CS yesterday advised to go into retail today and ask for replacement,
    retail said "send for repair as over 28 days" explained that it had never be removed from box until yesterday Branch manager got on the case and it was replaced straight away. :D No Fuss, or drama
    Follow up call from CS and happy bunny

    btw: reduced bill of approx 50% since moving to 3 from previous SP


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,816 ✭✭✭Acacia


    Sandwich counter in my local Centra-

    Me: Hi, I'd-
    Staff: What?
    Me: Could i get a -
    Staff: brown or white bread?
    Me: White, thank -
    Staff- Butter?
    Me: Eh, no. Could I get chicken and stuffing on that, please?
    Staff: No stuffing.

    The sandwich was then thrown at me, with a look like I'd murdered her firstborn. I buy ready-made sandwiches now. :pac:


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,590 ✭✭✭Dues Bellator


    ntl upc have got to be the worse company in ireland if not the world.your on hold for 45 min to an hour then to be asked for your acc number fair enough the they put you tru to 3 maybe 4 other idiots that havnt a clue what to do or saythat also want your acc number, then when finally you get tru to sombody that deals with broadband, im told yeah i can see hear that your not gettin your right speed tru, we,ll have to turn it up out side your house, ok im a fckin thick cnt im going to belive theres a big dial outside my house that you can turn up, after all that im told i have to wait a week for an engineer. dont get me started on the tv service, 3 days my whole estate was out for,there dvr box souldnt have been relesed untill all problems have been resolved,sould be called ****e box.if nothing is done with this joke of a company i feel they will lose out to sky which is a shame as there nothing short of being con men.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,322 ✭✭✭Hitchhiker's Guide to...


    almanu wrote: »
    ntl upc have got to be the worse company in ireland if not the world.your on hold for 45 min to an hour then to be asked for your acc number fair enough the they put you tru to 3 maybe 4 other idiots that havnt a clue what to do or saythat also want your acc number, then when finally you get tru to sombody that deals with broadband, im told yeah i can see hear that your not gettin your right speed tru, we,ll have to turn it up out side your house, ok im a fckin thick cnt im going to belive theres a big dial outside my house that you can turn up, after all that im told i have to wait a week for an engineer. dont get me started on the tv service, 3 days my whole estate was out for,there dvr box souldnt have been relesed untill all problems have been resolved,sould be called ****e box.if nothing is done with this joke of a company i feel they will lose out to sky which is a shame as there nothing short of being con men.

    QFT

    is there any worst company? the competition starts here!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,590 ✭✭✭Dues Bellator


    id say there are worse than ntl,its a disgrace how im being treated by a company im with 6 years,leave i hear you say,what and go to sky,have to pay for every engineer visit and equipment,no thanx,they are con men ,i was with them b4 ntl.


  • Registered Users Posts: 583 ✭✭✭Steak


    Rant on Three:

    right well I've been with the Three network for about a year now and have never had any problems with them. I've been using the 3Pay price plan (pay as you go) and have never had any problems.

    recently my phone broke because of water damage so I've been using an old phone that was lying around the house for the past two weeks. I decided to get a new phone and said I'd stick with Three.

    I was checking out phones on their site and was set on getting a Nokia N73. so I decided to pay online to make a small saving and also the fact that there are no Three retailers in County Cavan.

    I payed online last Wednesday the 16th at approx 13:30. the reason I'm mentioning the time is because it states on the website that if you order before 16:00 then you will get your handset within two working days. so everything's grand so far. I thought I'd be receiving my phone on Friday at the latest.

    Friday comes and no sign of the phone. I said I'd give it another day and see what happens. no sign of the phone on Monday either so I called Customer Support and they said there was a delay in processing the order and my order was still in the pending section. they told me I'd receive a call within the next hour to confirm my payment details and delivery address.

    I wasn't contacted at all on Monday so rang them again on Tuesday and was told I'd receive a call within an hour. no call received within the hour so I rang them again and they said I'd receive a call in the next 30 minutes. no call received so I rang again and they said they'd call me back in 10 minutes, no call received. I called them back again and they said I'd get a call in 10 minutes, as soon as I hung up they rang me to confirm my details.

    I reckon the call centre was in India judging by the accents and I found it rather hard to understand them. the lady on the other end of the phone confirmed all my details and said she'd run my card details through the bank for confirmation and if it went through smoothly I would receive my phone in two working days and if not she'd call me back.

    5 minutes later she calls me back stating that my card isn't processing the payment and to call into a Three store and I can pay by my card in store and get it for the online price. I said yeah that's grand if you can get me a Three store in the Cavan area she replied with there's no store in Cavan.

    in the end I was unbelieveably annoyed with all the problems and told her to cancel the order.

    what is the point in offering an online service if it doesn't function properly and they have to call you to get your details again? talk about a bleeding nightmare.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,590 ✭✭✭Dues Bellator


    i was with 3 aswell,there c.s is in new dehli and i would be very cautious giving my credit card detail,to staff in a 3rd world country on 2 euro a day,just a tought.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,393 ✭✭✭Dinarius


    I note that the furniture store HAUS, in Crow Street in Dublin, is closing next month and opening a new premises in "September".

    Really?

    Given my nightmare experience (and that of many professional firms, architects in particular) with their sister company Project House, I have to have my doubts.

    If I had made enquiries with clients and know what I know now, I would not have touched Project Office with the proverbial barge pole and I suggest none of you do either.

    I have bought from Haus in the past, but I only bought retail items in sales.

    I have now made the mistake of ordering from Project Office and, nearly six months later, and minus a large deposit, I am still waiting for my goods.

    You have been warned.

    D.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,821 ✭✭✭useful_contacts


    Oh my GOD im so sick of the place!!! Same situation with buying electronics "Go to the manufacturer" even though id have the reciept!!!

    And also was in there last week looking for something that i think they were out of but the might still have some in the store room so i went to ask a salesgirl

    Her response "Im sorry i dont understand"

    2nd person i asked " I dont know what your saying"

    3rd person i asked "I dont know much english"

    At this stage we went to the service desk where once again THEY DIDNT SPEAK HARDLY ANY ENGLISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Whats the point of having staff who cant help the customers cos they dont understand them!!!!!

    *RANT OVER*


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,451 ✭✭✭Onikage


    [The bad]
    Chorus: Worst. Company. Ever.
    PermanentTSB: Have gone rapidly downhill since the merger with Irish Permanent. I've been bothered by sales calls, staff mishandling important directions and general incompetence.

    [The good]
    PTSB: The people in their phone banking centre are lovely and helpful. Maybe they didn't get the memo.
    3 (BB): Once you convince them that turning on and off the computer is not going to help, they really are quite helpful. I lost coverage for about a week and got a couple of months for free!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,590 ✭✭✭Dues Bellator


    i totally agree usefull ,ive worked hard all my life, never got as much as a parking ticket, im unemployed 18 months, things were so bad i seen an advertisment for vacancys in my local aldi,s, i tought this will do untill a better job comes along, wrong ,2 weeks after the interview which i tought went well,i received a letter stated i was unsuccesfull in my application, what a confidence breaker, anyway i went up shopping with the girlfreind 2 weeks after that, all the staff from the manager to the security gaurd were from a different country and yes hadnt a clue what i was saying didnt know were anything was and a generall attitude as if to say look for it your self.great job bertie you muppet.


  • Registered Users Posts: 230 ✭✭chris_oc


    Acacia wrote: »
    Sandwich counter in my local Centra-

    Me: Hi, I'd-
    Staff: What?
    Me: Could i get a -
    Staff: brown or white bread?
    Me: White, thank -
    Staff- Butter?
    Me: Eh, no. Could I get chicken and stuffing on that, please?
    Staff: No stuffing.

    The sandwich was then thrown at me, with a look like I'd murdered her firstborn. I buy ready-made sandwiches now. :pac:
    haha its so bloody true!!! think its like that in any deli in the country though!!
    not saying that all are bad but most...you can just see the look on their face when you walk in and you know they're think "this is such a sh1t job and now i have to deal with these shower of cnuts..."



    Easons, shop street galway:

    don't even bother ordering a book in there unless you have patience and time...
    ordered one of the ECDL advanced books not so long ago(third time i've ordered something now - sh1tty experience every time BTW)
    i had a friend come in to collect it for me. the girl behind the counter said that it had most definately come in, even though i got a phonecall to confirm that it was FFS!!! i came in later that day, asked another girl(most likely wasn't the same one) and she handed the book right over!!:eek: meh, ill just do my business elsewhere from now on...:rolleyes:


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 74 ✭✭wordofmouth


    kaimera wrote: »
    Praise:

    Dell

    Was installing RAM in my laptop and by some stupid design thinking I had to take off the keyboard to access the second slot. I had no idea where to begin with getting to the keyboard and the lappy isnt even 6 months old. I left the documentation at home so I needed to ring Dell to assist me.

    Kudos to the guy that helped. Got a call back during the week to see if the laptop was running fine and if I had any troubles with Vista x64 on it. [he had told me that Dell dont have much if any support for 64bit vista; I told him I had done my research and was aware!]

    First time to deal with Dell and well happy.

    +1
    Got a lappy off dell which had a line of dead pixels so i rang customer service.
    Didn't treat me like an idiot guided me in opening up the computer to check the wiring then when that wasn't the problem sent a guy out to my house the next day to replace the lcd. Came to my house replaced it there and then in less than an hour. then i get a phonecall few days later to check if i was happy with it!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,821 ✭✭✭useful_contacts


    almanu wrote: »
    i totally agree usefull ,ive worked hard all my life, never got as much as a parking ticket, im unemployed 18 months, things were so bad i seen an advertisment for vacancys in my local aldi,s, i tought this will do untill a better job comes along, wrong ,2 weeks after the interview which i tought went well,i received a letter stated i was unsuccesfull in my application, what a confidence breaker, anyway i went up shopping with the girlfreind 2 weeks after that, all the staff from the manager to the security gaurd were from a different country and yes hadnt a clue what i was saying didnt know were anything was and a generall attitude as if to say look for it your self.great job bertie you muppet.


    yay! thought it was just me..... im SO SICK of it...no one who works in any store being able to tell me where things are.Im like "Hi where is the dog food" and they say "Ich bein hien sofa cosa minaul"(not actual sentence) and im like "HUH?"


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,386 ✭✭✭Attol


    RANT : Halford's Blanchardstown

    Useless, slow sales assistant! Took ages to get help. Another set of customers left out of frustration over not being served while we were waiting. Everything seemed to be in slow motion and I really feel like the sales assistant thought we were inconveniencing him by trying to buy a bike. Also saw a woman enquire about the bike she had left in last Thursday to be fixed only to hear one employee say to another that it hadn't even been looked at.


  • Registered Users Posts: 38 linx


    Tesco clarehall online shopping messed up twice.
    First delivered a cancelled order.
    Few weeks later gave it another chance, didnt get our delivery but they still took the money from our account, took 2 weeks to get it back. no apologies for the fact we spent 3 days ringing and trying to find out what went wrong,they even passed us through to the petrol station?????
    I want to scream when i hear that online shopping ad on the radio:mad:


  • Registered Users Posts: 25,005 ✭✭✭✭Toto Wolfcastle


    I have to mention the Citylink bus company. I use them every couple of weeks and they're generally very efficient. I get travel sick and today the bag decided to leak. The driver was great. He found a shop for me, went in and bought bags and tissues and kept checking to make sure I was OK.

    Most of the drivers are great. It seems that Citylink don't just employ anyone. (Except for the one obnoxious guy who smokes before he lets the passengers on so we all have to smell it and then takes regular smoking breaks!)

    But the guy today was lovely and I'm going to write a letter to them to tell them.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20 mcbads08


    RANT: Sky

    To echo a load of posts already discussing Sky they are the most frustrating call centre I've ever dealt with! Staff are clearing reading from a script (which is badly written anyway). On one occassion I had moved house and wanted to change the billing on the account and get an engineer out to install in the new house. After going through the usual frustrations of trying to pin them to a date and time when they would come I took a half day to get it sorted but the engineer didn't show by 6pm so I called the call centre and spoke to a guy who was beyond rude and basically told me the date of the engineer showing up is an "indication of when you can expect your service to be connected not a guarantee!!". I asked to speak to a supervisor, conveniently none were available but I was going to be called back... suprise suprise no call back received... this went round in circles for another 2 or 3 calls until I eventually wouldn't get off the line and spoke to a supervisor.... who told me it wasn't her fault if I can't even get a simple date and time for an engineer right (ie. tried to tell me I had the wrong time!!!!) Unbelievable!!!!

    RAVE: Axa

    A couple of years ago my car was broken into - the door was damaged, cd player pulled out and most upsetting of all, they took all of my cd's!! I called the Axa claims line and I have to say they were an absolute dream! There was no messing around with anything - they processed the claim over the phone, all I had to do was send them the Garda report, they conferenced me in to a call with their repair centre who organised a time that suited me to take the car and fix it and they had a replacement car waiting for me aswell! The whole thing was so easy - I've had two renewals since and have always got a cheaper quote elsewhere (although Axa aren't extortionate) but I wouldn't even think of changing insurance provider after such a great experience!


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,788 ✭✭✭ztoical


    Rant Eircom - yes everyones fav phone company. Moved house last march and had a nightmare moving my phone line [moved up the street, I can actually see old house out my window] GAS, ESB, Bins all moved in less then 15mins no issues. Eircom took 3 weeks. Today I discovered that they didn't transfer my account they closed my old account and opened a new one and of course cancelled my DD. I actually asked them if I needed to reset up my DD [cus I'd asked all the others as well] and they told me no. Today going through all my mail I find my phone bill and low and behold the DD is gone - rang Eircom and asked why they didn't tell me I had to set it up again and got a really rude girl who talked to me like I was 5 and then hung up when I asked to speak to her supervisor.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 10 twanky


    Rant: Meteor i dont know if its just me but EVERYTIME i ring they either tell me to ring back because their systems are down(all other networks call you back!) or they are completely unhelpful! when they do say they'll ring me back i never get a call back either

    Rave: HMV! they're always so helpful and willing to order stuff in for u who can complain about that!
    :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,590 ✭✭✭Dues Bellator


    rant ntl nuff said


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9 jennybyrne


    Ihad a problem last year with a shop,,,i actually found a consumer complaints place that specialise in consumer affairs in ireland.

    http://www.tradingstandards.ie/

    :)


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