Bad service from Chefs Garden Direct am I entitled to a refund?

jackiedaniels

I purchased a groupon from citydeal for a luxury food hamper from chefs garden direct. They guarantee next day delivery and I placed my order yesterday morning at 8.30am and requested delivery today. However it is now 7.30pm and no sign of my delivery. I have tried contacting their offices and also the mobile number available on the site, No answer and no reply to my voicemails or emails. Very disappointed as I thought this was going to be a great service and very convenient for us in the future. I dont think I will be using them again and would like a full refund as I will not be available again to receive delivery until next weekend. Does anyone know if I am entitled to a refund? Or would I have to go to Citydeal for a refund?

Jarren

Delivery Terms

All Dublin orders over €50.00 get delivery free of charge and orders under €50.00 have a set charge of €7.50

Our on-line ordering facility is open 24 hours a day, 7 day a week. Food Delivery services include Dublin delivery. Orders are processed by our staff here at Chef Garden shop from Monday to Saturday 9am - 5pm. Once your order is processed before 9.00pm , it will be delivered to your home the following day.

Therefore, if your order is placed on a Monday morning, it will be delivered to your home on Tuesday. If your order is placed on a Saturday night, it will be processed on Monday morning and delivered to your home on Tuesday, or you may choose a day to suit you on our checkout.

when do we deliver?

Order Before
Earliest delivery
9 p.m. Monday
Tuesday 12.00 p.m. - 9.00 p.m.
9 p.m. Tuesday
Wednesday 12.00 p.m - 9.00 p.m
9 p.m. Wednesday
Thursday 12.00 p.m. - 9.00 p.m
9 p.m. Thursday
Friday 12.00 p.m. - 9.00 p.m
9 p.m. Friday
Saturday 12.00 p.m - 6.00 p.m.
Unfortunately, we are presently unable to deliver on a Sunday and Bank Holidays.

Our quality food delivery services run on Monday to Saturday.

http://www.chefsgardendirect.ie/del.php

it looks like they are at fault here,you should contact CityDeal asap OP

Contact
e-mail: support@citydeal.ie
Phone: 1-800-936-927
Fax: +44 20 7900 3753

dudara

The only thing I can think of is that they deliver Mon-Fri only, and if you order on a Friday, then next day delivery would mean Monday. However, this is only a guess on my part. [EDIT - I stand corrected, see above]

It's also possible that they were swamped by the volume of Groupon orders. I think that I saw 2,000 vouchers were sold (IIRC).

If you want a refund, then you need to contact Groupon, as that is where you purchased the deal.

Nanazolie

The voucher was only available from the 06th of August. So if you placed the order on the 05th, it could explain why they didn't acknowledge it on that date

Vadge

Absolutely atrocious service, worst I have encountered in a long time. I placed my order last week, due for delivery approx 1pm yesterday. I stay in waiting for hours, no sign. Both contact numbers are unreachable consistently, in fact the landline provided doesn't appear to exist! At 6pm, while I'm out, obviously haven given up hours ago, driver calls and says he's outside. So, without fighting, I simply arrange for him to drop it to me today, doesnt give a time. Again, like an eejit, I sit in all day waiting for them, still unreachable all day, send a mail, get nothing back. Fairly livid at this stage come 5 o'clock, so I ring the drivers number. He hasn't a clue what Im on about, asks my name, goes off for about 10mins and eventually comes back and says 'eehhhhh that'll be out to you tomorrow between 3 and 5'. I ask why, he simply doesn't even reply. Absolutely infuriating. Im starting to think its a scam of some sort. Sure feels like it.

January

Vouchers were only redeemable from the 6th...

tweety76

Has anyone had anything delivered from these yet and had a good experience? Am beginning to get a little worried now due my delivery Fri.

Nanazolie

You can contact them by email. They seem to have good reviews so it could just be bad luck. I've had good and bad experiences with other retailers, Superquinn never failed me until the last time when it took me 4 days to get my order correctly delivered in full and a refund of items that had been delivered to someone else in error

I'll be using my voucher soon.

Nanazolie

Found this in one of the threads in the Offers section. That should answer you concerns. They had a sudden influx of customers, I understand why it takes a bit longer than normal


Welcome to Chefs Garden Direct…
1: To redeem your city deal click the hamper you have brought and PLACE IN SHOPPING CART
2: Next type in your voucher code in the voucher box making sure that you have typed in the correct code
3: YOU CANNNOT PLACE ANY ORDERS BEFORE SATURDAY 6TH AUGUST
4: WHEN PLACING ORDERS PLEASE ALLOW AT LEAST 3 – 4 WORKING DAYS FOR YOU DELIVERY.... DUE TO THE HIGH DEMAND
5: REMEMBER YOUR VOUCHER IS VALID FOR 3 MONTHS
6: Don't forget with this great value you can still add more items to your shopping basket
7: If you have any problems please call grace on 01 429 8020

Vadge

Nanazolie wrote: »

You can contact them by email.

They do not reply. Still waiting

Kasycas

Emailed them on Sunday an again today with no reply to either! Not having any success over the phone. Why don't companies put a cap on the number of deals they sell?! Should be mandatory for services, so annoying! Ended up in lidl today instead

Nanazolie

The delay for deliveries has been extended to 8-10 days on their website

Viewing Groupon Deal

Thursday 11th, August


Welcome to Chefs Garden Direct…
1: To redeem your city deal click the hamper you have brought and PLACE IN SHOPPING CART
2: Next type in your voucher code in the voucher box making sure that you have typed in the correct code
3: YOU CANNNOT PLACE ANY ORDERS BEFORE SATURDAY 6TH AUGUST
4: WHEN PLACING ORDERS PLEASE ALLOW AT LEAST 8 – 10 WORKING DAYS FOR YOU DELIVERY.... DUE TO THE HIGH DEMAND
5: REMEMBER YOUR VOUCHER IS VALID FOR 3 MONTHS
6: Don't forget with this great value you can still add more items to your shopping basket
7: If you have any problems please call grace on 01 429 8020


I really think it is still reasonable, considering the offer. You just have to plan and order now if you want your delivery by saturday week. And if you wait a while (the voucher is valid for 3 months), the demand might have gone down and deliveries resumed to normal. Plus you increase the chances of the order being delivered in full, because I really think there will be some items out of stock

Huggleknits

I too am waiting patiently for delivery (due this morning) no contact.

I understand that they have been inundated with orders, thousands in fact, but that does not excuse the inability to contact them - by either phone or email -
If we have purchased the deal then someone is holding our money.......

If they dont rectify their lack of communication they will definitely loose potential future customers.

Also, I wonder how many of the favourable comments are real?????

wyndham

Nanazolie wrote: »

The delay for deliveries has been extended to 8-10 days on their website

Not much cop really. It's not like ordering a tv or clothing. It's fresh fruit, meat, fish. 10 days is a long way ahead to be planning, and the window is too big. What if your order comes after 3 days and you had planned for 10 days?

Nanazolie

wyndham wrote: »

Not much cop really. It's not like ordering a tv or clothing. It's fresh fruit, meat, fish. 10 days is a long way ahead to be planning, and the window is too big. What if your order comes after 3 days and you had planned for 10 days?

It's highly unlikely, IMO.
I guess it depends on your personal circumstances, availability, budget, etc... I have enough tins, rice, pasta and frozen vegs to feed a family of 4 for 10 days so for me it's a good thing because I can actually clear my cupboards and freezer. I also shop for fresh food almost on a daily basis to insure freshness so I wouldn't stock fruits and vegs for 10 days. And we haven't had fish (except tinned) or meat (except ham) in a long long time so this offer is a godsend for us. I calculated that I can feed my familly for 3 weeks (adding extra fresh fruits and vegs, potatoes and rice, milk and yogurts) with the basket.

I agree that their lack of communication will eventually let them down. I saw on other websites that the first customers to order were able to reach them but the phone has been busy ever since and they don't reply to emails.

SmoosBoo

If you want a refund, then you need to contact Groupon, as that is where you purchased the deal.[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't be too sure about the customer service from Groupon. I had a complaint about a service I purchased from Citydeals - basically the service provider did not provide the service they were supposed to. I contacted the service provider and Groupon. The replies form Groupon were less than satisfactory.

"Hi Xxxx
Thanks for getting in touch with us.
We are sorry you feel you did not get the most out of this particular deal.
At this stage, because you have already had the service from the partner, we would advise to contact the partner directly to discuss.
If we can be of any assistance after, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us again.
Yours sincerely,
Customer Service"

After I replied that as they were who I purchased the deal from it was up to them to refund me or at least intervene with the service provider on my behalf, this is the reply I received:

"Thanks for getting back to us.
I am afraid you would need to take your complaint up with the partner directly, or should have took it up with them already.
Citydeal/Groupon provides the service that enables you to buy your voucher at a discounted price; none of us here are trained in xxx xxxxxxxx or anything similar, so any requests for information should be directed towards the correct source.
Have you discussed any of this with the partbner yet?
As I put in my previous mail, the partner is due to redeem the voucher with ourselves soon and will expect payment. If you have any problem with the service you received you should discuss with them directly before the present your used voucher.
Yours sincerely,"

LittleBook

dudara wrote: »

If you want a refund, then you need to contact Groupon, as that is where you purchased the deal.

SmoosBoo wrote: »

I wouldn't be too sure about the customer service from Groupon.

I've had good and bad experiences with these Groupon/Citydeal voucher thingies so I'm not defending them, I would hesitate to recommend the system at all to be honest.

But the problem you have here is that you redeemed the voucher, once you do that the relationship shifts from between you and Groupon to between you and the supplier.

If you have a problem with the service, Groupon/Citydeal can (and will) refund you but NOT if you've already redeemed the voucher ... they're obliged to pay over to the partner once it's redeemed.

Melendez

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Melendez

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millie29

Its a shame that this is happening with Chefs Garden. I have been using them for a few months and their sevice has always been really good. The food is so fresh much better than the supermarkets. Hope they can get back to normal soon.

Melendez

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Miriam Seal

Hi Y'all. I also bought a groupon voucher and tried to order online on the Monday 8th. I couldnt get the delivery charge removed (delivery was supposed to be included). Anyhow, I asked for delivery today (Friday 12th) for the evening. However, have had no confirmation, can't get through on the phone line and their website is "under construction". Not getting a good feeling about the whole thing. I feel they should have been prepared for this, they knew it was coming.

Melendez

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Miriam Seal

I'm afraid Im losing any interest I had in using this company. I also bought voucher, and on Monday 8th placed my order, asked for delivery this evening but haven't heard a thing. Can't get through on phones, and their website is now down. Doesnt give me a good feeling about the whole thing. I hope they sort it out, I was quite impressed with what they were offering and was planning to use them again. Lets be honest here, they knew what was being offered and should have been ready for it. This could make or break a company in these recessionary times.

J1914

I got online 2pm on the 6th of August to order my hamper for Tuesday the 9th, but like Miriam Seal I could not recalculate the amount and get rid of the delivery fee, I placed the order anyway and did not get a confirmation, I rang the numbers on the site and then emailed them. On Monday I emailed City Deal support but no reply from them, I forwarded the email again yesterday and still no news from them and I am now onto their phone support holding for 45mins, just checked Chefs Direct website and is now strangely "under construction". Is there anybody who has an answer or knows whats going on here??

Nanazolie

mmmmh, sounds like the whole thing is a huge PR disaster... I'm prepared to wait for a few days, may be up to 2 weeks, I'm not in any rush. But the fact that you can't contact them, that their tweeter account is gone, etc.... doesn't help. I'd say that if the parcel arrives at all I'll be happy and will leave it at that. If not, what's our recourse for a refund?

Melendez

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Huggleknits

Since I was on yesterday I managed to get through on the phone and rearranged delivery for this afternoon (it has not arrived) I did offer to defer the delivery until next week as they were under so much pressure but she reassured me that I would get it today. I tried the phone again this evening, eventually getting a ringing tone but the phone has not been answered.
Can anyone tell me if any of the groupon orders have been delivered yet???? If even one has been delivered there is hope for the rest of us. Alternatively I wonder where over 2000 orders worth between 35 and 42 euro have gone = a lot of money

Ras64

I got email confirmation of a delivery slot tonight between 7pm and 9pm. Surprise surprise it never arrived.

Sent citydeal a mail looking for a refund. I will never again order anything from chefsgardendirect.

Huggleknits

Check out their Facebook page - loads of updates - they seem to be overwhelmed with the amount of orders - new email system going in tomorrow so website should be up and running then.

Adventure Pout

Am the same here..First time customer with them, and placed my order on wednesday for today delivery..but no confirmation if they will come or not (likely not)..so I have to go and do some weekly shopping.. :mad:
There is at least ONE person who got delivered.. Read this thread.. it is the same situation as all of us in Boards..
http://www.magicmum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=208&t=349811&p=4418345

well I guess, it is wait and see....... Will let you know if I got my delivery or not...

Huggleknits

website back up !!

diane1958

I am also now in the same situation Waiting in for a delivery today 13th which I ordered on the 7th no sign and website is now also down unable to contact on either moblie or land line. I also have just seen that I did not need to pay delivery change which I was charged 7.50 for. Think I have been done this is a bad company to do business with and stronly advise people to contact city deals and arrange to get your money back which is what I am doing as it was paid with a credit card should get money back last time I will purchase from City Deals and have tiold all my friends to be ware also

faery

Hi I just came over from their FB page. I am the same diane1958. My money has gone out of my account yet no delivery and no contact what so ever! Surely they shouldnt have put the sale through until we had received our goods or at least been given an acknowledgment for our order and a scheduled delivery day?! I am sitting here feeling nauseous over this as I am struggling as it is and really could have put that money toward something else in tesco or whatever! :-(

jackiedaniels

theres actually murder going on on their facebook page how embarrassing and damaging for them....

gomara

Now on their web site :- Unfortunately does not say 48 Hours from when but as the site was up yesterday i guess that means COB tomorrow for all orders (I ordered Saturday 7th)

---

We are sorry that you are unable to access the web site but due to the high demand of city deals and the fact that over 2000 redeemed 3 days before the date requested by chefs garden it has left the office with a massive back log

Over the next 48 hours everyone that has processed there order will be contacted and yout order delivery time arranged

As will be the 1687 email that still need to be answered and dealt with.....

We also say sorry to our regular customers as had a knock on affect to you and we will put this right too

We were shocked with the up take of the city deal and was only guided by them but it has left us in a big mess and we are sorry for that

WE WILL BE BACK SOON

MANY THANKS

Chris Collins
mob 0871772792

Adventure Pout

jackiedaniels wrote: »

theres actually murder going on on their facebook page how embarrassing and damaging for them....

Can you please give me the link of their facebook page? I somehow cannot find it, cause I am still waiting for my delivery since last week..

jackiedaniels

Adventure Pout wrote: »

Can you please give me the link of their facebook page? I somehow cannot find it, cause I am still waiting for my delivery since last week..

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/CHEFS-GARDEN-DIRECT/362943398717

faery

jackiedaniels wrote: »

theres actually murder going on on their facebook page how embarrassing and damaging for them....

i really have no sympathy for them. they really dont know how to run a company by the looks of it and their standard of customer service is appalling. I have been following on their FB page and I must say it doesnt look good for them.<SNIP>

Kasycas

People signing up to these Groupons/deals really need to be made aware how popular they are!

I'm waiting 10 days now!!

quarryman

Kasycas wrote: »

People signing up to these Groupons/deals really need to be made aware how popular they are!

I'm waiting 10 days now!!

right on KasyCas you amazing poster you.

Citydeal/boardsdeals/whoever should be doing more to inform companies that they *may* be flooded with orders if they don't put an upper limit on vouchers. They get their cut though, so why should they care after customers have forked up the cash.

Nanazolie

The Facebook page is madness... People who received their orders or a reply to an email are accused of working for CGD... :eek: Seriously, a disatisfied customer will always make more noise than a happy one, but it doesn't necessarely mean that ALL of their customers are dissatisfied.

I've posted my order on the 11th and am still waiting to hear from them, but I acknoweldge that it will take a few more days. Of course, I am cross about their lack of communication and they need to brush up their crisis management skills. But heck, they are a small business and were inundated with orders. City Deals sent the vouchers 4 days before they could be used and a lot of people didn't read the terms and conditions and contributed to this mess.
Even if the goods arrive later than expected, even if it takes several emails and calls, the value is still fantastic. If people are fed up with waiting, they should just cancel their order and ask for a refund from City Deals, apparently some people were successful.

quarryman

But WHY were they inundated with orders?
Why weren't they prepared?
Why weren't the vouchers limited?

A lot of these deals are getting out of hand.

I bought a valet deal 3 weeks ago. It took a week for the voucher to go live and then when I rang them they said it would be another 2 WEEKS before i could get a slot.

Had I known there would be this much of a wait I wouldn't have bothered. None of this is outlined when the you buy the voucher.

Melendez

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jimogr

Nanazolie wrote: »

City Deals sent the vouchers 4 days before they could be used and a lot of people didn't read the terms and conditions and contributed to this mess.

Have seen this stated a few times. Its on their website now too.

the fact that over 2000 redeemed 3 days before the date requested by chefs garden it has left the office with a massive back log

But it was chefs garden who had a live order page for the citydeal, 3 days before they wanted to accept orders. If they hadn't made the order page live in those days then they wouldn't have received the orders.

I feel sorry for chefs garden, they've got themselves into an awful mess which they don't seem able to deal with. It would be such as shame if this deal ended their business. But this is no way to treat customers.

Melendez

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Nanazolie

quarryman wrote: »

But WHY were they inundated with orders?
Why weren't they prepared?
Why weren't the vouchers limited?

A lot of these deals are getting out of hand.

I bought a valet deal 3 weeks ago. It took a week for the voucher to go live and then when I rang them they said it would be another 2 WEEKS before i could get a slot.

Had I known there would be this much of a wait I wouldn't have bothered. None of this is outlined when the you buy the voucher.

I'm 99% sure that the deal mentioned that the voucher wouldn't be redeemable before the 6th of October, because I thought I would have to wait until the Monday to redeem it

Nanazolie

Melendez wrote: »

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Is this because you ordered extra stuff on top of the deal? My understanding is that if you only ordered the deal, you can get a refund from City Deals without going to CGD. Or may be try contacting the Consumer agency?

Melendez

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Melendez

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Melendez

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