Writing An Effective Letter Of Complaint
Discussion
I have a sports watch which I think is a load of guff and it annoys me every time I use it. I said as much on one of the brands posts relating to this item on a leading social media site and they want me to PM them with my issues.
So how do I get across my issues with this piece with out coming across as a moaning idiot so they listen, take note and do something about it?
So how do I get across my issues with this piece with out coming across as a moaning idiot so they listen, take note and do something about it?
As with anything you need to complain about. Make it constructive. This is what my Dad told me years ago. And it works for everything from complaining about a product to trying to change things at your workplace
Write what the current situation is
Write what is wrong with this
Write how this can be resolved best for ALL parties
Write what the current situation is
Write what is wrong with this
Write how this can be resolved best for ALL parties
Keep it factual.
"It said it would do this. It doesn't."
"I would expect it do this. It doesn't."
"When I do this, it doesn't work"
"If it did this, it would be better"
"Its competitors do this, it should as well"
It's not a letter of complaint, really. It's a statement of how it hasn't met your expectations. Tell them why that is, and what they have to do to make it better. Think of it as an opportunity to make their next product better, and not as an outlet to vent your frustrations.
If there something specific that they can do to remedy the situation right now, then say so clearly and without being aggressive.
As you and others have already said: be constructive, and don't moan. The fact that they've asked for feedback directly is a positive thing so keep on in the same vein.
"It said it would do this. It doesn't."
"I would expect it do this. It doesn't."
"When I do this, it doesn't work"
"If it did this, it would be better"
"Its competitors do this, it should as well"
It's not a letter of complaint, really. It's a statement of how it hasn't met your expectations. Tell them why that is, and what they have to do to make it better. Think of it as an opportunity to make their next product better, and not as an outlet to vent your frustrations.
If there something specific that they can do to remedy the situation right now, then say so clearly and without being aggressive.
As you and others have already said: be constructive, and don't moan. The fact that they've asked for feedback directly is a positive thing so keep on in the same vein.
s
t sandwich.
Start off with something nice, get's them on your side. Then his them with the crap, and it gets their hackles up, but they still remember the nice thing, and finish with something else nice so they think "he seems like a reasonable bloke, I'd like to help him"
Always works for me. Even if I have to make up the nice things because they are total crap.
t sandwich.Start off with something nice, get's them on your side. Then his them with the crap, and it gets their hackles up, but they still remember the nice thing, and finish with something else nice so they think "he seems like a reasonable bloke, I'd like to help him"
Always works for me. Even if I have to make up the nice things because they are total crap.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
st sandwich.
Start off with something nice, get's them on your side. Then his them with the crap, and it gets their hackles up, but they still remember the nice thing, and finish with something else nice so they think "he seems like a reasonable bloke, I'd like to help him"
Always works for me. Even if I have to make up the nice things because they are total crap.
This ^^^^^t sandwich.Start off with something nice, get's them on your side. Then his them with the crap, and it gets their hackles up, but they still remember the nice thing, and finish with something else nice so they think "he seems like a reasonable bloke, I'd like to help him"
Always works for me. Even if I have to make up the nice things because they are total crap.
Just for comic diversion, I just looked up one of my (many) complaint letters to an old pension company I sent about 15 years ago. Like the others it had surprisingly little effect, but they were a staggeringly inept firm.
This letter followed a long and drawn out attempt to get them to take the monthly premium from a different source and to change my address, followed by a touchy-feely "tell us how we are doing" letter.
This letter followed a long and drawn out attempt to get them to take the monthly premium from a different source and to change my address, followed by a touchy-feely "tell us how we are doing" letter.
Me in 2001 said:
Dear Pension Customer Service Guy,
I just received a letter asking me to review my pension arrangement with you, so here goes.
Unless everyone else that has a pension or any other kind of investment with <terrible pension company> is astonishingly docile, as Customer Services Manager you must have a hell of a job. Why? Because in my limited experience of dealing with large organisations, <terrible pension company> really are on an entirely different level. Quite apart from the fact that I have written several – fairly robust – letters of complaint to you (the last threatening to withdraw my pension fund if you didn’t sort my problem out in a month; you sorted it in 29 days) without much reaction, it’s the fact that as far as I can tell, I’m sending my money up to Scotland so that you can spend it on party hats and sweeties.
I just dug out my last statement from you. For a start it features a different pension number (XXXXXX), despite the fact that our dealings have been as linear as they could be, in the circumstances. More depressingly, my fund is worth less than the sum of the payments therein. As in all previous years of payment. In fact the overall fund is worth about half what it has cost me over the years.
But moving on. Forget for a moment the series of letters you sent me last summer asking for my premium, despite my series of letters back saying ‘here’s my bank details, help yourself’, which you largely ignored, until my one month ultimatum (see above). This summer you sent me a letter telling me you had suspended my payments on my request. The next day I sent you a fax asking what, exactly, I had requested, having not contacted you since the previous series of complaints. You didn’t reply.
Now you have sent me a letter saying, “It is important that you review your pension plan…etc…” to my last address. This despite the fact that not only have I told you of my new address, but you have been sending meaningless automated missives to the new address for quite some time. Just to reiterate what is on the enclosed form: MY ADDRESS IS AS AT THE TOP OF THIS LETTER.
I suspect that some of the above problems stem from me inexplicably having two pension numbers, despite only ever having one pension with you. Maybe this stems from the six months it took you to start extracting money from my account after I changed jobs. Anyway, sort it out please, so I can retire one day.
Yours sincerely
Johnnytheboy
P.S. I enclose copies of the last two letters I sent you, as I assume you don’t have a filing system, or records of any sort. I know reading letters and faxes aren't your firm's strong point, but as no one has ever answered the telephone when I've tried to call <terrible pension company> I'm a little bit doubtful about whether you actually employ anyone to answer it.
I just received a letter asking me to review my pension arrangement with you, so here goes.
Unless everyone else that has a pension or any other kind of investment with <terrible pension company> is astonishingly docile, as Customer Services Manager you must have a hell of a job. Why? Because in my limited experience of dealing with large organisations, <terrible pension company> really are on an entirely different level. Quite apart from the fact that I have written several – fairly robust – letters of complaint to you (the last threatening to withdraw my pension fund if you didn’t sort my problem out in a month; you sorted it in 29 days) without much reaction, it’s the fact that as far as I can tell, I’m sending my money up to Scotland so that you can spend it on party hats and sweeties.
I just dug out my last statement from you. For a start it features a different pension number (XXXXXX), despite the fact that our dealings have been as linear as they could be, in the circumstances. More depressingly, my fund is worth less than the sum of the payments therein. As in all previous years of payment. In fact the overall fund is worth about half what it has cost me over the years.
But moving on. Forget for a moment the series of letters you sent me last summer asking for my premium, despite my series of letters back saying ‘here’s my bank details, help yourself’, which you largely ignored, until my one month ultimatum (see above). This summer you sent me a letter telling me you had suspended my payments on my request. The next day I sent you a fax asking what, exactly, I had requested, having not contacted you since the previous series of complaints. You didn’t reply.
Now you have sent me a letter saying, “It is important that you review your pension plan…etc…” to my last address. This despite the fact that not only have I told you of my new address, but you have been sending meaningless automated missives to the new address for quite some time. Just to reiterate what is on the enclosed form: MY ADDRESS IS AS AT THE TOP OF THIS LETTER.
I suspect that some of the above problems stem from me inexplicably having two pension numbers, despite only ever having one pension with you. Maybe this stems from the six months it took you to start extracting money from my account after I changed jobs. Anyway, sort it out please, so I can retire one day.
Yours sincerely
Johnnytheboy
P.S. I enclose copies of the last two letters I sent you, as I assume you don’t have a filing system, or records of any sort. I know reading letters and faxes aren't your firm's strong point, but as no one has ever answered the telephone when I've tried to call <terrible pension company> I'm a little bit doubtful about whether you actually employ anyone to answer it.
Make sure you add your directorship title after your signature. Directors are takem more seriously.
Also add somehwere at the start that you are a mum of four. That will add gravitas to your issue. Dont be tempted to say "single" mum, they'll think you want compo and will fob you off with vouchers for fish fingers and waffles.
Add a facetious little "PS" paragraph at the end like the poster above if point scoring is more important than a resolution
Also add somehwere at the start that you are a mum of four. That will add gravitas to your issue. Dont be tempted to say "single" mum, they'll think you want compo and will fob you off with vouchers for fish fingers and waffles.
Add a facetious little "PS" paragraph at the end like the poster above if point scoring is more important than a resolution
Edited by JuniorD on Sunday 25th September 09:06
Make sure you add your directorship title after your signature. Directors are takem more seriously.
Also add somehwere at the start that you are a mum of four. That will add gravitas to your issue. Dont be tempted to say "single" mum, they'll think you want compo and will fob you off with vouchers for fish fingers and waffles.
Add a facetious little "PS" paragraph at the end like the poster above if point scoring is more important than a resolution
Also add somehwere at the start that you are a mum of four. That will add gravitas to your issue. Dont be tempted to say "single" mum, they'll think you want compo and will fob you off with vouchers for fish fingers and waffles.
Add a facetious little "PS" paragraph at the end like the poster above if point scoring is more important than a resolution
Edited by JuniorD on Sunday 25th September 11:51
If you happen to work anywhere that has an in-house legal team, see if they would be willing to do a favour by advising on what to say when writing a letter. That's what I did very recently when getting nowhere with the supplier of our new but faulty cooker as they repeatedly fobbed me off when trying to resolve by phone. My aim was that the letter would have just enough of the sort of language that would make a legal team at their end realise I was getting advice on the matter. Also sent by recorded delivery, again just to give that sense that this wasn't going to go easily for them.
Cooker sorted immediately after that + compensation I hadn't asked for.
I will likely use that approach again for anything of highish value. I don't know how much you spent so this may be a bit overkill but hope you get it sorted.
Cooker sorted immediately after that + compensation I hadn't asked for.
I will likely use that approach again for anything of highish value. I don't know how much you spent so this may be a bit overkill but hope you get it sorted.
I used to work in the customer complaints department of safway (remember them???) backn in the 90s. Its always important to say how "distressed" your child was. Even if it has nmothing to do with them (alcohol, cigarettes are two such examples we had).
Also how it ruined some event: their birth, your graduation etc, or that is came is a bad time: the same year as the death of david bowie, or Corbyn's re-election), which makes it sound all the worse.
The reality was this: it was a process. Safwway would log the complaint, and send out a standard letter with a gift voucher. Pass the cost onto the supplier if required, who would pay safeway back.
the only exception would be if they complained multiple times. in this instance, a standard letter with no vouchers would be sent.
I would imagine big retailers are still the same. But maybe with full colour VDU's and a no-smolking policy in the office. Maybe...
Also how it ruined some event: their birth, your graduation etc, or that is came is a bad time: the same year as the death of david bowie, or Corbyn's re-election), which makes it sound all the worse.
The reality was this: it was a process. Safwway would log the complaint, and send out a standard letter with a gift voucher. Pass the cost onto the supplier if required, who would pay safeway back.
the only exception would be if they complained multiple times. in this instance, a standard letter with no vouchers would be sent.
I would imagine big retailers are still the same. But maybe with full colour VDU's and a no-smolking policy in the office. Maybe...
Beats me. Still baffled as to why B&Q never came back to me on this effort:
me said:
Hello,
I'm writing not so much to complain as to share with you my journey through the B and Q 'experience' this afternoon at your Great Western Road store in Glasgow.
Firstly, on requesting help pricing some unmarked tiles, a sales assistant helpfully asked us to wait while he dealt with another couple's request. No problem at all. We waited with the other couple and marvelled as a minor logistics operation unfolded before us. The aisle was taped off rigorously with safety tape and the assistant employed a mechanical platform which enabled him to see on to the top shelves, whereupon after about ten minutes he was able to report that whatever the other couple had been looking for wasn't in fact on the top shelf. I got the distinct impression they had been waiting some time for this bad news as they simply abandoned the rest of their shopping and left without purchasing anything. "Health and Safety - company policy!" Im sure you will respond. But allow me to offer a simple suggestion that might be quicker in future - the humble step ladder. You even sell them (aisle 27 if memory serves) and with a B and Q staff card would qualify for a healthy discount, I'm sure.
During this, I had decided we would be quicker if my partner waited whilst I queued to pay for the rest of our goods, along with a sample of the tile we were tying to price. My theory was that she would have got her answer by the time I had paid and we would be able to leave - a sound plan in theory, I sure you will agree.
It didn't work out quite like that though, sadly. The queue was rather long and unfortunately the poor girl operating the till seemed to have been very poorly trained, as each and every customer before me encountered a snag of some kind with their purchase, each of which needed the intervention of a supervisor to sort out. The man before me was buying a drill and the security tag couldn't be removed for instance, (if only we had been in a tool shop, I feel certain we could have found something able to remove it) whilst the lady before him didn't have the right barcode for her product. This became amusing and before long my fellow queuers and I were sharing knowing looks and rolled eyes.
But ever the optimist, my turn came and I stepped forward, ready to transact. Sadly, the tile sample I had selected (the one we were unable to find a price per box for, remember) didn't have a barcode. The girl was very apologetic and I must stress I don't blame her for any of this - more the general management and standard of training within the store - but I had to wait another 5 minutes whilst someone was summoned to help. Help she did, and returned after 5 more minutes with a bar code. I could see that my partner was now being served by the assistant mentioned at the beginning so it looked as if all was going to work out after all.
I paid for my sample and waited next to the till.
That was when my partner arrived to tell me that the tile I had just paid £1.98 for was from a discontinued range and wasn't actually for sale, despite me being able to buy a sample.
We queried the logic of purchasing a sample tile from a range that wasn't actually for sale and suggested politely that we get our money back. To my utter disbelief, we were told that to return the £1.98 tile (which in case I was unclear before, was from a range not actually for fking sale!) we would have to queue up AGAIN, at the customer service desk and being a man not prone to exaggeration, I'm sure you will believe me when I tell you that this queue rivalled those once seen outside food banks in Communist Russia.
I'm afraid to say that at that point, my partner had simply had enough and threw the tile on the floor and we left. No doubt the entire store was closed whilst the ensuing health and safety crisis was swept up but I'm sure you'll agree that the whole escapade was nothing short of ridiculous. What should have been a five minute trip into the store turned into a half hour epic.
As mentioned at the start of my letter, I'm not writing to complain about the staff as I appreciate that they are doing the best with what they have been given but I would hope that you take the above comments in the spirit that they are intended and perhaps address the standard of training and management process within store.
It pains me to say that I have seen news reports of Third World riots that appear to operate with more efficiency, possibly even with a better customer experience, and I can assure you that we will most certainly NOT be buying the tiles (because they aren't for sale remember - perhaps we could buy several hundred sample tiles individually??) and will not be hurrying back to the Great Western Road store in the future.
Oh, one more thing: I had hoped to do this via your website but the online complaint form has a 255 character limit which seems remarkably self-confident, given our experience today.
Yours sincerely
Disastrous
I'm writing not so much to complain as to share with you my journey through the B and Q 'experience' this afternoon at your Great Western Road store in Glasgow.
Firstly, on requesting help pricing some unmarked tiles, a sales assistant helpfully asked us to wait while he dealt with another couple's request. No problem at all. We waited with the other couple and marvelled as a minor logistics operation unfolded before us. The aisle was taped off rigorously with safety tape and the assistant employed a mechanical platform which enabled him to see on to the top shelves, whereupon after about ten minutes he was able to report that whatever the other couple had been looking for wasn't in fact on the top shelf. I got the distinct impression they had been waiting some time for this bad news as they simply abandoned the rest of their shopping and left without purchasing anything. "Health and Safety - company policy!" Im sure you will respond. But allow me to offer a simple suggestion that might be quicker in future - the humble step ladder. You even sell them (aisle 27 if memory serves) and with a B and Q staff card would qualify for a healthy discount, I'm sure.
During this, I had decided we would be quicker if my partner waited whilst I queued to pay for the rest of our goods, along with a sample of the tile we were tying to price. My theory was that she would have got her answer by the time I had paid and we would be able to leave - a sound plan in theory, I sure you will agree.
It didn't work out quite like that though, sadly. The queue was rather long and unfortunately the poor girl operating the till seemed to have been very poorly trained, as each and every customer before me encountered a snag of some kind with their purchase, each of which needed the intervention of a supervisor to sort out. The man before me was buying a drill and the security tag couldn't be removed for instance, (if only we had been in a tool shop, I feel certain we could have found something able to remove it) whilst the lady before him didn't have the right barcode for her product. This became amusing and before long my fellow queuers and I were sharing knowing looks and rolled eyes.
But ever the optimist, my turn came and I stepped forward, ready to transact. Sadly, the tile sample I had selected (the one we were unable to find a price per box for, remember) didn't have a barcode. The girl was very apologetic and I must stress I don't blame her for any of this - more the general management and standard of training within the store - but I had to wait another 5 minutes whilst someone was summoned to help. Help she did, and returned after 5 more minutes with a bar code. I could see that my partner was now being served by the assistant mentioned at the beginning so it looked as if all was going to work out after all.
I paid for my sample and waited next to the till.
That was when my partner arrived to tell me that the tile I had just paid £1.98 for was from a discontinued range and wasn't actually for sale, despite me being able to buy a sample.
We queried the logic of purchasing a sample tile from a range that wasn't actually for sale and suggested politely that we get our money back. To my utter disbelief, we were told that to return the £1.98 tile (which in case I was unclear before, was from a range not actually for f
king sale!) we would have to queue up AGAIN, at the customer service desk and being a man not prone to exaggeration, I'm sure you will believe me when I tell you that this queue rivalled those once seen outside food banks in Communist Russia. I'm afraid to say that at that point, my partner had simply had enough and threw the tile on the floor and we left. No doubt the entire store was closed whilst the ensuing health and safety crisis was swept up but I'm sure you'll agree that the whole escapade was nothing short of ridiculous. What should have been a five minute trip into the store turned into a half hour epic.
As mentioned at the start of my letter, I'm not writing to complain about the staff as I appreciate that they are doing the best with what they have been given but I would hope that you take the above comments in the spirit that they are intended and perhaps address the standard of training and management process within store.
It pains me to say that I have seen news reports of Third World riots that appear to operate with more efficiency, possibly even with a better customer experience, and I can assure you that we will most certainly NOT be buying the tiles (because they aren't for sale remember - perhaps we could buy several hundred sample tiles individually??) and will not be hurrying back to the Great Western Road store in the future.
Oh, one more thing: I had hoped to do this via your website but the online complaint form has a 255 character limit which seems remarkably self-confident, given our experience today.
Yours sincerely
Disastrous
If your upset is justified and reasonable, then your expression thereof will read that way.
If you have trouble penning a letter which doesn't read like you're being a jerk, chances are you're being a jerk.
"I'm writing to express my dissatisfaction at the build quality of the watch which I purchased a month ago and has broken twice already..."
Sounds just fine.
"I'm writing to express my dissatisfaction at the lack of pussy I'm getting after buying a very flash looking watch from your company..."
See the difference?
I could receive the same letter twice, but give wholly different responses depending on the reasonable-ness of the complaint.
If you have trouble penning a letter which doesn't read like you're being a jerk, chances are you're being a jerk.
"I'm writing to express my dissatisfaction at the build quality of the watch which I purchased a month ago and has broken twice already..."
Sounds just fine.
"I'm writing to express my dissatisfaction at the lack of pussy I'm getting after buying a very flash looking watch from your company..."
See the difference?
I could receive the same letter twice, but give wholly different responses depending on the reasonable-ness of the complaint.
Here is my work in progress after a strange confrontation I had this afternoon. looks a bit odd here as I have bullet pointed a lot of it in my(unfinished) email
I purchased a pair of DC trainers from xxxxx (a surfing apparel shop)in a town on May 9th 2016 which I have been very pleased with up until a couple of days ago. They fitted well and were comfortable and looked pretty good.
Unfortunately, on the 24th September 2016 I noticed that there was a problem with one shoe. Please see photos attached
The hard plastic internal stiffener has worn a slit into the yellow outside trim of the shoe. The photos demonstrate the fault and also the very little wear evident on the sole of the shoe, demonstrating how little use the shoes have had.
On one of the later photos, you can see how the hard edge of the stiffener is causing further fraying along its top edge to the yellow heel section.
I visited your Rip Curl store in Milton Keynes where I had purchased them from to obtain a replacement pair of shoes.
I initially spoke to a pleasant girl who said she would get somebody over to see me.
A youngish man came over who tugged and poked the shoe and agreed it was a manufacturing defect.
A third person then approached me, a rather aggressive person named Kieran who was apparently the manager. He was extremely offhand and said he wasn’t qualified to decide whether or not the hole was down to a manufacturing defect or not and that they would have to be sent to your HQ to be examined by experts.
I wasn’t very impressed at either his demeanour nor his answer when it was blatantly obvious that how the damage was caused. Common sense wasn’t working here, rather, ‘The computer says no’ approach.He further added that I had to have proof of purchase before he could do anything.
I was fairly confident that in the event of an item being found faulty within 6 months of purchase, the customer must be offered an exchange or refund as a statutory right..
Kieran completely dismissed that notion, citing that he had been working in retail for 10 years. This government website https://www.gov.uk/accepting-returns-and-giving-re... seems to consider the matter differently and as the Government make the rules. I am not one for bleating on about ‘my rights’, but I would think it appropriate for Kieran to receive some retraining.
I told Kieran that I felt he was mistaken and suggested he googled it. He told me to google it myself and walked off, leaving me standing at the counter, (fortunate it was there, as it ended up supporting my dropped jaw) whilst adding that he didn’t have time to debate the issue with me and that he was just following company policy.
I am absolutely flabbergasted that I was spoken to like that by a member of staff in a retail environment, completely ignorant of how businesses should operate these days. I appreciate that I am several decades older than your normal demographic and to be spoken down to may be acceptable by your normal clientele, but it’s a basic skill to be pleasant and helpful and not call everyone ‘Bud’.
I still require my shoes replacing immediately and as a matter of principal would appreciate not being given the runaround by your supposed company policy, which according to Kieran, your retail guru with 10 years experience of annoying customers, flies in the face of common sense and good customer relations.
I look forward to receiving your proposals to rectify my issues by return please.
andygo said:
Here is my work in progress after a strange confrontation I had this afternoon. looks a bit odd here as I have bullet pointed a lot of it in my(unfinished) email
I purchased a pair of DC trainers from xxxxx (a surfing apparel shop)in a town on May 9th 2016 which I have been very pleased with up until a couple of days ago. They fitted well and were comfortable and looked pretty good.
Unfortunately, on the 24th September 2016 I noticed that there was a problem with one shoe. Please see photos attached
The hard plastic internal stiffener has worn a slit into the yellow outside trim of the shoe. The photos demonstrate the fault and also the very little wear evident on the sole of the shoe, demonstrating how little use the shoes have had.
On one of the later photos, you can see how the hard edge of the stiffener is causing further fraying along its top edge to the yellow heel section.
I visited your Rip Curl store in Milton Keynes where I had purchased them from to obtain a replacement pair of shoes.
I initially spoke to a pleasant girl who said she would get somebody over to see me.
A youngish man came over who tugged and poked the shoe and agreed it was a manufacturing defect.
A third person then approached me, a rather aggressive person named Kieran who was apparently the manager. He was extremely offhand and said he wasn’t qualified to decide whether or not the hole was down to a manufacturing defect or not and that they would have to be sent to your HQ to be examined by experts.
I wasn’t very impressed at either his demeanour nor his answer when it was blatantly obvious that how the damage was caused. Common sense wasn’t working here, rather, ‘The computer says no’ approach.He further added that I had to have proof of purchase before he could do anything.
I was fairly confident that in the event of an item being found faulty within 6 months of purchase, the customer must be offered an exchange or refund as a statutory right..
Kieran completely dismissed that notion, citing that he had been working in retail for 10 years. This government website https://www.gov.uk/accepting-returns-and-giving-re... seems to consider the matter differently and as the Government make the rules. I am not one for bleating on about ‘my rights’, but I would think it appropriate for Kieran to receive some retraining.
I told Kieran that I felt he was mistaken and suggested he googled it. He told me to google it myself and walked off, leaving me standing at the counter, (fortunate it was there, as it ended up supporting my dropped jaw) whilst adding that he didn’t have time to debate the issue with me and that he was just following company policy.
I am absolutely flabbergasted that I was spoken to like that by a member of staff in a retail environment, completely ignorant of how businesses should operate these days. I appreciate that I am several decades older than your normal demographic and to be spoken down to may be acceptable by your normal clientele, but it’s a basic skill to be pleasant and helpful and not call everyone ‘Bud’.
I still require my shoes replacing immediately and as a matter of principal would appreciate not being given the runaround by your supposed company policy, which according to Kieran, your retail guru with 10 years experience of annoying customers, flies in the face of common sense and good customer relations.
I look forward to receiving your proposals to rectify my issues by return please.
Kieran sounds like a monumental bellend. That sort of sI purchased a pair of DC trainers from xxxxx (a surfing apparel shop)in a town on May 9th 2016 which I have been very pleased with up until a couple of days ago. They fitted well and were comfortable and looked pretty good.
Unfortunately, on the 24th September 2016 I noticed that there was a problem with one shoe. Please see photos attached
The hard plastic internal stiffener has worn a slit into the yellow outside trim of the shoe. The photos demonstrate the fault and also the very little wear evident on the sole of the shoe, demonstrating how little use the shoes have had.
On one of the later photos, you can see how the hard edge of the stiffener is causing further fraying along its top edge to the yellow heel section.
I visited your Rip Curl store in Milton Keynes where I had purchased them from to obtain a replacement pair of shoes.
I initially spoke to a pleasant girl who said she would get somebody over to see me.
A youngish man came over who tugged and poked the shoe and agreed it was a manufacturing defect.
A third person then approached me, a rather aggressive person named Kieran who was apparently the manager. He was extremely offhand and said he wasn’t qualified to decide whether or not the hole was down to a manufacturing defect or not and that they would have to be sent to your HQ to be examined by experts.
I wasn’t very impressed at either his demeanour nor his answer when it was blatantly obvious that how the damage was caused. Common sense wasn’t working here, rather, ‘The computer says no’ approach.He further added that I had to have proof of purchase before he could do anything.
I was fairly confident that in the event of an item being found faulty within 6 months of purchase, the customer must be offered an exchange or refund as a statutory right..
Kieran completely dismissed that notion, citing that he had been working in retail for 10 years. This government website https://www.gov.uk/accepting-returns-and-giving-re... seems to consider the matter differently and as the Government make the rules. I am not one for bleating on about ‘my rights’, but I would think it appropriate for Kieran to receive some retraining.
I told Kieran that I felt he was mistaken and suggested he googled it. He told me to google it myself and walked off, leaving me standing at the counter, (fortunate it was there, as it ended up supporting my dropped jaw) whilst adding that he didn’t have time to debate the issue with me and that he was just following company policy.
I am absolutely flabbergasted that I was spoken to like that by a member of staff in a retail environment, completely ignorant of how businesses should operate these days. I appreciate that I am several decades older than your normal demographic and to be spoken down to may be acceptable by your normal clientele, but it’s a basic skill to be pleasant and helpful and not call everyone ‘Bud’.
I still require my shoes replacing immediately and as a matter of principal would appreciate not being given the runaround by your supposed company policy, which according to Kieran, your retail guru with 10 years experience of annoying customers, flies in the face of common sense and good customer relations.
I look forward to receiving your proposals to rectify my issues by return please.
t from a fking surf shop salesman would drive me to insta-rage I'm afraid, so well done for a calm letter. When he told you he'd been in retail for 10 years were you tempted to sarcastically offer to help with his cv?Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff