A Good Result - What Did You Get When You Complained?
Discussion
With the recent time off work (WFH) and the good weather I decided to buy a 'wheel refurb kit' (etch primer, paint & laquer) off Amazon for £25. I already had some wet & dry and after YouTube'ing a video got to work on them. I knew I had to get some new tyres soon so left that till after they were painted.
I used a old deck of playing cards, a tip I read on here and over 3-4 days I sanded, primed, painted and lacquered.
Last Friday I rang a tyre dealer and bought 4 x Pirelli P7's for my 320D for £60ea, well pleased with the price for 205's.
When I returned home I noticed a black mark on one of the spokes but this came off with some solvent. I thought I'd better check the others and was really disppointed to see quite a lot of paint removed on the edge of the wheel which spread probably 75mm into the inner but also two larg nicks on the spokes.
This was about 7-10 days after I sprayed the wheels.
I rang the dealer this morning to complain and how disheartened I was after spending my time getting them right. He was really apologetic and asked what I wanted. I told him I was prepared to drop off the car to him for him to remove the tyre and put right the paint (I still have the paint) but also asked what he could do for my partners car.
She needs 4 x 225/50/17's. He looked at what he could do and came up with Falkens, usually £90-100ea, said he will do them at cost +£1, so £65 each.
Also MOT'ing my BMW for free as well whilst it's in there.
So, a simple phone call, kept things civil and pleasant and got relatively loads in return!
What have you got after complaining?
I used a old deck of playing cards, a tip I read on here and over 3-4 days I sanded, primed, painted and lacquered.
Last Friday I rang a tyre dealer and bought 4 x Pirelli P7's for my 320D for £60ea, well pleased with the price for 205's.
When I returned home I noticed a black mark on one of the spokes but this came off with some solvent. I thought I'd better check the others and was really disppointed to see quite a lot of paint removed on the edge of the wheel which spread probably 75mm into the inner but also two larg nicks on the spokes.
This was about 7-10 days after I sprayed the wheels.
I rang the dealer this morning to complain and how disheartened I was after spending my time getting them right. He was really apologetic and asked what I wanted. I told him I was prepared to drop off the car to him for him to remove the tyre and put right the paint (I still have the paint) but also asked what he could do for my partners car.
She needs 4 x 225/50/17's. He looked at what he could do and came up with Falkens, usually £90-100ea, said he will do them at cost +£1, so £65 each.
Also MOT'ing my BMW for free as well whilst it's in there.
So, a simple phone call, kept things civil and pleasant and got relatively loads in return!
What have you got after complaining?
Best were probably Sky and Virgin
Sky we had everything, HD, sports, movies, boxed sets, etc. All in for £45 on Sky Q
Kept it for a few years til they finally tried to hike the price. I wasn't having any of it so cancelled, they took a couple of weeks but eventually came down to the £45 but I left anyway, realised we didn't really miss it...
And Virgin media was £30 for 100MB broadband, came up for renewal and they wanted £60. One phone call and we're down to £19... go figure.
Sky we had everything, HD, sports, movies, boxed sets, etc. All in for £45 on Sky Q
Kept it for a few years til they finally tried to hike the price. I wasn't having any of it so cancelled, they took a couple of weeks but eventually came down to the £45 but I left anyway, realised we didn't really miss it...
And Virgin media was £30 for 100MB broadband, came up for renewal and they wanted £60. One phone call and we're down to £19... go figure.
I bought some weed killer made by Doff. The front of the container showed a pic of the product being used on a lawn.
I used it on weed patchs on a lawn and it killed the grass near the weeds, I complained. Doff at first denied that they made it so I sent a pic of the container and label.
Doff Customer Services then said that I had stuck the label on another companys container, because they didn't make a yellow container. Then I sent them a link to the retailers site showing the Doff product in a yellow container.
Then they said that I should have checked with them first before using the product to see if was ok for use on lawns even though the reverse of the container did not say do not use on lawns.
I passed that Customer Services email to the MD of Doff and he sent me one of all their products, about 15, with a note that if my lawn showed any ill effects then they would pay for returfing.
I used it on weed patchs on a lawn and it killed the grass near the weeds, I complained. Doff at first denied that they made it so I sent a pic of the container and label.
Doff Customer Services then said that I had stuck the label on another companys container, because they didn't make a yellow container. Then I sent them a link to the retailers site showing the Doff product in a yellow container.
Then they said that I should have checked with them first before using the product to see if was ok for use on lawns even though the reverse of the container did not say do not use on lawns.
I passed that Customer Services email to the MD of Doff and he sent me one of all their products, about 15, with a note that if my lawn showed any ill effects then they would pay for returfing.
Fastchas said:
With the recent time off work (WFH) and the good weather I decided to buy a 'wheel refurb kit' (etch primer, paint & laquer) off Amazon for £25. I already had some wet & dry and after YouTube'ing a video got to work on them. I knew I had to get some new tyres soon so left that till after they were painted.
I used a old deck of playing cards, a tip I read on here and over 3-4 days I sanded, primed, painted and lacquered.
Last Friday I rang a tyre dealer and bought 4 x Pirelli P7's for my 320D for £60ea, well pleased with the price for 205's.
When I returned home I noticed a black mark on one of the spokes but this came off with some solvent. I thought I'd better check the others and was really disppointed to see quite a lot of paint removed on the edge of the wheel which spread probably 75mm into the inner but also two larg nicks on the spokes.
This was about 7-10 days after I sprayed the wheels.
I rang the dealer this morning to complain and how disheartened I was after spending my time getting them right. He was really apologetic and asked what I wanted. I told him I was prepared to drop off the car to him for him to remove the tyre and put right the paint (I still have the paint) but also asked what he could do for my partners car.
She needs 4 x 225/50/17's. He looked at what he could do and came up with Falkens, usually £90-100ea, said he will do them at cost +£1, so £65 each.
Also MOT'ing my BMW for free as well whilst it's in there.
So, a simple phone call, kept things civil and pleasant and got relatively loads in return!
What have you got after complaining?
Surely if you were going to use a DIY kit to refurb your wheels, you would expect it not to be resilient as a full refurb where the tyres are taken off and the wheels are stripped and fully resprayed or powder coated. In the circumstances they were always going to fail. You should have done your "refurb" after the tyres were fitted thereby minimising the risk of damage to the rims. I used a old deck of playing cards, a tip I read on here and over 3-4 days I sanded, primed, painted and lacquered.
Last Friday I rang a tyre dealer and bought 4 x Pirelli P7's for my 320D for £60ea, well pleased with the price for 205's.
When I returned home I noticed a black mark on one of the spokes but this came off with some solvent. I thought I'd better check the others and was really disppointed to see quite a lot of paint removed on the edge of the wheel which spread probably 75mm into the inner but also two larg nicks on the spokes.
This was about 7-10 days after I sprayed the wheels.
I rang the dealer this morning to complain and how disheartened I was after spending my time getting them right. He was really apologetic and asked what I wanted. I told him I was prepared to drop off the car to him for him to remove the tyre and put right the paint (I still have the paint) but also asked what he could do for my partners car.
She needs 4 x 225/50/17's. He looked at what he could do and came up with Falkens, usually £90-100ea, said he will do them at cost +£1, so £65 each.
Also MOT'ing my BMW for free as well whilst it's in there.
So, a simple phone call, kept things civil and pleasant and got relatively loads in return!
What have you got after complaining?
Not a complaint as such, but since lockdown HelloFresh (the foodbox delivery people) have started to buckle under the strain. Every week they miss something out, i report it via the webchat and I'm getting between 10 and 20% credited back on my account.
Last week, they managed to miss all the meat for the whole weeks box, so they refunded the entire 45 quid lot.
Last week, they managed to miss all the meat for the whole weeks box, so they refunded the entire 45 quid lot.
I took an Avia gold watch that I inherited from my grandad to H Samuel (I think). They sent it away for repair/servicing, this took weeks and then came back untouched as for some reason they decided it couldn't be serviced. I think they had tried to send it to the 'manufacturer.' Avia still exist but as a brand for run of the mill Argos catalogue type watches I think.
I wrote to them to say I was disappointed with the service, and that the watch obviously could be worked on as I had a quote from a specialist watch place of about £150 ish (again - 10 years ago - I think it was about this much).
H Samuel wrote back offering me a discount on a new Avia watch, despite the fact my previous letter had mentioned mine had been inherited. I replied again saying that not only was their service disappointing, I don't think they'd paid much attention to my letter if they thought 10% off a £40 watch was any use (maybe I was harsh?).
Anyway another letter arrived, stating they now considered the matter closed, but containing a cheque to the value of the servicing at the specialist place. So for the price of 2 stamps I thought a cheque for well over £100 was good going, especially seeing as I hadn't actually bought anything from them in the first place.
Here's the watch still working fine:
I wrote to them to say I was disappointed with the service, and that the watch obviously could be worked on as I had a quote from a specialist watch place of about £150 ish (again - 10 years ago - I think it was about this much).
H Samuel wrote back offering me a discount on a new Avia watch, despite the fact my previous letter had mentioned mine had been inherited. I replied again saying that not only was their service disappointing, I don't think they'd paid much attention to my letter if they thought 10% off a £40 watch was any use (maybe I was harsh?).
Anyway another letter arrived, stating they now considered the matter closed, but containing a cheque to the value of the servicing at the specialist place. So for the price of 2 stamps I thought a cheque for well over £100 was good going, especially seeing as I hadn't actually bought anything from them in the first place.
Here's the watch still working fine:
Edited by TomTheTyke on Monday 20th April 14:46
Had a bike box damaged by an airline (forget which one) and got passed to their normal repairer. I told them I was happy to buy the replacement parts and fit if they could authorise payment for them, saving them the hassle of collection and return. They couldn't and insisted they had it to repair.
They collected and repaired but it got lost sending it back to me (quite how something that size gets lost I have no idea!!). They said they'd replace like for like or I could put it towards an upgrade and add cash (£180 for the one I wanted). I pushed back given the "like for like" would have cost them much less than it cost me, I could buy the upgrade outright for £220 somewhere else, and they were likely going to claim its market value from the postage company for losing it. In the end, they gave me the upgraded box without me adding any cash
They collected and repaired but it got lost sending it back to me (quite how something that size gets lost I have no idea!!). They said they'd replace like for like or I could put it towards an upgrade and add cash (£180 for the one I wanted). I pushed back given the "like for like" would have cost them much less than it cost me, I could buy the upgrade outright for £220 somewhere else, and they were likely going to claim its market value from the postage company for losing it. In the end, they gave me the upgraded box without me adding any cash
KungFuPanda said:
Fastchas said:
With the recent time off work (WFH) and the good weather I decided to buy a 'wheel refurb kit' (etch primer, paint & laquer) off Amazon for £25. I already had some wet & dry and after YouTube'ing a video got to work on them. I knew I had to get some new tyres soon so left that till after they were painted.
I used a old deck of playing cards, a tip I read on here and over 3-4 days I sanded, primed, painted and lacquered.
Last Friday I rang a tyre dealer and bought 4 x Pirelli P7's for my 320D for £60ea, well pleased with the price for 205's.
When I returned home I noticed a black mark on one of the spokes but this came off with some solvent. I thought I'd better check the others and was really disppointed to see quite a lot of paint removed on the edge of the wheel which spread probably 75mm into the inner but also two larg nicks on the spokes.
This was about 7-10 days after I sprayed the wheels.
I rang the dealer this morning to complain and how disheartened I was after spending my time getting them right. He was really apologetic and asked what I wanted. I told him I was prepared to drop off the car to him for him to remove the tyre and put right the paint (I still have the paint) but also asked what he could do for my partners car.
She needs 4 x 225/50/17's. He looked at what he could do and came up with Falkens, usually £90-100ea, said he will do them at cost +£1, so £65 each.
Also MOT'ing my BMW for free as well whilst it's in there.
So, a simple phone call, kept things civil and pleasant and got relatively loads in return!
What have you got after complaining?
Surely if you were going to use a DIY kit to refurb your wheels, you would expect it not to be resilient as a full refurb where the tyres are taken off and the wheels are stripped and fully resprayed or powder coated. In the circumstances they were always going to fail. You should have done your "refurb" after the tyres were fitted thereby minimising the risk of damage to the rims. I used a old deck of playing cards, a tip I read on here and over 3-4 days I sanded, primed, painted and lacquered.
Last Friday I rang a tyre dealer and bought 4 x Pirelli P7's for my 320D for £60ea, well pleased with the price for 205's.
When I returned home I noticed a black mark on one of the spokes but this came off with some solvent. I thought I'd better check the others and was really disppointed to see quite a lot of paint removed on the edge of the wheel which spread probably 75mm into the inner but also two larg nicks on the spokes.
This was about 7-10 days after I sprayed the wheels.
I rang the dealer this morning to complain and how disheartened I was after spending my time getting them right. He was really apologetic and asked what I wanted. I told him I was prepared to drop off the car to him for him to remove the tyre and put right the paint (I still have the paint) but also asked what he could do for my partners car.
She needs 4 x 225/50/17's. He looked at what he could do and came up with Falkens, usually £90-100ea, said he will do them at cost +£1, so £65 each.
Also MOT'ing my BMW for free as well whilst it's in there.
So, a simple phone call, kept things civil and pleasant and got relatively loads in return!
What have you got after complaining?
Would they treat an Aston's differently?
We didn't complain. I bought my wife a set of carson binoculars for bird watching about 17 years ago.
She uses them reasonably regularly and they were very good, but the rubber handle and casing started to become sticky. Few u-tube videos, and tried a few things but nothing worked, she was reluctant to part with them because they were good clarity so decided to send an email to carsons main website in America asking if there was anything they could suggest.
We were then asked for £5 for shipping. When we asked what this was for it was for the shipping of a complete new pair of binoculars of the newest model as a replacement. So if anyone knows how to get the sticky off old rubber we will have two pair
She uses them reasonably regularly and they were very good, but the rubber handle and casing started to become sticky. Few u-tube videos, and tried a few things but nothing worked, she was reluctant to part with them because they were good clarity so decided to send an email to carsons main website in America asking if there was anything they could suggest.
We were then asked for £5 for shipping. When we asked what this was for it was for the shipping of a complete new pair of binoculars of the newest model as a replacement. So if anyone knows how to get the sticky off old rubber we will have two pair
Long time ago, bought a 3yr old 2000 model year Audi TT.
I had to take it back with an intermittent brake issue. Sometimes the pedal was firm and at the top of its travel. Next time the brakes were applied, pedal was firm, but much lower in its travel range, quite disconcerting.
Anyway this dragged on for a while. In the end the garage said Audi had authorised them to supply a replacement car.
I got an 18 month old version, with better wheels, Bose etc etc. Oh and it came with quite a nice cherished number as well.
I reckon it was about a £4k win for me.
Just a bit better than the measly £30 I won on the lottery this week!
I had to take it back with an intermittent brake issue. Sometimes the pedal was firm and at the top of its travel. Next time the brakes were applied, pedal was firm, but much lower in its travel range, quite disconcerting.
Anyway this dragged on for a while. In the end the garage said Audi had authorised them to supply a replacement car.
I got an 18 month old version, with better wheels, Bose etc etc. Oh and it came with quite a nice cherished number as well.
I reckon it was about a £4k win for me.
Just a bit better than the measly £30 I won on the lottery this week!
I've had free nights or upgrades at various hotels, often from specific complaints, but occasionally just having to move room for whatever reason, or just providing genuine feedback.
The free night (in an upgraded room) was just as a result of genuine comment on a feedback survey, as we had to request a move due to noisy pipework - out of the blue came an offer of a free night. This was the Caley in Edinburgh, so it was a pretty generous offer..
On a similar theme, we were moved rooms due to the fact that an aircon issue in a room in Dubai wasn't immediately fixable after a pretty uncomfortable first night. The expectation was just a room with working aircon, but for the remainder of the ten night stay this became a suite.
Most recent was two nights in one of the chains in Brussels, so the hotel could demonstrate they were normally much better than the stay we experienced. Again this was an upgraded room, although the floor we had been on looked just as bad about nine months on..
The free night (in an upgraded room) was just as a result of genuine comment on a feedback survey, as we had to request a move due to noisy pipework - out of the blue came an offer of a free night. This was the Caley in Edinburgh, so it was a pretty generous offer..
On a similar theme, we were moved rooms due to the fact that an aircon issue in a room in Dubai wasn't immediately fixable after a pretty uncomfortable first night. The expectation was just a room with working aircon, but for the remainder of the ten night stay this became a suite.
Most recent was two nights in one of the chains in Brussels, so the hotel could demonstrate they were normally much better than the stay we experienced. Again this was an upgraded room, although the floor we had been on looked just as bad about nine months on..
Pothole said:
I complained about service and food in a pub a few years back. £50 vouchers in the post.
That reminds me - I did much the same and I too got vouchers back. It wasn't even the pub/breweries fault but that of their appointed bouncer, but the pub manager took my details anyway and his boss sent me £50 vouchers. Which was nice. I bought an impact driver recently from an Amazon reseller and the zip of the case failed straight away. I contacted the company to see if they would send another case. They asked for a picture and then went quiet.
About a week later I felt differently; I didn’t need a case, it was going to live with my drills, let’s try to be reasonable with each other during an economic slump, no need to be a gammony arse etc. Before I sent that message though, they replied saying they didn’t have any spare cases and refunded my money in full.
Now I have guilt!
About a week later I felt differently; I didn’t need a case, it was going to live with my drills, let’s try to be reasonable with each other during an economic slump, no need to be a gammony arse etc. Before I sent that message though, they replied saying they didn’t have any spare cases and refunded my money in full.
Now I have guilt!
Long story short, 10 years ago we'd booked Premium Economy seats on the flight from LA to Gatwick, having first started in Maui.
After queueing for ages at the Virgin check-in desk, the guy pointed out that our seats weren't together. We didn't realise you had to choose your own seats; we thought that you'd automatically be given two next to each other if you're making a booking for two people. Anyway, we genuinely hadn't a clue about this but he pointed out the seats and we weren't too far apart, so we said as long as we're still able to travel back in Premium Economy then that's fine. We didn't kick up a fuss.
'Hang on, leave it with me', said Mr Van Huytsen, the chap behind the desk (I remember his name). He made a quick, discreet phone call then slid two tickets across the desk. 'I think you'll find this will be more comfortable' - and with that we were handed two Upper Class tickets.
When we got back to the UK we fired off a letter to Virgin thanking him / them - it was the perfect end to the honeymoon. I doubt I'll get to travel first class again but it was an amazing experience.
After queueing for ages at the Virgin check-in desk, the guy pointed out that our seats weren't together. We didn't realise you had to choose your own seats; we thought that you'd automatically be given two next to each other if you're making a booking for two people. Anyway, we genuinely hadn't a clue about this but he pointed out the seats and we weren't too far apart, so we said as long as we're still able to travel back in Premium Economy then that's fine. We didn't kick up a fuss.
'Hang on, leave it with me', said Mr Van Huytsen, the chap behind the desk (I remember his name). He made a quick, discreet phone call then slid two tickets across the desk. 'I think you'll find this will be more comfortable' - and with that we were handed two Upper Class tickets.
When we got back to the UK we fired off a letter to Virgin thanking him / them - it was the perfect end to the honeymoon. I doubt I'll get to travel first class again but it was an amazing experience.
essdaytwelve said:
Booking.com £364
LV £500
TalkTalk £50
HSBC £80
Barclaycard £90
Sky £128
EE £80
Dealership £2500
Last Company I worked for £1000, plus £1000’s in legal costs.
That’s just in the last year.
Takes tenacity and never giving up.
Are you the unluckiest guy in the world, or is this a hobby?LV £500
TalkTalk £50
HSBC £80
Barclaycard £90
Sky £128
EE £80
Dealership £2500
Last Company I worked for £1000, plus £1000’s in legal costs.
That’s just in the last year.
Takes tenacity and never giving up.
One from me, from moons ago. I bought one of the first Philips DVD recorders, which cost me £500. With in the first year it packed up, so I took it back, and they held it to take a look. A week later having not heard from them I popped in store. After a while someone came out and said it was a write off, and they could offer me its replacement model, which was £300, as I presume the cost of tech had fallen. I pointed out I'd bought a £500, so I wasn't going to take a £300 one, they argued it was like for like.
I stood my ground, and said I'll either have my £500 back, or I'd leave the store with £500 of goods. After much back and forth I left with the replacement machine, and a £200 mini hi-fi for the then girlfriends house.
I stood my ground, and said I'll either have my £500 back, or I'd leave the store with £500 of goods. After much back and forth I left with the replacement machine, and a £200 mini hi-fi for the then girlfriends house.
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