customer demanding T&Cs and other stuff

[pugwash4x4]

We sell the off piece or two of dry cleaning to the general public. We have a policy of phoning customers if after 3 months an article hasn't been picked up. Afteer 9 months the customer is written to and after 12 the items is disposed of.

My lead customer service rep has just phoned a customer after three months and politely remided them that they have an item in one of our shops and would they like to come and pick it up- the customer lost their temper and has demanded to see our terms and conditions and other documents the they say we are legally obliged to provide them.

What the hell is the customer talking about? we have terms and conditions but i wasn't aware we were legally obliged to have them if we didn't want to? have we done anything wrong above?

[Tam]

I'm fairly sure that retailers have to provide their full T&Cs on request.

[steviebee]

I don't know about the legality but it's always worth having some cast in stone.

[SaTTaN]

I've always wondered what people were thinking leaving their dry cleaning for more than 3 months...!

maybe its a cheap(ish) way of hiring cupboard space

[steviebee]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Can you imagine the postage costs? Crippling. Not sure I'd recommend that option.

Not suggesting that you mail every single customet with a copy - it's just that you have some established and make it known that they are available if anyone wnats to look at them.

[Boosted LS1]

Now's the time to tell them that your terms mean collection and payment within 3 months or the price doubles. Didn't they see the notice on your wall, silly beggers!

Boosted.

[justinp1]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Not suggesting that you mail every single customet with a copy - it's just that you have some established and make it known that they are available if anyone wnats to look at them.

Agreed.

You should have some T&Cs somewhere as they will become very important should you need to use them. The point of them is that they should be made part of your contract of sale. Either put them on your wall, or by your till put something like - 'Please ask to see our Terms and Conditions of Sale.'

There should be standard stuff like what you have explained - it doesnt have to be anything flash unless you have something to hide.

If I were you I would get some sharpish because if nothing else this guy may ask to see him. However, I do not think that this may be the main problem. I think the problem may lie in the way the rep has explained the 'Terms and Conditions.'

Most people are generally quite reasonable - and perhaps in this scenario if the fact that you would really like the guy to pick up his cleaning was explained in a different way, he may not have got agitated - as after all producing these T&Cs is not going to make you any money and if he is that angry you have probably lost a customer.

[Naughty Magpie]

What is your customers problem? Is he/she annoyed that they've had a phone call from your customer rep? Or that they feel stupid that they've left their drycleaning?

How strange.

As regards T&Cs, just whip something standard up for them, there are even templates on the net somewhere or just copy & paste a competitors/similar type business' T&Cs - change the relevant bits!

[pappa lurve]

Tam said:

I'm fairly sure that retailers have to provide their full T&Cs on request.

If you quote your T&C's, or a customer reasonably beleives it to be the case tht you are doing so then I understand that you ust have T&C's available on demand.

[V8 EOL]

I have just setup a company and bought a racial discrimination policy, sexual discrimination policy and another two pointless political correct policies completely off the shelf. It took ages to decide on the right one as we really really (no REALLY) care. I am sure you can buy T's and C's also.

Alternatively I imagine there are some suitable standard Ts & Cs lurking in Google somewhere .

[Fer]

Doesn't your suit need cleaning? Go around to your local competition and ask for their T&Cs. (You may recognise the manager when you do that, as is might be him who asked! )

[ipsg.glf]

V8 EOL said:

I have just setup a company and bought a racial discrimination policy, sexual discrimination policy and another two pointless political correct policies completely off the shelf.

May I ask where from?

[edc]

Just email all your friends and family and ask for a copy of their employee handbook ... I would send all the stuff I wrote here but I would probably be ki**ed by my MD lol

[jacko lah]

Fer said:

Doesn't your suit need cleaning? Go around to your local competition and ask for their T&Cs.

I believe this is called bench marking and business consultants charge £500 an hour for this sort of service.

[justinp1]

V8 EOL said:

I have just setup a company and bought a racial discrimination policy, sexual discrimination policy and another two pointless political correct policies completely off the shelf. It took ages to decide on the right one as we really really (no REALLY) care. I am sure you can buy T's and C's also.

Alternatively I imagine there are some suitable standard Ts & Cs lurking in Google somewhere .

I am not so sure that the 'off the shelf' T&Cs would be a huge amount of help.

The reason is being that you have T&Cs for only two reasons:

1) To cover your behind to make sure you can get paid.

2) To cover you behind to make sure that shuld you mess up your behind is covered.

So to a certain extent, T&Cs that are not specific to your business will not completely solve either of the above two.

Your T&Cs can either be 'above the counter' and even part of your company information or 'below the counter' as a T&Cs are available on request type situation. At the end of the day you are not out to catch people out, just ensure compliance so I would highly recommend the first situation as being the best for you. In fact, if you do the latter it *can* look as if you are trying to deceive people - and possibly why the guy in this situation has got angry.

There is also the factor that if you can make your T&Cs simple and succint there will be no resistance to them and you will save yourself a lot of hassle in the long run.

To write your own T&Cs it doesnt take much effort - just think of the situations where you may have to chase payments and cover those and think of the situations where people may sue you and cover those.

For example to cover the situation that has occurred it would just need:

1) Garments left with us must be collected promtly after cleaning has been completed. After three months we must reserve the right to assume that the garment is no longer needed and may dispose of it.

and so on and so forth with any other situations which may arise.

I would just print them up on a sheet of paper and put them on the wall of the shop. Job done.

[Fer]

jacko lah said:

Fer said:

Doesn't your suit need cleaning? Go around to your local competition and ask for their T&Cs.

I believe this is called bench marking and business consultants charge £500 an hour for this sort of service.

The invoice is in the mail, and it's only £375 until Jan07!

[tigger1]

V8 EOL said:

I have just setup a company and bought a racial discrimination policy, sexual discrimination policy and another two pointless political correct policies completely off the shelf. It took ages to decide on the right one as we really really (no REALLY) care. I am sure you can buy T's and C's also.

Alternatively I imagine there are some suitable standard Ts & Cs lurking in Google somewhere .

If you're looking for HR policies you could do a lot worse than mailing your local NHS Trust for a copy of it's XYZ policy under teh FOI act...or just looking on their website for it.