Went to pick up a printer I ordered this afternoon. I got there and they couldn't find it. They then found it but it was the wrong one, somebody had given my expensive one to a customer and I had was given their cheap one. I pointed out it was the wrong printer.
They went to find the correct one but none exististed in the store, the last person to order the cheaper printer was given the more expensive one by a mistake.
I was very calm as I hadn't paid a penny at this point. The manager then said he would drive down to a another branch which has them in stock and the correct printer will be ready to collect on Monday.
So an example of a shop messing up but going along way to put things right. I left feeling quite impressed.
I have a feeling somebody is quite a bit of trouble for making the mistake though.
|
|
Don't you have a wholesalers you can buy your gear from rather than Comet?
|
I do but sometimes when shops like Comet have good offers on they can be quite a lot cheaper.
It is not a wholesaler I use as such but just a local firm (Microdirect) who I have a trade accoutn with.
I never have any problems with Microdirect at all and buy my vast majority of stuff from there yet places like Argos etc just can't seem to get it right. So far though Comet have admitted their mistake and have offered to put it right, so apart from an extra journey they are still in my good books.
I simply buy stuff from who ever is cheapest.
|
Rattle
Do you ever check out the stuff at Staples. I was after a new Epson Photo printer, a specific model. PC World had it up for £149.99 and the last one they had was the one on display.They would not budge on the price even though it was an end of line printer and a display model.
Got the same model from Staples for £117 with a bit of haggling.
|
|
I tend to prefer Comet to Curry's if I'm buying electrical stuff. My experience is similar to yours, Comet tend to have a more pro-active attitude towards good customer service.
|
|
Indeed, I was thinking myself when I worked at Curry's I doubt any of us would have done it. The manager certainly would not have done. Although our branch of Curry's was better than most for customer services. We were always very good with returns.
|
|
I have bought from some in Staples in the past. The nearest on to me is in the city centre which is not ideal for heavier items like printers though.
|
Never found Staples to be particularly cheap.
Rattle does use a long respected retailer in Microdirect.
Last edited by: Stuartli on Sat 8 Jan 11 at 21:18
|
>> Rattle does use a long respected retailer in Microdirect.
My first purchase from Microdirect was a parallel printer cable in 1996. This was when they were in an old building on the A34 - it's where an Aldi is now. They then moved to the site near the hospital and later opened opposite the McVitie's factory on the A6 which was initially Internet only orders.
I've spent a fair bit with them over the years and they are a good company to deal with. A good returns policy and after sales service from when I've had to use them (twice in 14 years).
Sometimes even PC World can have good deals especially when you can order online and collect at that price in-store.
|
I think the problem with Microdirect is they treat their good customers like us with huge respect as spend £1000s there but I have quite a few friends who have had problems. To be fair it is because my friends didn't know wht they were buying.
The thing about Microdirect I find though is everything just works.
The best bargains at MD are the returned motherboards. I buy them for personal use, I pay £10-£20 for them and if the don't work they give me a refund, if they do work I get to keep them at a very good price.
I always tend to go the A6 Heaton Chapel one, it is a bit further but it is a much nicer drive and they often have more clearence bargains. Been buying a lot of very high quality of HDMI cables for £1 although I will never sell them.
The great thing about MD is I never requested a trade account as at the time you needed to spend £500 ex VAT minium to qualify but the manager realised I was spending at least £250 a month and asked me what my business was. I explained and he gave me a trade account. It worked as I am now more loyal to them.
I do use the PCWORLD reverse reserve service sometimes but I find most the time even their online prices are too much. I just use PCWORLD when the client would rather pay a bit more to get the job done sooner rather than later.
Rob I can't picture where the old Microdirect was, I thought it was the corner of Kingsway and Lane End road? By the time I made my first purchase there,a 4.3GB IDE HD they had moved to Upper Brook Street.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Sun 9 Jan 11 at 03:56
|
I have sensed a move over the past couple of years towards better and more friendly service by the big retailers.
Bought a sound bar on Friday from Richer. Unpacked it later and found the remote was missing. I went back on Saturday...the Stockport branch....and they were so apologetic.
I said it wasn't their fault, the box was sealed, but the manager was great. They soon found another remote and I left satisfied.
Comet's kids will explain all the mystery technical stuff and write it down. Currys are very helpful when you mess up on connecting something.
Recently, our poncy, £250 kitchen tap broke...under 2 yrs and still in warranty.
I didn't want another, we'd realised it's shortcomings.....and the lady at B & Q was great. I had to buy another tap there and then, of course. I went for a cheaper but more efficient one and she got 20% knocked off the bill. She's dealing with getting me a refund on the broken one.
I also got a big hug from her at the till.......not a bad looker as well !
I suppose that was because she fancied the pants off me !
Maybe not.....Oh, sod it, of course it was !
Ted
|
....not a bad looker as well !...
I was served by a very bonny lass in B&Q the other day.
I now have 20 packets of tacks, all bought singly, from the same till. :)
Ted,
Have you had time to weigh up the soundbar yet?
The sound on new flatscreen tellys is poor and I reckon a soundbar looks to be a good solution.
Last edited by: Iffy on Sun 9 Jan 11 at 13:12
|
>>The sound on new flatscreen tellys is poor and I reckon a soundbar looks to be a good solution.>>
I bought these from Dabs:
www.dabs.com/products/roth-charlie-2-1-desktop-music-system---black-77GS.html
Currently £15 less than I paid...:-(
I bought them not because the sound on my Panasonic is poor, far from it. The problem is that the sound is directed downwards from one source and rearwards from the other; this leads to a muffled sound, even more so as the TV is situated in a corner alcove.
The Roth speakers have brought a new dimension to viewing. Also see:
tinyurl.com/2ege4dw
Tesco actually demands £200 for just the 2.0 version, which can be found for £95 elsewhere.....:-))
|
Just come back on, Rob.
The soundbar seems to give me a lot better clarity. I have tinnitus and I do find I can't make out mumblers or whisperers very well.
A big test came tonight in Lark Rise to C'Ford.....I spent the last series not knowing a word that Dorcas lane had uttered !
Much better tonight. Tomorrow is the ultimate test, Whispering Gail Platt in Corrie.
The only, very slight, snaglet I've found is that, when on the cabinet in front of the telly, it blocks off the tv remote. However, we use the +box for viewing and now the soundbar remote for volume. That leaves only the TV on/off. If you stand close and point it down it works ok.
I might make a black, soundbar depth plinth to put the tv on. It would be hidden by the soundbar and put the tv sensor higher up......then again, I might not be bothered !
I bought the Sharps £99.95p one. I've set it on max treble/min bass for now.
Ted
|
...The soundbar seems to give me a lot better clarity...
Pleased to hear it.
Speakers require depth to give a good sound and the cabinets on flatscreen tellys are just too thin to be able to do that.
On t'other hand, I don't think you want a conventional hi-fi's large, room filling sound for a television, partly because in my case it's used late at night when other folk are asleep.
Achieving clarity without too much loudness can be quite a challenge.
I've been watching the cricket and listening to the radio commentary - partly because the radio commentary gives uninterrupted coverage, so I find myself more immersed in the game.
Having my portable DAB radio on the sofa next to me worked quite well - no need to have the volume turned up too high.
By the way, the conventional wisdom would be to have the tone controls on the soundbar set to zero - that's what Rats would tell you.
But you'll be pleased to learn you are allowed to set it how best works for you.
Last edited by: Iffy on Mon 10 Jan 11 at 00:28
|
Speakers require depth to give a good sound and the cabinets on flatscreen tellys are just too thin to be able to do that
You're right - the speakers on my 12 month old Toshiba are rubbish - I have a six year old Hitachi Plasma set up in a back room - the bolt on OE speakers on that are superb and outclass the Toshiba's especially - Although not HD complaint - it SD performance is superior to the Toshiba as well. Beautifully made and overengineered as the Japanese can do very well...a nice telly to own and I'd find it hard to part with it even if the OWL electricity consumption meter throws a hissy fit when its powered up.
|
...the bolt on OE speakers on that are superb and outclass the Toshiba's especially...
Some TVs in crown courts have external speakers clipped on either side.
Not sure of the make, but sounds like a similar set-up to yours.
Works well in the court, and I imagine it would work well in the house.
|
|
I've seen the same model that I have in public display scenarios - in the home it gives a very warm mellow sound which rather like.The old Tosh that John Lewis took from me had a big sub woofer amp hooked to the back - not compatible with the new one sadly....but it does need a little more punch.
|
I got a reconditioned Pure CD player from Microdirect in Heaton Chapel a few weeks before Christmas. There was a slight noise with the CD drive on the one I got so I popped back. They let me swap it - but my face is known there from chatting. I don't spend much there per annum - less than Rattle per month I'd guess.
Also got a mirror from B&Q and we finally decided it was not right. Still in the packaging. Took it back yesterday and got a refund note. I didn't have a receipt.
Best for customer of service is John Lewis mind.
|
|
The original site for MD was the A34/Green End Road junction. Where the Aldi on the A34 is now basically. There were more buildings that were taken down there though.
|
There was a cinema where Aldi is.....did MD move into the cinema after it closed ?
Ted
|
|
Yes it did. Hence me saying it's where Aldi is now ;-) Cinema = stock room. But not move - I think that's where they started. They were there in 1996 for sure.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Sun 9 Jan 11 at 23:40
|
I think they started at Bowlers and did very well out of it and then moved to the shop. Bowlers used to be a very good place for bits of hardware but now it is just seems to be a heaven for pirates and people selling iffy goods.
I have not been since 2007.
|
Comet well done for messing up the right way. - Bigtee
