Complaint regarding Currys online

[satin]

Last week, I ordered a heater from Curry's online store but I decided not to keep it. In the website, it clearly states that online goods can be returned to anystore and the delivery charge will also be refunded.

So, my mum went to one of the store for a refund, but the sales assistant at first rejected the refund because she said that they do not return goods from online. My mum brought a copy of the terms and conditions where it states you can return online goods and still they refused. So she demanded to speak to the manager. The manager also said no but in the end he said that the only way that they can do it is if they put the item through as an faulty but would not refund the delivery charge. My mum decided to exchange the heater for another expensive one but still could not receive the credit for the delivery charge.

This is so out order because in the website it does say that you can return to any store and be able to receive the delivery charge back. I am now going to contact customer services to complain about the store's policy and why i did not receive my delivery charge back.

Do you think that I will get any action from the customer services regarding this?

[big blue one]

yep! that is out of order and completely incorrect conduct. i was a manager there up until two weeks ago, and this is bang out of order!!!!

[satin]

Originally Posted by big blue one

yep! that is out of order and completely incorrect conduct. i was a manager there up until two weeks ago, and this is bang out of order!!!!

So how come they are not accpeting internet goods when it claerly states in their websites? Thanks for you reply.

[big blue one]

because they are having a bad sales week probably! which store was it?

[satin]

Originally Posted by big blue one

because they are having a bad sales week probably! which store was it?

Hull, Clough Road, I just thought that they generally do not accept internet goods. Had no reply back from customer services yet.

[Bobus-Man]

Hey, I know you'll hate me for this but I actually work at Currys.

The reason why you may have had problems returning you internet purchase is for two reasons.

Firstly the company have stopped sales commision and have replaced it with an unfair and stupidly structured bonus system. Basically we're not paid out on pound notes we're paid out on how much profit we earn and get a bonus of about £30 each if we make over 105% of our profit (or something along those lines)
Now any returns/ refunds we have to process eat into the proftis we make the company and in turn our bonus and many staff don't think its fair something beyond our control directly affects our pay.

Secondly our own internet website undercuts us drastically (sometimes up to 25%) now because we are paid out on profit theres no point matching this price because the pound notes are worthless. As a result many staff simply won't have anything to do with internet purchasers because they havn't borght it from their store. Admittedly if we're busy and someone comes in with an internet receipt and a query I refuse to help them, I know its bad customer service but hopefully you can see our point that we are being shafted by the company as much as you are.

The company know about our feelings towards this, they know some stores refuse internet refunds (refunds are technically down to managers discretion anyway by our policy so the internet is a big contradiction) Yet they do nothing about it. Its just pure greed on their behalf shafting both staff and customers to rake in as much as possible.

Hope you see it from our side a bit more now, cheers

[rosiecotton]

Originally Posted by Bobus-Man

The company know about our feelings towards this, they know some stores refuse internet refunds (refunds are technically down to managers discretion anyway by our policy so the internet is a big contradiction) Yet they do nothing about it. Its just pure greed on their behalf shafting both staff and customers to rake in as much as possible.

I get your point, but I will pick you up on the comment "refunds are technically down to managers discretion anyway by our policy".

First point, if the goods are faulty and the consumer has returned them within a reasonable time, the consumer is legally entitled to a refund. Nobody can take this right away,

Second point, the Distance Selling Regulations say that when a consumer buys from a website (with some exceptions) they have seven days in which to cancel the contract and return the goods for a full refund. If Currys at national level are saying in the terms of the contract of their internet sales that customers can take the goods back to a store for a full refund, then that is what customers can do. It's in the terms of the contract, and they also have a legal right to do so under the DSRs. So managers should NOT be refusing to refund as by law they HAVE to.

If Currys website said something similar to Debenhams website - that goods purchased online must be returned to the online address at the consumer's cost - then that is fair enough and forms a term of the contract. However as they are promising customers returns to the store, that is the term of the contract and it's not down to individual staff or managers to dispute that. They can't do a single thing about it, it's legally binding and gives the consumer the legal right to return the item to a store of their choice. I understand fully why you don't like it, but in the nicest possible way, that's just tough.

If your managers think that their policy gives them discretion over this, then they are yet another example of under-educated (or should I say under-trained) retail management and staff who do not understand what rights a consumer has in law.

[patdavies]

Originally Posted by fred2009

nice one rosie. you are offering advice, more then i can say then gyzmo. but just a little nit-pick here.

the whole distant selling act is that the consumer can reject the goods within a certain time not "seven days" but "reasonable time". currys policy is more then seven days last time i checked. but dont quote timescales if SOGA/distant selling does not. Thanks

Absolute rubbish

Originally Posted by The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000

Cancellation period in the case of contracts for the supply of goods
11. - (1) For the purposes of regulation 10, the cancellation period in the case of contracts for the supply of goods begins with the day on which the contract is concluded and ends as provided in paragraphs (2) to (5).

(2) Where the supplier complies with regulation 8, the cancellation period ends on the expiry of the period of seven working days beginning with the day after the day on which the consumer receives the goods.

[MATTYFEZ]

Bobus, surely the store would be able to claim back thier costs from the "internet" section of the company, for lost time and money?

That excuse doesnt wash with me.....
The consumer shouldnt be, and isnt concerned with any of the companies internal issues.

[patel]

Thanks. Let me try dis options. i wil contact the online customer service. atleast i wil get a proof in writing cze on phone calls nobody tkes the responsibility.

Originally Posted by gyzmo

The best thing to do would be to contact the online customer services and explain the situation. Hopefully someone there might sort it out.
Alternatively, you could write a letter in explaining what has happened, and demand the refund. You could possibly take action for breach of contract, and could insist that you will make the item available for collection for, say, 1 month, after which time it will be left out in the garden (or whatever), and tht you will still require your refund.

It will also be worth contacting Trading Standards on this, as I think that Currys is part of a naughty boys club that Trading Standards are keeping a rather beedy eye on, and may possibly intervene on your behalf (but I am not sure on this - report it anyway).

[patel]

HI, i cannot find the online customer service link...
Secondly i received a call today from the Acer guys saying that i have to return the laptop which i have received and then only they wil send my laptop. I asked in how many days wil i be receiving my laptop they said its not sure. But i have to send the laptop back and asked me to call DHL to pick up the laptop from my home.

Originally Posted by gyzmo

The best thing to do would be to contact the online customer services and explain the situation. Hopefully someone there might sort it out.
Alternatively, you could write a letter in explaining what has happened, and demand the refund. You could possibly take action for breach of contract, and could insist that you will make the item available for collection for, say, 1 month, after which time it will be left out in the garden (or whatever), and tht you will still require your refund.

It will also be worth contacting Trading Standards on this, as I think that Currys is part of a naughty boys club that Trading Standards are keeping a rather beedy eye on, and may possibly intervene on your behalf (but I am not sure on this - report it anyway).

[patel]

Hi,
I too will like to share my worst experience with Curry's. This people for getting sales makes so many promises and while giving the services dont care for the customers. I had bought a laptop from Curry's and the manager told me that take a life time plan of Whatever happens. He promised that i wil be getting home delivery services and my laptop wil be repaired in 24 hours. Now with in a year i got prob with my laptop. I called the customer service and they told laptop wil be collected in two working days. Secondly i wil be receiving my laptop In 2 weeks time (just imagine for just a minor prob that some keys were not working they are taking 2 weeks time then what if some serious problem occurs).Ok now the laptop was collected and after a week i received a text on my moblie that my laptop is repaired and wil be despatched in two days. One the third day the Parcelline person came and handed me a laptop which didnt belong to me. I was so shocked that how can this be my laptop. The letter was on my name but not the laptop. The covering letter described the problem that some keys wer not working and wht they had done was CHANGED THE CDR OPTICAL DRIVE.. hw pathetic .. the keys are not at all concerned with the optical drive. I immediately called the number given to me and they said that i have to contact Curry's store.. One by one this guys gave me different numbers to talk and nobody had the answer where my laptop is. I am yet behind my laptop. DOnt understand what to do so that i can get my laptop back.

[gyzmo]

The best thing to do would be to contact the online customer services and explain the situation. Hopefully someone there might sort it out.
Alternatively, you could write a letter in explaining what has happened, and demand the refund. You could possibly take action for breach of contract, and could insist that you will make the item available for collection for, say, 1 month, after which time it will be left out in the garden (or whatever), and tht you will still require your refund.

It will also be worth contacting Trading Standards on this, as I think that Currys is part of a naughty boys club that Trading Standards are keeping a rather beedy eye on, and may possibly intervene on your behalf (but I am not sure on this - report it anyway).

[theEnemy]

Originally Posted by Bobus-Man

Hey, I know you'll hate me for this but I actually work at Currys.

The reason why you may have had problems returning you internet purchase is for two reasons.

Firstly the company have stopped sales commision and have replaced it with an unfair and stupidly structured bonus system. Basically we're not paid out on pound notes we're paid out on how much profit we earn and get a bonus of about £30 each if we make over 105% of our profit (or something along those lines)
Now any returns/ refunds we have to process eat into the proftis we make the company and in turn our bonus and many staff don't think its fair something beyond our control directly affects our pay.

Secondly our own internet website undercuts us drastically (sometimes up to 25%) now because we are paid out on profit theres no point matching this price because the pound notes are worthless. As a result many staff simply won't have anything to do with internet purchasers because they havn't borght it from their store. Admittedly if we're busy and someone comes in with an internet receipt and a query I refuse to help them, I know its bad customer service but hopefully you can see our point that we are being shafted by the company as much as you are.

The company know about our feelings towards this, they know some stores refuse internet refunds (refunds are technically down to managers discretion anyway by our policy so the internet is a big contradiction) Yet they do nothing about it. Its just pure greed on their behalf shafting both staff and customers to rake in as much as possible.

Hope you see it from our side a bit more now, cheers

That isn't quite right.

Internet refunds are processed through a pseudo-branch number. The refund does not affect the P&L and therefore does not affect your bonus, although this may appear differently on Reporting. An exchange on a product is beneficial to the store as the refund is placed on the internet branch number, while the sale is attributed to the store.

You are legally required to match our online Currys site, this is processed using Price Promise and is margin protected. I should point out in case anybody on the forum is wondering, we are not legally obliged to match Dixons. Dixons is a separate part of the group, an online-only part of the group, Currys is not online-only, we are Currys. Our Price Promise does not cover website prices.

Hope this may help you in the future. The new bonus scheme does really affect customer service compared to commission, it just happens more than it really has to.




All staff at Currys are trained to work with honesty and integrity - it's a company motto. Although it may not seem like it at times. Please remember that most staff try their hardest to resolve issues and it's not always within our power to prevent or resolve problems. It should also be noted that the an average member of staff has little to no direct contact with customer services, head office or the whateverhappens team or the Tech Guys - they can be as frustrating to staff as they are to the customers!

I just read this site just now, I am able to empathise with most of the problems people have. Many I agree with, some customers, I admit do irritate me - they believe we are by default providing bad customer service and are out to con them, all because they have a problem that was totally out of the Sales staff's control.

I'm ranting, but basically we're all human, and the staff are their to help. We make mistakes, you make mistakes - let's all fight the common enemy - head office!