DD - Now that the name of the shop has been removed, I can say a little more about the alleged consumer-UNfriendly attitude.
Allegedly, the Venture Capital company (VCC) buys out chains of shops from "demerging" large FTSE companies. These shops are bought at a "bargain" price by the because the FTSE company is desperately in ned of cash and there are few buy-out predators around. The VCC then engages in ruthless cost-cutting and "effieciency" drives. One aspect is to cut back on dead-stock as well as "returned-goods" inventory.
These are some of the key criteria that are used in transforming the aquired Company in to a "lean & mean" shape in the books - ready for sale back to the stockmarket. The VCC people get their profit and walk away without worrying about the long-term damage to customer relations. In the case of the DIY chain, the VCC people were in a court case very recently where the image of the DIY company was allegedly came across as extremely bad.
So I think it is imperative that Blue seeks the help of Trading Standards in this matter, I strongly urge him to do so.
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Well, I'm just about to go down now and see how things go, my dad's at work though so we'll have to see just how co-operative the store is today.
I don't mind a credit note for the store as I do need other stuff, I would have been quite happy to swap them for a big can of Back To Black at the time ;-)
I would inform Trading Standards, but as the manager appears to have came to a reasonable conclusion I wouldn't feel right reporting them, my major gripe is with how long it took to to this stage. We'll see what happens when I go back in on my own, but now that I am armed with suitable comments from here, I will NOT be fobbed off! :-)
Blue
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Thats very interesting eMBe, I wasn't aware of a "change in management" so to speak.
I previously refrained from posting, but in light of what you said, I will say that when I worked for that chain of shops, many years ago, this sort of situation would never arise. The Manager would simply refund the item and send it back to HO. Far better to keep a customer happy then to get a call from HO and another tick on the complaint sheet, plus that customer will have a good 30 years of polishing cloths and shampoo etc etc in him.
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Thats very interesting eMBe, I wasn't aware of a "change in management" so to speak.
RobC: do a search on this site using the name of the store and you will get links where their new ownership is discussed.
simply refund the item and send it back to HO. Far better to keep a customer happy then to get a call from HO and another tick on the complaint sheet, .
I know. I had a call from a Director of the HQ of the original parent company in one case I dealt with 3 years ago; and the complaint was settled with generous "gifts" plus a personal letter of apology from the local Manager, and follow up phone calls 2 weeks later from HQ to ensure everything was OK. In the type of situation described by Blue, even for a matter of 50p, I whould have taken it up with Trading Standards and would have asked for my wasted time/trouble to be compensated.
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I like my principles - so, if they goods were advertised as 'lint free' (i.e. wont leave bits or fluff behind) then that's what you should expect, otherwise you could just use any old bit of rag, and not buy something especially for the purpose.
We could go on and on about the legal whys and wherefores - the sale of goods act or whatever it's called now, but the simple fact is that this issue was badly handled, and has cost far more in time than the initial problem was ever worth.
Actually, the store should be pleased that their attention has been drawn to a defective product sold under their own label - and the staff should undergo a bit more training (IMHO) It's not like you were demanding massive compensation for your 'trauma' is it. Ooooh no, I can see the tv ad's now LOL
"Appearances can be Deceptive"
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Well, I returned, he didn't look thrilled, but said that I could pick products to the value of, or more than the original price and we could settle the difference. He said that he was still sending the cloths to head office for testing to find out if there was a problem with them.
Anyway, I left with a large synthetic chamois (based on recommendations in another thread), Turtle Wax Extreme Tyre Shine Gel, and Turtle Wax Brake Dust Barrier, all for just £2.49 more than the original price, feel much happier with that little lot :-)
In case anyone is interested, they have a buy one get one free on the *ENTIRE* Turtle Wax range (cheapest item free), which is actually a really good offer, the brake dust barrier should have been £4.99 or something but I got it free! :-)
Thanks to all who advised, I'm pleased it didn't have to go further, but hopefully this thread may be of benefit to someone else... Oh, and thanks to Dave for editing rather than deleting! ;-)
Blue
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Why does anyone use this shop? They cater to the Max Power brigade.
If you want spares or tools - go to a proper motor factor
If you want ICE - go to a specialist
If you want a bike - go to a bike shop
In each case they are the specialists and you will invariably get better advice and service. In the case of spares, they'll be cheaper too.
And finally, if you want polish - where do you get the time from to use it?
Chris M
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Why does anyone use Sainsburys?
If you want meat, go to a butchers
If you want bread, go to a bakers
If you want candles, etc etc etc
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Excellent post Rob
In the town where I was born (lived a man who sailed to sea)
Harrumph, sorry 'bout that.
Anyways,
As I was saying before my odd mind took over - where I previously lived there was a shop of which we speak directly opposite a quite fantastic and helpful motor factors. Guess where I bought all my service items? And guess where I bought all my car cleaning stuff? For service bits and parts, the motor factors could not be beaten. But for stuff like polish etc, the shop which must not be mentioned was certainly cheaper.
Just as an example, a cam belt for my late lamented Granada was £9 at the factors, but £17 at that shop.
Cheers
Rob
"Lord of Lard"
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