| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| snozzer |
Good old British customer serviceWell I ordered some poultry items off Ascott last Wednesday and chased them yesterday about them to find out that 2 items (poultry drinkers) were out of stock and they were due in that day, the whole order was then going to be dispatched by next day delivery.Phones today to enquire if dispatched to find, no they havn't as the 2 items are still out of stock, so I say, can you send the rest of the order and then send the 2 drinkers later when you get them. Reply "no, I can take them off the order for you and send the rest" Me "No, can you send them later as I need the other items tomorrow" Reply "Well I could cancel your order" Me "Sorry, Can you not send them later and send me the rest today" Reply "No, it will cost us too much in delivery, if you can't wait I can cancel your order" Me "Okay, can someone phone me later to let me know if the drinkers have come in to stock and update me on dispatch" Reply "No, we will send the order when we get the drinkers" Me "I'll call back later..." I am absolutely shocked by the total lack of customer care shown by them. I have not had a single email or telephone call to say sorry Mr XXXX and the whole attitude about not sending the stuff in stock is shocking. Does it really matter, yes because now I won't order from them again, yet if they had taken some time to call or email me things would not have escalated and made me a disgruntled customer. 
|
||||
| Brownbear |
Why not write this in an email and send it to the Managing Director? Most of the time the bosses don't even know what's going on, insulated by layers of inept personnel staff and lame-brain line managers. | ||||
| Jonnyboy |
I used to be a big fan of internet shopping, but I'm moving back to using the old fashioned method.
Take my local agricultural merchants, Twice they've sent me away without buying stuff (on display) because it wasn't the right time of year. And once they've told me to wait because they could get stuff cheaper in bulk in a few days rather than buying multiples (agaiun on display) there and then. I've been pricing electric fencing online, but I'm going back there on thursday because Martin will be in, and he can tell me all I need to know and show me how to set it up. |
||||
| Marionb |
So you'd be better off, Snozzer, cancelling the order then phoning back in say an hour, and re-ordering what you know is in stock, then perhaps the next day ordering the outstanding two items!!
Absolutely crazy - but it might be the quickest way of doing it!! |
||||
| Cho-ku-ri |
I think you are expecting too much if you want personal service plus the convienence and price of mail/internet ordering. Over the counter sales are by far the best for service, and if we don't use them, we will loose them. | ||||
| Northern_Lad |
Whilst I agree to a degree, Ascot are a physical company and there's no excuse for that level of non-service. |
||||
| jema |
Some places are good others bad, I don't think there are hard and fast rules like internet bad, over the counter good.
I recall when I was building my deck, trawling round various timber places and getting very offhand treatment, and then finding a good place: http://www.timberdeckingco.co.uk/ online 
But when you do find a good over the counter place, then support and treasure them! |
||||
| Andy B |
I ordered some stuff from permaculture on line, made a mistake with some credit info, a very nice lady phoned me up at work, never easy as the phone is usually very busy, sorted out the problem pdq and all just two weeks before crimble. great service, nice people. | ||||
| RichardW |
Its their mistake advertising stuff they dont have, they should cover the extra delivery cost as a good will measure.
Justme |
||||
| Nick |
Aren't Ascott a company who've gone bust before and reappeared? This is hardly unique, but I have inklings their customer service has always been shocking.... | ||||
| Rob R |
Precisely, putting a good person at the end of a phone or PC doesn't make them bad any more than putting a bad person behind a counter doesn't make them better. |
||||
| Silas |
Really sorry to hear this, I have always found Ascot to be very helpful and efficient when I hae ordered stuff from them. | ||||
| judith |
Me too. In the flesh, they are a tad chaotic, but always very pleasant and extremely helpful. |
||||
| Stacey |
You obviously haven't been to our local ag merchant 
Every time my husband goes in there he says he's never going back. |
||||
| Brownbear |
I think the worst customer service I have ever had was at a gun shop in Exeter. I wanted some ordinary .223 Rem. ammo for bedding in a new rifle at the range, and they sold me some NATO stuff that was reasonably priced, or so I thought. When I got to the range and found that only one round in four actually fired, I was less pleased.
I took it back for a refund, and the three chaps there stared at me in stunned disbelief, as if I'd asked them for three dozen stoats, lightly grilled and served on wholemeal buns. Eventually one found the power of speech: "Hurrh, that's what you get when you buy cheap ammo!" he said, at which all three of them started laughing like madmen in a Hammer Horror film. Perhaps needless to say, I haven't been back since. |
||||
| snozzer |
Thats what I thought they would offer to do and keep a customer happy. The two things that got me were lack of communication and the absolute unwillingness to resolve it on the telephone, the guys attitude was one of "take it or leave it" Anyhow, I have just phoned and the drinkers have now arrived in the UK and will be sent to Ascotts tomorrow and then onto me for Friday... Not holding my breath 
|
||||
| Chez |
Ditto. I needed an emergency chicken ark last summer when I was heavily pregnant and Arvo was away. They delivered a self-assembly one the next day, assembled, and put it in-situ for me. They are a family run business, with a physical presence - I would say that the response snozzer got, although rotten and unacceptable, is the first negative customer service that I have heard about them. |
||||
| Stacey |
The worst service I've had recently was when trying to buy a sewing pattern. I thought I'd give the local wool shop (who also sell sewing patterns) the pennies but the woman barked at me for trying to get the pattern out of the drawer so I could look at it. I asked if she could get it out for me and she said, 'They're no different on the packet than they are in the book'. I said the amount/type of fabric needed and all the neccessary findings etc (they were handbag patterns) were on the back of the packet and not in the book and she snapped 'Well, it's just basic materials'. I said not to bother, I'd get all the details and the patern off the internet and left. Silly cow
|
||||
| vegplot |
The temptation here would be to have a game of Russian roulette with them. If this one doesn't fire you give me a refund, if it does .... |
||||
| Erikht |
And we're supposed to defend our countries with that kind of shit. |
||||
| RichardW |
Having personaly fired in excess of 50,000 nato rounds over the years I have never had a dud. Whilst firing those rounds there were lots of people around me firing too. Out of all those I can only ever remember one round that did not fire due to the round & not the weapon (broken firing pins mainly). Justme |