Just a little rant about customer service and customer relations. Maybe this should really be titled 'How to lose customers and boost the trade for Homebase'.
Two weeks ago we visited B & Q - on a Wednesday to benefit from the oldies discount now that I'm 60. We bought some Golden Chestnut wood stain for the big shed and a spray thingy to apply it to the shed. We also bought some wood stain in the same colour for the big gate, but to be applied with a brush.
Such fun: prepared the spray thing; started spraying; not good. First, the spray thing is rubbish as it's not possible to get a fine enough spray so it comes out far too thickly. Second, I was stupid enough not to cover the paving slabs round the shed - they look so pretty now. But third and worst of all was the supposedly Golden Chestnut. Did not do what it said on the tin. Colour not what it was on the tin. It's yellow, maybe even orange. No chestnut in sight. But having started we thought we should finish so a first coat of this revolting colour (well, maybe quite a nice colour in the right place but NOT on MY SHED) and did so using a paint brush.
Not wanting to have a yellowy orangey gate at the front of the house it seemed sensible to return the wood stain bought for the fence and exchange it for a more appropriate colour. Half way to B & Q (half an hour away from us) I realised that I didn't still have the receipt. No problem we thought, it's a B & Q product, the seal on the tin was unbroken and we only wanted an exchange for a different colour, not a refund.
Wrong. Young woman on the returns counter was quite firm. Not without a receipt. Why? Because we don't do anything without the receipt. Not feeling in the mood to argue and with Mick clearly not saying anything at all, let alone persisting with the request, we left. By the time I got to the car I was seething but clearly Mick wasn't feeling as strongly about it so we headed back home.
I seethed for a further 10 days. This morning we went back to B & Q, with the intention of demanding to see a manager if necessary. Same reaction initially until I pressed the point about the fact it was a B & Q product, so couldn't have been bought anywhere else and that the seal was intact. Finally she said 'well I was going to say that if you promise not to bring the replacement back, I'll let you change it' . No idea what that was all about but we did the exchange. Now to find out what we think of the new colour.
Two weeks ago we visited B & Q - on a Wednesday to benefit from the oldies discount now that I'm 60. We bought some Golden Chestnut wood stain for the big shed and a spray thingy to apply it to the shed. We also bought some wood stain in the same colour for the big gate, but to be applied with a brush.
Such fun: prepared the spray thing; started spraying; not good. First, the spray thing is rubbish as it's not possible to get a fine enough spray so it comes out far too thickly. Second, I was stupid enough not to cover the paving slabs round the shed - they look so pretty now. But third and worst of all was the supposedly Golden Chestnut. Did not do what it said on the tin. Colour not what it was on the tin. It's yellow, maybe even orange. No chestnut in sight. But having started we thought we should finish so a first coat of this revolting colour (well, maybe quite a nice colour in the right place but NOT on MY SHED) and did so using a paint brush.
Not wanting to have a yellowy orangey gate at the front of the house it seemed sensible to return the wood stain bought for the fence and exchange it for a more appropriate colour. Half way to B & Q (half an hour away from us) I realised that I didn't still have the receipt. No problem we thought, it's a B & Q product, the seal on the tin was unbroken and we only wanted an exchange for a different colour, not a refund.
Wrong. Young woman on the returns counter was quite firm. Not without a receipt. Why? Because we don't do anything without the receipt. Not feeling in the mood to argue and with Mick clearly not saying anything at all, let alone persisting with the request, we left. By the time I got to the car I was seething but clearly Mick wasn't feeling as strongly about it so we headed back home.
I seethed for a further 10 days. This morning we went back to B & Q, with the intention of demanding to see a manager if necessary. Same reaction initially until I pressed the point about the fact it was a B & Q product, so couldn't have been bought anywhere else and that the seal was intact. Finally she said 'well I was going to say that if you promise not to bring the replacement back, I'll let you change it' . No idea what that was all about but we did the exchange. Now to find out what we think of the new colour.
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