VERY UNSAFESTYLE (Safestyle UK)

Member Name: TimJWL

Product:	Safestyle UK
Date:	16/08/03 (1769 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Errm, Ermm, Ermm...

Disadvantages: Customer Service, Workmanship

What customer service, what guarantee, the worthless meaning of Fensa, do babies need no special care . Take great care with this organisation, all is not as it seems. We had our complete house done,a sliding patio, some building work for an elongation of an existing window, but not the doors.

Our troubles all started when we started to prepare a former bathroom into a bedroom. We had already almost completed a new downstairs bathroom and the former upstairs was ready to be stripped of pipework, wallpaper etc. and turned into our new borns nursery room. We had paid for building work to extend a narrow bathroom window to a full size one to comply with the neccesary building regulations for bedrooms, in case of fire or similar emergency.

We were on schedule to start and finish the bedroom as planned, just in time for the baby to go to a full size cot as he was fast outgrowing his other cot which there was space for else were.

The plumber came round and started stripping the pipework and fittings and thats when our trouble began. The toilet cistern was removed and then bang, the window sill just dropped off! The plumber completed his excellent work and left me to ponder and examine the window frame.

What window frame? 2 screws on the left, 2 on the right, 2 on the top (None countersunk) and the strongest strengthening point on the bottom... nothing! The window was sitting on foam to hold it up, and from the inside section of the frame to the edge of the plasterboard no frame had been put in, it was completely hollow.

All I can say is, had there been an emergency, someone could of died, anyone who had put any weight on the sill would almost certainly have fell and a serious injury or even death could of occurred if they had gone through the window.

We contacted customer services who inpolite as they were, arranged for someone to come and examine the work, there earliest time for this they insisted was 9 days lat
er. An independent accessor arrived as planned, he wasn't allowed to comment but was polite and pleasant at all times (But then he didn't work for Safestye?).

We waited a week and then I phoned from work I contacted customer services that morning to see if they had received the report to act upon it, they said they would phone me back. Now to put this in a better light, I have spent half of my working life as senior buyer and half in telesales/customer service including managerial positions. I have never ever once in this time treated any supplier or customer with contempt, no matter what the situation. I have always remained both calm, profession and polite and this reflects no matter which of the increasingly successful companies I have been with. (My theory being treat those who you speak to as you would expect to be treated yourself). I think that alone qualifies me to give an honest opion of peoples atitudes.

Having received no telephone call, again I contacted customer services whothe went onto to inform me I was booked in for a 'service' call on what would of been 12th September 2003. A message had been left with our youngest daughter earlier that day whilst I was at work. Not only is she not old to take a message properly and therefore obviously not aware of the situation, but I had purposely left contact numbers to ensure that myself or my wife could be contacted directly.

I told them I was unhappy with this date, firstly because we were away on a holiday booked the previous year and secondly because a decorator had already been scheduled to do the work whilst we were on holiday. This was becuase an empty house would mean the required work would take only 1 week not 2, therefore costing almost half as much and the fumes from the paint work would be clear by the time we arrived back.

They repeated a service call was scheduled for this date. I repeated my former statement and they repeated a schedule wa
s set for this date. I was already beginning to think I was talking to a looped answering machine! I asked that because of the circumstances and the baby does need to go in his cot before this time, the extra cost to us if the decorator cannot go in whilst we are on holiday, the fumes left in the house (3 children plus 1 baby), could a manager call me back that day or the next. The reply I got was that he would 'request' a manager call me back. (At this time I left ony my contact numbers)

The following day I had still received no call back by the afternoon and was just about to call again when my wife phoned. She told me somebody had called and they couldn't improve the date, she told them this wasn't satisfactory and that as requested before he should contact myself as requested as I was dealing with it. (An installer has since told me it is a common pratice to first try and push the onus on the female partner to agree - sexist practice). He pushed this issue again before suddendly stating that he was unable to contact me on my works number (or mobile I had left?), therefore had written a letter asking me to contact them. (The fact at work is we have customers all over this country and the world and the phones were very active all day, including calls from the same STD codes plus we have 12 lines makes me think was a lie). She told me he would try again and contact me and went onto say how right from the off, even before she commented, she had never spoken to a more ignorant, obnoxious and aragant person her entire life (And a few other things I can't state!) and how this manager sounded about 12!

Mysterious, a minute later the Bermunda triangle surrounding a small section of Bradford lifted and he manage to get through! Strange that one?! I came up with the same opinion instantly, I began to get annoyed very quickly as this arrogant answer machine continued to repeat that was the quickest they could get round and the fact it
was a babies room was absolutely no reason for them to squeeze it in just those 5 days earlier. Obviously not a family man, had it of been any other room but a child or a babies, I wouldn't of worried about it either.

I explained to him I had been in touch with trading standards, which I had, and informed him as per there advice, write giving suitable dates we were available and request a reply within 7 days. He paused for a moment then said they could fit us in the following Monday 14th September, I again said this was not soon enough. He pressed and pressed before I finally said I would be contacting Fensa to review the matter as I was unhappy at this, the conversation was left at this. I put down the phone only to notice all my work colleagues looking in disbelief and telling me of similar stories they have heard of Safestyle.

I contacted trading standards who suggested I speak to Fensa. I then phoned my wife to tell her I had the same ignorant response and gave her Fensa's number. She phoned Fensa, then called me back to say they said to contact Trading Standards, which she explained they had, then said if not, look on their website - Thanks Fensa - Remind me to tell this to all the customers who aren't fortunate to have a computer (He didn't ask if we had one). I haven't done so yet, time hasn't allowed. My wife then carried on to tell me something I had assumed, but proved to be wrong all along. The service call was to assess not to do the repairs. I then said I'd call her back as I wanted to phone this manager again and find out why they had to assess something their organisation had already assessed!

I phoned the still arogant, still obnoxius manager back, explained what I had been told and informed him we had had a visit already. He reply to this was unbelievable; he said there department hadn't assesed it, I said find out which department had and use that report so a date for the repairs coul
d be done. He said he didn't know and couldn't find out, I reminded him, was he working for Safestyle or somebody else?! I asked who his manager was, he told me then when I asked to speak to her, he said she was unavailable, a lie I could tell from his voice. He again, turned on his answer machine mode and again said the best date for this second assessment was 15th September. Again I told him to find out which department did the assessment, then phone me back. Again he repeated himself, again I asked for his manager, who this time was available but he wouldn't let me speak to.

As a former manager, any member of staff following this line would be disciplined or sacked as no chain of command would exist.

I told I was unhappy with him, the company and the response and I would be in touch by letter and now very harrassed, I put the phone down to see my even more astounded colleagues and calm down.

The following morning, a letter turns up asking me to contact them, strange that. Another letter appears from another division, asking if they could do the neccessary repair work, based on the 'assessment' that had "already" been carried out. Strange that?! The date was still later! (To be exact, almost 10 weeks, 2.1/2 months, 68 days) It had took many many phone calls and we still haven't had a satisfactory response, I just glad I don't we don't have bad hearts or high blood pressures!

Oh and since then we have had a quick review done by a highly qualified installer and assessor. He laughed and said we were another statistic of Safestyle before calming down and stating how he would of put matching framework around it, a solid sill should of been fitted properly and it looked like a bodged job! Thanks for the agreeing second opinion!

Summary: