Mean company loses all goodwill from longtime customer. (boxclever)

Member Name: smartferret

Product:	boxclever
Date:	24/12/08 (257 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Any faults get fixed promptly. Can't think of any other advantage.

Disadvantages: Costs more in the long run. Money grasping approach to their customers.

Having rented the same TV from Radio Rentals/Granada/Box Clever since August 1999 (that's over NINE years) with only one minor fault for them to fix during that period, I had paid them the value of the set about three times over.

Their policy seems to be to leave your monthly rental at the same figure for ever and ever unless you phone to suggest they take the set back. If you do that then they come up with a rental reduction to entice you to stay with them. I only found that out by chance but I would recommend any long-term customer to ask for a discount.

My last Direct Debit had been correctly taken from my bank account on 5 December and my account with them had never had any payment problems. When I phoned to cancel on 18 December they agreed to collect the set on the last day of the billing month (5 January) but in a subsequent letter nevertheless insisted that I make the next payment on 6 January, in other words they held me quite forcibly to the notice clause in the contract I had signed in 1999 and when I telephoned to complain the Customer Service Supervisor implied that I would be in breach of contract by cancelling the direct debit payment due on 6 January. To avoid protracted litigation I subsequently had no option but to pay them for a further month.

Such a mean-spirited approach to a customer who they had done so very well out of for over nine years just defies comprehension.

Even with the rental reductions, they had exactly £2503.87 out of me during the entire rental period. The set could have been bought outright in 1999 for about £800. I am not worried about the difference, after all it was my choice to rent and not buy but the figures speak for themselves. What I do object to is the fact that under the circumstances they could so easily have reduced the notice period from 4 weeks down to two and not left me feeling as if I was dealing with a grasping intransigent outfit.

I would never under any circumstances use this company again.

Summary: Avoid this company.