Comet customers beware of 10% restocking scam. (Comet.co.uk)

Member Name: Colin Moon

Product:	Comet.co.uk
Date:	05/10/07 (232 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Comet stores are generally clean, and have a good selection of products

Disadvantages: If you want after sales care or service, perhaps you would be safer at Argos

Today, October 5th, 2007, at 4pm, we purchased a Carpet Shampooing Machine and a Vacuum Cleaner form Comet's Crawley Branch. The Hover Vacuum cleaner cost £200.00 and the Salesman advised my wife and I that it had a "Power Head."

We drove home immediately, and I unpacked our new purchases. The £189.00 Bissel shampoo machine was fine, but the Hoover vacuum cleaner had clearly been open previously. More seriously, there was no Power Head.

My wife returned the purchase immediately, to exchange if for a nother cleaner with a Power Head such as a Dyson.

"No problem," the shop told her but we will charge you £20.00 to return the Hoover. No amount of discussion would persuade Comet to waive the £200.00. "Caveat emptor" was all they said. Well we are talking Comet here so it was "Didn't you read the signs in the shop that explain our returns policy?" Certainly, no one mentioned it at Check-out, and I would have thought a 10% restocking charge is at least worth a mention.

When my ife returned, absolutely seathing, I said I would cal the store and speak to the manager, but found that it was an 0870 Premium Rate number, so I called Comet Head Office instead.

I ended up speaking to a very bored chap named Aaron Farr, who had clearly had a very long day with lots of complaints to handle. Aaron was a man of very few words, whose entire vocabulary seems to be restricted to, “Did you read the signs?” and “Company Policy.” Clearly, Aaron has not been accorded even the most basic training in Customer Complaints Handling. Or, perhaps worse, he has!

It seems Comet have no interest in investigating whether or not we were loyal customers with a big spending or, indeed, a complaints history. Stupidly, I always thought that that type of research was the reason I have had to give all my personal details at check-out each and every time I made a purchase at Comet.

Anyway, I don’t need to worry about that in future, as this is one family who will never purchase another thing from Comet. However, we will continue to visit to compare products that we will purchase elsewhere. After all, my wife and I have a new Company Policy, ”Never to give Comet another chance to rip us off again.”

Summary: Let the buyer beware. Getting it wrong will cost you dear!