Pathetic Customer Service (Comet.co.uk)

Member Name: SJSmith

Product:	Comet.co.uk
Date:	24/03/03 (3230 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wastes a spare two hours on the phone, You get to know their policy backwards, Roll up! Roll up! Hear the youngest call centre person in history

Disadvantages: Don't deliver when promised, Have no record of you or the order, Incompetent and rude staff

On 29th December 2002 I ordered a laser printer from comet.co.uk after finding their price to be the cheapest by about £3. For some reason the site told me that this top-selling printer could not be delivered until 9th January 2003, but I accepted that and placed the order.

The printer didn't arrive on the 9th so I rang on the 10th and was promised it would be delivered on the 11th. It wasn't, so I rang on the 12th and was promised it would be delivered on the 13th. It wasn't, so I rang on the 14th and it finally arrived late that afternoon. Throughout all this, there was no record of the order on Comet's computer system when they searched by postcode or order number - I apparently only exist as a 'customer number'.

The printer was ordered to print black to replace an old inkjet printer, and a new inkjet printer was ordered from elsewhere for colour. However, the quality of the new inkjet was unbelievably good so we decided that the laser printer was now not needed. The important thing to remember here is that the printer box was (and still is) unopened - not even the seal on the box has been touched.

We realised on 13th February that the printer wasn't needed and I rang Comet the next day to find that, once again, I couldn't be found on their computers. They eventually found me but no delivery date was listed, so I rang the courier who told me the delivery date - 14th January. I rang Comet back and was told that I was three days too late to claim a refund as their policy is to do so within seven days due a change of mind, or 28 days if there is a fault. The extraordinarily young boy I spoke to couldn't see my point that someone had made up this policy and that I would like to speak with someone with the authority to forget policy for once under my individual circumstances - which are that I could have used the printer non-stop for seven days and received a refund without question, or that I could have i
nvented a fault after 28 days and received a refund, but instead I have an unopened printer which they could sell to someone for the full price.

I was told that no-one had made up this policy - it just "IS policy". He seemed to be under the impression that God had created the 28-day rule when he had a spare moment on the sixth day. When I suggested that the CEO or Managing Director may have had a say in company policy, he told me that the MD (Simon Fox) does not work in the same building as Customer Service in Hull, and that the 0845 600 7002 number I had rung was the only Comet number in existence. Bizzarely, he also said that there are no other Comet offices. I assume the MD therefore works in his car.

Courtesy of Google, I found that the real phone number of Kingfisher Comet plc is 01482 320681. I was put through to a member of the Management Team, who understood that since I had waited five extra days for delivery I had a case for claiming a refund when only three days late. However, he put me back through Customer Service who went on again about company policy. I rang the Management Team again and a different member put me back through to Customer Service for a reprise on company policy. I tried a third time, and I was told by this member of the Team that I was lying when I told her that a colleague of hers had told me I had a case!

A colleague of mine then suggested I tackle this from a different angle. He reminded me that Comet were under contract to deliver the printer on the date they stipulated. As they were five days late, they were in breach of contract. I therefore claimed a refund through my credit card company but they too have replied that they are not the slightest bit interested in breach of contracts or customer care. I am now trying to sell it privately.

This goes to show that Comet couldn't care less about customers. The role of their Customer Service department is to read out policies rather tha
n serve the customer. Not only that, but they were breaking a legally binding contract and couldn't give a toss. Even members of their Management Team are incompetent (shown by putting me back to Customer Service twice when they knew all I heard about from them was policy) and rude (I am, after all, a lying little toe-rag who has the gall to stand up for his legal rights). In telling people about this, I have found that many have either had or heard of after-sales problems with Comet. Shop with Comet at your peril.

Summary: