Not impressed with John Lewis customer care

srichards

srichards

Suspended / Banned
Messages
10,968
Name
Suz
Edit My Images
Yes
I bought an ipad mini last October. The charger is faulty. Apparently JL customer care is so poor they cannot just send this £15 item. I have to go all the way into the Cheadle store, twice, ( I bought online ) and be without said iPad for up to 28 days while it is sent to Apple. Are they taking the P or what?!

Never going to buy anything from them again unless they grovel like buggers. It's ludicrous. I told them I'd take the cable back to the Waitrose shop I picked it up from. Can't do that. Can't send just the charger back to them via post

I have told them several times the ipad charges perfectly well with the iphone charger and that the iphone won't charge properly with the ipad charger. It's done it on and off for a few months but it is now doing it all the time. It started after an ios update so I assumed it was that but it being fine with another charger proves that must be a red herring.

For a £15 item they expect me to spend several hours of my time and £20 on fuel.

I was going to buy a fridge and a few other things from them but they can sod off now. I'll buy from Amazon. Their customer service is much better. I guess they can afford it though without all that taxation burden ;)
 
I'm really surprised as I have always found them to be excellent. My 10 month old Kindle Touch developed a fault so I took it in fully expecting it to be sent back to the manufacturer for checking out and repairing.

One if their 'tech people' checked it over and confirmed it was not right and offered me an immediate replacement. Even better they no longer stocked the Kindle Touch so I was given a Paperwhite instead.

I can understand that they want to see your charger first but would be surprised if they didn't replace it on the spot.
 
I too have never had a problem with JL customer services.
 
Never had a problem either. Wouldn't it be easier to just buy a new charger anyway?
 
daveproctor said:
I'm really surprised as I have always found them to be excellent. My 10 month old Kindle Touch developed a fault so I took it in fully expecting it to be sent back to the manufacturer for checking out and repairing.

One if their 'tech people' checked it over and confirmed it was not right and offered me an immediate replacement. Even better they no longer stocked the Kindle Touch so I was given a Paperwhite instead.

I can understand that they want to see your charger first but would be surprised if they didn't replace it on the spot.
Click to expand...

I said I'd be happy to take it to the local Waitrose store to swap or even post back and they could send a replacement. I'm just not going to trek all the way up to a JL store miles away for something I bought online when I could exchange it at a Waitrose that is 20 minutes away but their company policy is preventing them from doing something sensible.

It's £15. I'll just buy another. It's not worth the hassle. The principle is that it is faulty and within their warranty time so they should exchange it without massive inconvenience to the customer. They aren't doing this.
 
Would a local Apple shop help you, if there is one?
 
Steep said:
Would a local Apple shop help you, if there is one?
Click to expand...

Probably. My contract is with JL though so they are the ones that should be remedying it. Its their legal obligation.

Being pragmatic ill probably try the local apple reseller next....
 
What has Waitrose got to do with this?
 
MWHCVT said:
Waitrose and John Lewis are one and the same Cooperative :thumbs:
Click to expand...

Yeh, but that's like buying a drill from B&Q and wanting to take it back to Screwfix?
 
admirable said:
Yeh, but that's like buying a drill from B&Q and wanting to take it back to Screwfix?
Click to expand...

No it isn't. You can order online on jl's site to be delivered to a local waitrose therefore any reasonable person would expect to be able to do a return or exchange via same method.
 
Well I did ask in post 10. I presume you had it delivered to waitrose?
 
Take it into Waitrose and let them deal with it.
 
I've never had to take anything back, but when my employer's daughter's laptop failed under guarantee they gave her a new, much better spec, laptop to use in the meantime while they fixed it.

Since she was at the time a student the original had had a hard life, both in terms of physical bumps and bangs and in terms of the amount of junk installed on it, but they sorted it out all the same, and left the replacement with her for weeks after the original was fixed so she had time to transfer her uni work back to her own computer.
 
£15 for an iPad charger?

Isn't it just a mains to USB adapter??
 
Have you tried posting on one of the consumer forums? Moneysavingexpert for instance. This sounds pretty unreasonable to me, but you need an expert.
 
Fortunately a friend of mine is good with things like this. She's always duffing up customer care departments. She used to work in customer complaints herself so she knows exactly what they should do. She's not impressed with their attitude either!
 
I've found that it's far easier to get stuff sorted with Apple products than pretty much any other company. I just wander into an Apple store (not a reseller) and things get sorted straight away (even if you bought from someone else).

I guess it's a rubbish solution if you don't live near an Apple store though.
 
They've got back to me with something about Apple covering the first year of the warranty and they only do the second which is why it would have to be sent back to apple. Pretty sure this is utter cobblers and I have the perfect right under The Sale And Supply of Goods To Consumers Regulations to demand a replacement of the faulty item directly from them without having to arse around.

I will get another and they can refund me the cost.

Might have to write a complaint to the CEO as my feeling is that this is utter BS.

Taken whole lot into Apple reseller. Charger won't misbehave so I've left them with it and the lead to test further. They don't have proper test equipment and can only test by plugging it in and out repeatedly.

Kenwood stereo which is 10 months old also packed up on the way back. I'm having a great week!
 
Last edited:
I think its perfectly reasonable for JL to ensure a 9 month old item is faulty before replacing or repairing it. Did you call the online retailer (JL) or a JL store that is near you? I should have thought it could be posted back to JL rather than hand delivered. I have always found their customer care first class and we have bought a heck of a lot of stuff off them. I would call the online customer care and if you don't get any joy ask to speak to someone further up the tree. I would agree your contract is with JL and its up to JL to send back to Apple and I am sure they would supply a replacement whilst yours is being investigated if you explain you cant charge it and its therefore useless until your charger is repaired or replaced under warranty if faulty.

Matt
 
I'd be tempted to tell them that, in the absence of the obvious commonsence solution, you will be returning both the iPad and charger as the pair (in combination) are no longer fit for purpose and that you expect a full refund within seven days.
 
Never had a problem that JL could not sort out pdq, apart from stopping sending me spam!!!
 
MatBin said:
I think its perfectly reasonable for JL to ensure a 9 month old item is faulty before replacing or repairing it. Did you call the online retailer (JL) or a JL store that is near you? I should have thought it could be posted back to JL rather than hand delivered. I have always found their customer care first class and we have bought a heck of a lot of stuff off them. I would call the online customer care and if you don't get any joy ask to speak to someone further up the tree. I would agree your contract is with JL and its up to JL to send back to Apple and I am sure they would supply a replacement whilst yours is being investigated if you explain you cant charge it and its therefore useless until your charger is repaired or replaced under warranty if faulty.

Matt
Click to expand...

I emailed JL online first. They told me to call their Tech support team who still hadn't answered after 20 minutes. I emailed them back just asking for a replacement and that I could drop the duff one off at Waitrose to swap them if they didn't wish to send one out before having the other back. They refused.

They will not provide a replacement ipad. I have a spare charger but they insisted the whole lot has to go off even though it's the charger/lightening lead/both.

I pointed out to them that the other identical charger works fine therefore it is obvious to anyone that the ipad charger is suspect. It's only that charger I have had issues with.

I've given up with JL. I took it to the apple reseller near me. They have the lead and charging unit to test. It is an intermittent fault and therefore problematic to prove that it doesn't work as it is consistently failed to work this week then has started randomly working again. They agreed with me that it must be the charger but they have to catch it in the act before Apple will replace it!

I can't be bothered to deal with JL now. I'll stick with the apple reseller. They are at least doing something without a fight.

I have only ever heard good things about their customer service so whether this is just an issue with Apple stuff I don't know.
 
You should have taken it back to the apple shop in the trafford centre, you'd have walked out with a new one if my experience is anything to go by

never had a problem with them
 
wack61 said:
You should have taken it back to the apple shop in the trafford centre, you'd have walked out with a new one if my experience is anything to go by
Click to expand...

This ^

I don't understand why the OP is so set on JL sorting it if they could get it done quickly and easily at an Apple store. Sounds like cutting off your nose to spite your face as my old granny used to say.
 
Don't take any prisoners.... complain loudly and vociferously on their facebook page, this will shame them into action. Ask for compensation (on the principle of "you don't get if you don't ask") and don't waffle - be clear and concise, explain your position and the trouble you will have to go to to rectify the problem.

Lets be honest, they are only interested (as with any retailer) in making profit from you. JL are better than most with customer care (and I've never had a problem), however, stand your ground, asks for what is fair, and don't be shy about complaining!

Bad service is my pet hate, and I'll stick to my guns and be completely unrelentless about it, as I've got (proportionately) far more to lose than any huge corporation. And just so you know...

probably the most significant complaints I've made...
£28,000 refund from MINI coupe (deemed unsafe by trading standards, mini did not acknowledge but paid out immediately)
full respray on new BMW M3 (slight discolouration on door, dealer did not acknowledge, but spray shop spotted problem immediately)
Nose cone respray on new Lotus Evora (chip on front bumper)
D7000 replacement, query about focus

And yes, JL have refunded me on their "never knowingly undersold" policy on a ball gown... £325 at JL, £275 in phase8. Took about 4 weeks to come through, but was never queried and dealt with very reasonably and politely, more than can be said for most car dealerships!!!!

stick to your guns, and don't be afraid about using trading standards, or any of the standards authorities. It's your money, it's your right. ;)
and TBH, Apple are amazing, they are just so spot on with customer care :) go see them if you don't want to write.
 
Steep said:
This ^

I don't understand why the OP is so set on JL sorting it if they could get it done quickly and easily at an Apple store. Sounds like cutting off your nose to spite your face as my old granny used to say.
Click to expand...

Because a trip to the Trafford centre is a 100 mile round trip and will cost more in fuel than just buying another bloody charger!

The apple reseller is 5 miles away.
 
HopefulM said:
Don't take any prisoners.... complain loudly and vociferously on their facebook page, this will shame them into action. Ask for compensation (on the principle of "you don't get if you don't ask") and don't waffle - be clear and concise, explain your position and the trouble you will have to go to to rectify the problem.

Lets be honest, they are only interested (as with any retailer) in making profit from you. JL are better than most with customer care (and I've never had a problem), however, stand your ground, asks for what is fair, and don't be shy about complaining!

Bad service is my pet hate, and I'll stick to my guns and be completely unrelentless about it, as I've got (proportionately) far more to lose than any huge corporation. And just so you know...

stick to your guns, and don't be afraid about using trading standards, or any of the standards authorities. It's your money, it's your right. ;)
and TBH, Apple are amazing, they are just so spot on with customer care :) go see them if you don't want to write.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. Will be emailing CEO of JL to point out poor service. It shouldn't be a fight to get them to do what they are required to do.
 
For all you closure freaks....

Apple reseller replaced charger unit FOC as they were unhappy with the amount of wobble in the usb connection. New charger has charged both phone and ipad without issue.

Thus proving me completely right in what I said was up with it. :bang:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top