Warning, long Mothercare rant!

[knopk@]

So its a long story about appauling customer service, I was so annoyed today.

It started a week ago, I had a conversation with the store manager about getting 10% discount if I bought Bugaboo pram and couple of accessories. (For those of you who know, they have so called Babyplan and that gives you 10 % discount)

So we decided to go an purchase it today, husband and I go into the store to find that allegedly Bugaboo has told them they are not allowed to give any discounts.

Ok, I can accept this sort of thing can happen, even if it was different a week ago.

Then I asked them about Paul Frank fabric and was told they sell it only to find out it was only the footmuff and not the tailored fabric. I was also told if I purchase the pram, it will be delivered in 2-4 working days (they were trying to get me signed up for the Babyplan but I just want to pay with a credit card and be done with it!).

Finally we decided to get one in dark grey/red(plus footmuff and seat liner) and I went to pay at the till only to find that:
a) they will deliver the fabric within 2-4 days and the actual pram will take a month
b) they are to be delivered separately and they wont let me choose a date (although it is available on the above mentioned Babyplan)

At this point I was so fed up I just left.

Thanks for reading, I feel a bit better. They definitely lost a customer, I will be ordering my pram from another shop.

 

[rachcraig]

Ach that's not good. Seems really dis-organised to send you out the bits separately.

I've not been impressed by Mothercare either, I think a lot of their stuff is really over priced and the staff aren't that helpful considering the specialise in baby stuff. I drive a mini and have hardly space in the boot for a pram so I was asking the staff to show me what prams folded down small and they were really huffy about having to show me! Ended up going else where aswell

 

[Young Mum 21 x]

sounds like none of them have a clue whats going on!!
sooo annoying!! xxxx

 

[Stunned]

Yeah I found the service at mother care is s***! When I was pregnant, I went round the shops looking for prams. I was in mothercare trying out the prams on display, trying to fold them etc. All the staff just walked past me even though I was obviously struggling with trying to work out how the prams worked! Not one person offered any help whatsoever!

I ended up going to M&P who were excellent and didn't mind folding and unfolding almost every pram they had in store and going out to my car to see if they would fit in the boot etc. Plus when there were problems with delivery (it was during last winter when the heavy snowfall disrupted everything and I didn't actually get the pram till Eva was 5 days old) they gave me a discount!

 

[MrsDraven]

So glad I read this! Note to self, avoid Mothercare!

 

[Laura_C]

I too had a bad experience with Mothercare when I was pram shopping for my first childs pram. Several couples were struggling with the display prams putting them up and down etc and none of us got any help whatsoever. This was 4 years ago an I hoped it was a one off by sounds like it still happens. Mamas and Papas and local independent nursery shops have always been fabulous and can't do enough for you. That's the way it should be when spending so much money with them!!

 

[BabysMomma]

I had a slip up with them too when I wanted to exchange a bra I'd bought...should have been simple, but nope.

I got measured for a maternity bra and wanted one in black and one in white, but I'd picked up a white nursing bra by accident that was mistakenly on the same rack as the maternity one I wanted (had to hoke through for correct size).

Got home, realised that it was wrong bra, so took it back to store. No problem they said, we'll exchange. Well they didn't have any in my size so tried to fob me off with a flesh coloured one, but I needed a white one for under my white tops. So, they said that they'd order it online for me and have it delivered to the store to arrive in about 10 days I think it was. Anyway, the bra they were ordering was £2 less, so I got a refund to my card and they would sort the rest out for me and call me when the bra arrived.

The waiting time came and went, no phonecall, so I went into the store, stood in the queue, only to be told that if I hadn't received a phonecall then it wasn't there yet and to give it another few days. I gave it a week and was peeved cos I was bursting out of my normal bras and whilst I had the black one I bought, I wanted to wear light coloured tops and also needed a change whilst I was washing and drying one.

When I went back again, I just said that I wasn't happy that it was taking so long and could I cancel the order and get a refund. The staff member I got this time around, I must say was pretty helpful. She called their helpline and was trying to sort it out. As it was taking a while, she asked if we had other shopping to do around town, which luckily we had, so she took my mobile number and said she'd call me as soon as she could.

Off we went shopping, then got a phonecall to return to the store. We found out that the staff member who ordered the bra for me, had not redirected my payment to their system for purchase of the bra, so it was never sent. So, order now got cancelled and either I took a refund or picked another bra. I just picked another bra cos I really needed it.

What a palava over a bloody bra eh! Customer service within the UK stinks IMHO. There are some lovely customer service reps that I've had the pleasure of interacting with, but there have been so many nasties. Like you're actually bothering them for asking them to do their job. It really infuriates me cos I used to work in customer service and would bend over backwards to help a customer. x

 

[Bunnykins]

I always find I get ignored in our Mothercare store which is so irritating when you need to ask about something, I once spent 30 mins trying to find someone who would measure me for a maternity bra (on a really hot day too, so was pretty much on the verge of passing out by then!!!), although to be fair on the woman I eventually snagged she was very helpful and ran back and forth to the stockroom checking for bras in my size. Not sure I would have shopped there for anything big like a pram etc that would need advice though.

Mind you I am currently embroiled in a huge complaint row with M&P over our nursery furniture, the customer service from them has been absolutely appalling, 5 weeks since my wardrobe was delivered and I am still waiting for 2 door hinges because they were missing from the pack when it was delivered. Countless phonecalls and complaint letters and they still cant tell me when I will get any replacement hinges, how hard can it be???? They have not once rang me back with an update even when they promise they will, it is always me waiting a week then having to ring them on their 0845 number for 20 mins. I am so on the verge of walking into their store armed with a screwdriver and taking the doors off the display wardrobe they have!!!! I will probably never shop there again after this palava!

 

[BabysMomma]

I am so on the verge of walking into their store armed with a screwdriver and taking the doors off the display wardrobe they have!!!! I will probably never shop there again after this palava!

Now that I'd like to see I can just see the headlines in the local paper..."Hormonal Pregnant Lady Swipes Hinges From Local Mamas & Papas Store"! x

 

[Bunnykins]

I am so on the verge of walking into their store armed with a screwdriver and taking the doors off the display wardrobe they have!!!! I will probably never shop there again after this palava!

Now that I'd like to see I can just see the headlines in the local paper..."Hormonal Pregnant Lady Swipes Hinges From Local Mamas & Papas Store"! x

I guess I would look a bit deranged, its still very tempting though