The Most Incompetent Company You Have Dealt With

[Mervyn and Trish]

Yes IT can be a pain in general. In my last job we had a swear box in the office. But you could claim exemption if it was the IT department you were swearing about.

To add to the list - Vodafone. My mobile phone stopped working at home and I rang to query if there was a problem with the local cell. They made me go through a whole load of security questions, adding to the time I was paying for on their 0845 line, which is not included in my landline inclusive calls package. All they actually needed was my postcode to ascertain whether there was a problem in my area. They said there wasn't and insisted I went through a procedure on my phone to make sure it was set to the correct network (which I'd already done but they insisted I do again - more cost on the call.)

Of course that didn't work but they said leave it a few hours then try again. Well I left it a few days and then tried again and no luck. So I went through the whole palaver again and they again said there wasn't a problem with the local cell, despite the fact that in the meantime I'd been to a different area where the phone worked fine. So, unconvinced, I asked to speak to the technical department who immediately told me there was a problem with the local cell that they'd known about for days. Needless to say within 24 hours I'd transferred to O2!

[gfwgfw]

Bleedy Heck

Desperate for a wee wee

The village toilets have been closed for you know why - Council budget cut backs

Forced to buy a small Americano to use Costas facilities

£1.80 for a blessed relief, my older shipmates will know what I mean

. . . and my Coffee was very settle ling added and abetted with a tasty "cookie"

[AngieT]

Tesco online shopping. Never used it before but our local Sainsburys was shut for renovation so decided to try it. Waited in & no sign of delivery in the 2 hour timeslot. Rang the store & the conversation went like this -
'We have spoken to the driver & he says he has already delivered it'.
'Not to my house he hasn't'
'Oh - He says there was no answer at your door so he has left it with a neighbour'
'He didn't knock on our door - I've been sat next to it all day. Which house has he left it at?'
'Number 16'
'There is no number 16 in our street - there are no even numbers'
'He insists he left it at number 16 in your street'
'Then he's left it in the wrong street'
'Oh, we will get him to go back & collect it & come straight around to you'

An hour later a Tesco driver collected our shopping from a house 3 streets away & tried to deliver it to our house. He couldn't understand why I no longer wanted it as the frozen items had been sitting in someone's house thawing nicely. He got quite abusive & then stormed off. We rang Tesco back to complain to the manager who was going to ring us back. That was 3 years ago & we are still waiting for his call!!!!

My 21 yr old nephew applied for a bank loan for a car. He has been with the Yorkshire Bank since leaving school & couldn't understand why the loan application was rejected. 'You are unemployed.' 'No I'm not, I've been in the Army for 2 years.' 'Our records don't show you have a job'. 'Not only did I tell you about my employment but my wage goes in every month.' 'Oh yes, so it does. But our records don't show you are employed!' 'So update my records now & my salary proves I'm in the Army & then give me the loan.' 'Sorry, it will take 6 weeks for your record to be updated!' Needless to say he got his loan elsewhere!

[gfwgfw]

So sorry folks . . . i must be unique . . . due to unexpectant life changing circumstances, the Giant is totally reliant and grateful for on line shopping

To date

All is hunky dory . . and so grateful to all my delivery friends

Luboo all

The Very Happy and Contended Giant of Cerne Abbas

[Jean W]

Angela - so sorry to hear of your experiences with Tesco. Ours have been brilliant!

Having said that I have experienced problems when trying to finalise my order, but the deliveries have been 'spot on'.

[oldbluefox]

I get quite exasperated with delivery drivers who don't use the door bell but knock and then go away because we haven't heard them. We have a door bell and four receivers around the house so that wherever we are we hear it. Do they use it? No!!! They bang on the door but because there is a closed vestibule they can knock to their heart's content and we will never hear them. That's why we've got the bl***y bell, innit!!!!!

[david63]

Also why is it that delivery drivers expect you to sit behind the door all day so that you can answer it in half a nano second so that they don't have to wait.

And then there is the scenario where you have been waiting for a delivery and the minute that you go to loo the driver arrives.

[CaroleF]

OBF - I agree 100%! I have taken to putting a notice on the door saying - Please ring the Bell - and putting an arrow pointing to the bell! This is after just happening to be in the hall and a delivery man just knocked on the door with his knuckles! Why! There is a bell, there is a heavy brass door knocker - use them!

I had one order where the man just put a notice through the door saying the parcel was "At the over gate"! I assumed he meant "other gate". So I looked by our back gate - no parcel. Eventually I found it just inside the back gate of our neighbours! Either the man made no attempt to ring, knock or whatever, or he was one of those who knocks on the door with his knuckles - Why? It was one of those new delivery companies that have sprung up, can't remember their name. If anyone knocks with their hand on the front door and I am in the kitchen then between me and the front door is the hall, the sitting room and a lobby - that's three doors, all shut in the winter, no way would I hear.

It drives me mad!

Carole

[qbman1]

For me, virtually all of the utility companies I have to deal with in the course of my business. The old adage that "you pay peanuts and get monkeys" was never more true !

HSBC are worse than useless and just don't get me started on the local council...!

[Stephen]

I get quite exasperated with delivery drivers who don't use the door bell but knock and then go away because we haven't heard them. We have a door bell and four receivers around the house so that wherever we are we hear it. Do they use it? No!!! They bang on the door but because there is a closed vestibule they can knock to their heart's content and we will never hear them. That's why we've got the bl***y bell, innit!!!!!

I literally had the same issue just now. Some delivery bod knocks on the door and before I can answer it he's halfway up the drive. The delivery wasn't even for me but next door.

I also had similar problems with Sky. They phone to reply to an email support request, but instead of waiting for me to answer they let the phone ring twice and then hang up. Now I'm no slouch but I'm not bl**dy superman either. On anther occasion I had the phone right next to me when they rang. As soon as I picked it up they hung up. A strong worded email to them resulted in them phoning and apologising saying they have now adjusted their systems. We shall see.

[Jean W]

My worst one used to be BGas before our meter was turned and can now be read from outside. Same chap everytime who could well have done with a personality transplant. Once, whilst working upstairs, the doorbell went and I proceeded to get to the front door. By this time he was 2 doors away and there was no way he would come back.

I am not slow, but our Neighbours who were in their 90's at the time, didn't stand a chance.

Then there are the ones who insist on knocking on the Porch door - for crying out loud - there's a doorbell!

[Meg 50]

had a similar experience the other day - I saw a chap in a dayglo jacket over the road who was clearly touting for something ( saw him later - twas tree stuff). Then a chap came up our path and rang the bell (wow! opened the porch and found the bell!).
I started downstairs, hackles risen cos we have a no buying at the door poster on display. By the time I was halfway down I saw he'd gone and was halfway out of the gate.... So I stopped so he wouldn't see me!

A few minutes later, SD and I were going out and we passed both men chatting at the end of the road

BUT, the one who had come to my house was a policeman - there was a patrol car with a couple of other officers a bit further down.
When we got back about 45 mins later they were still there and must have seen us go into the house, but they just drove off.

Never did find out what the police wanted with us!

[Boris+]

I did post something somewhere about an item I ordered which turned out to be despatched from Brooklyn NY, and took ages to arrive.

Anyway I recently received a request from this company to do a review about my experience, so I did! I was polite but factual - and they didn't like it ....... well I didn't like the way I had been treated. They promptly contacted me and offered me a part refund. I accepted the refund, but pointed out that as their product had taken so very long to arrive I had already gone out and bought the item in a shop locally. Then they said I would have a full refund.

So far so good - now they are nagging me to change my 'review'. When they first asked me to change the original review I wasn't feeling very well, so I replied that when I was better I'd get around to it - not properly better yet, and they are nagging again.

I think that I'll get back into the review, and change it to reflect what has transpired - including the nagging. Apparently they don't like having a negative review - well, I don't like being messed about and then nagged into the bargain.

Rant over.

Em

[jacksparrow]

I just hate it when you ring a company and then you have to go through goodness knows how many options before you get to talk to a human being. You can spend a couple of minutes hitting option buttons before you even get told that there is a queue.

[Jean W]

Here's another one - our Bank (Barclays). 'Meet and Greet'!!!! I want my payIng in book stamped by a Teller not instructions how to use another way! Last week, after a bit of confrontation I was told that my paying in book could be stamped as it was a Business account! He then proceeded to 'unlock a drawer' to get a stamp - flippin' heck!!! I don't want extra pieces of paper for crying out loud.

Sorry if this is a bit off the original posr!

[Boris+]

Recently we've ordered items on line and the delivery company has been absolutely fabulous. We didn't pay extra for a 'time slot' - we were given one which we could have changed easily, but what we were given was fine. The time slot was one hour long, and the items arrived within the given time.

However, we then purchased one (hopefully, for now) final item on line, and got a different delivery company. ALL DAY it said - and the day in question was one day early, so our plans went awry for the week. Anyway, we tried to get hold of the delivery company - and trying to get through their blasted website was a nightmare. Finally we got into obtaining their phone number - and that was about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

Ok, so it's all delivered now, and our week is getting back to normal - but if one company can do it nicely why can't they all?

Em

[david63]

- but if one company can do it nicely why can't they all?

Quite simply - costs. Probably monkeys and peanuts syndrome.

[oldbluefox]

Here's another one!!!
Just rang up a company (long story) who had already asked me 40000 questions - name, address, email address, phone number, mobile number etc. They said they would ring me back. Fair enough but as my wife has the mobile I told them to ring me on the landline.

Question........................ You have one guess to tell me which line they rang me on. Just excuse me whilst I come down off the roof!!!

Flamin' muppets!!!!!

[Quizzical Bob]

Here's another one!!!
Just rang up a company (long story) who had already asked me 40000 questions - name, address, email address, phone number, mobile number etc. They said they would ring me back. Fair enough but as my wife has the mobile I told them to ring me on the landline.

Question........................ You have one guess to tell me which line they rang me on. Just excuse me whilst I come down off the roof!!!

Flamin' muppets!!!!!

Mail order brown paper parcel was it?

[wolfie]

Recently.............John Lewis.

Ordered a TV online, given a delivery date by e mail and phoned to ask time scale on the day, am/pm etc.

Told there was no trace of our order, despite e mails from them confirming delivery on a specific day, so customer assistant said that they would cancel and reorder. That was a no no as we had arranged to be in the day of delivery and were away when they said it would be delivered if reordered.

It actually arrived the day before the e mail said it would... just luck that we were at home.

[Stephen]

Good to see you Wolfie.

We have used John Lewis several times and have no complaints. I think you were just unlucky.

[oldbluefox]

Here's another one!!!
Just rang up a company (long story) who had already asked me 40000 questions - name, address, email address, phone number, mobile number etc. They said they would ring me back. Fair enough but as my wife has the mobile I told them to ring me on the landline.

Question........................ You have one guess to tell me which line they rang me on. Just excuse me whilst I come down off the roof!!!

Flamin' muppets!!!!!

Mail order brown paper parcel was it?

I wasn't going to mention Ann Summers!

[Dark Knight]

Anne Summers use black packaging, not brown paper

[Silver_Shiney]

Anne Summers use black packaging, not brown paper

there speaks the voice of experience....

[Meg 50]

I'm intrigued - we've had all these posts about delivery personnel knocking and not waiting.

I've been watching the Olympics and knitting this morning and also watching our road out of the front room window....

The place has been swamped with Jehovah's Witnesses ( cos we saw them in advance we knew to ignore the door bell).

They carefully rang rather than knocking etc etc at each property and waited 'for ever' for the doors to be answered.

If they can do it, why can't everyone?