What's the worst customer service you've experienced?

mr_vino89 on 13/07/2013 - 11:43
Last edited 13/07/2013 - 15:47

I recently called up Harvey Norman at Oxley to ask about Sony Bluetooth wireless speakers that I wanted. The reception desk transferred my called to a guy from the computer department. He told me that his department doesn't deal with those bluetooth speakers and so he transferred my call to the entertainment department (or something).

So I spoke to a guy in the entertainment department about the speakers who told me that his department doesn't deal with bluetooth speakers and that he would transfer my call to the computer department. I told him that I was just transferred from the computer department to his department to enquire about the speakers.

He rudely response "No, we don't deal with it mate you have to speaker to the computer department about it". I could then hear him walk to the computer department to speaker to his colleague about. They were both arguing about which department looks after bluetooth speakers etc etc and none of them wanted to take responsibility for it.

Feeling impatient I decide to just hang up the phone.

It annoys that that Harvey Norman separates their departments in a one level store and none of them are not willing to try and help customers unless its within their department. otherwise, you'll be completely ignored.

All I wanted to know was how much they sell the speakers for and whether they had any in stock. Was it so hard for either of them to check that information about on their computer database?

Harvey Norman is generally re-known for provide bad customer service. They always talk it up in their ads but the reality is they don't always deliver.

I currently work as a retail sales assistant so I can be abit more forgiving and patient towards retail employees who cop a fair bit of slack from customers, and so I do know how they feel. However, it urks me that some employees just don't give a crap about their job or understand want good to exceptional customer service means.

obviously this is not my worst customer service experience (and likewise for a lot people) but it was my most recent experience.

Anyway, thought I'd ask everyone what is your worst customer service you've experienced?

Hopefully your opinions and rants will raise enough awareness for those companies to improve on their poor customer service.

  • end rant - lol
General Discussion

Comments

  • ilostnemo on 13/07/2013 - 12:06
    -5

    Maybe they were just trying to workout, who was best suited to answer your questions.

    I'm not going to justify there actions, but Bluetooth speakers could fall into a few categories.
    You may of also just got a dropkick.

    Telstra, always gave me the runaround, so I transferred to prepaid.

    Unfortunately the sales staff would always assume the customer is in the wrong.

    • Tal_Shiar on 13/07/2013 - 13:37
      +6

      Maybe they were just trying to workout, who was best suited to answer your questions.

      Maybe…Maybe not…

    • pmupsinep on 17/07/2013 - 19:34
      +1

      Neg for inappropriate commas & for not knowing what the word "there" means.

  • sraymond on 13/07/2013 - 12:07

    Not sure if you got any speakers but I love this one from OW.

    http://www.officeworks.com.au/retail/products/Technology/Aud…

    • mr_vino89 on 13/07/2013 - 14:49
      +12

      firstly, I have the checked store availability online for other products in the past. But when I get to the store they say that they only have the display model only which is included in the stock list…

      secondly, I knew what I was looking and I just wanted to see if they had any in stock as I was already on the road and was going to stop by….

  • Tal_Shiar on 13/07/2013 - 13:35
    +9

    I dont really want to talk about it, it makes me too angry thinking about it still….

    • [Deactivated] on 17/07/2013 - 09:42
      +2

      Ditto. I've been avoiding clicking on this thread. So many lousy customer service experiences over the years (one that almost came to blows) that I don't really want to relive them in any detail.

      Have come to regard Harvey Norman with a general/casual contempt, so hardly inclined to defend. For the benefit of mr_vino and others looking at buying a cross-over type product, I'll just point out that the individual 'departments' in HN are in fact individual franchises, so there may well be a demarcation issue from time to time as regards to who can sell what product.
      It is, however, just one more reason to add to the laundry list of reasons to dislike HN, by way of their general crapulence.

  • grog on 13/07/2013 - 13:46
    +7

    Major chain of computer shops in Perth metro…

    I asked a very simple question like "will DDR 400 work in this motherboard?"

    reply: I am a salesman… i cannot answer questions.

    100% truth and it happened twice! over a few months.

      • Mikeologos on 15/07/2013 - 09:48
        +8

        its your responsibility to know this stuff before you buy

        Then why are you going to a store which has salepeople, you expect them to know their stuff.

      • Tal_Shiar on 15/07/2013 - 12:52
        +1

        At the very least, an attempt to find someone that does should be expected

      • Wade on 17/07/2013 - 12:01

        Surely this is a troll! No one in their right mind would think this.

      • ThadtheChad on 21/07/2013 - 01:44

        you cant expect most salesmen to know this detail

        One would think, if you're a saleman working in a Computer shop, you need to know stuff about computers FFS!

        Most mobos have supported memory speeds listed on the box itself, so that guy was being a tw@.

  • Moots on 13/07/2013 - 15:41
    +12

    If that's your worst case of customer service well done.

  • studentcardokay on 13/07/2013 - 16:13

    All I am hearing is reasons why you should have checked online.

    These guys at Oxley still sound better than the staff at Officeworks there. My experiences with their staff have always been appalling.

    Last time I was there I was served by a guy who fumbled around looking up stock, then when I pressed him about deals he told me he could do me a deal but then following that said the ticket price was as good as it got. You either can deal or you can't no need to lie to waste my time. Basically never shop at Officeworks Oxley. If I could remember his name he was an Asian male I would warn you not to deal with him. He was nothing but a klutz.

  • c64 on 13/07/2013 - 16:20
    -1

    the snowgum fiasco?

    • BlazinPast on 15/07/2013 - 00:33
      +8

      That's understandable though. They would never have thought a gang of 10k+ ozbargainers were going to appear. And from what it seems they did honour pretty much everything in the end, despite probably losing a massive amount of money.

      • Tal_Shiar on 15/07/2013 - 01:38
        +2

        a gang? more like a mafia, after all, we are professionals…

      • c64 on 15/07/2013 - 12:17

        no, they cancelled orders without notification and closed accounts without notification. very poor customer service.

        • nubzy on 15/07/2013 - 13:35

          they honoured my order.

        • c64 on 15/07/2013 - 14:51
          -1

          maybe you were lucky but there were many others who had their online orders cancelled without notice.

  • dedide on 13/07/2013 - 17:25
    +4

    spintel internet
    45+ mins in the phone sales cue and then they hang up on me. I ring back straight away and I am number 18 in the cue. Not a good ad for them.

    • botftw on 13/07/2013 - 21:54
      +29

      Just because you have a Mac doesnt mean you wont have viruses. Dont be so naive. It is just more likely older viruses wont be compatible with your Mac however as newer viruses are coded in delphi and the like, your Mac will not be safe.

    • ThadtheChad on 21/07/2013 - 01:48

      The Mac's are not impregnable. There are some pretty severe vulnerabilities recently discovered. Just an FYI, there is a pretty big demand for OSX and IOS 0-days in the exploit market.

      Ignorance is bliss… you must feel pretty chuffed eh?

  • BlazinPast on 15/07/2013 - 00:29
    +7

    Optus is obviously up there as the biggest joke in customer service history.

    • zelda707 on 15/07/2013 - 08:02
      +3

      yep i agree. My home internet wasn't working i was transferred between the telephone and internet departments several times because they couldn't work it out. It took a few days before my internet started working again

    • Mikeologos on 15/07/2013 - 09:55
      +2

      Completely agree, was given an iPad 3 with seriously overheating display, to the point where it was not touchable. And they said "meh", it wasn't until I stood in their store being a nuisance, complained to the ACCC, etc; that they got off their butts and gave us a new one.

      "Just this once" is what they said.

      • King Steuart on 16/07/2013 - 12:26
        +3

        Why wouldn't you just go to Apple?

        • Weezle on 16/07/2013 - 20:30
          -4

          That's completely irrelevant.. why are you even in this thread if you can't understand the topic?

        • zelda707 on 16/07/2013 - 21:00
          +7

          why is it irrelevant? It's an apple product so you can take it to an apple store for an exchange

        • King Steuart on 16/07/2013 - 22:50
          +9

          Yep it's what I tell customers. If they have an issue and want the fastest possible hassle free resolution, take it to Apple. Some people don't prefer fast hassle free resolutions though. They prefer to not understand the topic.

        • Eivad on 17/07/2013 - 09:56
          +1

          Optus (and some other telco retailers) have an agreement with Apple now, where if you take in your iPhone (not sure if this has extended to iPad yet), the Optus store member will check your phone for liquid/physical damage, and if satisfied there is none, will give you a refurb on the spot.

        • Weezle on 17/07/2013 - 11:53

          I misunderstood your statement, my mistake. I thought you were saying why wouldn't you just purchase the iPad from Apple in the first place.

        • King Steuart on 17/07/2013 - 14:41
          +1

          +1 for honesty :)

        • Bargain4U on 17/07/2013 - 15:28
          +1

          ACL says go to the store where purchased.

        • Macgyver on 17/07/2013 - 15:52
          +2

          Well most people return malfunctioning products to where they bought them. Mikeologos may live far from a Apple store.

        • Mikeologos on 17/07/2013 - 17:13
          +2

          Didn't go to Apple because they were only willing to replace is with a refurbished model. Given that the unit was a week old, we believed it fell under ELF; and this can only be claimed from the store you purchased it from.

          Before people tell me that the refurbished units are no different, it was the fact that we bought a new one, not a refurbished one; we have taken refurbished products before, but that was a year into owning the product. Not a damn week.

  • AlanHB on 15/07/2013 - 10:56
    +6

    Perhaps not "customer service" per se, but has anyone ever had a Naked ADSL line put into your house? And you are informed that Telstra technicians are going to check it out sometime on Monday 9-5? You miss a day of work and boom, they don't even show up. So they reschedule, same crap, don't show up, miss a day of work. You do this a couple of times and your boss gets angry. You start paying friends to stay at your house during the day, waiting for the technician who never comes.

    Eventually you get a call saying that the line is now installed, the house didn't have to be checked at all. That's just stupid.

    Oh I'd like to give a big shout out to my Real Estate agent too. They're quite spectacular in how poorly they manage the property I live in.

    • frostee on 15/07/2013 - 13:21
      +5

      Real estate agents are the worst. Problem with them is they don't 'owe' you any good customer service (at least as a renter). They do not benefit at all from providing renters with good customer service particularly for myself where I rent a very cheap property. Absolute bottom of their priority list unfortunately.

      • AlanHB on 15/07/2013 - 13:45
        +2

        Yeah but sometimes they're just silly. When I first moved into the house - let's say I'd been there perhaps 2 days, they did an initial inspection. I'd noticed that one of the fire alarms was pretty sensitive - as in, if you just finished up a shower and left the bathroom door open, or fried an egg without the vent thing on it would go off. I mentioned at their inspection that the alarm was quite sensitive, and whether there was a way to vary it and they responded "yeah well the fire alarm is the responsibility of the renter". Uh huh. Although I agree with them this was obviously an issue that pre-existed to me moving in, and I was asking if there was a way to fix it.

        We also had issues in regards to automatic payment. Basically they were lazy in registering our account. So when it came to pay day, they did the automatic transfer, however hadn't put our account details in and we recieved a non-payment letter. Gee whiz thanks. We assumed it was a one off thing. Hey we even called them and they said it's a one off thing. Then it happened again. Oh whoopsy that's a one-off thing sorry, we'll get it next time. Then the letters from the agency started pouring in going "hey we are going to kick you out if you don't pay" lalala. You get the idea.

  • Geewhizz on 15/07/2013 - 14:48
    +14

    Hubby once asked me to go to the paint store and price marine paint for a project he was doing.

    Me: Can I get some prices on marine paint please?
    Salesman: Oh, it's very expensive
    Me: I understand that, but can I get some prices please.
    Salesman: It's VERY expensive

    • cdaddy on 16/07/2013 - 10:38
      +3

      Geewhiz

    • Windows7forever on 16/07/2013 - 16:48
      +4

      Must have known you were an ozbargainer!

  • stralya on 15/07/2013 - 17:13
    +5

    For me, it was at Godfreys at Auburn. Got an exceptionally bad salesman. We asked him about a special we had seen on TV, and he tried to up-sell a more expensive model. After a 5 minute demo, we politely declined, as it was about 3 times our budget. At this point in time, he got abusive about wasting his time. He also went into a racist rant about how we (as members of a particular race) were always after the cheapest price. We were tempted to walk out, but we needed a vacuum cleaner urgently and ended up buying one.

    However, I've been to other Godfreys outlets and the customer service has been good. In hindsight we should've complained.

  • Austin 316 on 15/07/2013 - 19:18
    +1

    Without a doubt, the honour goes to SPINTEL. 40 mins on hold and the customer support are all rude and liars. And when they didn't have an answer to why they charged me more, they just hung up on me. Worst company I have dealt with in Australia.

  • cpho on 15/07/2013 - 19:43
    +2

    I've had a few. None extremely bad. Usually a case of a dropkick or language(coughaccentcough) barrier.

    Exetel where I called to get a line connection reset (I've done plenty of these before and it usually takes 2 minutes, and no queue because I check the website about the queue length) and I got this person who kept asking me why, and didn't understand what I wanted her to do. After 10 minutes of her trying to explain what she can and can't do and why I don't need a connection reset, I should get a new modem, blahblahblah, I gave up, hung up, redialed, got a different guy. Problem solved in 2 minutes.

  • itsfree on 15/07/2013 - 21:35
    +18

    My story is a bit different, but it's definitely the worst treatment of a customer that I've witnessed.

    I am a Disability Support Worker and my client used to love visiting the Puffing Billy, so I often took him there. On 3/4/13, my client and I were on the 11:10 train at Belgrave at 10:40 in the middle enclosed carriage, waiting for departure.

    At 11:05, the conductor opened the carriage door and then aggressively and rudely said, "I'm gonna have to get you to move your stuff and put your bag overhead because I need to fit more people on."

    Now understand that we'd been there before everyone else, and we had done nothing wrong whatsoever, yet she ordered in an aggressive, disparaging manner.

    While I was repacking my client's snack box into his bag, she came back in and ordered us aggressively and rudely again, stating, "I need you to move because I need to get two more people in."

    Turning to my client, she forcibly yelled at him, "Move up."

    Because my client is clearly disabled, he needs coactive assistance, so he didn't move up immediately when she said.

    She repeated her order aggressively, to him, "Could you please move up?"

    She then asked me curtly and sarcastically, clearly with racial prejudice, "Does he understand English??"

    This racist, insensitive, bigoted comment was offensive, demeaning, devaluing and humiliating in front of the rest of the passengers. My client, who is non-verbal and vulnerable, was unable to reply to her disgraceful humiliating taunts.

    My client understands English very well. She should have had the sensitivity to understand that many travellers are disabled, just like many of their volunteers are. How dare she humiliate him in front of the rest of the passengers? Don't disabled people have enough self-perception problems to deal with?

    I replied, "He's disabled."

    She continued trying to move him along the seat, but of course he wouldn't move. Visibly hurt by what she said, I softly spoke to him – as a fellow human being – and prompted him to do so.

    The absence of respect and dignity in her manner was breathtaking. In fact, I have never witnessed such conduct toward my visibly disabled client. This incident ruined the trip for me but more so for my client who is a train buff. This costly event is always anticipated with delight by my client. At one point during the trip, he wept.

    I lodged a complaint to PB's management, which was met with reassurances of an investigation. After a length period, I finally received a response, whereby management dismissed the complaint, and instead made underhanded, insulting statements regarding my client and his disability.

    What's notable is that the staff person breached PB's own policies, yet when I pointed this out, they didn't even acknowledge my email.

    My client and I have not visited since.

    • r3volt on 15/07/2013 - 22:47
      +19

      You should make this known to one of the well known disability groups or even your local MP and see what further action can be taken.

      • itsfree on 16/07/2013 - 10:02
        +2

        Yes that's a good idea – I will look into it

        • andyken on 16/07/2013 - 11:09
          +8

          you should, i want to see that B*tch got fired or even got sue by disability groups

        • r3volt on 17/07/2013 - 13:32
          +3

          They have a pretty active facebook page. You could just copy paste your post above and see if you get a response once the public can see it. The company could atleast acknowledge that they could of handled the situation better.

      • Tal_Shiar on 16/07/2013 - 17:12
        +17

        If you have nothing constructive to add dude, don't comment…

        • itsfree on 16/07/2013 - 17:51
          +1

          The OP has obviously got a chip on their shoulder.

          Yes, that must be it. Because I have a grudge against Puffing Billy Railway. And that must also be the reason why my client has spent hundreds of dollars at Puffing Billy prior to this incident.

        • Tal_Shiar on 16/07/2013 - 18:49
          +1

          You're allowed to express you're opinion as am I in telling you I find it offensive on behalf of my father who in in a disabled and loves trains much like itsfree's client

      • itsfree on 16/07/2013 - 17:25
        +18

        You both need to harden up.

        I would welcome you to tell that to my disabled client who was very hurt from the demeaning treatment he received.

        Why can't you see it from the perspective of the conductor who was stressed out and needed the extra room that you were both occupying?

        Oh – so does that justify her mistreatment? What about all the other cases of poor customer service described in this thread – do you justify all them too?

        Life does not revolve around you and your disability/problem

        I'm not sure where I said that – is being treated like a fellow human being so much to ask?

        no one cares

        I didn't know the whole world revolved around you and your opinion – as demonstrated by the replies I have received, people do, in fact, care. Go be a keyboard warrior somewhere else.

        • [Deactivated] on 18/07/2013 - 20:29

          Don't feed the troll and lets face it if you've worked in the industry long enough you'll have come across people who work in the field that have the sensitivity level of slimy toads.

          But it also sounds like you could've been more proactive - assertive as you also failed your client somewhat but you're probably young :) I would've told the conductor in no uncertain terms to back off…

          " After a length period, I finally received a response, whereby management dismissed the complaint, and instead made underhanded, insulting statements regarding my client and his disability."

          I and I'm sure others would love to read this…

      • kabigon on 16/07/2013 - 20:27
        +8

        no one cares

        Why are you visiting a discussion forum if you find everyone else's experiences / opinions such a bore?

      • freakitude on 17/07/2013 - 02:10
        +1

        i come from a country much much less developed than Australia even back there disabled people are not treated like that.

        • dealman on 17/07/2013 - 13:08
          +1

          i come from a country much much less developed than Australia even back there disabled people are not treated like that.

          Let's not generalise this discussion into a country comparison. This is just one example of what was possibly not a very good treatment.

          Disabled people in Australia are treated about a 1000 times better than 80 to 90 % of the world. I say that as someone who has visited and lived in several countries. I am sure there are much better travelled people here who can attest to this fact.

    • dealman on 17/07/2013 - 13:01

      Without knowing the full details it is difficult for me to say if the conductor acted appropriately in this instance, Bear in mind that this is a completely voluntary organisation run entirely by people giving their time for free. So please cut them some slack before chalking everyone up to racist rude red necks.

      Can you please answer these questions.
      1) What exactly is your client's disability ?
      2) Is it something that is immediately visible on a casual glance, especially to somebody not from your industry.

      You don't make it clear if your client's disability was something obvious / visible ? Is it something that the conductor would have noticed immediately on one small glance that he would have given you ? Is your client on a wheel chair or something so obvious ? If the conductor doesn't realise that your client is handicapped in some way that is not entirely visible, don't go too hard on the conductor.

      They are just trying to do their bit trying to keep the trains running on time, and to provide passengers a comfortable and pleasant journey.

      He instructed you once to move " ** "I'm gonna have to get you to move your stuff and put your bag overhead because I need to fit more people on." ** - On the face of it without any knowledge of context this too seems like a fairly reasonable request to me. You say he was rude, and that's one side of the story, perhaps the conductor just had a sense of urgency and you perceived it as rude ?

      She then asked me curtly and sarcastically, clearly with racial prejudice,** "Does he understand English??" **

      Now before someone accuses me of being a racist, let me clarify that I am a man of color, Does he understand English?? is not really a racially loaded statement. Clearly someone with a darker skin who hasn't understood the instructions given so far could be construed as someone who might not understand English.

      Also plain statistically speaking someone with a darker skin is more likely to be from a different country where they might not speak / understand English in general, so forgive me but purely in words I don't see any racism here. I say that as a Non Native English speaker with a dark skin.

      My client and I have not visited since.

      Lastly, you said you haven't been to the Puffing Billy since, that's a shame because we have visited it many times and every time I have had the pleasure of dealing with people who are way nicer than the average Joe on the street, given that most of them are volunteers trying to help in whatever way they can.

      This is not to negate in anyway your experience or the hurt you feel but to put things in perspective that some of those things can be explained if the conductor had not understood that your client was handicapped. He might have perceived your reluctance to move your stuff as you wanting to hog the entire section, this perception on his part resulted in a downward spiral from there. Add to this his urgency to keep the train to schedule.

      Everything I said could also be completely wrong if your client was a one legged amputee who certainly deserved more courtesy than you have been given. All I'd recommend is to let go of the hurt and think of the many times before that you have visited and found the people there helpful and trip enjoyable.

  • xfiledavid on 15/07/2013 - 21:43
    +6

    telstra

    enough said

    • ozgriff on 16/07/2013 - 19:52

      Yup, out of the 12 months I've had my Telstra package, about 6 months there's been something that at least one part hasn't worked properly.

      Multiple very long calls (each one making me angrier) to customer service on the initial stage to get my phone actually working, after days of this phone tag of calling and telling them that my 'phone works' as I'm calling your help number from the line, they eventually work out they never put my new number on the phone and some old number which had been disconnected was left on it and that's why calling anything but a Telstra number failed. BTW they have called ID on their incoming lines…

      Prompt multiple Telstra fails from that point onwards.

  • phobaphobic on 15/07/2013 - 22:50
    +8

    Optus. Spent three days arguing with them after they promised to connect me to ADSL, broke that promise, and wanted to charge me nearly $2000 in dishonour fees.

    I had to use up all my phone credit calling them, because they would always promise to call me back and never did - so I ended up going into an Optus retail centre and calling from there - and still they refused to listen to reason. It finally took me loudly telling surrounding customers what a rip-off Optus was to convince the jackass on the other end of the phone to allow me to speak to a manager who was able to drop the charges.

    Never again.

    • AlanHB on 16/07/2013 - 14:01

      Excellent work mate! I like your style.

  • missalicia on 15/07/2013 - 22:54
    +3

    I called Jetstar to ask about a random $2 'misc' fee on my price-match flight invoice. Customer service person said she had no idea and she'd find out. Put me on hold for 15 minutes, came back on and said "Yup, you haven't booked seats on your flight." Totally random. I said "Uhh okay but what is the 'misc' fee about?!" and she replied "Oh! Er that's a booking fee." Total nonsense: there are no booking fees on price-matched flights. And she'd obviously made that up on the spot. So I called her out: "Now you're just lying." She put me on hold again and 15 minutes later came back on and said she had reversed the payment.

    I know it's just $2 but it was totally bizarre - I can only imagine she takes several calls at once, puts them all on hold, and then forgets which customer she is talking to about what. Also she clearly never actually went to find out what the 'misc' fee was for - just decided to put me on hold for the heck of it while she pretended to.

  • sraymond on 15/07/2013 - 23:25
    +7

    Jetstar cancelled my flight out of Melbourne today and notified me by email as I was driving to the airport. I pulled over and rang. I was told it was all sorted and to just go to Qantas check in. A search of my name finds nothing so I traipse down to Jetstar to be told " it takes a while for the names to go through, try in another half hour". Anyway, back and forth a couple more times before it gets to 30 minutes before the flight and I am back at the Jetstar counter with about another six very angry customers all having the exact same issue. We got one last assurance that Qantas now had our names and so we frantically run down and push in front of others to get served. The Qantas lady was great and didn't let my stress impact on her. I got to the gate at 13:42. The exact time listed on my ticket as final boarding. I did meet some people who got cancelled off my flight, then got re-booked for a flight an hour after mine because they didn't check their emails. I love technology, but watching those staff members typing away with that blank, puzzled look on their face when they couldn't find my name really made me want to grab a printed list off Jetstar and take it to the Qantas counter, because for some reason the electronic method was a big fail. I just wish somebody at Jetstar would have taken charge when multiple people were presenting at their counter with the same issue, instead of leaving it to the last second to act.

  • [Deactivated] on 16/07/2013 - 00:18
    +7

    Worst customer service I've experienced? Pfft… Seems like every time I purchase something the last several years!

    Examples:

    Yesterday I purchased a Brother laser printer from The Good Guys. They had two in stock - the display model - and one on the shelf. But the box was open. So I mentioned I don't like purchasing returned items because I live an hour away - and you can bet there's something missing, broken, or will fail because someone else mistreated it.

    Not one but TWO staff members assure me it was an online order that was cancelled, and staff had only opened the box to answer some question the online customer wanted to know.

    I get it home and find out the toner cartridge has been installed, and the printer has a page count of a few pages. You can print a test page without connecting to the computer, and I did so. There were also two score marks on the drum!

    Sure, I got my money back, but it cost me $15 in wasted fuel to return a $49 printer.

    It's not the first time with that same store either. A few years ago we bought a $1000 microwave. On the first unit the door button kept falling off when pressed. The second one had the same problem. The third one, the case wasn't screwed on properly at the factory, with a huge gap. The fourth one had a large tear in the box when we picked it up. Complained that this was the fourth time now, and I wasn't happy with the tear in the box. Storeroom guy says, "Aw c'mon mate - it's only the BOX." Get it home to find a huge dent in the side of the microwave, like someone has kicked it with steel cap boots. (If I wasn't getting it $300 cheaper I wouldn't have persisted this long.)

    The first one I returned, they made me walk back and fourth - around the OUTSIDE of the building three times in a heat wave - instead of just through the store and into the loading dock.

    On one of the return trips I offered to help lift it into the car boot. Store guy says no - she's right mate - then because the box is so big he can't grip it right, and he rips the wiring loom off the rear of the car brake lights.

    Same store - when I asked for a price match once on an inkjet (a computer store with the better price was a short walk away)… Guy gets a foul attitude and asks, "Well, what do you expect me to do!? Waddaya want - refund or price match?" I say price match please and he let's out a huge irritated sigh, bashes the keyboard, hands me a piece of paper and grunts: "Go to the front counter." and storms off.

    Harvey Norman sold me a USED scanner a few years ago, in a re-taped box. I didn't open it for about two weeks after purchasing. Found it was covered in huge scratches. Phoned them, explained, they say to bring it back for refund. I get there and they send me home again, telling me, "the manager who does refunds" wasn't in - to come back tomorrow.

    Tomorrow I phone to check he's in - he asks what the problem is - he says, sure - c'mon in for a refund. Drive 35 minutes to be told he wouldn't accept it - I should have returned it on the first day. I said I did - it was only opened yesterday. I never installed the software, nor even removed it completely from the box… just slid it out part way, saw the scratches, slid it back in and immediately got in the car to return it. I say what happens if someone buys it for a present for a birthday two weeks away!? "Besides, I told you all that on the phone - why didn't you say that this morning before I wasted fuel for a second time!?"

    At one point he called a second guy over for backup and they wanted me to send it for WARRANTY!? I said, "They won't replace it under warranty looking like that!" Then he claimed because the guy that sold it to me had since left, and the price was lower than it should have been, we must've arranged some "shady deal" between us.

    I'd been quiet and friendly to that point, but now firmly told them - in front of other customers - they'd be taking it back and returning my money TODAY. I finally got it.

    • lilaznb0i1 on 16/07/2013 - 02:12
      +1

      cool story

    • Windows7forever on 16/07/2013 - 17:10
      +1

      I would have gone bloody berserk. Especially with that last shoddy story about HN. Luckily I haven't had any customer service horror stories of my own, yet.

  • vegemite2008 on 16/07/2013 - 02:17
    -5

    McDonalds in Perth (South of the River).

    Bought a Big Mac meal 3 am in the morning (driving home from the airport). Soggy fries, too much sauce, lettuce thrown on top of the burger. Guy that served med (take away) could not be bothered.

    Called McDonalds the next day, the manager promised to tell the owner and get back to me. Sent a letter a few months later on due to no response. Still no response, one of the worst customer service ever experienced from a McDonalds. Very poor!

    • Tal_Shiar on 16/07/2013 - 02:19
      +4

      if that is the best example of the worst customer service you've experienced, you should be counting your blessings….truthfully

      • Duransinlui on 16/07/2013 - 03:02
        +1

        Tell us about your story please..

      • King Steuart on 16/07/2013 - 12:29
        +3

        if that is the best example of the worst McDonalds customer service you've experienced, you should be counting your blessings….truthfully

        FTFY. This sounds like a typical meal at macca D's

        • vegemite2008 on 17/07/2013 - 21:36

          3 am in the morning, burgers are better at….

    • Windows7forever on 16/07/2013 - 17:12
      +3

      Wow, you actually followed up months later with a letter, over one half-assed maccas meal?
      C'mon man, you gotta know when to fight your real battles and when to just let things go that are trivial and nonsensical.

    • Weezle on 16/07/2013 - 20:36
      +1

      I would cut my losses and move on with my life from a simple poor quality McDonalds meal, but that's just me.

  • YTW on 16/07/2013 - 06:41

    goToddler.com.au

    Due to an issue with GoToddler's ordering system my postage was calculated incorrectly (when I used to order nappies a couple of years ago off them delivery to my area was free, sometime in the last year or two that changed but because my account was already open it hadn't updated or something - so when I put in my first order in a while recently it gave me free postage, which is what I was expecting as I've always had it in the past and didn't realise the areas had changed).

    I then received an email suggesting that I somehow managed to rort their system to try and get free postage. I was then just sent an invoice to pay an extra $14 on top of the money I had already paid. The tone of the email irritated me, as well as the fact that I was not given the option to change or cancel my order. I had specifically ordered extra stuff in order to qualify for the 'free delivery' and would have been cheaper elsewhere if I'd known they were going to charge the extra money.

    So anyway, I paid up as I didn't have the energy to fight for a refund and go elsewhere. The order was late (even when factoring in delays for extra payment) and then I was asked for feedback a few days after I got it. So gave my my feedback on the experience. Got rude replies that never made any reference to the points I was raising. Even months later I got an email out of the blue about it - after I thought it was dead. Ended up just deciding to ignore them as you can't win a fight with an idiot. They obviously have nothing better to do (perhaps a little more of that energy should go into customer service training? Or maybe getting their computer systems right?).

    • Windows7forever on 16/07/2013 - 17:15

      They guys sound like A-holes!

      • drdolphin on 17/07/2013 - 08:54
        +8

        So Wolfenator, you have sympathy for this person but think its ok for a disabled person (and their carer) to be abused by a train conductor (as per your ridiculous comments above)? I now see where the chip on the shoulder lays

  • fusion17 on 16/07/2013 - 12:20
    +17

    Ok this isn't my worst experience but it was a few days ago so its still clear. Auburn Harvey Norman.

    Walked in with every intention of buying a ledtv. First thing i noticed was they have a 'genius' in the area who's supposed to know the tech tv stuff.
    I knew the model I wanted from US reviews, and i was 90% sure the product codes change slightly for country. ie UN40f5000 is UA40f5000AM here. I just asked him this Q for some reassurance and was told "mate I haven't been trained on that so i cant give you a yes or a no…but they're probably different. sorry'

    Anyway, decide hes an idiot and I want to buy it anyway. I tell the sales staff I want it in 40' and he goes off to check for stock.
    Comes back 5 mins later and says 'for that model, we only keep the 32' and less in store. "Unfortunately the warehouse in silverwater will close in 15 mins so there's no way you'll make it."

    "But for $99 we can deliver and install it for you!" "thanks but i'm capable of connecting up a few cables and setting it up"
    "Ok. well you should know that the sale ends tomorrow so i suggest you buy it now and pick it up whenever" "Well, I really wanted it now, and in that case Good Guys and some other stores have it for the same price or slightly less (they do)"

    Then he scowls "well why didn't you buy it there then?!" This really got to me, but i got sweet revenge.

    Went near the TV and pondered grabbing the 32' while he and another sales staff were trying to sell the TV to a lady. He says "this TV is amazing for the price bla bla…"wouldn't you agree" to me. Knowing how much I wanted it.
    I asked the lady (knowing the probable answer) Is it for video gaming or to be used as a PC monitor. No she says.
    Then I tell her to get something else because while decent, this TV excels for those 2 things, and not so much for TV/media. The sales staff get annoyed and say "Hey were the salesmen!" in a fake joking manner. I say "exactly, i have no vested interest in selling it".
    Then I start talking about the TVs scaler, difference between input lag and refresh rates, viewable angles, emulated 100mhz, chroma sampling, lack of inputs/outputs and a bunch of other stuff they looked clueless about when i brought it up. After making them look like fools for 5 mins, the lady decided she'd think about it further and walked off.

    I felt great.

    This is why people buy online, Mr Gerry Harvey.

    • cwongtech on 16/07/2013 - 16:51

      Went near the TV and pondered grabbing the 32' while he and another sales staff were trying to sell the TV to a lady. He says "this TV is amazing for the price bla bla…"wouldn't you agree" to me.

      Mate, that's just amateur on the sales staff.
      Never ever ever ask a customer what they think of a product if you're trying to ask for their opinion when selling to another customer.

      the lady decided she'd think about it further and walked off.

      I think you confused the hell out of her too haha
      I work in retail - I had no training of how to talk to customers and such, learnt on the spot, on the floor, and was trained by other colleagues, until the brand reps came in and explained to us what their products can do.
      For electrical items, I think they should've known better since you can learn about the products very easily over the internet.

    • jtd on 18/07/2013 - 12:47
      +1

      Technical incompetence of staff isn't really just a HN thing (though they seem to be a major offender), a lot of stores tend to employ staff that know alarmingly little about the things they sell.

      From my own experiences, specialized stores are more likely to have knowledgeable staff than department stores or stores that stock a large variety of stuff.
      EB seems to have grown out of the 'let's just attractive girls even though they don't play' and have staff that actually can carry a conversation about indie games. On the other hand GAME seemed to always have the most useless staff, really not surprised they went under.

      It's not just tech & hardware stuff either, I've walked into boutiques & salons where staff just looked at me dumbfounded when I asked some pretty basic questions like asking about brush maintenance.

    • yabree17 on 18/07/2013 - 19:38

      Haha - stick it to the man!

  • SirFlibbled on 16/07/2013 - 12:58
    +2

    Went to buy a bread maker. Checked DJs and got a price but the staff had NFI about their range of 3 products. Went to HN to see if they knew about it. No staff around (not even at the register). Had to speak loudly asking for service near their office until someone appeared. Asked if they knew anything about the bread makers but they didn't.

    Not wanting to go back to DJs (they had 15% off) I decided to buy the most expensive one and requested their price match as per their advertised policy. She went off to 'check the computer' and came back and agreed.

    Went to the register, pulled out the CC and noticed she had only given me 5%. I explained that DJs was having 15% off and she claimed I said 5% (five and fifteen do not sound alike). I asked if she would match the 15% and she refused and accused me of lying. She wouldn't call up DJs to verify it either.

    I just walked away. She had me to the point of CC out ready to pay and her bad attitude got in the way. Never bought the bread maker that day. Later I complained to the store and the manager apolgised. I asked if they would still honour that price and he refused.

    I never did buy a bread maker and never went back to the store either. They've since closed.

    • Windows7forever on 16/07/2013 - 17:22
      +11

      Moral of the story : Nobody really needs a bread-maker ;)

  • mooreshady on 16/07/2013 - 16:22

    all because of work stress. You can also tell them off, you have work stress, i have work stress, do i need to yell at you?

  • Veebee88 on 16/07/2013 - 17:50
    +5

    Optus..enough said.

    • bich.light on 17/07/2013 - 00:24
      +4

      Vodafone/Vodafail. Period.

      • Eivad on 18/07/2013 - 09:53

        Telcos in general. Full stop

      • yabree17 on 18/07/2013 - 19:39
        +1

        My experience with Vodafone the last few months has actually been… super good… I'm kind of amazed… they have really lifted their game!

  • mskram on 16/07/2013 - 18:47
    +2

    No long horror story but I find the staff at JB Hifi Parramatta to be extremely rude, especially one guy who's usually at the counter. I no longer shop there (ie JB in general) because of him

    • The J man on 19/07/2013 - 01:10

      The guy who works in the games department at JB Hifi Wollongong ridiculed me (a couple years back) in front of other customers and employees there in the store.

      I wanted to punch him in the face.

      Suffice to say, this shop hasn't gotten my business since.

  • glide on 16/07/2013 - 19:13
    +3

    I bought an underwater camera from panasonic.

    After a couple of months we decided to try it out in the pool and it worked great.
    About 10 minutes later, it stopped working….

    Sent it back to panasonic who then accused me of opening it up underwater… I mean honestly..
    A quick google showed that many others had the same issue with this camera as it had faulty seals.

    It was then 'replaced under a goodwill gesture' - but they could not give us back the same colour.
    When I complained, they said I could write to the support manager. When I asked who that was, she it 'oh its me'…

    I won't ever buy another panasonic product, small drop in the ocean, but still.

  • The Batman on 16/07/2013 - 22:07
    +18

    A loooong time ago, I bought a PC game from Harvey Norman. I took it home and tried to install it, but the disc couldn't be read. I took it back the next day to tell them about it, and the guy was like "have you opened it? If you've opened it then there's nothing we can do".

    HOW THE F AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW IT'S FAULTY WITHOUT OPENING IT!!!

    • fredscool on 17/07/2013 - 23:00

      thank you for sharing another bad experience with HN.
      This one makes me laugh hard

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