I’m the first person to admit my love of technology. It is a wondrous thing and helps me every single day in a number of different ways. Where would we be without our phones, gadgets, computers etc? (Well some would argue we would be better off – but that is a whole different post!)
But technology is not good when you want to speak to someone in a company about an issue you are having. There are online chats, email options, social media contacts but never an actual human to speak to. I miss that. I find myself all too often stuck in an endless cycle of chats and automated responses which just don’t cut it. If there is an actual telephone number it is rarely answered so any glimmer of hope is extinguished there too.
Recently I ordered a phone from a well-known electrical company. I have never had any issues before with them but then again the products were all larger so maybe that makes the process slightly easier.
Their chosen delivery company tried to deliver the phone but we were at work. Due to the value of the item, they wouldn’t leave it with the neighbours. I get that. But you couldn’t nominate a neighbour for the delivery which is unusual. The options were to change the day or pay £5 for a weekend delivery. I wasn’t overly amused but opted to pay £5 for a Sunday delivery. Sorted, or so I thought.
Sunday came and late in the afternoon, I receive a text to say it had been delayed and they would deliver the next day. A Monday. Unhelpful as I wouldn’t be in.
I tried every which way to contact this delivery company. Nothing, The automated online chat was useless, nobody answered the phone and I did wait for 50 minutes. I couldn’t get the phone delivered on a different day. I even tried to get hold of the company I bought the phone from as my contract is with them but I had a similar experience.
In the end I had to get someone to phone sit for me in the house so that the phone could be delivered. Still no delivery, they said nobody answered the door which wasn’t true.
Out of desperation, i worked from home for the day to take delivery and after two sorry week, I finally got the package. What a palaver and one that could have been a lot easier if I could have just spoken to an actual person to sort out.
There is still the issue of the £5 I paid for a weekend delivery that never happened but I can’t get hold of anyone to sort that either. It is annoying but I will just have to chalk that loss up to experience. But I will think again before I use either of those companies. There is a lot to be said for going into an actual shop and dealing with real people. Maybe we need to consider that before we drive all shops off the high street.
Aaaagh! How frustrating! I feel your pain. Most of the time you can’t even find a phone number to speak to a company because they hide the numbers that well. And if you do call them every single company – whether a retailer, a bank or the doctor’s surgery – is ‘experiencing high call volume at this time’. Every single flipping time!
(I bought my new phone from a shop a few months ago and it was seamless. I walked in, told them what I wanted and walked out with a new phone a few minutes later.)
Sarah MumofThree World recently posted…My favourite blogposts of 2022