Phil Hancock Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Bit touchy yes but maybe they dont understand the e-bay case system works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoSS Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 That attitude is simply unacceptable in a business, whether hes the boss/owner or just an employee. Please name & shame at least the company, even if not the person. I try to live by a maxim - There's no such thing as a stupid question, only a stupid answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shackleton Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 Well seems my friend has gone to ground. Not a peep today. Can't say I didn't expect as much. I'm going to post the rest of the correspondence, it might give you an idea why I feel like maybe this guy can't be blamed for his ignorance - maybe he's a few part numbers short of a full stock take. I don't actually understand some of his messages. So these pick up from his first reply (the one with all the patronising block caps, and the whole "you have trouble reading so don't fit these parts yourself" bit. My reply: "Hi ***, Your customer service is disgusting. I had a full compliment of suspension bushes for my D2 in the cart on your webshop and I'm glad now I waited to ask this one perfectly reasonable and polite question, before ordering my parts. Do you realise that being discourteous to customers is extremely bad for business? You've certainly lost this sale, so your passive aggressive attempt to insult me has only worked against you. For the record, it makes no difference that your price is half that of a pair of poly bushes, it's twice as much as the dearest single O.E.M. bush, which is what I'm looking for, and in line with what most other ebay retailers offer a pair of aftermarket bushes for. Best of luck managing your parts in the future, as judging by your attitude, they'll be with you for a long time. I'll be endeavouring to contact a supervising manager at ******, to take up your offensive attitude with them. I'll be very interested to find out what they'll make of what you feel is an acceptable way to address a customer. Faithfully, ..." His response at 4:40am Sunday "Hi George, Ah see what you have done, you've googled the number (as i have just done) what i would suggest you order from those top three companies, i bet you will receive OEM bushes! and not the £1.50 a piece ones available elsewhere, i am sorry you feel that way, because we advertise truthfully and only supply what we say, you are only interested in cost over quality. I think you will find our customer service and quality of parts is second to non, we even supply Land Rover, the MOD and various Governments. Thanks and best regards from *** " Then a second at 5:09am Sunday: "Right! just re read this statement made by YOU! “For the record, it makes no difference that your price is half that of a pair of poly bushes, it's twice as much as the dearest single O.E.M. bush, which is what I'm looking for, and in line with what most other eBay retailers offer a pair of aftermarket bushes for.” (so its half the price of 2 bushes? and the same price as 1 non gen bush sold on eBay!, jeezz!) we aren't even selling them on eBay, where are you coming from? oh and you mentioned ebay! they must all be telling the truth about where it came from, even so we are still cheaper for a guaranteed OEM part. that's why we get frustrated by people like yourself and yet still try to help! (god knows why sometimes?) Thanks and best regards from *** " And my final reply (that remains unanswered): "Hi ***, A single polite sentence confirming that the price was indeed for a single bush was all that was needed. I sent you an enquiry, not an offense. The part ceased to be the issue the moment courtesy went out the window. You have offended me. Given the hour of your reply, your persistent belittling tone, and indifference to my wish to take the matter to a superior, it's probably safe to presume that attempting to take this matter higher will be time wasted. You seem very angry, but everybody has the right to a bad day every once in a while, so I'm offering you a final chance to make a sincere apology before I post our correspondence to some of the Land Rover enthusiasts forums online. Unfortunately good manners are something that need to be fought for in this day and age. Sincerely, ..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Come on, spill the beans - you're not going to get a sincere apology. This thread serves no purpose, other than to vent your angst, if you don't help others avoid the same situation! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Come on, spill the beans - you're not going to get a sincere apology. This thread serves no purpose, other than to vent your angst, if you don't help others avoid the same situation! Si Haha! I'm curious too! I'd guess at a particular seller I've seen on ebay that has a similar tone in their adverts.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shackleton Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 Yeah I've been mulling it over gents. I kept thinking of a fellow who used to do RRC parts in the south of the UK. He was a very nice guy and through sending parts to me in Ireland via my aunt and uncle who lived between Surrey and here, he became friendly with them and looked after them on a few things. Anyway, one day I called his home to request a part and was greeted by a woman who sounded like she was gasping for breath. So much so I asked should I call for help, to which she replied between heavy gasps; "No, I'm terminally ill, don't worry this is normal." She died not long after, may she rest peacefully. The fella, my parts guy was always cheery, but if he'd ever snapped at me I'd have understood. But I think the point is, he never snapped, and was always willing to help... So maybe that's the lesson for Dom, "Parts Manager" at L.R.Series. [i just want to say I genuinely don't do this lightly, don't relish it, and the whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But we're damned if we don't stand up for a little virtue these days.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelw Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 L.R.Series :o No way!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Wasn't who I thought but I have had a poor cs experience from them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missingsid Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Shocked (sorry), I am supprised although I have never had to email them. I can see your confusuion as they are double the price of other non ebay suppliers. The current page now has "(single)" in the description! At work if I get irritated by an email I write a reply then reread it a couple of times removing any sarcasm before sending, my boss has a delay on the send so he can cancel it once he has reconsidered it. I was going to say that email is a terrible medium for communication as it is almost immediate and does not convey the writers mindset nor the readers understanding, however his emails are quite clear and if they were supposed to be tounge in cheek then he has social communications issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike4444244 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 That's surprising, I've ordered from them before but had stopped using them due to the excess delay in ordering parts supposedly on the shelf and them turning up, won't be getting any more custom from me until you get your apology! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Well I was surprised who it was too. That is shocking behavior that cannot be excused. I actually know someone who writes with the sarcasm displayed above, only without such good grammar. Luckily he is not in customer liaison. My only experience with the business named was the purchase of a Defender speedo transducer. I ordered a genuine part, but the one that turned up was clearly not. It was in a white box and broken. I think the visible quality of manufacture was the cause of it not being intact. I complained by phone and was sent the part I ordered, in genuine packaging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Also surprise me too, i wont say who i was thinking, but the few parts i have ordered over the LR series website hasnt resulted in me emailing the company and as a result ive never had to physically contact the company. so i cant really complain but will definately be more aware of their customer service in the future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I'm not surprised. I have made six or seven enquiries over 6 months a couple of years ago for mid-value parts (orders in the £100-200 brackets), via email and leaving phone messages (they never picked up the phone despite making numerous attempts at all sorts of times of working hours before resorting to leaving messages). I never received a reply to any enquiry. Over the past few years, I have posted a handful of negative comments on here because of that experience. They are arrogant arses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Noisy Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Well ive recently made friends with the boys at Barry4x4, they're always happy to help and have very good policies by which the stuff they recommend is what they use tried and tested in their workshop Recommended Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dailysleaze Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I've had britpart caliper seals when ordering genuine before, but they sent out the genuine ones straight away once realised. Albeit same order they sent delphi brake pads when it said mintex. I argued the toss as i wanted mintex and it said mintex, but they argued that they're a similar quality, which i guess is true so i left it. I don't suspect that their website is 100% accurate all the time, but i've dealt with worse retailers before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertspark Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 2p think someone had a bad day with the original post and the discussion point was probably lost in translation thereafter. I have bought bits from LR series, quite a few and of fair value, and never had an issue with them. To give a bit of an example, I sent them an obscure email regarding an obsolete part (FRC5622) as they had a mounting bracket listed on the site that I thought was a perfect fit, but no picture .... I was basically looking for a bit of "free" information before fabricating something up. Long and the short, I was given a very helpful and honest response from Ross at LR Series (also listed as Parts Manager). Each to their own, but we should really try to aide these companies in meeting our needs and supporting the LR community. Less companies around will only mean one thing, less competition, and increased costs. To get back on track about LR series, a quick 2 minute search for LR Series and their company information reveals the following information: http://companycheck.co.uk/company/07000590/LR-SERIES-LIMITED/directors-shareholders Dom (person listed in Shackletons email) more than likely is Dominic Blanchard, one of two company directors listed for LR Series (the other is Ms Kelly Blanchard), so you couldn't go any higher in your complaint. I would suggest that giving someone the benefit of the doubt is probably best here instead of slagging them off and ending up jeopardising someone's livelihood here. Looking at the company account information listed, I would have said that it's a small family firm. Put it down to a bad day and something lost in translation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 That ^^^^^ might be fine Robert if it was just one email, but he seemed to feel the need to be rude on multiple occasions, making the original one off (maybe) less of a one off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shackleton Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 Hi Robert. Respectfully; did you read this whole thread? At no point was anybody slagged off (but me), and I was extremely reluctant to name the person/company. I kept my messages to Dom very clear and didn't get caught up in his provocative attitude. I even used the phrase 'having a bad day' in my final message to him. He had every opportunity to build bridges. So it's not the case that the discussion point was lost in translation. I've had a nagging doubt about the decision to name him since I did so last night. Now that I know he's a company director, and hearing that others have had less than adequate experiences with them too, I feel a little less guilty. It's fairly clear that the only ones jeopardising their livelihood are themselves. This isn't a vendetta, I just demand the most basic of standards, courtesy. Regardless, this thread isn't going to have a huge impact on business. Money talks and convenience backs it up. On that note I'd like to say that yes I'd prefer cheaper parts, but if someone said to me, "Hey I'll provide you with a cheap part alternative but it means I get to insult you." I'd tell them to go fudge themselves. There are plenty of other LR suppliers out there who manage to turn an honest £ and remain pleasant while doing so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quagmire Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Personally I think threads like this are useful to the community as a whole. The OP was more than patient with the supplier, and gave them a chance to redeem themselves, which they chose to ignore. The supplier in question can always save some face with a proper response, and (if) the staff member firing off the rude emails is dealt with the more the better. I dont work in retail, but which of us would be able to send an email like that to a client when at work, no matter what line of business we are in? *edit - so the email writer is one of the main men? Crazy! Business suicide, surely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertspark Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Point taken and accepted. + yes did read the whole thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Noisy Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Put simply, Dominic is a **** (insert 4 letter expletive here as swear word blocker surely will amend C word for me) and that is that! He basically took the tiddle out of an innocent customer who didn't fully understand what he was hoping to buy. He had two options: Be a **** (insert 4 letter expletive) provide a no doubt mind numbing and repetitive email explaining to the customer what he was buying and make the customer happy AND after all that effort, make a profit! After choosing option 1, our novice retailer ended up here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Robert, as you conceded, Dom was persistently rude. But I also reiterate that Shackleton is not the only person to have rude, bad service from them - I consider being utterly ignored after numerous calls and emails extremely rude. I will never, under any circumstances, say anything positive about this awful company. I hope their customers leave them to go bust - they deserve it. Sadly, they are not alone in that - I have been very vocal about a certain LR specialist who deals in dire exhaust pipes and malfunctioning temperature senders for Tdi retrofits. We all know businesses that shouldn't exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW8IZR Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Put simply, ..... is a **** (insert 4 letter expletive here as swear word blocker surely will amend C word for me) /quote]Swear word filter doesn't stop the unedited version being delivered to my works E-mail address as part of the notification of a new post. Thanks for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Noisy Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Put simply, ..... is a **** (insert 4 letter expletive here as swear word blocker surely will amend C word for me) /quote]Swear word filter doesn't stop the unedited version being delivered to my works E-mail address as part of the notification of a new post. Thanks for that. ah excellent, well luckily you got the full colour version then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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