Rubbish service

I have a list of companies I am unhappy with as long as your arm. Assuming you have an arm of reasonable length. I really am fairly good about not blogging my grievances, but on the odd occasion you can’t blame me for just mentioning it casually. Especially at the weekend when no-one is reading anyway.

Staples.

I quite like the Staples chain of stationery superstores. I’ve bought things there quite often and found it to be good value. The large photocopying order they did for me a few weeks ago came out excellently, and on a weekend too.

But their online next-day service is a complete disaster. Here’s a catalogue of the many things which went wrong in the process of my first (and last) order:

– The website couldn’t make up its mind how long the order would take. A next day service was promised until late in the ordering process, when the website suddenly decided it would take four days. At the very last point in the ordering process it decided it would take six days. This was unfortunate as it was an urgent order, but by this point I had no choice but to take my chance.

– The order did arrive within a number of days, about three I think. The man brought the box to the door, placed it on the ground, but couldn’t actually give me the box until I had signed the small signature device he had. Unfortunately the signature device crashed and I had to stand around for ten minutes in the cold waiting. (I had no socks on, though I take full responsibility for that detail). Eventually I was allowed to scribble a signature on a scrap of paper.

– Upon opening the box the order was found to be incomplete – only three out of the four items ordered were there. There was no explanation.

– The paperwork inside was for an order placed by a lady in Yorkshire. The delivery man was still sitting in his vehicle. I went out and told him, but it wasn’t his problem.

– Eighteen days later the final part of the ‘next day delivery’ order arrived.

– The box wasn’t left with a neighbour. It was placed… in my wheely bin. Yes, the envelopes which I have to send out to customers were placed in the smelly wheely bin, which yes, also had rubbish in it.

It really is remarkable that service could be so bad. But I have, unfortunately, found this to be not unusual so I’m past expecting any better.

There. I’ve got it off my chest. I hope you don’t mind if I have a little rant about absurdly poor customer service every now and then. Oh, please let me. I’ll try to limit it to about once a month or thereabouts.

I have placed this post in a new ‘slightly grumpy’ category.