Letter of Complaint
I would like this letter to be logged as an official
complaint to COMET’s headoffice for a Terrible Customer
Service and the very poor attitude of the Manager of the Dundee
Branch of Comet, and to insist on adequate compensation for the
inconvenience caused in addition with the time and money wasted
in travelling back and forth from Perth to Dundee and the loss
of work productivity due to the lack of a computer.
Please be aware that this matter will not rest until satisfactory
conclusion has been found, with this letter being published on
the Website and if necessary by informing the Press.
========================
On Saturday the 2nd of August 2003 I went to
COMET (Dundee) in pursuit of a laptop. The model on display I
preferred was a HP ZE5232 model but I was advised there were none
available in stock. The sales person informed me that there was
only one available in COMET (Perth). Since I urgently required
to buy a laptop I decided to travel by train to Perth and purchase
it. This I did, but unfortunately on returning home (Dundee) and
powered it up, I realised that the battery was Dead On Arrival
( Flashing light: according to the manual battery fault).
On Monday I called Comet (Perth) and asked if I could exchange
the battery or the whole laptop in Dundee’s branch for convenience.
They advised me that I could do that at ANY COMET BRANCH, so at
5:30 on Monday evening after work I took the laptop to the customer
service & repairs desk of COMET (Dundee).
The sales person and computer expert (Mr S M), after
he checked and realised that the laptop had a faulty battery indeed,
called HP to negotiate for an exchange of battery with one of
the display models. The HP technician on the phone advised him
no to do so, (HP apparently wanted the serial number of the battery
to match with the serial number of the model for warranty reasons),
but instead since the model has been discontinued, the HP technician
advised Mr S M on the phone to call the model back and to raise
an MSQ. Mr S M then left his desk after describing me the situation
and told me that he’ll be back in two minutes.
I saw him going to an office nearby where the sales manager,
Mr M K was. I believe he brought him up to date and
after that he went back on the phone in that office for 40 minutes.
All this time (approx. 1hr) I was waiting desperately at the desk
for a solution to the matter, when I saw them both coming out
of the office I thought at last they sorted it out. To my disappointment
though, Mr M K came over and told me that they couldn’t
do anything about it and that I had to go back to Perth to claim
the refund since this was the branch I originally bought the laptop
from.
I was very surprised by this as Comet (Perth) by phone earlier
that day (Monday 4th August) had assured me that Dundee would
deal with it without having to return to Perth. I asked Mr M K
if there was another solution to the matter explaining that since
I don’t drive, it would be very difficult for me to travel
once again back and forth from Dundee to Perth (60 + mile journey).
He replied that we could sit and argue all night but there was
nothing he could do. I then replied, since I saw that nothing
could be done, if at least he had contacted Perth’s branch,
so that they knew about the matter, and I didn’t’
have to wait there again. He then replied that Perth knows all
about it and I could go any time I wanted and return the laptop
for a refund. Next evening (Tuesday 5th August) after work I went
back to Perth (18:00) and I asked to see the manager.
I described to the manager Mr B H what it was about,
but surprisingly told me that he knew nothing about it. He then
tried to contact Dundee branch but there was no answer, he also
tried to contact HP but there was no answer either, apparently
the technical division had closed. He called Dundee again and
asked for Mr M K.
Mr M K went on the phone and only then Mr B H was brought
up to date that the laptop had a faulty battery but Dundee DID
NOT raise an MSQ because I had bought the laptop from Perth. Mr B H argued with Mr M K in front of me on the phone
that both branches are under the same name and if Mr M K
was advised by HP that the battery was faulty he should have raised
an MSQ, pay the refund and not send the customer a 60 mile journey
back. He also said that since HP was closed that there was nothing
he could do at the moment. I could not believe my ears I had just
travelled all the way back to Perth for nothing and I was in the
middle of a managerial-branch conflict. Where was the excellent
customer service COMET claim to give?
Mr B H told me that he could not assist either, I could
hand the laptop over, but since I gave a split payment (£1048)
half cash and half by switch, I had to go back to collect the
cash. As I was extremely unhappy with this arrangement I once
again travelled back to Dundee’s branch (19:00), there I
found Mr M K when I questioned him about the misinformation
he had given me, that he had brought Perth up to date. He replied
in a very sarcastic manner and tried to lay the blame with the
Perth store, saying that they didn’t do their job properly
and also blame Mr S M claiming that he did not bring him up
to date.
I knew that Mr M K didn’t reject the laptop the day
before, since he didn’t want his branch to give the refund
and lose the retail. I asked him to make a photocopy of the receipt
so as to initiate the necessary procedures next day morning so
I could collect the refund at 17:30 on Wednesday 3 days after
I reported a fault. I also gave Mr M K my work’s telephone
number and my mobile phone number, in case anything went wrong.
He reassured me once again that he’ll take the matter personally
and that I would collect the refund on the Wednesday evening without
any hassle.
To my astonishment on Wednesday at 17:30 when I arrived at COMET
(Dundee) and asked to see Mr M K I was told that he was busy,
and that Mr S M would deal with me. Mr S M after 15 minutes
came over to inform me that nothing has been done, since they
did not have the serial number of the laptop. I could not believe
my ears, I argued that I had given Mr M K my work’s
and mobile phone number if there was any problem and at the end
of the day they should have had the serial number of the laptop
on the first day.
Mr S M replied that his Manager (Mr M K) had not informed
him and had not passed any information as such to him. After having
waited for at least another hour and a half before Mr S M contacted
HP (They would have closed again if I had arrived 30 minutes later)
to reject the laptop. Finally I got the refund, I never saw Mr M K who did not even have the courtesy to apologise but kept
hiding in his office until I left.
I await your response,
Costa Tsakalis
7/08/03
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