Shop online at 24-7 Electrical

I recently ordered a Vax V-028 Rapide Powerjet Pro from this online reseller. However, when the item was delivered it was actually the V-028M model ...a lower spec'd model in the range - and this despite there being an accompanying photograph & specification page on their website regarding the Rapide Powerjet Pro.

I was later told - when I finally managed to report this incorrect order - that they don't even stock the model advertised on their site.

It took several calls and emails before I was "approved' to use their couriers to return the VAX ...and I'm still waiting for my Credit Card to be refunded 8 days after the unit was delivered back to them!.

Now none of the aformentioned is particularly impressive, BUT when I wrote to the company's MD, ostensibly to chase up my credit card refund, this is the appalling reply I got:



Dear Mr F.

Thank you for your email and may I firstly apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.

Your refund has actually been done.

I have reviewed your comments along with the communications in our CRM and would be happy to respond to your comments in the most fitting way.

Being such an obviously intelligent and powerful person, and with such obvious knowledge of so many things about business, and apparently my business and indeed channel, I would have thought I would not need to explain certain things but clearly I do, I apologise if the comments seem patronising but I want to ensure I am clear.

Firstly we are not such a small company ourselves, fulfilling more than 5,000 orders every week with a turnover in excess of £20m. As such I would have thought it would be apparent to someone such as yourself, a customer service director of a large international IT company and running a gallery site, that there must be rigid, robust and quality assured procedures in place in order to avoid complete mayhem and ultimately commercial failure.

These procedures start with immensely simple things like trying to direct all communication via our contact pages and email solely for the benefit of our customers. Our communication is managed by our CRM and if made electronically we can monitor quality and response times and our management team can be alerted if our response times are likely to be breached. It also ensure communication is clear and leaves little room for misinterpretation.

This is why we steer customers away from the telephones and make this more than abundantly clear. Why then someone like yourself sees fit to clearly ignore our policies is somewhat of a mystery, and it also ensures subsequent complaints lack credence (in my opinion anyway).

Incidentally we exceed our response commitments, benchmarked to be channel leading, more than 99.8% of the time all year round. Having reviewed our CRM I can see that every single communication from yourself was responded to within our commitment with the longest response being 15 hours and the shortest being just 1 hour. If you have an issue receiving communication you need to sort that out but I am confident of our responses and if you wish I can evidence them.

Other simple processes include requiring customers to complete a very straightforward returns form, something you did not seem to be willing to do. Then, like any other internet or mail order retailer, or even shop for that matter, we require a faulty, damaged or incorrect item back prior to replacement being sent. I am sure the "large International IT company" you are a director of has similar processes and, if selling to consumers, I doubt sends out advance replacements. If you do chose that practice I assume that is why there is no "successful" and just "large International IT company".

I am sure you understand that processes also take time. We do set internal targets that are benchmarked to ensure we lead our channel and one of these is with regards refunds. With such esteemed knowledge I am sure you have heard of the DSR (Distance Selling Regulations). These state that a refund must be actioned within 30 days of request being made by a durable means. In this instance we informed you that a refund would be issued by email @ 17:19:22 on February 14th. Therefore a refund would have to be made no later than 14th March.

Our internal targets on refunds are aimed to far exceed our mere obligations under statutory instruments and state that refunds should be actioned within 4 working days of the returned item being received at our returns processing centre or within 30 days, whichever comes sooner. In this instance the goods that were collected a day late, which incidentally we bore the failed collection charge for but could have passed on but rarely do for good relations sake, were received by us @ 14:49:14 on Friday 23rd February. Your refund was then actioned @ 12:06:46 on Tuesday 27th February, less than 2 working days after receipt.

I am again sure I do not have to tell you that, whilst we done our bit and have actioned the refund, it will take your card issuer a few days to actually apply the refund to your account.

Thank you for bringing to my attention the possibility that one of our 8,000 products may be advertised incorrectly, I will ensure this is investigated by the relevant people. However I would argue that if it is incorrect this is in fact merely a mistake and not misrepresentation, but go ahead and report it, be our guest.

Anyway I do hope I have satisfactorily responded to your comments and again I apologise for the inconvenience you have experienced and please do not hesitate to contact me again if I can be of further assistance.

Regards

Dominic Yacoubian
Managing Director



Have you ever read such an appalling and atrocious letter to a customer in your life?!?

So please beware...

Don't buy anything from this cowboy outfit ...their customer service is below zero!

I just wish I'd had the time to read some of the Internet's customer review websites myself before having the misfortune to buy from this mob! there are literally 100's of scathing reviews about 24-7 and their total lack os customer care and service!

Regards


MF

If I would have seen this site before placing an order thru these cheats, I would have saved £569.00, my hard earned money. place an order on 2nd january, they took my money immediately and its been more than a month but unable to speak to them they do not answer ur mails and u cannot speak to anybody over phone because even after 30 min wait U will not get a chance to speak to a sensible advisor. any ways I dont want anyone else to fell in to it BEAWARE OF FRAUD if u have hard earned money dont even think of buying thru 247 electricals.

24/7 is a great compnay to buy from. Very good prices and super responsive customer service. I had to retun an item, nothing to do with 24/7 and the delivery and return was picked up by 24/7. If you're going to buy online - this is a great shop to do it from.

they take your money when its not in stock. They don't reply to emails ever. You carn't get through on the phone when you do they put the phone down. Took the day off work 5 times to recieve goods, but they don't turn up.
Just reported them to trading standards and watchdog, I think they have been on watchdog before. DANGER DANGER DANGER.