Category Archives: Complaints

Complaints, Internet, Rants

Play.com and the magic, disappearing complaint form

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As Play.com admitted recently, they’ve been getting an awful lot of email complaints about orders not turning up and they haven’t even bothered to reply to most of them. But, one wonders just how many more complaints Play.com would have received had it not been for their magic, self-clearing complaint form.

That’s right, if you’ve tried to email Play.com from their website using their contact form, you’ve probably noticed, and raged, about how the form seems to clear itself of any data you enter. You can spend ages writing out a complaint letter, check the order number on your email confirmation, go back to the complaint form and poof – the email disappears. Just like that!

Play-contact-page
Data completely vanished from Play.com complaints form

Is this a mistake? Is it something you have done wrong? No, Play.com has coded the form to clear itself whenever you change the focus of the form fields.

I’ll explain. Focus means that you have selected one of the fields of the form to write data into, such as your email address in the email field, your order number in the subject field and your long complaint letter in the message field. As Play.com has default text in those fields, they have set the fields to ‘clear’ whenever you select them (OnFocus), but the trouble is that they also clear when you click on them after writing your email. This means that your email is lost, instantly, all courtesy of their form.

Here is the code used on their form, so you can see exactly what I mean. ‘OnFocus’ means to do the action when you select the form field, or click on it with your cursor, and ‘javascript:clearText’… well, that’s pretty self-explanatory.

Play-Clears-Text-on-Emails

So you see, not only is Play.com struggling to meet the demands of orders this Christmas, not only is Play.com even refusing to reply to emails asking about orders, but the website is doing its darndest it ensure that complaints aren’t even making it through in the first place.

Complaints, Internet, Michael Jackson, Rants

Snow affects emails from Play.com

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I emailed a complaint to Play.com on December 11th, and am still yet to receive even a reply to the email. This is quite incredible seeing as they ‘aim’ to respond to emails within 24 hours. Needless to say I emailed them again with the following:

I still haven’t received a reply to my email from DECEMBER 11th, that’s over TEN DAYS to reply to an email. I realise the snow plays havoc with deliveries, but tell me just how does it affect your response times to emails?

I need to return the Michael Jackson doll because it arrived damaged, again. You can see it here: http://www.mrdaz.com/play-com-replacement-item-also-arrives-damaged/

I am also still awaiting three orders. I would send you the order ID numbers but sadly your order history page conveniently doesn’t show them!

I take it from your ‘wait 21 days‘ policy I have no chance of actually getting any of these items before Christmas, and your ‘can’t be arsed to even reply to emails‘ policy means I’ll never hear from you on this matter either.

Before you click delete on this email, as that appears to be how you actually deal with complaints, try Googling ‘Play.com complaints’ – you’ll see every step of this issue being reported online, on page 1 of Google. The next post is up to you.

After having sent that I received an auto email from Play.com, one that they have presumably sent to everyone who is concerned that a) they haven’t received items they’ve ordered for Christmas and b) Play.com can’t even be bothered to reply to emails.

Some of Play.com’s excuses can be read below:

We would like to update you on the delivery of your recent order with Play.com. You are probably aware that the adverse weather conditions are causing issues throughout the transport network in the UK and this has resulted in delays for our delivery partners. However, making sure your order arrives in time for Christmas is our top priority and we are working tirelessly with them to try and make this happen.

Understandably, many of you are contacting our Customer Service department to get an update on the status of your order. As a result, we are seeing an unprecedented level of activity and while our team is working long and hard to address all your calls and emails, we are seeing an impact on our normal level of service.

If your order was despatched without a tracking number please be aware that the item has been shipped and is likely to be with you before Christmas.

We appreciate that this is an important delivery for you and we will continue to work closely with our delivery partners over the coming days to do our utmost to make sure your delivery arrives before Christmas.

So, they’ve acknowledged that they’re not even replying to emails, en masse, and they’ve stated that orders are ‘likely to be with you before Christmas’… I don’t personally believe this is very professional, or reassuring.

Looks like you can’t rely on Play.com for Christmas shopping in the slightest.

Complaints, Home Delivery Network, Michael Jackson, Rants

Play.com replacement item also arrives damaged

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Last month I ordered two Michael Jackson dolls from Play.com and they both arrived packaged in nothing more than plastic bags, naturally damaged. I complained to Play.com, obviously, and was told by the Play.com complaints team that I needed to wait in for the damaged items to be picked up, and that they couldn’t guarantee that the items would be resent packaged properly.

Billie Jean doll from PlayThe Thriller doll arrived well packaged, in a box, with protection, delivered by our friends at HDNL. Nice job. The Billie Jean doll however arrived packaged in a plastic bag, delivered by Royal Mail, and crushed – again.

I have now sent the following email to Play.com complaining about the state of the replacement item. This dance will continue until they get it right, or until I get tired of complaining… I think we know which one will happen first.

I have just returned from the Post Office after collecting this item, where once again I find that it has been packaged in a plastic bag. This is the second time you have attempted to send this item to me, and the second time that it has arrived damaged.

I initially ordered this and a Thriller doll, both arrived damaged in November. I complained to you, you told me to phone your expensive 0845 number, which I did. The woman on the phone said she couldn’t ensure that the replacements would be sent out packaged correctly, which astounded me. I then waited in for HDNL to collect them, taking a day off to do so.

The Thriller doll arrived in perfect condition, packaged in a large cardboard box (the original box used by Character Options to deliver the dolls to you in the first place) – you know, the sort of box ‘designed’ to ensure these figures arrive undamaged.

The Billie Jean doll however was once again dispatched in a plastic bag, despite there being room for two dolls in the aforementioned cardboard box. The doll has arrived, once again, damaged.

This is not good enough. I want the item I paid for in a condition fit for sale.

I now expect you’ll send me another template auto response requesting that I call your premium rate 0845 number and arrange another pick-up, costing me another day of work

This will not be good enough either. I expect to be compensated for this shoddy service, for my repeated phone calls and for my time waiting in for someone to collect a parcel, twice, that you should have delivered correctly the first time.

I await your automated email with baited breath.

Complaints, Michael Jackson, Rants

Play.com Complaints

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A while back I posted about two Michael Jackson dolls that arrived from Play.com in the sort of condition you’d expect to find if they were involved in an earthquake. I telephoned Play.com after receiving little joy from their online help due to some idiot just sending stock responses and not actually reading the emails.

I had only slightly more success from the telephone helpline though as the woman on the other end claimed that Play.com had no control over how items were packaged. She didn’t seem to understand that a plastic bag was insufficient protection for two collectible figures and couldn’t guarantee that any replacements wouldn’t be sent out in much the same way.

Anyway, have a watch and see what you think.

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

I’ve yet to receive a replacement, though HDNL did turn up and collect the battered items as expected last week. It’s three weeks since my initial order, and more than two weeks since I notified Play.com of the damaged delivery. I wonder how long this will take.

Complaints, Home Delivery Network

Home Delivery Network complaints on BBC Watchdog

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Home Delivery Network appeared on BBC Watchdog tonight, with a number of people complaining about their lack of service. Incredibly though, not one of the customers complaining about HDNL mentioned anything about the sort of stuff we’ve seen here on this website, such as the abuse from drivers, threats of physical violence, racist comments or the magical disappearance of parcels… except maybe for the woman who’s boyfriend ordered the laptop that vanished without trace. Tesco even said to the BBC, and is printed on their website:

Tesco customers rightly expect the very best service. We deliver to millions of happy customers every week so we were very sorry to hear about Ms Treacy’s experience and inconvenience. We sent the laptop out just a few hours after she ordered it so we are investigating with YODEL why it wasn’t delivered.

Well Tesco, if the thousands of comments left by angry customers on MrDaz.com are anything to go by, I think the location of that laptop is probably fairly easy to determine. I would indeed investigate with YODEL, formerly HDNL, as to where it ended up.

As most of the complaints aired on Watchdog tonight were fairly mild by comparison, you can read a more forthright and colourful collection of Home Delivery Network’s indiscretions right here on MrDaz.com.

Complaints, Home Delivery Network, Internet

HDNL driver wants comment removed

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Ever since I first posted a solitary blog about the idiot at Home Delivery Network, now called Yodel, who launched a parcel over my gate on that fateful cold, wet Manchester evening this website has been bombarded with quite literally thousands of comments from dissatisfied customers and unsavoury delivery drivers.

Some of the drivers have been abusive, sinking to the depths of racism against customers who’s names appear to be of ethnic origin, and some have even been open and honest about the poor infrastructure at HDNL, blaming their impossible workloads for the poor service.

One such driver recently emailed asking for comments to be removed, even though what he had said was, in my opinion, fair comment. He asked:

Please can you delete my comment i made on 23rd october as i have been in trouble at work for making a comment. Thanks.

Of course, he hadn’t actually said what his comment was, or on what post it was made, so it took a while to find it – there have been many HDNL posts and thousands of comments about them. Anyhow, find it I did, and this is what he had said here.

All i can say is – Ive worked for HDN for several weeks now. Every morning at 6am it is madness, at the Wrexham depot we have 70 vans where only 16 fit in the depot so you can imagine the cue outside of all the vans waiting to load! They do their upmost to get every parcel out and delivered. The company has just invested £11m on a new system called Quinteg which tells the company where every parcel is and where the exactly the property is and what parcel is to be posted / collected on time and most importantly making sure the drivers do their job properly! They have also bought the other courier company DHL so together they will become one big company called YODEL. The Wrexham depot is also increasing in size to fit all vans on and they have just won contracts with M&S, Tesco and Argos. So…before you go knocking the HDN..watch this space….a massive improvement 🙂

Now what’s wrong with that? His comment is almost intelligent when compared to comments from other drivers, such as ‘Redman Nottm’ who threatened to knock off someone’s ‘wrag head’ for complaining about a delivery.

Good on Welshlloydy for his comments – it’s a shame more weren’t as honest as him.

Now, while I’m on about HDNL, listen up because I’ll only say this once. I have something to say in their defence… I know, make sure you’re sitting down. While there’s no excuse for the language and offensive nature of their drivers on this website, you can excuse the level of frustration they must feel dealing with ‘some’ customers if a recent email I received was anything to go by. I actually received an email, to MrDaz.com, from someone complaining about the fact they kept getting parcels meant for another address.

And no, they weren’t trying to enlist the help of a blogger to expose the mistake… they believed this website WAS Home Delivery Network.

Moron.

The email read:

Mr Daz Enquiry: Wrong Delivery Address

I seem to be getting a delivery always for Thomson of 48 ******** Street Helensburgh. The delivery van on two occasion this week left at card at my door which my house clearly states “Arden” which is part of my address of 46 ********* Street no house number shows because of a Ivy tree that grows around the pillar. Your delivery person has broken this tree down in order to look at the house number. I am extremely angry as this tree is part of my feature to the entrance of the house. Please make sure that the delivery address for the Thompson’s should have all the appropriate delivery instructions. I will also in turn speak the the Tompsons of 48 ********* Street, they should also be using their house name. I will also send you on your reply a photo of the damage tree. I can be contacted on ***********. I would appreciate a reply soon. Yours Truly, Maria ****** ****

Please do send the photo Maria; I’d love to see it out of curiosity.

Complaints, Internet, Michael Jackson, Rants

Michael Jackson dolls damaged in transit

2 Comments

Well this is a turn up for the books – I have a complaint about the delivery of some items and it doesn’t involve Home Delivery Network… will wonders never cease? This delivery was in fact down to Royal Mail, but alas they’re not actually to blame either. No, the fault lies with Play.com and the amateurish way in which they’ve packaged two ‘collectible’ (as it says on their website) Michael Jackson dolls.

The dolls, one with the Thriller outfit and one with the Billie Jean outfit, have just been released as a more affordable alternative to the £250 Sideshow Collectibles figures. Even so, they’re still £30 each (so £60 on two dolls is a sizable chunk).

You would expect something branded as a collectible, and coming in a presentation box, would be dispatched in a carefully packaged box, filled with either bubble wrap or polystyrene chips – however you would be wrong. Instead Play.com decided that these dolls would be perfectly fine sent through the post wrapped in nothing more than a plastic postage bag. No protection, no padding, nothing.

I missed the delivery on Monday so collected them from the Post Office today, only to find they were somewhat worse for ware. The Thriller doll in particular had been crushed on the bottom section, and isn’t exactly in the condition I would describe as collectible. The Billie Jean was slightly better, but both have damage to the tops of the boxes as well.

Now I have complained to Play.com and I’m awaiting their response – so I’ll update with their comments here. I am hoping however that they’ll admit some sort of mistake in the way they’ve posted these as you cannot expect to sell collectible figures and post them in plastic bags. You wouldn’t accept that from an eBay seller, never mind a retail website with almost a decade’s worth of experience in selling online.

Complaints, Rants

Taxi for Manchester Airport

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Living next to Manchester Airport you’d think getting a taxi for the airport would be simplicity in itself – but you would of course be wrong. Whether you want a taxi to Manchester Airport, or from the airport following arriving off a flight, getting a taxi is extremely difficult.

Last year I tried to book with a taxi firm based in Manchester, only to be told that despite them offering a taxi service to Manchester Airport (a few miles from my house) they wouldn’t do a pick up from where I live. Perhaps my area is too rough for them, perhaps it’s too close to warrant picking someone up and doesn’t represent enough profit – either way I was appalled at their lack of service.

I then tried a local company, Wythenshawe Cars, and they said they’d pick me up for the flight the following morning at around 5:30am… however, they didn’t actually show at 5:30am. I called their dispatch again and was told they were short on cars and someone would be there in a matter of minutes.

Some more time later and no taxi. I called again, once again being told that the car was minutes away. I waited… and then I saw a car drive towards my house from out of the window. Despite now being 45 minutes late (which is important when catching a plane) the car stopped opposite and the driver got out. He walked into the park opposite and proceeded to relieve himself. I then watched the driver get back in his car and pull up outside my house, our chariot had arrived.

Coming home from that flight was a similar story. While yes there is a taxi rank outside the airport, when you give them the address (less than 3 miles away) they plead ignorance to its whereabouts, insisting that they’ve never heard of it and how I should get another cab. No, it’s not because they don’t know where it is, it’s because they can’t be bothered with such a short journey and possible low fair.

When we went away recently, to save the ignominy of watching a taxi driver relieve himself before arriving late, or having to explain to a taxi driver at the airport where Wythenshawe actually is (he’s already in it!) we decided to book our Manchester airport taxis to and from the airport. It made things a lot easier and meant we weren’t late arriving at the airport, a whole 3 miles away.