What has happened to customer service?

[Guest]

I ordered a present for my daughter from a website that was apparently set up by the CEO of Expansys and is called Zutux. It was significantly not as described, but since it is so close to Christmas, I have decided, for the time being, to keep it since their ineptitude has left me in an almost impossible predicament.

There follows a brief email exchange with them with a remarkable final email from them at the bottom and which has lead me to ask the question in the title of this thread.

I telephoned them and was promised a call back, which I did not receive, hence the first email.

Dear Sir

I telephoned yesterday regarding the product that you sent me, since it was significantly not as described.

I was promised a call back, which I did not receive.

Why was I not called back?


Regards,


Cetelco

Dear Cetelco

Thank you for your email.

I am sorry that you were not telephoned back on Friday. We are still currently waiting for an answer, for your query, from the manufacturer of this product. At this present time they have not yet replied.

As soon as we have this information, we shall contact you.


Kind regards,



Sales
Zutux

I did receive a call, during which I indicated that I was going to return the product and following this, I received the email below.

Dear Cetelco

Further to our telephone conversation please find attached a returns form.

Could you please complete and return this to me and I will then arrange for parcel force to collect this item and return it to us.

Kind regards,



Amanda
Zutux

Having looked for a replacement product and it being too late to order online for Christmas delivery, I chose to keep the product and wrote the following email.

Dear Amanda

Many thanks for your email and for your time today on the telephone.

As discussed, I have attached images of both the screen, with the processor clock speed clearly displayed and also the instruction manual, where the speed is also declared. These were taken with my iPhone, but do give you a very clear picture of the issue.

Having searched for an alternative product, at such short notice and very quickly reaching the conclusion that it is simply not going happen, I have decided to keep the tablet. Naturally I am disappointed that it was not as advertised and only sports an 800MHz processor and not the 1GHz processor that I had ordered and I would ask that Zutux make some gesture in order to ease this disappointment.

I do not expect this, but would like it and will leave it up to you to choose what to do. Of course, you may choose do to nothing and either way, I shall be keeping the product which of course will also save you the expense of courier fees and RMA costs.

Merry Christmas.


Regards,

Cetelco

I was sent this in reply.

Dear Cetelco

Thank you for your email. I would like to apologise for not replying to you sooner, but we have been incredibly busy.

Thank you for completing the form, and for all the information you have provided. You will be pleased to hear that we have amended this item on our website to show 800 rather than 1GHz, until we receive verification from the manufacturer.

I have spoken to our accounts department and they would like to offer a refund of your postage costs £4.99, by means of an apology for the mistake and confusion. Alternatively, if you would prefer I am able to offer you a £7.50 voucher off any future purchase from our website(s).

Could you please let me know which offer you would like to accept.

Kind regards,


Amanda
Zutux

Given that they offer anyone who orders anything at all from them £5 just for doing so, £4.99 appeared to me to be somewhat cheap, hence my reply below.

Dear Amanda

Thank you for your reply. I will take the £4.99 as I cannot imagine for one moment that I will ever shop with you again.

You call this a mistake and confusion - I call it incompetence and misrepresentation. Were it not just a few days before Christmas then I would reject the goods out of hand. As it is, I reserve the right to report this transaction to Trading Standards and put you on notice that I may yet reject the product, should I find that anything else is wrong with it. In addition, why on earth must you await verification from the manufacturer, is it not plain enough from the images I sent you that the product is significantly not as described?

I run my own business, I understand that mistakes will be made, but what sets apart the good companies from the others is how they respond when mistakes are made. I was offered a product with a particular specification, I ordered that product and paid for that product yet was sent something with an inferior specification. In percentage terms, the processor is 20% slower than I ordered and sticking with the percentage theme, your refund is 3%.

You made a mistake and have been given the opportunity to assuage my disappointment yet have succeeded in compounding it. A remarkable feat and I wonder how that fits with the "...highest standard of customer service" that you are apparently passionate about. I notice also that you are offering anyone who orders anything at all £5 off, so greater than the refund you have offered me.

How do you intend to process the refund, since I am not at all interested in receiving any further correspondence from you and request that you remove or suppress my personal details on your system, in accordance with my rights under the Data Protection Act 1998?

Regards,


Cetelco

Astonishingly, I received this in reply. Quite what I have done to deserve this is not clear. Note the additional paragraphs at the end of the message, this is precisely how it was sent to me.

Dear Cetelco

Thank you for your email.

You obviously feel very strongly about our company and our products so therefore I recommend you return this product to us asap for a full refund, as it is obviously so abhorrent to you.

As for taking us to trading standards, do as you wish. we have absolutely nothing to hide and have not committed any crime or
fraudulent act. We made a mistake and rectified it. You have decided to wage a lengthy (and rather repetitive) series of complaints, as is your right, and I have offered you a refund on several occasions.

As you mentioned in your earlier email, you "ask that Zutux make some gesture in order to ease this disappointment. I do not expect this, but would like it and will leave it up to you to choose what do do. Of course, you may choose do to nothing and either way, I shall be keeping the product"

That is your decision, but I have decided to withdraw any offer of monetary compensation to you and would ask that you return the product as soon as you can.

Please contact Sales@zutux to arrange your return, as I do understand that you want no further correspondence from me, and I feel the same about you.

As soon as this product is returned I will remove all trace of you from our system and records.

Amanda
Zutux



I am sorry you feel this strongly about our company and our products. I would suggest you return the product immediately as it is so abhorrent to you.

I shall not be processing your refund, it is withdrawn as it was a gesture of goodwill, which has been wasted on you.


Amanda
Zutux

Finally, I sent the following email to Roger Butterworth, the founder of the site, although presumably, since he also received a copy of my last email, this has been done with his knowledge.

Dear Mr Butterworth

Please read the following exchange and I look forward to receiving your comments.

It is an astonishing outburst and appears completely at odds with the proud boasts on your website.

Quite why Amanda has seen fit to insult me personally is not clear. Her conduct is unnecessary, unprofessional and inexcusable. There has been no lengthy series of complaints, there have been precisely four emails, including this one and my first was simply a question regarding why I had not been contacted following a promise that I would be.

I have made my position clear and had accepted the refund that was offered. My position remains unchanged.

I look forward to hearing from you in due course.


Regards,

If Amanda worked in any of my businesses, she would be summarily dismissed for Gross Misconduct, whether or not it was December 23rd. Customers may not always be right, but they always pay the bills. They are not an interruption to the business, they are the reason for the business.

Expect Zutux to go the way of Zavi if this is the best they can do.

[michael]

Re: What has happened to customer service?

I've just looked at their website and clicking on random products in 9 out of 10 items returns this:

Our suppliers do not have any "xxxxx" products listed on Zutux at this time.

Doesn't bode well.

[TUTTSI]

Re: What has happened to customer service?

I have been having mega problems with Marks and Spencer Hampers which the firm I work for we ordered some 50 hampers to be sent to high profile sports personalities.

I firstly get a guy on the phone who was so intransigent, negative to say the least. I do eventually get someone with a little more sense.

Ok I then find that the hampers were sent out with no message attached to each one depite puting this message on the order and bringing to the attention of the person who phoned for the payment.

So yesterday I set about sending out some 50 letters to our clients advising them that they would have received a hamper from us but Marks and Spencers omitted the important message.

I have so far negotiated £5 compensation per hamper to cover us for the inconvenience which was agreeable.

Then to day I find that a hamper was not delivered was returned to M&S - no one bothered to inform me, so when I am on the phone I inform the clerk that the hamper has not been delivered and I have tracked it back to M&S and asked that this hamper be re-delivered after the new year. His response to me was that they could not do this as they are now out of stock. This is a hamper which we have paid for so where is it, he said we must have sold it. So they have taken the money twice and my blood is boiling at the moment. I am still to find out how many others have not yet been delivered.

I fear the CEO will be getting a very strong letter from me in the new year.

[Guest]

Re: What has happened to customer service?

This is the inevitable consequence of failing to invest sufficient money in education.

[Sapphire]

Re: What has happened to customer service?

It about time companies started to pride themselves on excellent customer service, we have a small to medium business, three of us in total, our customer service is the most important part of the business to us, we have customers who have been with us for 10 years or more and they always say its because we go the extra mile for them.

[pompeyfaith]

Re: What has happened to customer service?

It about time companies started to pride themselves on excellent customer service, we have a small to medium business, three of us in total, our customer service is the most important part of the business to us, we have customers who have been with us for 10 years or more and they always say its because we go the extra mile for them.

It is the way it used to be, but now the shareholders are more important which is wrong because with out us consumers they would have nothing to share.

[TUTTSI]

Re: What has happened to customer service?

Whilst agree with your sentiments Cet, I also believe that they do not train staff sufficiently, they pay the minimum wage, they have chunnel vision and the staff can only do what they have been scripted to say. If you pay peanuts you get empty shells and that is what I have had to put up with during this episode in dealing with these hampers.

Consequently, there is no customer service being afforded to the customer which is a shame as it is the customer that brings in the money to keep them in jobs and pay the top brass fat bonuses.

This is the inevitable consequence of failing to invest sufficient money in education.

[enaid]

Re: What has happened to customer service?

This is the inevitable consequence of failing to invest sufficient money in education.

'Manners cost nothing' and in my opinion they are the basis of any customer service.

[Sapphire]

Re: What has happened to customer service?

'Manners cost nothing' and in my opinion they are the basis of any customer service.

Exactly Di, and that is the responsibility of parents to make sure their kids are bought up learning to say please, thank you, excuse me and so on, unfortunately nowadays that doesn't seem to be in a lot of parenting agenda's.

[Luminol]

Re: What has happened to customer service?

I too have had to complain this Christmas, my on line grocery shopping order arrived from Asda, only when unpacking did I discover that the majority of items have a use by date of 23rd December, this includes all my Christmas Dinner items! £120.00! in spent.

I have frozen what could be frozen (and what I had room to freeze), but me and Daisy have been having Turkey and Cranberry sandwiches since Monday!

I have complained and shall see what they come up with.

Lumi x

[leclerc]

Re: What has happened to customer service?

The problem with bad customer service is that we always remember and we do tell others to avoid x company or y company. Customer service is a rare thing and I mean real customer service where people go out of their way to help the customer rather than saying "stop moaning" etc,.etc,. Will be interesting to see if they respond to that last email.

[Luminol]

Re: What has happened to customer service?

Well i got a response from ASDA, £11.00 is what my custom is worth to them, that's the value of the out of date goods, also said they were sorry, and it must of been frustrating...not sure whether to continue pushing, thought a free delivery or 2 wouldn't of killed them.

I have now given my business to Tesco. I'm sure ASDA are to too big to worry about one customer.