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CombatCritic™ ... World traveler - 42 countries and counting; Military Leader - Four combat operations; Amateur chef; Published author and producer - over 4 million visitors on seven platforms! Yelp "Black" Elite '14/'15/ '16/ '17/ '18/ '19 / '20/ '21/ '22 / '23 / '24; TripAdvisor ¨Local Guide¨, Zomato "VERIFIED CONNOISSEUR"; Booking.com "GENIUS"; and Foursquare "INSIDER". On the Front Lines in the Battle Against Mediocrity - Follow Me To TravelValue™ ... That's A Freakin' Order!

Showing posts with label customer. Show all posts

Friday, September 1, 2023

Everybody Loves Amazon, Right? WRONG! How I Got The Runaround

Amazon

410 Terry Ave N

Seattle, WA 98109

amazon.com

Phone number: (206) 266-1000

Like many Americans, I have spent a lot of money on Amazon, probably more than most. Amazon Customer Service has never been easy to contact, having to search their website for well hidden 'Contact Us' links, using their chatbot with little success, and endless chats with inadequately paid representatives in India.

The final straw was when Amazon threatened me, for no apparent reason, after returning a vacuum to Amazon Spain (Amazon.es). I decided to write them a letter, sending it to their posted 'Resolution' email address:

Amazon Corporate Headquarters
410 Terry Ave N, Seattle 98109, WA, USA

Dear Amazon,

You have massive problems with your Spanish operation (Amazon.es)!

I have spent a huge amount of money on Amazon,com, Amazon.es, Amazon.de, and Amazon.it over the years, but I have recently had nothing but problems with late or undelivered orders, poor customer service (straight out lies and empty promises), and, now, threats.

This is about the most recent issue, the return of a Tineco vacuum cleaner

I contacted Amazon.es a while back because the vacuum continuously got clogged in the bend between the head and tube. They could not solve the problem, so they told me to return it for a refund, which I did on 08/04/2023.

I had to contact customer service numerous times because I was not informed when the return was received, then having attempted to find out the status of the refund. I was lied to several times in chats, having been told that the refund would be processed (I requested a gift card) in 24-48 hours, even escalating it to supervisors, but the refund never arrived as promised. I was always assured that 'this won't happen again' by their agents about the refund and every other issue I have had with Amazon.es, which there have been many, but the problems persist, over and over again. The refund was finally received on 08/26/2023 ON MY CREDIT CARD, NOT THE GIFT CARD THAT I REQUESTED SEVERAL TIMES (go back and review the chats).

Then, I received this email on Wednesday:

Sus devoluciones de Amazon.es (Your Amazon.co.uk returns)

ofm@amazon.es <ofm@amazon.es>

Wed, Aug 30, 7:11 PM

Hello:

We inform you that we have processed your recent return of Tineco A11 Hero Cordless Broom Vacuum Cleaner, 450W 22KPa Digital Motor, 2 Rechargeable Batteries 50 Minutes, Wireless, Cyclonic Vacuum Cleaner, without Bo of your order 408-2977921-1153158 .
The product has been returned in a condition that does not meet our return policy. On this occasion, we have processed a refund for the order. However, if your returns continue to violate our policies, we may not issue you further refunds or fees may apply for the status of the return.

To review our return policy, go to Our Return Policy:
www.amazon.es/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201819200

We will notify you if a similar case occurs again.

account specialist
Amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.es
resolution@amazon.com

Besides being threatened for no apparent reason, I was not even informed about what the issue was, so I sent this message, also yesterday:

combatcritic
Wed, Aug 30, 9:06 PM
to ofm@amazon.es

I would like to know what the problem was with the return!

Don't threaten me, we returned all of the pieces and nothing was broken when I shipped it. The vacuum simply did not work properly.

If you would explain what the supposed problem is, it might make more sense.

I'm getting very tired of Amazon Spain's incompetence and the poor customer service we receive. I spend far too much money on Amazon to be treated with disrespect and insults.

Having heard nothing back, I chatted with an agent:

:
Shivam has joined and you can start chatting in just a minute.

Sivam | Customer Service

Hello and welcome to Amazon.es, I will be glad to assist you. How may I assist you today?
S
8:24 PM

I received an email from Amazon about this return, telling me that it was returned in a condition that does not meet our return policy.... We inform you that we have processed your recent return of Tineco A11 Hero Cordless Broom Vacuum Cleaner, 450W 22KPa Digital Motor, 2 Rechargeable Batteries 50 Minutes, Wireless, Cyclonic Vacuum Cleaner. The product has been returned in a condition that does not meet our return policy. On this occasion, we have processed a refund for the order. However, if your returns continue to violate our policies, we may not issue you further refunds or fees may apply for the status of the return. To review our return policy, go to Our Return Policy: www.amazon.es/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201819200 We will notify you if a similar case occurs again.

I would like to know what the problem was with the return! Please don't threaten me, we returned all of the pieces and nothing was broken when I shipped it. The vacuum simply did not work properly. If you would explain what the supposed problem is, it might make more sense. I'm getting very tired of Amazon Spain's incompetence and the poor customer service we receive. I spend far too much money on Amazon to be treated with disrespect and insults.

8:25 PM

Sivam | Customer Service

Okay I do understand your concern here, Please accept my sincere apologies for the inconvenience encountered in this situation. I will do everything necessary and possible to help you immediately..

Please allow me some couple of moments while I check the details for you. Please do not close the chat

Thank you for staying connected, I really appreciate your patience.
S
8:30 PM

Okay

8:30 PM Sivam | Customer Service

To help you with this we have a special team with right set of tools So I have shared your concern with the relevant department,

A member of our relevant department will be happy to help you with this, however they don't currently offer support via chat.

So you will receive the response via email within 24-48 working hours, I request you to be a patient for this:)

'24-48' hours means that it might happen in a week or not at all. Then, I received this email in response to my concerns the following day:

ofm@amazon.es
1:15 PM (Aug 31 2023)

Hello:

Thank you for the information you have provided us. We contact you to better understand your account activity.
Your comments and suggestions help us improve and offer a better service to our customers.

If you have any other order or account related concerns, please contact our customer service via the link below:
www.amazon.es/contacto

account specialist
Amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.es

Still no explanation!

Finally, that same evening, I received this email:

buyer-returns@amazon.es
10:48 PM (Aug 30 2023)

Hello:

Thank you for helping us better understand your account activity. We have carefully reviewed your account, all related accounts, and your order history to ensure that all decisions regarding your account are made in accordance with our policies.

If you have no further feedback on your shopping experience, we can close this conversation and you can continue shopping as usual on Amazon.co.uk.

This decision is final. We may not respond to any further messages related to this matter.

account specialist
Amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.es

What decision is final? They won't respond to my messages? They will not answer my questions? What the heck is going on with these people? Why can't they explain what the POLICY VIOLATION was, because I reviewed their policy and there was nothing that could possibly relate to my return!

Was it an issue caused by the carrier they made me use for the return? I returned the product exactly as I was told to, all pieces of the crappy vacuum in the box when I shipped it, so what was the problem? I am being threatened that if I do it again, whatever 'it' is, I will have to pay fees? This is completely absurd and Mr. Bezos should know about the problems with incompetence and unprofessional conduct in your Spanish operation.

We now live in Portugal, but I never had an issue when we lived in the USA, having spent tens of thousands of dollars on Amazon.com and can only recall one order that I had to return, and I always received orders on-time, but I have wasted countless hours chatting with Amazon.es about defective products, refunds, and items that either never arrive or arrive late.

I want to know what the issue was and why I, a loyal and faithful customer for many years, am being disrespected and threatened by these incompetent and unprofessional Amazon employees!

I respectfully await your prompt and complete response.

Thank you in advance.

CombatCritic

This was the response to my resolution@amazon.com email:

I did as they suggested in this response, but there were no 'yellow buttons' anywhere, so I contacted Amazon.com Customer Service through a chat to get the alleged email address and spent almost an hour getting the runaround with seven (7) different agents (more on that later).

I wanted to contact Amazon Headquarters in Seattle because Amazon Spain obviously does not take customer complaints or questions seriously and I have had so many problems with them, wasting valuable time chatting with agents who lie through their teeth and having to drive to Celeritas, their delivery service, to return products.

I do not enjoy spending endless hours resolving problems caused by Amazon Spain and their total disregard for customers and the difficulty getting anything resolved has been an absolute nightmare. Which brings me to me next point.

Regarding the chat runaround I referred to earlier, I found out the hard way what Amazon chat agents do to avoid negative reviews/ratings, they suddenly have 'technical problems', leave the chat, and turn you over to another agent if they sense you are not a happy camper. I spent nearly an hour, being transferred to six different agents on the evening in question,, including a supervisor, just trying to to get an email address where I could send my complaint. When all was said and done after all of that time and so many different agents, having been told several times I would get that email address right away, I was given Amazon's mailing address in Seattle, something I could have found in 30 seconds in a web search. The largest company in the world and internet shopping platform tells me to complain via snail mail.

Their agents also placate customers in their chats, telling us 'we are sorry for your experience', 'I will fix this right away', 'this will not happen again', 'you will receive your refund in 24-48 hours', and so on and so on. The majority of the time, these are lies! They are not sorry, they do not fix it right away, it does happen again, and the refunds arrive much later than promised, along with threats for undefined problems.

All I want is an answer to my question, what was the problem with the return that led them to threaten a loyal and valuable customer?

I believe I am also owed an apology for the rude and threatening way I was treated. A company this big, that supposedly prides itself on customer service, should ensure that customers are treated with dignity and respect no matter where they happen to live.

Europe, in general, and Portugal and Spain, in particular do not have a clue what customer service is and Amazon HQ should ensure that their customers receive the same quality and respectful service no matter where we reside.

The sad fact is that companies this big do not care about isolated customers who are dissatisfied because the are making hundreds of billions of dollars every year on the rest of the people who put up with their incompetence and lies.

Now, I am forced to waste more time filing a complaint with the State of Washington Office of the Attorney General as well as the U.S. Attorney General rather than simply sending an email to an Amazon employee that might possibly care about a customers negative experiences. Thanks Jeff Bezos, enjoy your $160,000,000,000!

Sincerely,

CombatCritic

CombatCritic Gives Amazon.es, Amazon, And Jeff Bezos 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My 'WALL OF SHAME' ... More Bombs Are Better!

One Bomb Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

Saturday, October 29, 2022

Loulé, Faro, Portugal: Leroy Merlin - Total Incompetence and Lack of Customer Service ... Astoundingly Horrific Management!

Leroy Merlin Loulé

Av. Algarve 2, 8100-299 Loulé, Portugal

+351 289 151 700

www.leroymerlin.pt/pt/lojas/loule

Prices: €€€€

Wow, 96% of Leroy Merlin's reviews on TrustPilot are poor or worse and only 3% are above average! I wonder why?

That is because they could care less about customers, they treat customers in the store like garbage, like I was today, and their online/email/phone customer service, if you can call it that - it's more like customer disservice - does not even bother returning calls or emails.

I bought two, very expensive five-meter awnings and paid for them, installation, and delivery at Leroy Merlin - Loulé in early April 2022. I was told at the store when I paid for the awnings and installation that the awnings would be delivered on 19/05/2022, that their installer would be at my home when they arrived, and that they would be delivered to our 4th floor apartment terrace with 'no problem'.

I received an email a few days before the scheduled delivery date of 19/05/2022, telling me that the awnings would actually be delivered on 18/05/2022. I didn't have a problem with them arriving on 18/05/2022, but I wanted to verify with the installer that he would be here on the 18th when the awnings arrived, so I contacted him to find out what was going on and he said:

'We are an independent company and only provide the installation. The product delivery and conditions were with Leroy Merlin. Be aware because this kind of problems with the delivery happens very often'.

'When you make the order, you told them that it is the 4th floor? I think it is better to call them tomorrow to ask if the value that you payed includes the delivery in the apartment ... We only make the installation and be sure that the client get the right choice for his needs. We don’t have access to delivery info or how they do it.'

‘Yes, of course I told the store’ I told the installer, not only having asked Manuel, the Leroy Merlin sales representative, if there would be a problem delivering two 5 meter awnings to the 4th floor, and he told me that they would, but our delivery address clearly indicates that we live on the 4th floor: Rua Xxx Xxxxx, 4 Dto 8700 Olhão.

Why was the installer, whom Leroy Merlin coordinated the installation with and whom I paid for in their store, telling me that he has no involvement in coordinating this and that I have to contact Leroy Merlin to coordinate it myself? This was ridiculous and someone needed to sort it out, soon.

I was told when I purchased the awnings that they were a special order and could not be returned, so I verified with the installer beforehand, paying €29 for him to come to our home and provide an estimate in order to ensure they could be installed on our 4th floor terrace. He said they could and I assumed that because he was the Leroy Merlin installer, Leroy Merlin and he would do their due diligence and coordinate the delivery and installation. It seems obvious that did not happen.

The installer originally told me the €780 installation would take 2-3 days, justifying the ridiculous labor charges when I asked why the bid was so high. Then, he has cancelled on the 19th as originally scheduled, because he said he was working another job, and would come on the 20th instead, telling me ‘it is only going to take one day’, not 2-3 as I was originally told when I asked him why the price of installation was so high.

A €100 per hour for labor charge is in unprecedented in Portugal, having paid three men far less than that for 2.5 days of labor when we renovated our apartment last year. It appears to me that I was charged non-Portuguese prices because I highly doubt that a Portuguese customer would pay anything near €780 for one day's labor. The math is very easy, having paid almost 63% less than I paid for this installation when I renovated our apartment. Leroy Merlin shouldn't take advantage of expat customers like they do.

I believe that when Leroy Merlin arranges installation and I pay Leroy Merlin for the installation, Leroy Merlin and the installer should communicate directly and handle any issues such as this, not the customer. Every time I asked him a question, he told me to 'talk to Leroy Merlin, it's not my job'. Unsatisfactory!

I called the number, 289 151 700, on the morning of 17/05/2022 as instructed in the SMS I received and pressed '1' for English, but the lady did not speak English. She took my number and told me someone who spoke English would call me back, but that never happened.

On a happier note, Rita and the store manager were extremely helpful on 17/05/2022 when I had to make a special trip to Loulé to ensure the delivery would arrive and be delivered to our 4th floor terrace because Leroy Merlin employees do not speak English, would not return my calls, nor would they answer my emails. The manager and Rita told me that the awnings would have been dumped on the street if I had not checked and Rita was a lifesaver, jumping into action and arranging for a crane to accompany my order the next day so the 5 meter awnings could be delivered to our terrace, not on the street below.

I was supposed to get a message on the morning of the delivery day, 18/05/2022, telling me when the delivery would arrive, but I received nothing. Their website said 'delivery failed" as of 0914 that morning, but I called all day long, seven times, and couldn't talk to someone who spoke English until, finally, at 1534, I spoke to a man who said that the ‘delivery hasn't failed, it's on a truck now’. He couldn't give me any more information than that, so I asked him to have the Loulé store manager call me, but that didn't happened either.

I waited all day and the delivery never arrived! I finally left home at 1845 for an engagement that couldn't be canceled, so I asked the installer to contact the store and find out what was going on. The whole fiasco was an absolute disaster from the start and Leroy Merlin should be ashamed of themselves for what I had been put through. I did my due diligence, but Leroy Merlin did not perform theirs, eventually wasting a great deal of my time and two extra wasted trips from Olhão to Loulé to solve the problems that they caused.

When I returned to the store, for the second time, on 19/05/2022 to solve the issue of my delivery not arriving, a female calling herself ‘manager’ and a female, supposedly in charge of delivery/logistics, by the name of Maria Biato were both rude, condescending, and insulting me because I couldn't speak Portuguese (along with many of their other customers).

Their behavior was appalling. I know that we are in Portugal and should speak Portuguese when possible, I’m trying, but many expats have told me about how difficult it is for non-Portuguese speakers to navigate their website and deal with their employees. Expats would probably spend a lot more money at Leroy Merlin if they made it easier for us non-Portuguese language speakers.

The awnings were finally delivered on 24/05/2022, nearly a week late!

Carlos, the installer, finally arrived on the morning of 25/05/2022 and told me we ‘have too many things on the terrace’, even though they were the same exact things that were there when he came to do the quote. They moved some things around and damaged them, scratching or denting a few objects and left many heavy objects for me to move back where they belonged when they left and I am a disabled combat veteran.

The job only took about 8 hours, not 2-3 days as Carlos had originally told me, at a rate of €100 per hour, an unprecedented labor rate in Portugal. Some things were damaged and heavy plants were not put back. I was taken advantage of, paying €780 for an 8 hour job, €100/hour. If I were Portuguese, I would have paid 1/2 that because I know how much labor rates are. One of the remote controls also doesn't work properly and the awnings are unstable, even with just a 15 kph wind.

I will never shop at Leroy Merlin again after these experiences and they should be ashamed, not only for how I was treated by Maria Biato and the manager on 19/05/2022, but for the amount I was charged for labor on the installation.

The Main HQ in France needs to know how these people treat their customers as I can guarantee you that French or German customers would never allow being treated the way I was and as many other Leroy Merlin (Portugal) customers obviously have been treated based on the reviews I have seen here.

I contacted them through their Facebook page via message early on in this process and was promised that they were 'looking into it', 'following this complaint', and 'will be in touch' with me, but they have done absolutely nothing in the past six months. Here is their most recent response:

Good afternoon. We know that your case has been followed internally through the "Portal da Queixa". Since you have not reached any agreement with the store, the resolution of the case will follow the judicial route, and LEROY MERLIN is awaiting legal contact from your lawyer.

Thank you

Leroy Merlin undoubtedly has core values and key metrics which leadership are briefed on regularly, so they must be aware of the massive problem with LeroyMerlin.pt. Their TrustPilot rating is an abysmal 1.3 / 5 stars with 91% of the 197 reviews being rated 1 / 5 stars. Surely, they must be aware of this data:

TrustPilot.com/review/leroymerlin.pt

I am not paying a lawyer to deal with Leroy Merlin! I have stopped purchasing at Leroy Merlin because of the way I have been treated.

I do not spend my hard earned money at businesses that have no respect for customers and zero integrity. They have lost this customer and from what I can see on TrustPilot and other websites, Leroy Merlin has a massive problem in the way it treats its customers and the kind of service they provide.

Leroy Merlin, like many Portuguese businesses obviously do not understand customer service and are oblivious to core values such as honor, integrity, and treating people with dignity and respect. They have likely already lost thousands of customers and will lose untold numbers in the future.

I contacted Thomas Bouret Nouhin, Leroy Merlin Managing Director, personally via Facebook Messenger as I am sure he is unaware of the appalling way I have been treated and the extremely negative perception of his Portuguese operations. I have not heard back from him yet.

In my opinion, customer service is a foreign concept to Portuguese businesses and, based on my experience, professional business acumen is equally as bad. Companies who treat customers like Leroy Merlin does in Portugal would not last a month in the USA, their doors would shut because American customers expect to be treated with dignity and respect as well as receiving outstanding customer service.

Get a clue Leroy Merlin, fire all of your Portuguese management team and train their employees on how a business as big as this must be run!

CombatCritic Gives Leroy Merlin Loulé 0 Bombs Out Of 10 And A Spot On My 'WALL OF SHAME' ... More Bombs Are Better!

Zero Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

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Vancouver, WA: No Veal, No Deal – Olive Garden Delivers Mediocrity with a Side of Sticker Shock

Friday, September 1, 2023

Everybody Loves Amazon, Right? WRONG! How I Got The Runaround

This was the response to my resolution@amazon.com email:

Saturday, October 29, 2022

Loulé, Faro, Portugal: Leroy Merlin - Total Incompetence and Lack of Customer Service ... Astoundingly Horrific Management!

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