Argos and pitiful service.

[Dos_Box]

I'm trying to keep calm as I write this.

Oct 2nd I order an iPod Touch from the Argos web site. It is both listed as being in stock and deliverable within 3 days, so I order it and they take the money. The delivery date was the morning of the 5th. I take the morning off on the 5th so as to ensure I don't miss the delivery man. All that arrives however is a letter from Argos stating that 'Sorry, whilst we said we had them in stock we actually didn't and it will be with you by the 12th...Promise'
The 12th comes and a phone call from Argos tells me that it will arrive between 7am and 1pm on the 15th guarenteed.
Yesterday they phone again telling me that they are going to phone again with a new delivery date as they still odn't have any!!!
W...T...F!!!
What a total shambles. I don't think I shall order anything from Argos again. What is the point of having a computerised ordering system which does not tie in with the stock?

[Dos_Box]

http://www.doipod.com/ipod/2007/10/i....html#comments

Sad.

[Dos_Box]

I think a letter to trading standards is in order.

[broc]

I hate online stores that mislead you into thinking they have real-time stock level checking, I had this earlier in the summer elsewhere with a SatNav that showed in stock but when I phoned to check they had no stock & didn't know when they would get stock!

Presumably you could not do an Argos 'reserve & collect in store' order? At least the stock check on that seems real-time and you don't hand over the money until you collect?

I also thought that stores were not supposed to debit your card account until the goods were ready for despatch, I am sure this is in their terms & conditions of use as 'agents' for Visa/Mastercard?

[Dos_Box]

I also thought that stores were not supposed to debit your card account until the goods were ready for despatch, I am sure this is in their terms & conditions of use as 'agents' for Visa/Mastercard?

I think they took the money as it was listed as available and ready for dispatch. I have just emailed The Register and let them know about this.
I'm cancelling the order this morning and going down to Currys who have them in stock.

[tech_guy]

Ahem, it's only an iPod.....

....or should that be hypod.....?

[Gatt]

Had this with PLAY.COM - pre-ordered Battlestar Galactica S3 so we could get it on the release date in September..

Get email saying we have ur money and your order has been dispatched

Didn't arrive - you cant chase it up until after 21 days , so we wait

21 days later we request a replacement

No sign of DVD

21 Days later we cancel the order

We reckon both have been swiped by some unhappy postie , since PLAY.COM write "Optical Media worth £50" on the envelope, who has since put them up onto eBay..

[broc]

I think both Currys & PCWorld have a reserve & collect system too. I have on occasion been able to buy goods at web prices & collect instore. On one occasion however when I went to collect the goods it was obvious that they had been opened & possibly used or at least tried out so I asked for a different one, to be told that was the only one in stock. I left without the goods.

[Dos_Box]

I had Forbidden Planet on order from play for 3 years! They kept putting back the release date as they finally released it as a 50th anniversery issue. I kept it on the order list for the novelty value. I was pretty shocked when it arrived I can tell you

[NickJones]

Originally Posted by Gatt

We reckon both have been swiped by some unhappy postie , since PLAY.COM write "Optical Media worth £50" on the envelope, who has since put them up onto eBay..

It really annoys me when companies do that - Amazon are another that write "the contents of this box is worth stealing and selling on ebay" all over the packaging.

[webman]

Originally Posted by tech_guy

Ahem, it's only an iPod.....

I agree

[laserblazer]

I always get anything that looks or is valuable delivered to school. I had no end of CDs/DVDs that never arrived to my home address but were sent. If it's sent to school the thieving s*d who nicks them thinks it's educational and not worth pinching. That's my theory anyway.

[Dos_Box]

A freind of mines wife is a postal investigator. She tells me that posties swiping games and DVDs to resell on Ebay is quite a common crime they investigate. Mainly amongst casual staff.

[NickJones]

Originally Posted by Dos_Box

A freind of mines wife is a postal investigator. She tells me that posties swiping games and DVDs to resell on Ebay is quite a common crime they investigate. Mainly amongst casual staff.

Items being "left with neighbours" was a problem where I used to live. All the letter boxes for the whole block of 20-odd flats were by the main door at the bottom. If something didn't fit in the letter box, the postie would leave it on top and post me a card saying "left with neighbour" - I had so many items go walkabout like that, one time I even found the empty packing envelope on the floor from where someone had opened it! Ended up paying for a Mail Redirection to send all our mail to me in school.

[Paul_L]

Originally Posted by broc

I hate online stores that mislead you into thinking they have real-time stock level checking

Had the same thing with a Mobile Phone, on-line retailer showed mobile in stock, so I ordered it for next day delivery, 3 weeks later still not turned up, website still shows in stock and available for next day delivery, but .... contacted by customer service told not in stock and have no idea when stock will be available!

O! and the website still shows it's in stock for next day delivery! :x