CP

[SpuffMonkey]

I know a lot of people praise Simon at CP - but my experience has not been so good.

 

Back last summer I ordered 10 x DVD writers to fit some of our new Dells. A box of drives arrived and we fitted them into the PCs. A week or two later, we had a complaint from a user that they couldn't burn a DVD, so we duly trundle off to have a look. It turns out that we have been sent DVD ROMs not writers, and I know I should have checked carefully - but even so, they weren't as ordered.

 

A regular exchange of phone calls & emails produced a string of excuses about why the exchange had not happened, but no result. After 6 months, I am out of patience. I told Simon a while ago that I would be posting here, if we had not had a resolution - and so here we are.

 

Disappointing, but there are plenty of other suppliers, caveat emptor and all that.

[RingOfFlame]

Not really fair to blame Simon. The drives came from Dell so would have been their mistake and not Simon's. If you had checked the delivery at the time you could have refused them and saved yourself a lot of running around.

 

I am sure Simon is doing his best to rectify the situation.

[Dom_]

The drives came from Dell so would have been their mistake and not Simon's.

 

That's not what the OP said.

[Haptic]

ok,

 

Original order we recieved was from our quote showing DVDROM/CDRW Drives which is what we supplied , I tried to get Dell to swap these out but they would not as the order was correct,

I am sorry that the OP is unhappy about this but then you must check quotes correctly before authorising an order

[elsiegee40]

Not really fair to blame Simon. The drives came from Dell so would have been their mistake and not Simon's. If you had checked the delivery at the time you could have refused them and saved yourself a lot of running around.

 

I am sure Simon is doing his best to rectify the situation.

 

Not necessarily; the mistake is most likely to have been with CP who will have ordered a Dell part number...

 

However when ordering anything, the onus is on the buyer to check

a) that the order confirmation is as expected (in this case RW instead of RO)

b) that what arrives is what it says on the packing list and that what it says on the packing list is what is on the order confirmation

 

If neither of these was done, the fault lies with the buyer An expensive mistake... As the drives have been fitted, I feel that CP are probably not culpable.

Edited March 3, 2010 by elsiegee40

[GrumbleDook]

Ok, some ownership of the problem lies with the buyer, but as a buyer I would expect the reseller to listen to what I have asked for, to repeat to me what I have asked for to confirm and then to get on with it.

 

It also depends on the quantity ordered and the value.

 

The fact that during conversations the words 'DVD' and 'burner' are likely to have been mentioned a heck of a lot. I've been here with other suppliers in the past and sometimes you just have to cut your loses because you never now how much work it is going to be double and triple checking that the orders are correct with some suppliers or even certain sales drones in particular companies. I know that if I my phonecall was picked up by one rep at Dell I would give up, but for all others there it was brilliant. It happens.

 

Fair play to Kev for keeping with trying to resolve the issue before commenting publicly.

[somabc]

Not really fair to blame Simon. The drives came from Dell so would have been their mistake and not Simon's. If you had checked the delivery at the time you could have refused them and saved yourself a lot of running around.

 

I am sure Simon is doing his best to rectify the situation.

 

No the onus lies completely with the seller you have sent the wrong part, you have not fulfilled the contract = refund. If they have ordered the wrong part though that is just tough. There is no legal right to a refund/replacement.

Edited March 3, 2010 by somabc

[plexer]

ok,

 

Original order we recieved was from our quote showing DVDROM/CDRW Drives which is what we supplied , I tried to get Dell to swap these out but they would not as the order was correct,

I am sorry that the OP is unhappy about this but then you must check quotes correctly before authorising an order

 

 

No the onus lies completely with the seller you have sent the wrong part, you have not fulfilled the contract = refund. If they have ordered the wrong part though that is just tough. There is no legal right to a refund/replacement.

 

somabc: note quite true if you read what Simon has posted if the purchase order submitted by the buyer did state DVDRom/CDRW based of the quote they received from CP then the buyer has entered into a contract to buy DVDROM/CDRW drives and not the DVDRW he actually required.

 

Ben

[EduTech]

Yeah, as much as it is annoying if the quote you accepted and signed stated DVDROM/CDRW Drives then CP has actually done nothing wrong.. even if for example they may of got it mixed up and quoted you for DVDROM/CDRW rather then DVD/RW you still read and accepted the quote that was sent to you in which case that is an error made by yourself.

 

It's a at times and can easily be done i suppose if it's a busy day, but this time it seems there is nothing much you can do other than purchase DVD/RW Drives.

 

Uness otherwise you can state that the quote you sent back indeed was for DVD/RW and therefore it would be a different kettle of fish.

 

Hope you get it sorted though Kev, and yes fairplay for trying to find a solution before publically posting

 

James.

Edited March 4, 2010 by ZeroHour

[jamesreedersmith]

I can see both sides of this argument and agree with virtually all the points raised.

 

Can i suggest a solution if all parties agreed?? that Simon considers part exchanging the drives for the correct ones as required (on payment of the relevant difference in cost). Simon then has 10 drives that he can sell to the next person that asks, uses as competition prizes or uses as part of any custom PC builds he has coming up that only need dvd rom drives.

 

The client would have what he needed - Simon would not be too far out of pocket and everyones a winner??

 

A relatively easy solution that hopefully would suit all parties and maintains the good rep of Simon ( an excellent guy in 99.9 % of peoples eyes).

 

[elsiegee40]

I can see both sides of this argument and agree with virtually all the points raised.

 

Can i suggest a solution if all parties agreed?? that Simon considers part exchanging the drives for the correct ones as required (on payment of the relevant difference in cost). Simon then has 10 drives that he can sell to the next person that asks, uses as competition prizes or uses as part of any custom PC builds he has coming up that only need dvd rom drives.

 

The client would have what he needed - Simon would not be too far out of pocket and everyones a winner??

 

A relatively easy solution that hopefully would suit all parties and maintains the good rep of Simon ( an excellent guy in 99.9 % of peoples eyes).

 

 

+Rep - I foresee a career with the UN ... good idea

[Haptic]

i am quite happy to discuss with the OP tomorrow to find a way to fix the situation

[Edu-IT]

A mistake on your part I think for not reading the order properly. If Simon does get them changed then that's above any beyond what he should have to do as a supplier. He's supplied the goods, just so happened that you ordered the wrong thing. He, as with any other supplier, can't be expected to know what you want and run through all the alternatives just to make sure you've got the right thing.

[GrumbleDook]

A mistake on your part I think for not reading the order properly. If Simon does get them changed then that's above any beyond what he should have to do as a supplier. He's supplied the goods, just so happened that you ordered the wrong thing. He, as with any other supplier, can't be expected to know what you want and run through all the alternatives just to make sure you've got the right thing.

 

Sorry ... rubbish!

 

If I am on the phone to a supplier and I say DVD Burner ... and state Dell and repeat it a few times, the supplier repeats it back to me a few times too including sample costs perhaps then it is reasonable that this is what you would expect to receive on the quote.

 

The order form is likely to have gone off as "as per quote ref xxxxx" and the order might state DVD Burner (don't know whether it did in this case) but because the order is based on the quote then the quote is what gets ordered. The supplier should have spotted this when it came in.

 

If a supplier can't get a quote right and you have to double and triple check every quote to make sure it is exactly right then I'd move to a supplier who gets it right, first time, every time. And I have too ... and others do as well. As I said above the supplier (or reseller in this case) should spot the mistake too and go back to double check.

 

It also shouldn't take a public posting to get things changed either ... yet after 6 months of talks it takes Kev to post on here and then Simon says "I'll call the OP tomorrow". I really do think Kev has a fair point to say he is unhappy.

[Edu-IT]

Sorry ... rubbish!

 

If I am on the phone to a supplier and I say DVD Burner ... and state Dell and repeat it a few times, the supplier repeats it back to me a few times too including sample costs perhaps then it is reasonable that this is what you would expect to receive on the quote.

 

The order form is likely to have gone off as "as per quote ref xxxxx" and the order might state DVD Burner (don't know whether it did in this case) but because the order is based on the quote then the quote is what gets ordered. The supplier should have spotted this when it came in.

 

If a supplier can't get a quote right and you have to double and triple check every quote to make sure it is exactly right then I'd move to a supplier who gets it right, first time, every time. And I have too ... and others do as well. As I said above the supplier (or reseller in this case) should spot the mistake too and go back to double check.

 

It also shouldn't take a public posting to get things changed either ... yet after 6 months of talks it takes Kev to post on here and then Simon says "I'll call the OP tomorrow". I really do think Kev has a fair point to say he is unhappy.

You're assuming that the OP actually asked for the correct thing and even still, if you get a quote you and I both know that you read the quote to make sure it's exactly what you want before creating the purchase order regardless of whether you know the supplier and trust them. I know we're only talking a few quid here but that is irrelevant. If something landed on your desk for you to sign I'm sure you wouldn't go straight to the signature line without first reading over what it was. Same applies here. You read it, you make sure it's what you want, you place the order.

 

This is obviously my own opinion and I'm not saying I'm right. If you don't check things, mistakes happen. It's easy to make a mistake and I'm sure on this occasion a supplier would be first to admit the mistake if the person received a quote and emailed back saying it was wrong. If I signed an order for a red bike, when I wanted green, and the supplier placed the order for a red bike I would not kick off when a green bike turned up. I'd admit the mistake and try to see if their was anything the supplier could do to help out but if not then lesson learnt. No point making out its somebody else's fault when you've made the simple mistake of not checking. If Dell won't take the goods back because of this mistake then Simon is going to be left with stock he probably can't make use of. Why should any company pay for an oversight that isn't their own?

 

That said we've all been there and tried to get jobs done and out the way so I am in no way trying to insult SpuffMonkey. I also point out that I would say the same for any supplier not just CP.

Edited March 3, 2010 by Edu-IT

[GrumbleDook]

The main difference for me is that in the past when going to a supplier or reseller I would presume they could listen to what was requested, make a note of it and quote me correctly. The first fault lies in the fact that the quote was wrong. I've not said the OP was faultless but it doesn't hide the fact that if the quote is wrong then that will bugger everything else up.

 

Not all orders would be prepared by me either ... I would request a quote, it would come in and I would pass it over to someone to do the paperwork. In the past I have experienced resellers who will put a part number down but not a complete description. At this point you rely on the knowledge and expertise of your reseller ... and some trade on the fact that they are so knowledgeable and experienced. When they make a cock-up on the quote, leaving me or my school out of pocket I have two choices, talk with them to come up with an amicable solution or express my dissatisfaction and take my business elsewhere. I would probably attempt the former before doing the later. When schools have got such a range of possible suppliers, all giving really good prices ... the fact that I might save thruppence by using one supplier does not mean it is best value ... not when there is the cock-up factor to consider. That is why I keep repeating to people that the cost in money is not always the total cost. In the OP's case it is also the disruption caused, in some cases it is the haggling that some companies insist on before they give you their best price, or it might be lowering your ethics by passing on prices from another supplier so that they can be beaten by the company you prefer or have friends in. I know not everyone would agree with all those points (especially the last one ... some folk don't understand why I have an issue with this) but if a company cannot quote me correctly then I move on ... saying that it is just the OP's fault is not fair to the OP.

[witch]

The main difference for me is that in the past when going to a supplier or reseller I would presume they could listen to what was requested, make a note of it and quote me correctly. The first fault lies in the fact that the quote was wrong. I've not said the OP was faultless but it doesn't hide the fact that if the quote is wrong then that will bugger everything else up.

 

I agree, and whilst perhaps the OP should have checked, and of course we don't know what he actually ordered, I do think that if you are using a trusted supplier than you should be able to presume to some extent that they are providing what you asked for.

This happened to me a while ago - I had got a quote from Dell for 30 desktop machines, and asked them to re-quote 6 months later on exactly the same kit as the original quote was no longer valid.

I have to say I didn't check the quote as I presumed they had a) listened to me and b) copied their original quote, changing the price if necessary.

 

When the kit arrived, it was towers, not desktops!! Apparently that is the default order and the person re-quoting missed the fact that I wanted something different.

 

Yes, I maybe should have checked but I think, given the circumstances, it was reasonable that I didn't and they should have put their hands up to their mistake.

 

They didn't of course. I got stuck with 30 towers I didn't want and they lost a customer

[kmount]

We could go around in circles until we know the following:

 

1) What did the OP ask for? (Was this anywhere in writing?)

 

2) What did the Supplier quote show? (Assume this is written)

 

3) What did the PO to the Supplier show?

[Domino]

It routinely takes me 4 or 5 attempts to get the quote right from Dell. Even when sending them all their own part numbers for every single item it always comes back wrong.

 

And then they send me the wrong thing anyway....I don't know where they get their account managers but its no surprise to me you got the wrong thing.

[sparkeh]

There appears to be an awful lot of people riding an awful lot of high horses around here.

 

The fact is we don't know what the OP ordered, whether the order matched what was ordered or what has been going on since. Making presumptioms about the quality of of company's service based on hearsay is not fair.

 

And posting that someones else's opinion is 'Rubbish' when you don't know the facts is frankly out of order.

[teejay]

Well, tbh I have more sympathy with CP than I do the OP. Under these circumstances I would've bit the bullet, stuck em on eBay and ordered the right thing.

[dwhyte85]

Unfortunately Simon will get the blame for incompetence at Dell which as above is fairly common. At my previous job we often received the wrong spec laptops, a total change in laptop when we were not told the D630 was end of life.

 

It took nearly 8 months to resolve an issue with the plastic nightmare after the d630, it then took a further 2 months to get an engineer to give us a correct install order for XP Pro drivers... not everyone uses Vista, Dell!

 

Long story short, our reseller was in a similar position despite best efforts of our account manager at my last job and despite his valiant efforts it took months to resolve.

 

I am not making excuses for anyone... sometimes these things happen, I'm certain Simon will be working his best to resolve this

Edited March 4, 2010 by dwhyte85

[mac_shinobi]

When you assume something you make an A$$ out of you and me.

 

Let the OP and CP ( Simon or whoever ) sort it out - no use bringing us into it because we don't have access to any of the paper work ( as kmount stated previously ) nor can we see it or know what "actually happened" and we can only go on what the OP and Simon ( CP ) say which is going to make things a lot more complex then they need to be.

 

I've not ordered anything as of yet but Simon and Co. have always been prompt at replying and with the correct information etc

[Edu-IT]

This happened to me a while ago - I had got a quote from Dell for 30 desktop machines, and asked them to re-quote 6 months later on exactly the same kit as the original quote was no longer valid.

I have to say I didn't check the quote as I presumed they had a) listened to me and b) copied their original quote, changing the price if necessary.

Dell, and other computer manufacturers, change kit on a weekly basis. You can't possibly expect them to be able to provide the same model 6 months later if you're buying from Dell/HP/Acer etc. If they do then it's a bonus but to assume the same make and model will be available after that time is wrong.

 

When making any large purchase check the order. It's simple as. Five minute job and can save a whole load of hassle.

[apoth0r]

I'd usually chip in but i'm tied on this one, sorry! :/