More poor customer service from Smyths Toys
This e-mail came through from a reader recently about their crap customer service experience with Smyths Toys. Unfortunately, in answer to their final question, there are no consumer rights that say we should be treated by respect by businesses.
You would like to think that businesses would take this for granted, but obviously it’s not something that Smyths Toys really care about.
I went to return a faulty product (the explosive experiments) at Smyths store and asked for a refund. My complaint was the the ‘explosives’ did not explode. They said they had to test the product and that they would call me the next day.
They indeed called me the next morning and told me that they had tested everything and everything was working fine. I asked for the manager, and told her that this is your word agaist mine, and I want you to test the product in front of me.
She agreed. I went there for a second time. I asked for the manager the staff told me she had left and refused to do the tests. They also admitted eventually that the had not tested everything as they had claimed, but only one experiment (the only one in the box that actually does not explode).
I called their customer service and they told me to go again at the store and this time they would test it. They have been lying to me insisting they had tested it when they hadn’t, I have already been twice to the srore and I think it is disrespectful to ask me to go again because their staff failed to do their job properly. The issue at this stage is more the way I have been treated rather than the faulty product.
What are my rights as a consumer to be treated with respect?
I reckon that for this reader, their next step would be to take a claim against Smyths Toys in the Small Claims Court in an attempt to get their money back. Bringing such a claim would hopefully at least get their attention.
5 Comments
I have had nothing but great customer service from smyths toys and I have been shopping with them for over 15 years. Anytime we have any trouble with a toy they sort it straight away for us. I’ve always found that when you want something done it is best to deal with them professionally and not go in straight away demanding a refund. These people are only doing their jobs and from the sound of the person here they didn’t treat these people they way they want to be treated.
I would say that there are two sides to every story. I am a regular shopper at Smyths and have had nothing but positive experiences. Obviously if something isn’t actually broken a store cannot accept a retun.
Have they even contacted the manufacturer or PROVED it is a manufacturing fault?? Hmmm…
If there was a rip in the seam of a garment that was due to a manufacturing fault then obviously you’d get a refund or replacement.
But if the rip occured because the garment was the wrong size and you ripped it, or you wore it and then decided you didnt like it would YOU expect that shop to take it back???
This e-mail subsequently came from the ValueIreland.com whose experience is detailed above:
Thank you very much for your kind and prompt reply.
If you are planning to publicise my experience with Smyths.
It is worth mentionning a few more things that I find particularly ackward about the way they are operating.
The store managers and the staff refused to give me their surnames, or any names or contact details of more senior managers to address the issue.
Everyone is ANONYMOUS!! If you have a problem with a store manager it is impossible to get information on someone above him/her to address the issue.
The customer service, is contacting the manager with whom you had the problem and gets back to you echoing their version of the story.
Basically, they are asking the manager with whom the client had a complaint to tell them if s/he thought that the client’s complaint about them was justified!! Amazing!
The customer service apologised to me for the way I felt I was treated and suggested I went for a 3rd time to Smyths and that this time they would test the product in front of me or have an assistant go through the instructions with me.
This is particularly funny as they addressed me doctor… on the heading of their letter (I mentioned to them in my letter of copmlaint that I was a doctor using play as therapy for children with special needs) yet, still felt I needed assistance to read the instuctions of a children’s game!!
It is worth mentioning the name of the abusive manager ****** at Smyths in Jervis str, Dublin.
(I have the name of the manager, but won’t publish here. Smyths Toys – if you want the name, just contact me and I’ll pass it on. Diarmuid)
I have been a smyths customer for several years I really considered them to be a honest considerate company but then I never had reason to contact their customer service department[as they call it] it all began with a simple enquiry which the Newry store where unable to resolve I was given the customer service number which I later discovered was a premium rate number shortly afterwards I had problems collecting or rather not collecting a daily mirror free gift I was left standing in a q while some idiot went walkabout to pick a birthday card in the interim another shopper [alone] was given the last 3 gifts I was unhappy and asked to speak to the manager I spoke to someone who claimed to be the manager who said there was nothing he was prepared to do I was this premium rate number and when I enquired about this the “manager” said he had no idea what kind of number it was and walked of before I had finished i had to make another costly call which lasted nearly 20 mts i was informed that someone would call me which never occured I was sent a dismissive email which ignored the core complaint ie Smmths where giving customers a premium rate number without informing them of this fact and where acting if not illegally immorally with regard to the free toys I was informed that if a customer arrived with more than one voucher they got more than one gift this contridicts the t&c on the voucher I emailed Smyhs once again nothing happend I them obtained the real hq phone number and left a message for mr Smyth himself via his pa the same evening I recieved a call informing me that mr Smyth had said if I was not happy with the responce I had recieved not to go back to Smyths end of story I had attempted to resolve this situation it has cost me a lot of time and money and thje attitude from the top was f*** off it is obvious that any company that requires unhappy customers to use a expencive premium rate number to make that complaint is sending their customers a message which can be expressed
I agree with the dreadful rating of Smyths. I have tried to buy a specific Lego set that is in stock at their other stores but not my local Swords store. When I went to Customer Service it was unmanned. The manager called me from afar and then watched me try to clamber over stuff to get to her. She wouldn’t even shake herself to walk to the customer service desk. She then told me it was not cost effective to transfer items from another store, would not check her system, would not check if they were on order. would not give me her surname, displayed a complete lack of interest, seems to have been surgically modified to ensure she cant smile or ask if she can help etc etc etc. Oh I wish there was another non Smyths toy store local to me.