Cuffy/Skill - Stafford customer service thread - Stafford retailers reports.

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
Don't see the problem really. I don't get any inference of guilt or accusation from that post.
It’s more the fact that a couple who, through no fault of their own have been shamed on social media, the lead of ‘I’m sure it was an honest mistake’ as if they had forgotten to pay. It was Fletcher’s error and these people have had their photos splashed across Facebook. I wouldn’t consent to any company doing that to me whatever the circumstances and it’s surely a GDPR violation. I’d think twice about going to somewhere that thinks this is ok.
 
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littleme

250,000th poster!
May as well have been, it reads like the staff hadn’t put the payment through properly/ the card machine crashed and Fletcher’s though the best way to deal with it is to post clear pictures of their customers on social media. I would have been fuming if that was me.
Agreed, they hadn't knowingly done anything. Thanks for the info.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
It’s more the fact that a couple who, through no fault of their own have been shamed on social media, the lead of ‘I’m sure it was an honest mistake’ as if they had forgotten to pay. It was Fletcher’s error and these people have had their photos splashed across Facebook. I wouldn’t consent to any company doing that to me whatever the circumstances and it’s surely a GDPR violation. I’d think twice about going to somewhere that thinks this is ok.
Yes, I agree about the implications of posting up the CCTV footage.
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
Nothing is ever deleted. This was the post, I’ve blanked out the faces because I don’t think it’s fair to the people featured.
Sorry but their post is just a car crash. If the car machine had crashed then how did the transaction end ? You wouldn't buy a £150 item and walk out without a receipt which is only spat out following a successful transaction right ?

some years ago Ikea in Wednesbury changed their card payment machines (before contactless)...for some bizarre reason the receipt was given to the customer before you removed the car from the machine and I (along with others) were just walking off without our cars such was the way you were conditioned in that "i've got the receipt therefore its ok to walk off"...I tried at the time to explain this to the staff but they just didn't get it !!!
 

Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
Sorry but their post is just a car crash. If the car machine had crashed then how did the transaction end ? You wouldn't buy a £150 item and walk out without a receipt which is only spat out following a successful transaction right ?

some years ago Ikea in Wednesbury changed their card payment machines (before contactless)...for some bizarre reason the receipt was given to the customer before you removed the car from the machine and I (along with others) were just walking off without our cars such was the way you were conditioned in that "i've got the receipt therefore its ok to walk off"...I tried at the time to explain this to the staff but they just didn't get it !!!
I suspect people have got used to not taking or asking for receipts since COVID but I would certainly get a receipt for that sort of spend.
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
In Sainsburys the self scan machines machines make a similar noise for both card accepted and declined. It doesn't always shout card declined either. The other thing it does is that the main screen will show a whirring circle, whilst the pin pad tells you that it's not accepting contact less, and to insert your card. People see the whirling circle, presume the transactions going through.... And walk off.... Sometimes we realise & catch them, sometimes we don't.
 

The Hawk

Well-Known Forumite
Skill to Timpson in Stafford town centre this morning. Took a small key in, for two new copies to be cut. He wasn't sure if his chosen stock key was an exact match, so he cut one for free and told me to try it first; he'd then cut the other and I could pay the next time I was in town.

The new key worked perfectly.
 

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
Skill to Timpson in Stafford town centre this morning. Took a small key in, for two new copies to be cut. He wasn't sure if his chosen stock key was an exact match, so he cut one for free and told me to try it first; he'd then cut the other and I could pay the next time I was in town.

The new key worked perfectly.
I've always been happy with the service in there as well. On the odd occassions a key doesn't work they have replaced no hassle and always been pleasant.
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
Skill to Timpson in Stafford town centre this morning. Took a small key in, for two new copies to be cut. He wasn't sure if his chosen stock key was an exact match, so he cut one for free and told me to try it first; he'd then cut the other and I could pay the next time I was in town.

The new key worked perfectly.
Back in 2007 I was sent to a 2 day conference on Customer Service... One of the speakers was John Timpson, son of the founder of the company. It was clear that they work very differently to most other companies and devolve decision making to the person in the shop and back them to the hilt.... And it shows from the service they give
 

GNM67

Well-Known Forumite
How!? I stood and watched the Asda guy cut two Yale keys for me, took him 5 minutes
It was a mortise(sp?) key which I don't think had been cut too good originally. Unfortunately the key was for mum (in wales) so couldn't nip back to get it fixed. Went to a guy near her who looked at it said 'oh, that should be a 5.5'. Walked out 3 minutes later with a working key.
 

ATJ

Well-Known Forumite
Cuffy to 'First Choice Doors and Windows' based out of Wolverhampton, who knocked on my door to ask if I needed a quote as they're working in the area.

I was subject to a quote 4x higher than the actual value of the works and high pressure sales techniques including the phony special reduction, the call to the gaffer for an even better offer, pressure to go into finance options and I'm expecting the calls to start any day now.

I've since looked into it and they seem to be a genuine company who very very carefully tread the line between being scam artists and compliance with the law. Apparently they are known for charging a bomb but get a lot of work - presumably by employing the same tactics they used on me.

I strongly advise anyone who has a relative who might be pressured into works by this company to warn them away.
 

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
Cuffy to 'First Choice Doors and Windows' based out of Wolverhampton, who knocked on my door to ask if I needed a quote as they're working in the area.

I was subject to a quote 4x higher than the actual value of the works and high pressure sales techniques including the phony special reduction, the call to the gaffer for an even better offer, pressure to go into finance options and I'm expecting the calls to start any day now.

I've since looked into it and they seem to be a genuine company who very very carefully tread the line between being scam artists and compliance with the law. Apparently they are known for charging a bomb but get a lot of work - presumably by employing the same tactics they used on me.

I strongly advise anyone who has a relative who might be pressured into works by this company to warn them away.

We had someone like that who wanted £3k+ to do the soffits and fascias on our semi. “Oh it’s the last financing form you’ve had me half fill in before changing your mind” guilt tripping and all that rubbish on the phone to his boss and being “told off” - yeah okay.

I don’t know what it is about uPVC companies, but they’re the only trade I know of where the person coming out to spec the work isn’t remotely involved in the process of actually installing the goods. Plumber, sparky, even AC companies I’ve always spoken to an engineer not a sales guy - but uPVC? Bloke in a suit who’s never picked up a hammer in his life.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
We had someone like that who wanted £3k+ to do the soffits and fascias on our semi. “Oh it’s the last financing form you’ve had me half fill in before changing your mind” guilt tripping and all that rubbish on the phone to his boss and being “told off” - yeah okay.

I don’t know what it is about uPVC companies, but they’re the only trade I know of where the person coming out to spec the work isn’t remotely involved in the process of actually installing the goods. Plumber, sparky, even AC companies I’ve always spoken to an engineer not a sales guy - but uPVC? Bloke in a suit who’s never picked up a hammer in his life.
My sisters ex did double glazing for years, like you say though was just the salesman and had nothing to do with the installation. They know what the job costs and they work out a price based on what they see in your house and what you say, the nicer your place is or the more easily led you are the higher the 'normal' price becomes before they start offering you a discount. He said he usually sold for at least double what the job cost including labour, but would start the quote anything up to 4x.
 

ATJ

Well-Known Forumite
In this instance they wanted £4k to replace guttering (no soffit and fascia) and with my poker face and utter refusal to agree to anything, give them my target price or discuss my monthly income got them down to £2.9k. I told them at the beginning I'd agree to nothing that day and I wanted three quotes and they were the first, and I was asked half a dozen times what it would take for me to agree today.

I've since had two separate quotes for £1,100.
 
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