OT:- Maplin Customer Serivices **NOT**

I can confirm that outfits such as B&Q do have useful items on the electrical and TV side, which aren't always so easy to get at Maplins. Coax cable, plugs, aerials, household wiring in general. In part, these are on the fringe of what Maplin covers.

I think it was Homebase where I found the ordinary TV-coax plugs in both male and female versions, better than using one of those double-ended adaptors. And with a screw-clamp for the centre-wire.

For coaz TV/satellite aerial cable, I wouldn't go to any of them -- there's a good local dealer in Kirton. But Maplin do have other types of less commonly used cable.

regulars here will know I'm not one to complain, however....

WTF!

4 Weeks ago my Router conked. So I revert to my dailup and contact Sitecom, they tell me it's still covered by the manufactures warantee and to return to my supplier.

So I call Maplin Customer services who I explain all to , explain I am having difficulties finding the origional proof of purchase. Helpful lady tells me to find my Visa statement and copy same as this will suffice. I make it clear that the unit is over 12 months old as it's just out of Maplin Warantee by about 2 or 3 days at this point. No problem... return it to us and we will sort it.

Fantastic me thinks.. what a helpful bunch willing to go that extra mile for customers.. what a refreshing change. BUT NO, no sooner has the unit landed I get a phone call from Mrs Unhelpful. We can't do anything for you, it's out of warantee and you will have to pay £15 for a diagnositc check. I explain my origional converstation and query why I was told to return it in the first place. Mrs Unhelpful just repeats herself. So I tell Mrs Unhelpful, thanks for being so unhelpful and I ask her to return the unit.

So now I recontact sitecom who say.. "Were trying to contact Maplin to get them to take the item back and return to us as this is the normal protocol."

OK, so I think, I'll speed things along, my email of complaint has fell of deaf ears, I'll contact Maplin direct again to get some answers. Unfortunately I get the same Mrs Unhelpful I got last time who can only repeat herself over and over. When I asked for the complaints department I then got, "We are the complaints department as Customer services".

Don't get me wrong. I can't blame them for not honouring a warantee if it's not down to them. But surely the Left hand should know what the right hand is doing. I'm now waiting on Sitecom to email me , oh joy!

I'm really temped to paint Morph up with a banner and go and Camp outside Maplins for a while...

I couldn't be a full time techie! I'd do summat I'd regret.

Router is still here dead as ever :-(

And another thing... is it just me or are Maplin going the same way as Halfrauds? I.e. spotty faced kids who don't have a clue what they are selling. And lead times of months for something as simple as an F-plug, which B&Q have packets and packets of! Last place I'd normally have looked for such a thing. I mean, who would explect a electrical products supplier to be able to actually supply stuff.

But I'm not bitter...

Lee D

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Just a little hobby site about Landies :-) ________________________________

Just done a little more research... Here is a cut and paste from Sitecoms site..

In-Store Exchange Guarantee If the customer should have a problem with a Sitecom Product that our Technical Support Department cannot repair, then Sitecom offer a two year warranty for all Products. The retailer can easily exchange the product. which will, in turn, be replaced by Sitecom on return of the complete item.

Kinek!

Right now I'm a happy pixie again. Called Customer services back again, specifically asked this time to speak with Mrs Unhelpful, sadly she had gone out to lunch. Recounted my story to Mrs Poorsod who passed me on eventually to Mr Unluckyendof thechain. Fortunately when a drew my breath at the end of my story Mr Unluckyendofthechain upon learning 1. That I was posting all the experiences I was getting around the internet and 2. The quote from Sitecoms website along with the rest of my tail of woe became Mr Helpful2004. He sympathised and appoligised for the situation arising in the first place, phoned the local Maplin store who put a replacement Router on one side and I've just collected same. I did say I'd post the outcome regardless be it positive or negative.

I'd like to think that the outcome is finally positive and has saved me painting the side of my 3 tonne truck with the facts and parking it outside there branch for a week exercising a lawful right to protest.

So Mr Helpfull thankyou, you will be please to know I also purchased a £1.49 item whilst in store. Mrs Unhelpfull please consider an alternative career as perhaps a prison warden for which your communication skills seem to be akin and you will undoubtedly get greater job satisfaction.

Oh the power of the internet!

Heheheh ... nice one.

Yeah, the power .. ;)

On a more traditional level - I searched in vain for a 2 phnon to 5 pin DIN adapter to connect a turntable. neither the object, or the bits to make it!!

John

Be thankful you've not bought Netgear stuff. My wireless access point has been replaced twice, my router was causing so many problems I bought a new one, my wireless dongles give me endless grief (ouch) and the wireless PC card on my server has just packed in.

Actually, I find our local Halfords quite good (no, really!) Not for the first time last weekend I went to the local "professional" motor factors, a well known chain, and came out empty handed because they didn't have

*anything* I wanted. Then popped into Halfords on the way home and they had exactly what I needed, and it wasn't too expensive either. Maybe our local ones are bucking the trend.

David

Or just a little spotty erk who hadn't a clue what you were on about ?

Do you want one of these type thingies ?

Steve