(never know which is the right forum to post in these days, but here goes!)

It's been a couple of years since I bought anything online from www.dv247.com

Rather non-plussed by my experience this time -
tried to buy a volume pedal from them,
it was showing in stock on their web site,
they debited my card immediately,
but a week later I get a lame email basically saying "meh sorry we don't have it in stock, will be some time in June. lolz"
I ring up, phone rings for about 2 minutes until someone answers it, says this is the wrong dept, goes to fetch someone, some minutes later someone arrives to finally deal with the call... says the ETA is "4th of June" but it "might be earlier, it might be later".
This sort of vaguary is not much good to me as I need to pedal for a gig.
I ask can they not contact their supplier and ascertain if they have the thing in stock or not?
She pretends to go off and do this but comes back with the same answer.
Which I take to mean they DON'T have the item in stock and are just being hopeful.
This is no use to me so I ask them to cancel the order and refund my card.
"Oh you have to do this in writing"
"No, I don't, I'm instructing you to do it now, if you don't then I'll have to contact the card issuer"
.../she goes off to 'check'/
"Yes I can cancel that for you now"

Waste of 10 days waiting for these chancers to not confirm with their supplier that they don't have the thing in stock.
Think I'll replace the order now with somebody who's not useless... Thomann perhaps.

Why not support your local music shop? Given the number of musicians that there are in Brighton, I'm sure that there must be a shop that sells volume pedals there.

James.

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JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

The main music retailer in Brighton is GAK.

I do of course often pop in there, as they are about 5 minutes walk from my house.
But, they don't appear to stock this particular line.

GAK also sometimes do this irritating thing where the shop doesn't have something in stock, only the web-sales bit have it (and sometimes the web prices are cheaper).
However if I order from the web sales, they'll send it by a courier who will try to deliver it when I'm out at work, meaning I can never actually receive the goods and will thus have to go to collect them in person from the courier's depot in the depths of west sussex. I don't have a car and there's no bus goes there.
I thus always get embroiled in these daft sap-the-will-to-live arguments with the shop staff (or the web sales staff on the phone), on a saturday, when I say "but can't we just go to the web stock room next door and you can give me the item and then we don't have to pay for a courier to not be able to deliver it to me? I could just take it now!" and they go "No, nobody's allowed to visit the web sales depot!" and I'm "but it's just round the corner! I don't want to burgle it, I just want to buy something!" and they're "well you can't" and I'm "well, why can't *you* go there, get the item, bring it here to the retail shop, and sell it to me?" and they're "oh no we can't possibly do that, the web-sales lot is an entirely seperate company, we've no connection to them at all!" and I always go "what, apart from having the same name?" and after this happening about 5 times now, I'm a bit bored of it...

I remember years ago when the aw16g had come out, I schlepped down to Brighton and GAK sent me around to the warehouse to collect it without me asking. How times changes.

Maybe Andertons in Guildford would be a beter choice? I've found them to be consistently professional and useful.

Yeah Andertons are great. They just happen to be in, er, Guildford

GAK are alright too, sometimes... it's just that they tend to get a bit "Monty Python New Gas Cooker Sketch" at times vis-a-vis the web-shop. If only I could sign 'Crump-Pinnet' on the invoice...

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~~~ A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen as you are tossed with! www.feline1.co.uk ~~~

I find with GAK that they can get stuff brought over from the stock store warehouse or whatever. They usually tell me it will be there by 4 that afternoon.

The thing thats frustrating about GAK is going to the guitar shop. It's all a bit: Have you got X? No. Well isn't that X over there? Yes it is. etc etc. But then to be honest I expect they probably have to deal with a VAST number of customers who really don't want to buy anything. But that does go with the territory in big guitar shops.

Overall I find them pretty decent and they certainly seem able to provide products reasonably reliably at a good price.

J

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www.jackruston.com

I had a kind of private running joke with GAK for most of the Noughties, where I'd go in every few months and ask if they had any gaffer tape, and they'd go "Oh, no sorry, we're right out of that - but we've got it on order!" ... and so I'd order it from Studio Spares instead.
In the end, I stopped going to GAK to ask and just ordered it from Studio Spares in the first place (although these days, I can get it with "1 click" on Amazon

The guitar shop can afford particular hilarity as it will be staffed by all these mockerny BIMMies who come out with all this "wotcha, cock!" nonsense and appear to think my desire to buy a plectrum would be best dealt with in the style of a 'classic albums' rockumentary. Ah yes, I remember, back in the 70s, when punk happened, and people were just beginning to usher in a whole new way of buying plectrums etc etc

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~~~ A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen as you are tossed with! www.feline1.co.uk ~~~

You should order the product on the Web, but give the GAK shop address as the delivery address.

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http://soundcloud.com/richie-royale
http://www.mixcrate.com/richieroyale

Quote Richie Royale:

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You should order the product on the Web, but give the GAK shop address as the delivery address.

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Nice try but it wouldn't work - the billing address of the card would not match the delivery address, and all manner of CV2 security code mayhems would ensue. They'd be "I'm sorry mate" (they always call you 'mate'), we can only deliver to the card-holder's address! It's for security! And fraud prevention!"
And I'd be "but it's your own shop! How could it be a scam? You'd hardly steal it yourselves, would you?"
and they'd be "No but it's the terms and conditions of the card merchant!" etc etc and doubtless I could string it out for about 20 minutes, but it would still end with a "We called, but you were out, lol!" card and me having to spend Saturday morning getting a train to Crawley to collect it from the courier's depot. Or something.


This reminds me of another time, ages ago, when HSBC rang me up from Manila to say that they'd stopped my card due to a fraud attempt, and they issued me a new one, but this scundered GAK who hadn't processed the transaction yet for my Akai MPC4000 or sthg like that... thing is, HSBC had already done the part where they'd taken the money off my card, they just hadn't given it to GAK yet. So GAK for months and months kept ringing me up demanding that I pay them. I I'd keep going "but I did! you need to speak to the VISA people!" and I'd ring HSBC to check and they would ssay "yes tell them to re-present the transaction to the merchant" or sthg like that, and they never would and they'd keep ringing me up and being all "cross" with me and I'd be like "Oh go away and stop being so silly" and I wonder if they ever did get their money cos it was completely ahine......

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~~~ A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen as you are tossed with! www.feline1.co.uk ~~~

Quote feline1:

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The main music retailer in Brighton is GAK.

I do of course often pop in there, as they are about 5 minutes walk from my house.
But, they don't appear to stock this particular line.

---

The Yell website comes up with around 15 more music shops in Brighton and that many again in the surrounding towns like Worthing and Lewes.

Volume pedals are pretty standard bits of kit so I would be surprised if your average music shop didn't have one.

James.

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JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

Edited by James Perrett (29/05/12 01:16 PM)

You'd like my estate agents, F1. I recently moved from one property that they manage to another that they also manage, and they asked me for proof of ID and... get this... proof of my previous address!

Quote James Perrett:

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The Yell website comes up with around 15 more music shops in Brighton and that many again in the surrounding towns like Worthing and Lewes.

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Yes but they're mostly tiny and crap.
My favourite is "Ackerman's music", where I once went to buy a cheap cello to get me started. How they scoffed when I mused aloud regarding how their prices might compare with those on "the internet" - "LOL u peon n00b" they cried "if u get one on teh internets it won't be set up right lolz"
...so I bought one from them for an extra £200 or so, and after about 6 months I brought it back cos one of the tuning pegs was also slipping lose.
"LOL SIR, where did you get THIS??" they chortled, "it hasn't been set up properly!"

Oh the huge manatee!

Quote James Perrett:

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Volume pedals are pretty standard bits of kit so I would be surprised if your average music shop didn't have one.

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I need a particular one with a particular pot to work salmaciously with my mellotron. Do pay attention.

Quote Korff:

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You'd like my estate agents, F1. I recently moved from one property that they manage to another that they also manage, and they asked me for proof of ID and... get this... proof of my previous address!

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You're right, I would have loved that. I trust you put it to good use. You could've filled a full pint bottle if you milked it correctly.

I particularly love it when the HSBC fraud batallion ring me up from Manila to ask me to confirm my identity. I always refuse, asking them to confirm theirs. But one time, I strung it out over an entire 90 minute train journey to Havant. Those miles just flew by!

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~~~ A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen as you are tossed with! www.feline1.co.uk ~~~

I used to live in Brighton and am familiar (i.e. spent alot of money) with GAK. I found it quite difficult to get decent service and feel comfortable in there. I guess they have a large amount of through traffic and music tourists.

I also have spent alot of money at DV and got rather fed up with them a couple of years ago (especially over refurb items which were simply faulty and they kept sending them out untested) and sent them a constructively worded email saying that they were simply "box shifters" and got rather an honest email from someone quite high up in the company agreeing that they were actually which was refreshing. I still shop there although try to spread the love.

My most recent purchase was from PMT online and even though it was for over £3K on a single order they got absolutely everything wrong and have still to provide a cover that fits the Nord music keyboard some 6 months later. AVOID!

Thomann I quite like, although they are not as cheap as they used to be, and often charge for returns if someting is mis-described and you find it is not fit for purpose.

Quote feline1:

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I particularly love it when the HSBC fraud batallion ring me up from Manila to ask me to confirm my identity. I always refuse, asking them to confirm theirs. But one time, I strung it out over an entire 90 minute train journey to Havant. Those miles just flew by!

---

I have a feeling there's a big music shop in Havant

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www.jackruston.com

Yeah! I love those " I've just phoned you but you have to prove who you are now" phone calls..wind up central!

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My head hurts!

Quote Jack Ruston:

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Quote feline1:

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I particularly love it when the HSBC fraud batallion ring me up from Manila to ask me to confirm my identity. I always refuse, asking them to confirm theirs. But one time, I strung it out over an entire 90 minute train journey to Havant. Those miles just flew by!

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I have a feeling there's a big music shop in Havant

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I used to live there many years ago - no music shops were there then, Nevada is pretty close though.

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Madman_Greg

Anyways, as a parting shot, Digital Village emailed me supercilously to say they'd issued a refund but it may take up to 10 days to arrive "because of YOUR bank". I like to think they made a Joey Deacon face when they typed YOUR in block capitals.

I emailed them back to explain that they wouldn't have *needed* to issue a refund in the first place if they hadn't debited my card whilst trying to obtain goods they'd advertised as having in stock. The ****s.

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~~~ A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen as you are tossed with! www.feline1.co.uk ~~~

Quote feline1:

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Anyways, as a parting shot, Digital Village emailed me supercilously to say they'd issued a refund but it may take up to 10 days to arrive "because of YOUR bank". I like to think they made a Joey Deacon face when they typed YOUR in block capitals.

I emailed them back to explain that they wouldn't have *needed* to issue a refund in the first place if they hadn't debited my card whilst trying to obtain goods they'd advertised as having in stock. The ****s.

---

I made a similar thread expressing my disappointment in DV... HERE

They seem to be dropping the ball a lot, these days, and with internet forums being as reactionary as they are, they simply can't afford to do this.

P.S. Nice reference to "Joey Deacon", though... I guess that shows your age (and mine for knowing what you're on about)

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www.thediplomatz.com

Thanks for the heads-up!

I sometimes think of trying out UK online traders like DV24, GAK and Dolphin but invariably stick with Thomann or Music Store because of reliability and stock. Sounds like I'm not going to break that habit any time soon.

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Spanky

Poor old Mr Deacon

Yeah - I just placed the order with Thomann.de instead, last night.

I have a "order dispatched!" email from them already.

Hurrah for ruthless German efficiency!

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~~~ A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen as you are tossed with! www.feline1.co.uk ~~~

Quote feline1:

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I just placed the order with Thomann.de instead, last night.

I have a "order dispatched!" email from them already.

Hurrah for ruthless German efficiency!

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I love Thomann.

The last two orders I placed at Thomann (modular synth modules and 1/4" reel-to-reel tape...not what you would call run-of-the-mill items) were SMS'd as dispatched before I even got the Paypal confirmation email. I had them, delivered to my workplace in Belfast, two days later.

I have had cause to phone them twice recently to apply gift certificates to an order and to organise a refund for a returned item. Both times I was talking to an English speaker before the phone had even rung at the far end. Bish, bosh, bash - job done in 2 minutes.

The only time in 10 years I have had a problem with a Thomann delivery was actually DHL's fault. I bought stuff which DHL tried to deliver around the 12th July, which is a dodgy time of year in Belfast to rely on anything. I had to drive to DHL's depot to collect my package after 3 days of them fannying around.

The only things on which Thomann don't seem to be price competitive are keyboards and synths. That said, it didn't stop me buying a Yamaha digital piano from them instead of Matchett's in town

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Spanky

The worst customer service I ever got from a music kit retailer was Turnkey.

I wasn't exactly surprised when they went bust - a disfunctional company !

And yes, the poster that mentioned Andertons in Guildford was right - they're always really helpful in that shop (imho).

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Minke - Home Taping album :<a href="" target="_blank">http://minke.bandcamp.com/album/home-taping</a>

Ah poor DHL, trying to deliver things on the 'glorious' twelfth! The Germans really ought to have a 'NI: National Bigots Day" entry in their calendar for that one.

I bought by first ever bass guitar and 15W amp from Matchett's in 1988. Those were the days...

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~~~ A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen as you are tossed with! www.feline1.co.uk ~~~

I won't buy anything from these companys now as they all seem to use UPS for deliveries. (Note: UPS stands for Useless Pointless Service). UPS often deliver a day or two late.

If I can't go into the shop and buy it over the counter I just tell 'em to forget it.

Quote Ariosto:

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I won't buy anything from these companys now as they all seem to use UPS for deliveries. (Note: UPS stands for Useless Pointless Service). UPS often deliver a day or two late.

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When I phoned Thomann to rant about my undelivered 12th-of-July item, Thomann told me that I could choose a different courier for future orders. Worth a try?

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Spanky

Quote MonkeySpank:

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Quote Ariosto:

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I won't buy anything from these companys now as they all seem to use UPS for deliveries. (Note: UPS stands for Useless Pointless Service). UPS often deliver a day or two late.

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When I phoned Thomann to rant about my undelivered 12th-of-July item, Thomann told me that I could choose a different courier for future orders. Worth a try?

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Whom did they suggest? The 115th Lambeg Pipe & Flute Battalion?

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~~~ A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen as you are tossed with! www.feline1.co.uk ~~~

Quote feline1:

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Quote MonkeySpank:

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Quote Ariosto:

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I won't buy anything from these companys now as they all seem to use UPS for deliveries. (Note: UPS stands for Useless Pointless Service). UPS often deliver a day or two late.

---

When I phoned Thomann to rant about my undelivered 12th-of-July item, Thomann told me that I could choose a different courier for future orders. Worth a try?

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Whom did they suggest? The 115th Lambeg Pipe & Flute Battalion?

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Nah. They would only get as far as Larne before the Parades Commission would have them re-routed to Ballymena.

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Spanky

mind you, it was themmuns what started it, so it was...

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~~~ A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen as you are tossed with! www.feline1.co.uk ~~~

DV always have 1 item left in stock available to order. Even after you've placed your order for the 1 item left in stock...

DM

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Not much in life worth running for. Or from.

Quote Dynamic Mike:

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DV always have 1 item left in stock available to order. Even after you've placed your order for the 1 item left in stock...

DM

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Breadcrumbs and butterbeans!*





*#obscurebagpussreferences

lol Sorry to bump this thread, but I just *had* to, because SOME people suggested I was being silly when I described the ordering process at GAK in Brighton...... but it happened again yesterday when I wanted to spent nearly £900.

"We don't have the item in the shop - it's in the warehouse round the corner" - so they want to deliver it to me by FedEx (I live around the corner too...)
This is no good, cos I'll be at work during the week so FedEx will just leave a card and take it to their depot in the depths of rural Sussex...
But they "CANNOT" go and get the item from the warehouse and sell it to me in the shop on a Saturday. And furthermore they "CANNOT" let me pay for it on card now then have it collected from the shop during the week by a friend, for "SECURITY" (even when I suggest I send the friend there with my card, with photo ID, with a letter of authorisation from me to collect the goods...).
And I cannot have the item delivered by FedEx to the shop cos it has to go to the card-holders address. etc etc etc.

....in other words, it basically impossible for me to buy things from GAK without a week's delay: one saturday I part pay for the item, they then bring it from the warehouse to the shop, then I return the next saturday in person to pay the balance and collect it.
AHIIIIIIIIIIIIINE.

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~~~ A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen as you are tossed with! www.feline1.co.uk ~~~

Quote feline1:

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lol Sorry to bump this thread, but I just *had* to, because SOME people suggested I was being silly

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Sound to me like you still are being silly!

Quote:

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"We don't have the item in the shop...

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Sadly, that's not unusual.

Quote:

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... they want to deliver it to me by FedEx ... This is no good, cos I'll be at work

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So the problem is actually that you can't take delivery. The same problem would apply to any retailer that needed to ship non-stock goods, not just GAK.

Quote:

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But they "CANNOT" go and get the item from the warehouse and sell it to me in the shop on a Saturday.

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Er... but you said:

Quote:

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...one saturday I part pay for the item, they then bring it from the warehouse to the shop, then I return the next saturday in person to pay the balance and collect it.

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Isn't that them getting "the item from the warehouse and sell it to me in the shop on a Saturday" ?

Quote:

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...furthermore they "CANNOT" let me pay for it on card now then have it collected from the shop during the week by a friend, for "SECURITY"

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I'm kinda glad of that... and so would you be if someone stole your wallet!

Get a grip, Feline! It might be inconvenient to have to make two trips to the shop, but it is quite normal business if the item in question isn't in stock. Standard practice is to take a deposit with the order, and then pay the balance on collection -- which is precisely what you've described.

It's not their fault you can't take delivery at your home address during the week... But did you enquire if they could arrange a Saturday delivery (if you really don't want to go back to the shop)?

Seems to me that you're letting your frustration cloud any reason and rationality that you may once have had, and you're denigrating GAK somewhat unfairly. It is a constant disappointment to me that so many music shops stock so little these days, but that's the way it is. Blame the Internet shopping experience...

hugh

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Technical Editor, Sound On Sound

Quote Hugh Robjohns:

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Get a grip, Feline! It might be inconvenient to have to make two trips to the shop, but it is quite normal business if the item in question isn't in stock. Standard practice is to take a deposit with the order, and then pay the balance on collection -- which is precisely what you've described.

It's not their fault you can't take delivery at your home address during the week... But did you enquire if they could arrange a Saturday delivery (if you really don't want to go back to the shop)?

Seems to me that you're letting your frustration cloud any reason and rationality that you may once have had, and you're denigrating GAK somewhat unfairly. It is a constant disappointment to me that so many music shops stock so little these days, but that's the way it is. Blame the Internet shopping experience...

hugh

---

I understand your point Hugh, but I think you are missing the bigger picture here.. It is one thing if an item is out of stock and needs to be ordered.. If a shop is reluctant to move existing stock from a warehouse to the point of sale in order to make a substantial sale (£900) then I think they are failing themselves big time.

In the current economic climate and as you say with the internet shopping a constant threat then they are shooting themselves in the foot by failing to take advantage of one of the few advantages they still have over distance ordering, namely customer service.
In the 10 years or so that I worked in music retail if we had taken that lackadaisical approach to a sale then not only would we have lost any commission but we would have been nailed to the wall by our boss.

By taking this "warehouse" stance then how do they expect to win customers money away from internet purchases when they effectively offer the same service?



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MBP 17", PC 100(Nubus Protools) Motu 896, X-Station, Logic9, Reason6, Korg legacy, ACE, Alchemy, Emax II, E-Synth, Evolver MEK, Waldorf Pulse and Blofeld, AS Telemark, AS Leipzig-S

Hugh, the point is that I am trying to spend £900 in their shop, and I have the temerity to want to do that on a Saturday (cos the rest of the week I'm at work, earning the £900...) and the item in question is about 500 metres both from the shop and from my flat.

But rather than be able to get the thing, instead there's this whole ridiculous Monty Python gas cooker sketch whereby they want to pay FedEx to fail to delivery it to me then move it about 15 miles away to a depot which I then have to get to myself,
OR,
alternatively, they *will* just go and get it from the depot and bring it to the shop, but not today.... meaning I have to wait a whole week until next Saturday.

All this is supposedly for my "security", despite which it involves me dictating my full credit card number, expiry date, 3-digit security number, and card billing address over an unencrypted phone line to some bloke with a biro in a busy shop who's repeating all my details out loud back down the phone to me. So (assuming it wasn't just some member of the public who picked up the phone when no-one was looking anyways), it would be trivial for someone standing within audible distance of the phone in GAK (i.e. anywhere at all in the shop) to steal my card details and indeed maybe they already have as I type and are busying ordering £2000 of lingerie from Hawaii.

If "local" shops want to survive then you'd think that when they actually have a LOCAL customer then they could accomodate that into their sales practices - as it stands, despite being local, I can't get the goods any quicker from then than if I'd ordered online from Thomann or anyone else.

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~~~ A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen as you are tossed with! www.feline1.co.uk ~~~

Quote Chevytraveller:

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I understand your point Hugh, but I think you are missing the bigger picture here.. It is one thing if an item is out of stock and needs to be ordered.. If a shop is reluctant to move existing stock from a warehouse to the point of sale in order to make a substantial sale (£900) then I think they are failing themselves big time.

---

Absolutely -- and I said I was constantly disappointed that so many music shops carry so little stock these days -- although I can also understand the rasons why from their point of view.

However, as you say, service is really their last remaining advantage, and so many throw that opportunity away!

hugh

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Technical Editor, Sound On Sound

Quote feline1:

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...rather than be able to get the thing, instead there's this whole ridiculous Monty Python gas cooker sketch

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I get why you are frustrated -- really I do. But equally, I don't think you are being entirely fair to GAK.

Quote:

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...they *will* just go and get it from the depot and bring it to the shop, but not today.... meaning I have to wait a whole week until next Saturday.

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Yep... that would be quote frustrating if you think the product is actually just a few hundred yards away in a warehouse. However, is it really there? Or is that actually a yarn to buy them time to get it shipped in from the distributor? Increasingly retail outlets prefer to have things shipped from the distributor because it improves the cash flow significantly, which is often critical.

If it really was in a warehouse down the road, perhaps they just didn't want to have to dispatch someone to get go and it on what was probably their busiest day of the week, with all the potential risk issues involved in that. Indeed, if it really was down there, why not let you wander over and collect it directly yourself? Doesn't really add up does it?

Quote:

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If "local" shops want to survive then you'd think that when they actually have a LOCAL customer then they could accomodate that into their sales practices

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Yes, I quite agree with you on that, as I have already said. But let's be fair: this 'problem' os not unique to GAK and, more importantly, had there been someone available at your address to take delivery you could have had it the next day.

Indeed, it might even have been possible to work out an arrangement to pick the thing up from the shop after work at the start of the week if you worked with them instead of ranting against them!

hugh

--------------------
Technical Editor, Sound On Sound

Quote feline1:

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Hugh, the point is that I am trying to spend £900 in their shop, and I have the temerity to want to do that on a Saturday (cos the rest of the week I'm at work, earning the £900...) and the item in question is about 500 metres both from the shop and from my flat.

But rather than be able to get the thing, instead there's this whole ridiculous Monty Python gas cooker sketch whereby they want to pay FedEx to fail to delivery it to me then move it about 15 miles away to a depot which I then have to get to myself,
OR,
alternatively, they *will* just go and get it from the depot and bring it to the shop, but not today.... meaning I have to wait a whole week until next Saturday.

All this is supposedly for my "security", despite which it involves me dictating my full credit card number, expiry date, 3-digit security number, and card billing address over an unencrypted phone line to some bloke with a biro in a busy shop who's repeating all my details out loud back down the phone to me. So (assuming it wasn't just some member of the public who picked up the phone when no-one was looking anyways), it would be trivial for someone standing within audible distance of the phone in GAK (i.e. anywhere at all in the shop) to steal my card details and indeed maybe they already have as I type and are busying ordering £2000 of lingerie from Hawaii.

If "local" shops want to survive then you'd think that when they actually have a LOCAL customer then they could accomodate that into their sales practices - as it stands, despite being local, I can't get the goods any quicker from then than if I'd ordered online from Thomann or anyone else.

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Maybe when you go into the shop or get on the phone to peeps like prs etc (if you can find the number) you just give off belligerant vibes and peeps just don't wanna help you.

If you whinge and moan as much in real life as you do on here I'm not surprised peeps don't wanna put themselves out. You have superhero powers to some extent in that you can take out a whole forum with negative vibes in a matter of seconds.

Just try going a month without moaning and i guarantee the world will seem a less hostile, less anti-feline place.

Quote Hugh Robjohns:

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Yep... that would be quote frustrating if you think the product is actually just a few hundred yards away in a warehouse. However, is it really there?

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Hah! I never even thought of that - the guy on the phone said "they have just one in the warehouse"... being naive I never suspected it might not even be there in the first place! If so, this would explain a lot of their reluctance to "just go and get it for me"

Quote Hugh Robjohns:

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If it really was in a warehouse down the road, perhaps they just didn't want to have to dispatch someone to get go and it on what was probably their busiest day of the week, with all the potential risk issues involved in that.

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The GAK warehouse is about 3 minutes walk from the GAK shop. I can't see how it could possibly take more than 10 minutes maximum for someone to go there, retrieve the item, and bring it back to the shop, and they would need to have lost MORE than £900 of business in that 10 mins for that to not be viable!
And if it's their busiest day, why is it also the hardest day to actually be able to buy things on?!

Quote Hugh Robjohns:

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Indeed, if it really was down there, why not let you wander over and collect it directly yourself?

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Well, I can see why they don't want "the public" sniffing round their warehouse, planning robberies, to be fair.

Hugh Robjohns Quote:

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If "local" shops want to survive then you'd think that when they actually have a LOCAL customer then they could accomodate that into their sales practices

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Quote Hugh Robjohns:

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Indeed, it might even have been possible to work out an arrangement to pick the thing up from the shop after work at the start of the week if you worked with them instead of ranting against them!

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No I'm back too late from work. And I tried that to begin with anyways, and indeed numerous times in the past over the years - which brings me back to why I posted these extra comments on the thread in the first place:

if you read the old posts above, you'll see that there were people who DIDN'T BELIEVE THIS WHOLE SCENARIO WAS EVEN POSSIBLE! I was just returning to remind them that it really is how things work. Or rather don't work.

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~~~ A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen as you are tossed with! www.feline1.co.uk ~~~

Quote White Car Man:

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Maybe when you go into the shop or get on the phone to peeps like prs etc (if you can find the number) you just give off belligerant vibes and peeps just don't wanna help you.

If you whinge and moan as much in real life as you do on here I'm not surprised peeps don't wanna put themselves out. You have superhero powers to some extent in that you can take out a whole forum with negative vibes in a matter of seconds.

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Whilst I am perfectly capable of behaving like various guest characters from Fawlty Towers if I want to, I most generally do not, because (as you so rightly note) it would antagonise people from the outset. I usually only start re-enacting various scenes from The Day Today or Brass Eye if the situation is already irredeemably FUBAR and all that remains is to play it for lulz.

Quote White Car Man:

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Just try going a month without moaning and i guarantee the world will seem a less hostile, less anti-feline place.

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Well this is where I have to disagree with you. All that will happen using that approach is that everyone from banks to shops to call centre staff to Train Revenue Protection Officers will continue to shaft you in a ever-increasingly Kafka-esque crapathon... if you can kid yourself that its "better" because at least you didn't suffer the indignity of losing face and getting into an argument, that's up to you.

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~~~ A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen as you are tossed with! www.feline1.co.uk ~~~