Sevenoaks/Shopatron - Buyers Beware

[markdk100]

Just thought I'd share my experience with other members.On April 11th I saw a good deal on the Sevenoaks website.....£1699 for an ex display Onkyo 5010. I proceeded with the purchase, the payment side of the transaction being completed through a company called shopatron who deal with the on line sales for Sevenoaks.Didn't get off to a very good start. The amp eneded up being delivered a day later than I was originally informed and had to take an extra day of unpaid leave to be around for the delivery. I did email Sevenoaks but never got a reply back with an apology or kiss my arse!A couple of weeks into owning the 5010 and I started to have problems with the main HDMI output and eventually lost both audio and video. I contacted Shopatron who in turn contacted Sevenoaks. I was told that someone from Sevenoaks would contact me that day. When I didn't receive a call I again contacted Shopatron tha following day. They said they would contact Sevenoaks again and that I should recieve a call that day. Again I didn't recieve a call and as it a Friday had to wait until Monday to get in touch with Shopatron again. On Monday morning I contacted shopatron again and eventually recieved a call back from them on the Tuesday morning. I was offered a repair to the unit I had which I turned down due to the level of service I'd received so far. Previously when I'd purchased on line if the item developed a fault the process of either replacement or repair had been quick and simple with retailers picking up faulty goods quickly.I informed the Shopatron advisor that Friday of that week or Monday of the following week were the days when I could be available for the amp to be picked up. On The Thursday I recieved a call from Shopatron to say that collection of the amp would be the following day. I waited around on the Friday for the courier and recieved a call from Shopatron in the afternoon to say that they had recieved an email from Sevenoaks and that collection would not be that day. I was asked if Monday was still a day when I would be available for the courier to collect. After venting some anger at how long the collection process was taking I agreed. Monday came and I again recieved a call from Shopatron and was informed that courier collection would not be that day. I was asked to choose either Wednesday or Thursday of that week. Again after venting some anger about the wasted time and what can only be discribed as crap service I said I would organise an unpaid leave day for Wednesday so the courier could collect. Wednesday came and what a suprise........No courier turned up. After another phone call to Shopatron I discussed the possibility of sending the amp back using my own courier but told I would have to wait to get approval from Sevenoaks and also told that the courier could turn up the following day. The following day a full 2 weeks after reporting I had a faulty amp the courier did actually turn up to collect.Now I'm waiting is the refund which like the rest of returns process is turning out to be a long wait.We're now into the 5th week since reporting the amp as faulty and I have to say in the 9 years that I've been buying goods on line I have never experieneced such bad service. Any forum members thinking of buying from Sevenoaks on line......DON'T.....Go elsewhere

 

[bigboss]

Why don't you contact Sevenoaks directly?

 

[cheeseboy]

if purchased with a credit card, just get in touch with the credit card company and explain. things usually move a bit faster then

 

[markdk100]

I did try and contact the head office. Tried by email and got no response. Used the 01732 775635 number from the website which goes on to a recorded message and left 2 messages on there with my contact number and had no response.

Have spoken to Shopatron again this morning and they have told me the refund is being processed so hopefully should be with me in the next couple of days.

 

[RJL]

Dear Mark,

I am sorry to hear of the poor shopping experience you have received when using our on-line store. I will be looking in to this personally and can assure you that we will be reviewing our communication process as a result of the issues you have faced.

I have also been in touch with our partners at ‘Shopatron’ who facilitate the e-commerce part of our website, to ensure they also review their procedures and no doubt they will also be in touch with you directly.

I welcome constructive feedback from customers both positive and negative, in order that that we can truly evaluate our customers experiences. We’re not perfect and occasionally mistakes can be made, however it is rare to receive complaints such as yours, either at store level or via our on-line shop. So whilst I apologise for how this appears to have been handled on this occasion I hope our 40 years of genuine customer service and this direct response will encourage you to give us a second chance in the future.

Please feel free to contact me directly at our Head Office if you have any further issues.

Best regards,

Rob Lawley – Director of Operations

 

[pioneer7]

It is a great shame that some companies are hard to get hold of, but even more frustrating is that it takes forums/Tv-Watch dog etc to get anything done, why can you not just get to speak to a human being £1600 is a lot of money, then to wait 2-weeks nearly is a joke, good deals are all well and good on-line but when things go wrong it is a nightmare, hope you get it sorted. Best thing next time go instore at least you can talk to some one/and or get a refund.Hopefully some will pop on here from 7oaks and explain, and hopefully it is a one off.. 8)

 

[pioneer7]

Well blow me down olive :dance:what were the chances of that happening :cheer: Fair play for giving a response, pity its cost them a sale. 8)

 

[markdk100]

thanks guys for all your comments. I have recieved my refund.....sort of. The original payment method had to be paypal as i paid by debit card. The way the refund has been done paypal have deducted their processing fee which is £60! So its not sorted yet.

It's good to see that Sevenoaks have posted a comment but does it mean anything? Actions speak louder than words!

 

[jonathanRD]

Well blow me down olive :dance:what were the chances of that happening :cheer: Fair play for giving a response, pity its cost them a sale. 8)

Unfortunately, I think it might cost them more than one sale.

As a customer service manager myself, it is true that sometimes a sale can be a complete disaster and not reflect the organisations processes or customer service culture.

Lets hope it is a 'one-off' or that they put it right quickly!

 

[bigboss]

Always pay by credit card if possible. You get additional protection.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Well blow me down olive :dance:what were the chances of that happening :cheer: Fair play for giving a response, pity its cost them a sale. 8)

Lol. :help:

 

[markdk100]

Dear Mark,

I am sorry to hear of the poor shopping experience you have received when using our on-line store. I will be looking in to this personally and can assure you that we will be reviewing our communication process as a result of the issues you have faced.

I have also been in touch with our partners at ‘Shopatron’ who facilitate the e-commerce part of our website, to ensure they also review their procedures and no doubt they will also be in touch with you directly.

I welcome constructive feedback from customers both positive and negative, in order that that we can truly evaluate our customers experiences. We’re not perfect and occasionally mistakes can be made, however it is rare to receive complaints such as yours, either at store level or via our on-line shop. So whilst I apologise for how this appears to have been handled on this occasion I hope our 40 years of genuine customer service and this direct response will encourage you to give us a second chance in the future.

Please feel free to contact me directly at our Head Office if you have any further issues.

Best regards,

Rob Lawley – Director of Operations

I would contact you but the head office number 01732 775635 is the number that constantly goes to a voicemail message for Ben Atkins and nobody returns calls if you leave a message

 

[RJL]

Hi Mark,

Apologies again but unbelievably we are experiencing problems with our phone system and have been unable to access our messages all morning. The problem has now been cleared and you should be able to get hold of Ben on his number 01732 775635.

If necessary please leave your number and he will call you.

Regards,

Rob.

 

[pioneer7]

£60 charges, I have heard it all now, you make sure you get that back/credited to your card, and as a good will gesture 7oaks should compensate you for the agro, maybe on the lines of, ;on this occasion we will give you the amp, :O plus a credit for speakers upto £5000, :rofl: hope this gives you the confidence to return... :?

 

[seemorebtts]

Just thought I'd share my experience with other members.On April 11th I saw a good deal on the Sevenoaks website.....£1699 for an ex display Onkyo 5010. I proceeded with the purchase, the payment side of the transaction being completed through a company called shopatron who deal with the on line sales for Sevenoaks.Didn't get off to a very good start. The amp eneded up being delivered a day later than I was originally informed and had to take an extra day of unpaid leave to be around for the delivery. I did email Sevenoaks but never got a reply back with an apology or kiss my arse!A couple of weeks into owning the 5010 and I started to have problems with the main HDMI output and eventually lost both audio and video. I contacted Shopatron who in turn contacted Sevenoaks. I was told that someone from Sevenoaks would contact me that day. When I didn't receive a call I again contacted Shopatron tha following day. They said they would contact Sevenoaks again and that I should recieve a call that day. Again I didn't recieve a call and as it a Friday had to wait until Monday to get in touch with Shopatron again. On Monday morning I contacted shopatron again and eventually recieved a call back from them on the Tuesday morning. I was offered a repair to the unit I had which I turned down due to the level of service I'd received so far. Previously when I'd purchased on line if the item developed a fault the process of either replacement or repair had been quick and simple with retailers picking up faulty goods quickly.I informed the Shopatron advisor that Friday of that week or Monday of the following week were the days when I could be available for the amp to be picked up. On The Thursday I recieved a call from Shopatron to say that collection of the amp would be the following day. I waited around on the Friday for the courier and recieved a call from Shopatron in the afternoon to say that they had recieved an email from Sevenoaks and that collection would not be that day. I was asked if Monday was still a day when I would be available for the courier to collect. After venting some anger at how long the collection process was taking I agreed. Monday came and I again recieved a call from Shopatron and was informed that courier collection would not be that day. I was asked to choose either Wednesday or Thursday of that week. Again after venting some anger about the wasted time and what can only be discribed as crap service I said I would organise an unpaid leave day for Wednesday so the courier could collect. Wednesday came and what a suprise........No courier turned up. After another phone call to Shopatron I discussed the possibility of sending the amp back using my own courier but told I would have to wait to get approval from Sevenoaks and also told that the courier could turn up the following day. The following day a full 2 weeks after reporting I had a faulty amp the courier did actually turn up to collect.Now I'm waiting is the refund which like the rest of returns process is turning out to be a long wait.We're now into the 5th week since reporting the amp as faulty and I have to say in the 9 years that I've been buying goods on line I have never experieneced such bad service. Any forum members thinking of buying from Sevenoaks on line......DON'T.....Go elsewhere

i went to sevenoaks once,i had £7000 to spend on hometheater and when i ask to listen to the mission mx5s they laughed me out of the shop.never going there again.richer sounds couldnt do enough for me great service

 

[Nick_Shepherd]

I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong) that all Sevenoaks stores are franchised, meaning some will be good and some bad, depending on how much power the owners have over the franchisee's (is that a word?) or how well they implement this power.....

Also, is the online side of the business severe ate to the franchised stores??

 

[Nick_Shepherd]

I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong) that all Sevenoaks stores are franchised, meaning some will be good and some bad, depending on how much power the owners have over the franchisee's (is that a word?) or how well they implement this power.....

Also, is the online side of the business severe ate to the franchised stores??

 

[Deleted member 2457]

I have had 90 per cent positive experiences with Sevenoaks.

 

[markdk100]

after a few telephone conversations yesterday managed to sort out the refund.

Reversed the paypal payment Shopatron issued and then Shopatron organised a direct to bank deposit.......so at least I now have my money back

I have been assured that Shopatron and Sevenoaks are looking into why the service I recieved was so poor and will be in touch with me next week to try and make it right.

Thanks again for all the comments guys :cheers:

 

[pioneer7]

:clap: Thats good news

 

[markdk100]

Just a little update! Spoken to Shopatron. Rob Lawley – Director of Operations is on holiday this week so they are talking to the MD to see if Sevenoaks are going to come up with something to try and make right my appalling shopping experience.

Shopatron have stated that even if Sevenoaks don't put anything forward Shopatron will do something themselves as a goodwill gesture. I have said that I feel it needs to be Sevenoaks that pulls their finger out and comes up with something..............see what tomorrow brings.

Credit where credit is due Shopatron have been excellent at trying to sort things out. I'll reserve final judement on Sevenoaks. At the moment they don't seem to be doing much to change my opinion!

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Just a little update! Spoken to Shopatron. Rob Lawley – Director of Operations is on holiday this week so they are talking to the MD to see if Sevenoaks are going to come up with something to try and make right my appalling shopping experience.

Shopatron have stated that even if Sevenoaks don't put anything forward Shopatron will do something themselves as a goodwill gesture. I have said that I feel it needs to be Sevenoaks that pulls their finger out and comes up with something..............see what tomorrow brings.

Credit where credit is due Shopatron have been excellent at trying to sort things out. I'll reserve final judement on Sevenoaks. At the moment they don't seem to be doing much to change my opinion!

A Panasonic VT65?

 

[Oldboy]

Just a little update! Spoken to Shopatron. Rob Lawley – Director of Operations is on holiday this week so they are talking to the MD to see if Sevenoaks are going to come up with something to try and make right my appalling shopping experience.

Shopatron have stated that even if Sevenoaks don't put anything forward Shopatron will do something themselves as a goodwill gesture. I have said that I feel it needs to be Sevenoaks that pulls their finger out and comes up with something..............see what tomorrow brings.

Credit where credit is due Shopatron have been excellent at trying to sort things out. I'll reserve final judement on Sevenoaks. At the moment they don't seem to be doing much to change my opinion!

A Panasonic VT65?

Nah Panasonic ZT65 at least!

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Just a little update! Spoken to Shopatron. Rob Lawley – Director of Operations is on holiday this week so they are talking to the MD to see if Sevenoaks are going to come up with something to try and make right my appalling shopping experience.

Shopatron have stated that even if Sevenoaks don't put anything forward Shopatron will do something themselves as a goodwill gesture. I have said that I feel it needs to be Sevenoaks that pulls their finger out and comes up with something..............see what tomorrow brings.

Credit where credit is due Shopatron have been excellent at trying to sort things out. I'll reserve final judement on Sevenoaks. At the moment they don't seem to be doing much to change my opinion!

A Panasonic VT65?

Nah Panasonic ZT65 at least!

 

[Oldboy]

markdk100,

It does sound like one of the worst customer service experiences I've heard of on these forums for some time so I would say both parties should get their finger out and compensate you for the hassle and complete lack of customer service, it doesn't reflect well on either party and I'm glad I never dealt with Sevenoaks via the website...I came very close to getting my amp amp and speakers from them.

Will be interesting to see what they come up with so keep us posted with what they offer you, best of luck with it all.