Sevenoaks/Shopatron - Buyers Beware

[RJL]

Good morning Mark,

Although I would prefer we resolve this matter internally with you, I felt it was appropriate to reply to your last post. Holiday’s aren’t what they used to be J

Firstly I’d just like to point out that I am away this week but have left your situation in the capable hands of Ben and my MD. I was in contact with Shopatron personally last week to ensure your refund was in hand and that they credit back the fees you incurred before I left; It was after all Shopatron who are responsible for this part of the transaction, so we weren’t in anyway shirking, we simply don’t control the admin. So well done Shopatron but hopefully as you now know a joint effort.

Whilst there’s no doubt we didn’t deliver the service levels on this occasions that we strive for, I’ve always felt it’s how a problem is dealt with that is as much a measure of a company as the service delivered at the point of sale. As soon as I became aware of the situation you were in last week I believe we done our utmost to resolve the situation issue your refund and look at what we can do to make things good for you. Shopatron are our partners on-line and we are working with them to help you, so it’s definitely not a case of ‘us and them’.

All of the team at Sevenoaks, including myself have a huge interest in our industry and the products we sell. We also have very high standards with regards to our business and our customers. Like many on the forums, here on WHF and elsewhere I probably spend way too much time (sorry Mrs Lawley), researching what’s exciting, what’s new and what my fellow forum readers think. So please never doubt our best intentions as fellow enthusiasts, occasionally facing the same issues whilst trying to run a business. We take your views seriously.

We will be in touch this week to find a satisfactory resolve but in the meantime please get in touch with me directly if you feel you have any further issues. Ben can furnish you with my email address as required.

Best,

Rob.

 

[pioneer7]

So it takes a week to sort a problem out, the time it took to write a reply it could have been :we will do this for you: sorted... why a director has to get involved to think about what to do for you if anything is beyond me, surley thats what management are paid for, can they not make a decision themselves, this has taken far to long from when the problem started to now, and on anothet note this is what forums are for to share personal expereinces be it 7-Oaks richer sounds, any one, so the faster a problem is dealt with the better it is for the dealer, so while you are sipping your pina colada, just pick up the phone or email one of yours stores and offer some thing as a gesture, or not..but do not keep a unhappy and probably lost customer waiting to decide what to do about it.. 8)

 

[bigboss]

It is unfair to criticise Sevenoaks when they're putting things right & have given a timeframe for resolution, IMO.

 

[markdk100]

Yesterday I spoke to Shopatron who after speaking with the MD at Sevenoaks put forward an offer to compensate me for my inconvience. The offer was £100. I did ask at first if it was a joke. After being told it wasn't I laughed anyway! That wouldn't even cover a third of my lost wages through having to take unpaid leave waiting for couriers that were never going to arrive.

Shopatron agreed to go back to the MD. Today Shopatron have informed me that £100 is the most Seveonaoks are able to offer.

I lost £340 in wages plus the cost of 45+ phone calls, all the inconvience and being without an amp for over 4 weeks and I get £100.

So now you know what happens when things go wrong with Sevenoaks. My advice to anyone looking at buying any new equipment is stay well from Sevenoaks. Your money will be better spent with a retailer who knows what they're doing.........Peter Tyson......Audible Fidelity.......Quantum AV to name a few. 95% of my disposable income goes on HiFi and AV........Your loss Seveonoaks

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Yesterday I spoke to Shopatron who after speaking with the MD at Sevenoaks put forward an offer to compensate me for my inconvience. The offer was £100. I did ask at first if it was a joke. After being told it wasn't I laughed anyway! That wouldn't even cover a third of my lost wages through having to take unpaid leave waiting for couriers that were never going to arrive.

Shopatron agreed to go back to the MD. Today Shopatron have informed me that £100 is the most Seveonaoks are able to offer.

I lost £340 in wages plus the cost of 45+ phone calls, all the inconvience and being without an amp for over 4 weeks and I get £100.

So now you know what happens when things go wrong with Sevenoaks. My advice to anyone looking at buying any new equipment is stay well from Sevenoaks. Your money will be better spent with a retailer who knows what they're doing.........Peter Tyson......Audible Fidelity.......Quantum AV to name a few. 95% of my disposable income goes on HiFi and AV........Your loss Seveonoaks

Not good! Part of me was thinking that they might offer a HDMI cable, I suppose £100 is not much better either! Come on Sevenoaks, you have a lot of people watching you at the moment.

 

[Oldboy]

That really isn't good enough Sevenoaks :shame:

After an experience like that and the money lost waiting for couriers that they knew wern't going to arrive £100 is just an insult, fair enough they have offered something but it seems a very small amount, did you take it??

 

[bigboss]

I don't know.....£100 is a fair offer IMO. Even if you go to small claims court, you're unlikely to get any more than that. I personally would've been satisfied with a simple sorry and putting things right.

 

[vonchief]

"I personally would've been satisfied with a simple sorry and putting things right."

My thoughts exactly

 

[simonlewis]

I also think that £100 & an apology is a fair offer & that he should be grateful.

 

[seemorebtts]

Yesterday I spoke to Shopatron who after speaking with the MD at Sevenoaks put forward an offer to compensate me for my inconvience. The offer was £100. I did ask at first if it was a joke. After being told it wasn't I laughed anyway! That wouldn't even cover a third of my lost wages through having to take unpaid leave waiting for couriers that were never going to arrive.

Shopatron agreed to go back to the MD. Today Shopatron have informed me that £100 is the most Seveonaoks are able to offer.

I lost £340 in wages plus the cost of 45+ phone calls, all the inconvience and being without an amp for over 4 weeks and I get £100.

i think £100 is fair but there are alot better places to shop

 

[markdk100]

i did take it when I was told that it was the only offer on the table. I'm sorry guys but I can't agree that it's a fair offer. If you end up that much out of pocket due to being told incorrect courier collection information not once but 4 times then I should have been compensated appropriately for Sevenoaks incompetence. Or am i the only one that can't afford to loose £340?

 

[simonlewis]

No good will their then.

 

[bob.g]

I agree with BigBoss - IMO an offer of £100 + an apology is fair. Because of the way this complaint has been handled the response of commitment to improve service and in particular the (very) public apology more than compensates for the losses - sometimes reparation does not need to be wholly financial.

 

[bigboss]

This is what their T&Cs state:

"Shopatron and all involved fulfillment partners shall have no liability for loss of profit or for any indirect, special or consequential loss of damage, costs, expenses or other claims for compensation whatsoever arising out of or in connection with the supply or non-supply of the Products (including any delay in supplying the Products) or their use or resale by you."

http://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/k/policies#10

 

[bigboss]

i think £100 is fair but there are alot better places to shop

Like? :?

 

[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!

When I said I hope they put it right quickly, I meant I hope they fix their processes & service delivery. I really didn't expect this to still be rumbling on and the OP left very dissatisfied.

If it was me handling this, I would have engaged with Mark to see what would leave him satisfied. What he wanted was a £1700 AV amp so surely an offer of a similar model with a significant discount would have been appreciated . At £1700 there must be a hefty margin, so rather than offer £100 cash, a bigger discount could have been offerred.

I've done this countless times over many years - it works. The supplier looses the margin, the customer - although a little unhappy - gets the same product at a discounted price.

 

[Nick_Shepherd]

I agree that £100, a personal reply from sevenoaks on this forum (which I know is a bit of risk) and a sincere apology is a pretty decent shout.

also agree that a better discount is a better tyro of offer....

I also feel a bit for the OP as he did bring this to our attention and if he's not happy than that's up to him.

howvever, I can't agree with the 'out of pocket' method of compensation....what if you were lucky enough to earn £500 a day (and I'm not by the way!), should you expect £1,500 compensation?

but a thank you to the OP for keeping us all up to date, it's always good to know of people's good and bad experiences....

 

[JZC]

I sympathise with the OP's experience and I wouldn't personally consider £100 adequate compensation for his poor experience. Whilst one cannot expect most companies to compensate for loss of salary when they deliver or collect goods I do feel Sevenoaks could have made a more generous gesture considering the number of times it happened in this case.

It's too late for the OP now but anybody else who is expecting deliveries/collections of goods may wish to investigate the possibility of this being done at their place of work to avoid having to take time off and losing salary or holidays.

 

[trj007]

Sevenoaks certainly have lost a lot of goodwill over this. Unfortunately this type of incident is too common.

 

[pioneer7]

Indeed to all who say the offer is good enough, it was not your money the hassle and time wasting and loss of money so it is easy to sit and IMO give advice on how you feel about it, BUT it should not have happend, and as one of the replys above says it could have been sorted, it is not rocket science, and there are plenty of other dealers out there that would be more than happy for the buiness, so I am not sure why :like who: was asked.It is sad about this situation, and has put doubt in some peoples mind about there next purchase, and as I said forums are where you can get the advice and info on pretty much anything, even dealers that do not look after you. Ok an offer has been made.. take it or leave it not much choice then really says it all 8)

 

[DKennedy]

Hello there,

I am possibly in the same position as the OP, and Im afraid the above is not true.

I have been trying to contact Ben on the above number since Tuesday, but I get a constant answering machine telling me to contact shopatron. Shopatron have an automated system and I cannot speak to anyone.

please see this thread for the details

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/sevenoaks-delivery-partner-shopatron-anyone-else-had-to-deal-with-them

I dont know how long Sevenoaks have had this relationship with shopatron, but I dont think they are doing your reputation any favours.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Hello there,

I am possibly in the same position as the OP, and Im afraid the above is not true.

I have been trying to contact Ben on the above number since Tuesday, but I get a constant answering machine telling me to contact shopatron. Shopatron have an automated system and I cannot speak to anyone.

please see this thread for the details

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/sevenoaks-delivery-partner-shopatron-anyone-else-had-to-deal-with-them

I dont know how long Sevenoaks have had this relationship with shopatron, but I dont think they are doing your reputation any favours.

Not good!

 

[DKennedy]

Well well! just had a call from Ben Atkins at Sevenoaks. My Amp is at their office/dispatch and they are waiting for the speakers to arrive so the order can be sent in one go.

Very nice guy who seemed genuinely concerned and prepared to help. Top marks to Sevenoaks for a quick response. So fingers crossed for a delivery early next week and at least if there is a problem, Sevenoaks and Ben can be contacted.