High Street Retailers from Hell

[Harsin]

I took my (non-working) copy of Robocop SE back to Woolworths today. I was truly blessed with the Shop Assisstant form Hell, whose personal mission in life seemed to be denying me my refund. Firstly she very loudly informed me that "we haven't had any others returned" - it was only released yesterday ffs! She then examined every disc and made a point that they weren't scratched (next time I will nensure I score the DVDs with a nail in order to get an easy refund). After another five minutes of arguing over the fact that I didn't want another copy I finally got my refund.

This got me thinking do other forum posters have problems with particular stores? Is any one store in particular an offender nationwide?

My own worst experience was at WH Smiths. Where they managed to not only drop my copy of Spaced Series 1 on the floor whilst removing it from the cardboard wallet. The woman behind the counter then rubbed the DVD on the front of her shirt in a token effort to clean all the while holding the disc with her fingers plastered over the playing side. Needless to say I cancelled the transaction

[Jimmyboy]

Refund policies seem to vary for each individual store.

[Harsin]

Its not just refund policies that are a problem though.

It never ceases to amaze me that most High Street stores appear not to give staff any sort of training on how to handle DVDs. If they must insist on removing the DVDs and putting them in cardboard sleeves in a filing cabinet, the least they could do is know how to handle the damn things. Call me picky, but I object to paying for a brand new DVD only to see some chimp behind the counter put his grubby fingerprints all over it, not to mention the fact that those cardboard wallets often sct=ratch the discs as well.

If you go to a butchers at least they don't rub their paws all over your Sunday roast before you get it home do they?

[Paul490]

I haven't bought a DVD from the high street for about 6 months now.

Online is almost always cheaper - and there less of a chance that the DVDs you receive will be unopened, unscratched, etc. :)

[Ono]

I was gonna get On Digital (as it was) a couple of years ago after persuading my wife that it was a necessity. Tha fact that they were offering 6 months free Premiership footie had nowt to do with it.:D


Anyway, we drove off to our local Comet Superstore at 6pm on a Saturday. Credit card in hand eager to buy a set-top box then and there.

Went in, looked at the Digital section and got ignored by their staff. Called a young assistant, asked him some basic questions about Widescreen viewing and the like and basically got answers which should have read "Can't be arsed to sell you one cos it's almost time for us to shut and go home".


I walked out a bit miffed.


Now have Sky Digital from Sky direct.

[neverland]

Originally posted by Paul490
Online is almost always cheaper - and there less of a chance that the DVDs you receive will be unopened, unscratched, etc. :)

Unless you go to Streets Online of course.

[tinder]

Originally posted by Harsin




If you go to a butchers at least they don't rub their paws all over your Sunday roast before you get it home do they?


.....some of the butchers I knew when I worked in Tescos would do a lot worse than 'rub their paws all over your Sunday roast':D ;)

[Gromit]

This will be more at home in the Supplier Forum. Moving.

[martinwatton]

Two stories:

Once I bought the disk PI from a small branch of WHSmiths, on the box the film title is only represented by the symbol, being unaware of its meaning and/or unwilling to ask the shop assistant spent about ten minutes looking around the back before obtaining help!

Another time, when returning a faulty video tape to HMV, I gave it my usual "I wish to exchange this item, it is faulty". The assistant took out the tape and despite the centre meter gap between the two half's of the cassette and the sound of loose parts inside, pronounced that the tape was ok. He eventually, grudgingly went to get a replacement, whilst another assistant apologised for the first ones stupidity.

I wish at the time I had thought to say "I wish to exchange this assistant, he is faulty"!

[Lex Luthor]

Originally posted by Paul490
I haven't bought a DVD from the high street for about 6 months now.

Online is almost always cheaper - and there less of a chance that the DVDs you receive will be unopened, unscratched, etc. :) Although he's only 13 I have to agree :D