Westgate - Customer Dis-service

A few weeks ago we ordered a new double bed for our spare room from Westgate Department Store in Harrogate. As this store is a part of the Anglian Co-op, we were happy to be supporting the co-operative movement.

Early last week we were informed that the bed was available for delivery and, that they would deliver it today, no hint could be proffered as to AM or PM delivery. The charge for delivery was an exorbitant £30+ and, full payment for both the bed and delivery was already charged to the credit card at the time of ordering.

Come the big day and, the component parts of the bed were delivered, or should I say dumped, in full packaging in the bedroom. Evidently unpacking and assembly is not part of their job, although a local shop from which we brought a bed a couple of years back assembled the unit for us and, all for a much smaller “delivery” fee.

We started to unpack the base components only to find it virtually impossible to open the drawer, in one of the base units, in which the castors for that unit are packed. After some twenty minutes of struggle, simply trying to open the drawer, we gave up our efforts and decided to contact the local store. Currently we’re still waiting to hear when they will send someone out to help us with this predicament.

As suggested earlier, we were supporters of the co-operative ideal (overlooking the capitalist warts of the institution). Next time we’ll choose a store that looks after its customers rather than go with a misguided whim of principle. Westgate Department Store, Harrogate, is unlikely to be honoured with our presence in future unless they get their finger out!

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P.S. The man arrived within a couple of hours to release the drawer. Contrary to the information given by the person in the Beds & Bedding Dept., given to my beloved, that our problem was "most unusual, I've never come across that before" , his colleague who released the jammed drawer commented that it was a "quite regular occurrence" when they were assembling beds for display purposes in the showroom.

There seems, to me, a slight discrepancy between "most unusual ... never ... before" and a "quite regular occurrence". One can only wonder aboutt the frequency of the never before information being given to a slightly disgruntled customer. This kind of disinformation would seem to me rather like applying flame at an oil refinery rather than pouring oil on troubled waters.

*PPS A much calmer post, THE VISITOR, can be found on my 'Mals Murmurings' blog.*