Ideal world payment line...grrrr!

[merryone]

I bought some crap a couple of months ago on 2 month's flexipay, but sometime after the first payment, I lost my cards and had to stop them and get new ones...The thing is I'd forgotten about the flexipay, so of course when they tried to get the funds, they weren't able to, so I received a garbled message on my answerphone, and I'll be honest I didn't understand what the chap was saying, I heard him say Ideal World and the word payment and a garbled number to ring that I tried to write down but didn't catch. I thought perhaps they were offering some kind of scheme so I didn't persue it any further. About a week later a snotty letter arrived telling me that the card I'd used for my flexipay had expired and that I have to 26 July to pay the balance or else! Right I got it...I can see what happened but I can afford to wait until payday. Tried to log into my account to pay today and was unable to get on due to technical problems, so I reluctantly phoned the number on the letter as I didn't want to forget and incur further charges. I called and a gave my details to the man who picked up the call, who very curtly told me to take him off "speakerphone" as it's rather irritating, I said you're not on speakerphone! He said all I can hear is my own voice, it's very irritating!, So I put him on speakerphone, took him straight off, and he said "that's better!". I proceeded to give him my details which he kept asking me to repeat (Just to let you know at this juncture that when you call the number it informs you that you're being charged 13 pence per minute!), then once repeated, he called it back to me! Got so far and he said "why you put me back on speakerphone?" I can't hear you....Of course, I hadn't, told him that I hadn't....He said I can't hear you. "Yes you can, I said"...silence..then "Hello, hello...are you there...will you please take me off speakerphone...it's very irritating I can only hear my own voice"....I said for the last time you are NOT on speakerphone, will you kindly just take my payment details! Oh, it must be a bad line then...Well I can hear you clearly enough...finally he agreed to try and put it through if I spoke loudly and clearly! Thankfully I managed to get him to take the correct number down and put the payment through..but what a lot of old boll*cks!!! The operators have so obviously been instructed to spin the calls out for as long as possible, by whatever which means they choose...makes my blood boil...and I've said it before I know but I most certainly will think twice about buying anything from this shoddy outfit ever again...disgusting!

 

[Turandot]

I had a similar issue with Q some years back and several terse letters as though I had
Deliberately lost my card and was trying to commit fraud .I suppose it happens but I feel your frustration.

A lot of posters find IW customer care very good.Not me . I'm having my own on going issues with them over an item that Hermes lost but said they put through my letter box at 9pm one evening and IW email came at midnight informing it was delivered.

Trying to get a refund is like getting blood out of a stone .And IW don't seem to know why Hermes would put it through the letter box when they are supposed to get a signature. All they say is its lost .Well I'm unhappy that my personal details have been lost somewhere without any apology.

My usual Hermes guy always knocks and gets a signature.

I hadn't bought from IW for years and I won't be again after this.

 

[stratobuddy]

I haven't bought from them for years in case I have to ring their premium rate number if I have any problems.

It's not that I can't afford it, I won't do it on principle, so now I don't order anything from them, or even watch them these days.

 

[Price Plunge]

Some of their regular customers seem to be still happy with Ideal World's service but that is balanced out by a large number of complaints, and whilst it may be true that people are more likely to complain than give praise, Ideal World's rating is still too low compared to other retailers.

At least their Trust Pilot rating has improved recently; it's now 1.1 out of 10 compared to an abysmal score of 0.8 out of 10 (back at the end of April):

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.idealworld.tv
http://forum.shoppingtelly.com/show...l-World-Is-Now-Rated-At-LESS-Than-1-out-of-10

 

[merryone]

Good God! All I can say is that I'm glad that the phone call I had to make was for their benefit, and not mine! So glad it was not about trying to report a faulty item, or get a replacement or a refund, 'cause the chances are that phone call would've been the first of many, which no doubt would've cost the equivalent of a week's food shopping before any got sorted! At least now, I should be able to do what I promised myself a long time ago, and that is to have nothing more to do with this apalling bunch of shysters! There were so many customers like me, complaining about how the operator deliberately kept them on the line for as long as possible, so I'm not alone, funnily enough I didn't think I would be, as it is obviously an important part of their training. Practice like this is criminal, even more so when customers are calling to make complaints...customer service? My ar$e!!

 

[shopperholic]

QVCs Trust Pilot rating is 3.3 so when you compare their customer base to IWs the complaints probably work out the same. Me personally, whenever I have a problem with IW I email them, I never ring. Sometimes I email them and ask them to ring me and they do, I've got to say though they've always been helpful and polite to me. I'm being perfectly honest when I say between my first twenty years shopping with QVC (from day one then closed my account) and seventeen with Ideal World, it's QVC that I had the most problems with. With Ideal World, they've given me replacements and refunds and money off quickly, for instance, they ran a ten percent code off a few months ago, so I emailed them to say how disappointed I was that I just missed it, so they refunded me the ten percent which was about £15 and told me they valued me as a customer, if I have an item missing they send it out not like QVC were you've got to return the whole item after a week of waiting for the returns label. With IWs free returns now with Asda, the risk is if even less now, so we should all shop were we are most comfortable and if you're not happy don't shop with them any more, that's what I did. I know it's not cool to like shopping with IW but for me, it's been the best channel by far and even more so, I'm treated like a valued customer.

I'm just pointing out my own personal experience, you should always shop with the company who you get the best satisfaction and treatment from, and I'd be the first to say if you're not getting that from Ideal World, then maybe it's best not to shop with them again.

 

[merryone]

QVCs Trust Pilot rating is 3.3 so when you compare their customer base to IWs the complaints probably work out the same. Me personally, whenever I have a problem with IW I email them, I never ring. Sometimes I email them and ask them to ring me and they do, I've got to say though they've always been helpful and polite to me. I'm being perfectly honest when I say between my first twenty years shopping with QVC (from day one then closed my account) and seventeen with Ideal World, it's QVC that I had the most problems with. With Ideal World, they've given me replacements and refunds and money off quickly, for instance, they ran a ten percent code off a few months ago, so I emailed them to say how disappointed I was that I just missed it, so they refunded me the ten percent which was about £15 and told me they valued me as a customer, if I have an item missing they send it out not like QVC were you've got to return the whole item after a week of waiting for the returns label. With IWs free returns now with Asda, the risk is if even less now, so we should all shop were we are most comfortable and if you're not happy don't shop with them any more, that's what I did. I know it's not cool to like shopping with IW but for me, it's been the best channel by far and even more so, I'm treated like a valued customer.

I'm just pointing out my own personal experience, you should always shop with the company who you get the best satisfaction and treatment from, and I'd be the first to say if you're not getting that from Ideal World, then maybe it's best not to shop with them again.

I'd agree with that- If you've had nothing but a good experience, why stop? and yes, agreed it does make more sense to email or do business online, but as I said time wasn't on my side! Unfortunately, today was my deadline day to settle the amount I owed and of course I went straight online and tried to log into my account, but because there was problems with the site, I didn't have time to wait until later...But what I will say, there is no excuse for downright and blatant "shystering"! Hope you continue to receive good service from them, but I'm not prepared to take that chance!

 

[shopperholic]

I'd agree with that- If you've had nothing but a good experience, why stop? and yes, agreed it does make more sense to email or do business online, but as I said time wasn't on my side! Unfortunately, today was my deadline day to settle the amount I owed and of course I went straight online and tried to log into my account, but because there was problems with the site, I didn't have time to wait until later...But what I will say, there is no excuse for downright and blatant "shystering"! Hope you continue to receive good service from them, but I'm not prepared to take that chance!

:mysmilie_15: :mysmilie_15: I've never been "shystered" sounds painful. :mysmilie_13: If it means ripped off, they've never done that to me either, quite the opposite really, off topic a bit but still slightly on IW, I got my new Remington Air Plates straighteners and I've got to say, joking aside for anyone that's looking for a set, they're the best straighteners I've ever owned, the technology is brill..........just sayin'. :mysmilie_14:

Seriously though, if I was you, if it's all sorted with IW now, I wouldn't bother with them again because you think they're "shystering" you, best steer clear. :mysmilie_3:

 

[Flying Pigs]

Can you explain what you mean about the 1.1 from IW and 3.3 from QVC being equivalent shopperholic - not getting at you, just don't understand how that works out? I have just bought an item from IW because it was the cheapest I could find online and it was delivered with no problems. I do usually avoid them.

 

[shopperholic]

Can you explain what you mean about the 1.1 from IW and 3.3 from QVC being equivalent shopperholic - not getting at you, just don't understand how that works out? I have just bought an item from IW because it was the cheapest I could find online and it was delivered with no problems. I do usually avoid them.

Yes of course I'll explain, what I meant was, QVCs customer base is apparently over a million customers which leaves much more people to praise them than Ideal World has got (apparently) yet QVC still only reaches 3.3, which is awful. In theory, and going by percentage of regular customer to regular customer, QVC getting 3.3 is equivalent to IW getting 1.1 because they've got apparently over 1 million customers. I probably haven't explained it properly, but I know what I mean. :mysmilie_3:

 

[Toril]

I do occasionally order from IW, but only ever order via their website. I refuse to pay their phone charges. I did have a problem with an order a couple of months ago and so contacted them via their customer services email. They responded within a couple of hours and, thankfully, the issue was quickly sorted out with a positive outcome. I could be in the minority for saying that I've not got a problem with them ...... so far anyway.

 

[Flying Pigs]

Thank you for the explanation shopperholic. I avoid phoning IW and C&C at all costs due to the difficulty in getting a straight answer but whenever I have had a problem with C&C an email has sorted it out. I order a fair few things from C&C as a club member and get good discounts on crafty things and I think club members get a lot more from being a member than the club members on Hochanda. I tend to avoid IW due to their presenters - difficult to work out why they have the duff ones and C&C do OK.

 

[merryone]

Thank you for the explanation shopperholic. I avoid phoning IW and C&C at all costs due to the difficulty in getting a straight answer but whenever I have had a problem with C&C an email has sorted it out. I order a fair few things from C&C as a club member and get good discounts on crafty things and I think club members get a lot more from being a member than the club members on Hochanda. I tend to avoid IW due to their presenters - difficult to work out why they have the duff ones and C&C do OK.

I think I'm gonna avoid all shopping channels from now on, this isn't to say I'll stop watching them, as for some reason I find them entertaining. I've bought so much stuff over the years and I'd have to say that a lot of it has been disappointing, and on some occassions I've kept stuff I've not been happy with because of the charges, and admittedly just couldn't be ar$ed! Half of the stuff I've bought from the channels I dare say I wouldn't have purchased had I seen them in a shop, kitchen stuff especially, but you see all the demos, think of all the possibilities and get sucked right in! ...and as for clothing, the last pile of acrylic ***** I bought from IW just reinforced my changing views about tv shopping. Clothes need to be examined in person and tried on really! Having said that I do have a mail order catalogue, returns are free and really simple, as is delivery...So I'm gonna try my best and stick to them and the high street (that needs all the support it can get!). I remember buying a vacuum cleaner from Robert Dyas a few years ago and it was faulty, so I took it back, deciding that I'd go for a refund instead of a replacement as it was far too noisy anyway...No problem, had this been IW, ok I know they're better now they've teamed up with Asda, (no good to me cause I don't drive) but it would have meant emails, phonecalls, waiting in for someone to collect it, waiting in for the replacement to arrive, having to wait for a refund, possibly having to chase it up - Nah!

 

[Muttley]

I agree Merryone, I watch a bit for a laugh but I prefer to see goods before I buy. If it is an expensive item I am a coward and buy from places like John Lewis who I trust if there are problems. Even buying clothes, I will spot something I like, similar to other items I have, in my size but I try it on and it looks awful, or when I touch the fabric I don't like it. That is why I wouldn't buy off a shopping channel cos I probably couldn't be bothered to return it if I didn't like it. If it is a household item I like Robert Dyas, or Wilko for cheap and cheerful bits, like 30p for a wooden spoon last Saturday!