www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

A couple of days ago I checked the screwfix website and they were having a sale, I posted about it here so that everyone could benefit-

screwfix-bargains-t71196.html

I can never resist a bargain and so I thought I'd buy a few hundred of the Georgian brass electricals that were for sale at 60 pence each, some of which normally sell for £9 + each.

I missed the delivery yesterday but parcel force re-delivered today, two of the three boxes had split open, but the driver assured me that everything was there (I have not checked). It's no wonder that the boxes have split open as some retard has just thrown all the brass electricals into a large box and has not been packed properly. All the electricals are just in plastic bags and are not in super vis packs (which would have protected them).

Obviously most of the brass face plates are now scratched and are worthless unless you want to scrap them

It's not parcel force's fault that the parcels are damaged, it's screwfix's for getting a large box and throwing 20-30kg's of brassware into each box

Having worked at a hardware importers when I was 18 I used to pack and despatch items like this all the time with no problems, it is not rocket science to pack items so that they don't get damaged in transit


I have emailed screwfix over the issue, I await their reply!

I'm that mad that I'm considering never buying from screwfix ever again!

Quality!

Well done Screwfix.....I'm sure some beancounter somewhere is getting a big bonus for saving the company money by creating a new packing process.

Later, someone else will get a bonus for 'fixing' the quantity of returns that they are getting for damaged items.

Later, someone will get a bonus for looking into the 'fixed' returns....

repeat, repeat, repeat

I ordered a bulkhead light fitting, glass cover. They sent it in a polybag! I had to order two replacements before I got a good one!

Generally though, I've been happy with deliveries and packing.

What's the betting that some genius at Screwfix has figured out that they can now send these back to their supplier claiming that they were damaged in transit from the supplier - and demand full credit for them rather than just the few pennies they had them on sale for?

BillyGoat wrote:Quality!

Well done Screwfix.....I'm sure some beancounter somewhere is getting a big bonus for saving the company money by creating a new packing process.

Later, someone else will get a bonus for 'fixing' the quantity of returns that they are getting for damaged items.

Later, someone will get a bonus for looking into the 'fixed' returns....

repeat, repeat, repeat

Indeed..
A toothpaste factory had a problem: Due to the way the production line was set up, sometimes empty boxes were shipped without the tube inside. People with experience in designing production lines will tell you how difficult it is to have everything happen with timings so precise that every single unit coming off of it is perfect 100% of the time. Small variations in the environment (which cannot be controlled in a cost-effective fashion) mean quality assurance checks must be smartly distributed across the production line so that customers all the way down to the supermarket won’t get frustrated and purchase another product instead.

Understanding how important that was, the CEO of the toothpaste factory gathered the top people in the company together. Since their own engineering department was already stretched too thin, they decided to hire an external engineering company to solve their empty boxes problem.

The project followed the usual process: budget and project sponsor allocated, RFP (request for proposal), third-parties selected, and six months (and $8 million) later a fantastic solution was delivered — on time, on budget, high quality and everyone in the project had a great time. The problem was solved by using high-tech precision scales that would sound a bell and flash lights whenever a toothpaste box would weigh less than it should. The line would stop, and someone had to walk over and yank the defective box off the line, then press another button to re-start the line.

A short time later, the CEO decided to have a look at the ROI (return on investment) of the project: amazing results! No empty boxes ever shipped out of the factory after the scales were put in place. There were very few customer complaints, and they were gaining market share. “That was some money well spent!” he said, before looking closely at the other statistics in the report.

The number of defects picked up by the scales was 0 after three weeks of production use. How could that be? It should have been picking up at least a dozen a day, so maybe there was something wrong with the report. He filed a bug against it, and after some investigation, the engineers indicated the statistics were indeed correct. The scales were NOT picking up any defects, because all boxes that got to that point in the conveyor belt were good.

Perplexed, the CEO traveled down to the factory and walked up to the part of the line where the precision scales were installed. A few feet before the scale, a $20 desk fan was blowing any empty boxes off the belt and into a bin. Puzzled, the CEO turned to one of the workers who stated, “Oh, that…One of the guys put it there ’cause he was tired of walking over every time the bell rang!”

$8 million vs $20 Hmmm! Money well spent?







Well that's how the story goes anyway..Many years ago I worked for a Govt. department..But as I'm still covered by the "Official secrets act" I can't divulge any more information...Let's just say that their money saving initiative cost them (us) a small fortune..

And it was "Someone" in the postal section that pointed out the error of their ways...

I too have had things damaged in the post from them too!

Useless!
Ive gave them a little hint ;)

Never received a reply from the email that I sent, so I just called customer service and spoke to a very polite lady who has arranged for the three boxes to be collected on Friday for a full refund.


Feels like I have wasted hours of my life messing about with this. Next time something is on special offer at Screwfix I won't be buying any unless it's something idiot proof!

Finally received a full refund today.

Lesson learned, never buy electrical switches/sockets from Screwfix unless you want to add character to them by them being already scratched when you receive them!

ultimatehandyman wrote:Finally received a full refund today.

Lesson learned, never buy electrical switches/sockets from Screwfix unless you want to add character to them by them being already scratched when you receive them!

The customer service agent should be able to credit £10 to your account for the hassle. That is the maximum level the non-management level can offer & what I got when I had a similar issue & told them I was disappointed with the service received.

getthewheelsinline wrote:

ultimatehandyman wrote:Finally received a full refund today.

Lesson learned, never buy electrical switches/sockets from Screwfix unless you want to add character to them by them being already scratched when you receive them!

The customer service agent should be able to credit £10 to your account for the hassle. That is the maximum level the non-management level can offer & what I got when I had a similar issue & told them I was disappointed with the service received.

Thanks, but I'd rather just spend my money elsewhere in future