Nightmare experience with Hammonds - need advice plz.

[MAK]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this.

Need some advice, please.

We ordered bespoke, fitted furniture for bedrooms with Hammonds. Hammonds has made constant mistakes. They said it has been down to their human errors. We are self-employed and have lost 8 unpaid work days + 3 more last year due to their continuous ?human errors.?

This is what they keep doing e.g:

On our 1st unpaid day - Builder fitted bedroom with mistakes

On our 2nd unpaid day ? Builder came but the furniture still had mistakes

On our 3rd unpaid day ? Builder came with wrong colour furniture

On our 4th unpaid day ? Builder came with wrong size furniture

On our 5th unpaid day - Builder came with the wrong materials

On our 6th unpaid day ? Technician came to see what the problems are

On our 7th unpaid day ? Builder turned up without getting any instructions

On our 8th unpaid day ? Builder again didn?t have the correct materials or instructions and said whatever the Technician said couldn't be done

Hammonds state they cannot open their products in the warehouse and that they must be opened in my home, where they keep discovering the wrong items have been ordered by them.

Hammonds are forcing us to take unpaid days off for them continuously and refuse to come in the evenings/ or on Sundays when we are off work saying it would be unfair to expect their staff to do that. But why should we take our paid time off for them to fix their mistakes and keep losing out financially?

We could have used those 11 unpaid work days with our kids in the summer holidays. We don't know why but their Builder fabricated stories back to Hammonds that we asked for changes etc. We never changed any design. For this reason, both my partner and I take a day off together so that their staff cannot make any new untrue statements.

I completely regret using Hammonds. Their senior management team are clueless how to fix the issues. We booked their service last year and it is still incompleted in May. There are a few other families who I know who have experienced this with Hammonds and we all don?t know what to do. Most of those families have given up and got their furniture fixed by other local Builders paying extra money.

Two Hammonds' workers have left the company after they promised to fix all the mistakes. The Surveyor made mistakes in his measurements last year which resulted in all these problems.

Great lesson learnt to stick to local affordable Carpenters rather than waste money using Designer furniture companies with premium rates.

Does anyone have any advice on who we can complain to about Hammonds? service, please? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Guest]

Make sure you put complaints in writing to them by post and e-mail. Ask THEM what they intend to do to rectify errors and ask for compensation for time wasted and inconvenience.

Take a look at Trustpilot there are loads of people saying the same as you in last 48 hours alone!

[MAK]

Thank you for your reply.

One thing about Hammonds is that they do not like to reply in writing about any complaints, and will call you only with withheld number - so I cannot screenshot proof of their phone calls. But I have all copies of my emails to them. I have now refused to talk with them over the phone as the calls are not recorded.

I will check Trustpilot. Thank you so much.

[BigED]

Log every issue - date, nature of problem, impact on you (e.g. you had to return it, take extra time off, etc.)

Estimate the amount of time you have taken off in excess of what would have been required had the right good been delivered and installed correctly.

Calculate the cost to you - and realistically charge in half day blocks unless you really do work by the hour.

Write a letter setting out all of the problems and including your estimate of time spent so far. Attach an invoice for the financial cost to you. Emphasise that you will go to the small claims court if you do not hear from them in writing by... give them two full weeks to respond. Send the letter to the most senior person you can find a record for anywhere online (try linkedin, company reports and accounts, etc.) - could be chief exec, head of customer relations, etc. Send the letter registered post (not just recorded delivery).

While you are waiting for their response, go on social media (twitter, facebook, linkedin - set up a new specific account if you need to) and keep letting them know that you sent them a letter x days ago and they have y days remaining to respond. Do that every day, and make sure it isn't just sent as a private message to them.

If you don't hear from them, don't wait longer - apply to the small claims court. You should have all the evidence needed from your letter, you will have evidence that the letter was delivered (I think you can track that online - check at the post office) and signed for...

And leave feedback everywhere. (Nothing libellous - just factual).

And finally, if you get good service from someone sometime, try to leave them some positive feedback. You've been unlucky and Hammonds have shown absolutely no customer service.

Good luck.

BigED

[Sue]

Report them to Trading Standards (I think it's via the council but somebody here will know).

If they have a Facebook or Twitter presence, complain via that (but I doubt they have).

Write to consumer pages like those in the Saturday Guardian.

Try the Citizens Advice Bureau who may have other ideas.

If all else fails, take them to the Small Claims Court.

Have you paid anything yet? If so, and hopefully by credit card, you may be able to get the credit card company to do something?

ETA: Sorry, post crossed with BigEd's whose advice is much better than mine :)

ETA: I don't think Registered Post exists any more, I think it's Royal Mail Special Delivery, but whatever it is, you need proof of delivery of your letter.

[niall]

Go direct to the top

These guys , or their pa's dont like it when they get landed with the s**t

https://www.ceoemail.com/s.php?id=ceo-77808

[MAK]

Thank you so much for taking the time out to write such valuable advice. I have started writing a letter which I will send to the Hammonds' CEO and I've also booked an appointment with Citizen Advice Bureau.

[MAK]

Thank you Sue. I will also contact Trading Standards. I received personal messages from others on here who have been affected and perhaps we can jointly complain to make the case stronger.

I didn't use a credit card as their charges were much higher if a credit card was used. But the lesson has been learnt to pay extra and use a credit card for extra protection.

[MAK]

Thank you so much for this link.

[Sue]

Let us know how you get on, MAK. Good luck!

[MAK]

Thank you Sue.

I contacted Citizen Advice Bureau. They said before I can complain to the Trading Standards through them I must direct my complaint to the CEO first.

I can also get in touch with The Furniture Ombudsman who Hammonds Furniture is registered with if Hammonds' CEO can't resolve the issue at https://www.thefurnitureombudsman.org/

I'll keep you updated. Waiting for a reply back from the CEO.

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