I looked at the little individual plug plants in our big B&Q warehouse
today. 50p each (same as last year) and not bad for bringing on if
you only want a few. BUT a lot today were drooping and the soil was
very dry. I told the nearest staff member and he said "We've had a
lot of trouble with our plants" (!) I said "Well you'll have more
trouble if these don't get watered soon" so he said he'd go and see
about it! Needless to say I did not buy any.
Cheers
Pam

Bristol

In article , Pam Moore
writes
I looked at the little individual plug plants in our big B&Q warehouse
today. 50p each (same as last year) and not bad for bringing on if
you only want a few. BUT a lot today were drooping and the soil was
very dry. I told the nearest staff member and he said "We've had a
lot of trouble with our plants" (!) I said "Well you'll have more
trouble if these don't get watered soon" so he said he'd go and see
about it! Needless to say I did not buy any.

We recently saw some very sad looking trays of pansies and primulae at a
large supermarket. We bought loads of them as a job lot for almost
nothing. Joan gave them a good drink and a couple of days on our patio
to harden off. Now they are planted and looking bright and perky around
our garden. As gardeners, we feel very good about having rescued them,
and even better about having got them very cheaply.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

Here's a story about B&Q in Enfield, N. London, that happened on Sunday 23
February 2003.

We brought a self-assemble family picnic bench - you know, the kind that
sits in picnic areas around parks. They were on special. All boxes appeared
to have been opened and re-sealed, and were discounted from £19.99 to just
£10. We looked carefully and picked a box that hadn't been manhandled too
much. Silly us!

We get this box all the way home, to find no instructions, no screws, nuts
or bolts and several pieces of unidentified timber that can be seen nowhere
on the picture on the front of the box. So we take it back again. The
conversation goes something like this........

We say "This product is incomplete. No screws, nuts & bolts, instructions
and the timber is all wrong"
The guy says "They are discounted because they are incomplete".
We say "They are not advertised as incomplete - they are advertised as the
full product, but discounted. You can't sell goods like that without
telling the purchaser"
He says "Legally we ARE allowed to discount goods because they are
incomplete."
We say "Sure you can discount if they are incomplete, but you must tell the
purchaser they are incomplete. If you buy trousers in a sale you don't
expect to find only one leg....."
He says "It's our policy. It's what we do"
We say "OK - goods sold as fit-for-purpose, but customers not informed -
clearly breaches customers' statutory rights"
He has a rapid change of heart and says "We have a learning curve here, and
we seem to have got it a bit wrong this time. I've learned something and
I'll tell you what - have a new one, off a new palate, which you'll have to
pay just a little bit more for..."
We say "How much more?"
He says "£19.99" (I.e. full list price)
We say - "No way - we bought one for £10 already"
He says "OK £15"
We say "Nope. Next stop - Trading Standards Authority"
He says "OK - £10 - just this once, as a special favour"

A really shifty horrible man. Not a Saturday boy, but a guy in charge of
several other guys, so at least a supervisor, if not a manager. And
obviously aware and trying to stuff the customer. And obviously knows
nothing about customer care. I now tell hundreds (thousands?) of poeple
about it, when if he had handled it correctly, I would be telling you all
that B&Q made a genuine cock-up, but treated us really well, that their
customer care is great - so go buy their stuff. As it is, I warn you to
beware of B&Q and especially their special offers. Clearly they are ready to
stich up their customers. It is their policy to sell incomplete goods, at
discount, without telling the customer.

BT once had an advertising campaign. I paraphrase but it was to the effect
of "....If we get it right, you'll tell dozens of people. If we get it
wrong, you'll tell hundreds". B&Q take note. I'll post this as widely as I
can.