Bensons for Beds / avoid this costly and frustrating company!

Bensons for beds - Kingsgate East Kilbride branch.

My experience with Bensons for Beds is very similar to the other complaint about their lack of service and faulty goods on this site. I only wish I had read it before making a purchase at our local branch.

We paid in advance for two sets of bedside drawers which were to be collected from the shop. On the day - 22nd May 2007 I went in to pay the balance and was told that my husband could collect them from the back door but to come upstairs (Bensons is on the first floor of a Harveys shop) to the desk in the first instance. When my husband arrived he was told by the manageress that she had arranged for the goods to be brought upstairs (why?). Both boxes were clearly marked 'Two Man Lift' 'Heavy' 'Beware of back injury'. My husband was told to check with the Harveys Store Manager to take the boxes down in the lift. The Harveys Manager refused saying that the lift was for use by the disabled and people with children in buggy's. The Bensons Manageress then told my husband that there was nothing she could do and my husband and his friend had to manhandle the boxes down full flight of stairs on an open staircase right through the middle of the store.

Once we had both boxes home we opened the first to find the side panel had a wide gap from the main part of the casing and would not sit flush. As a result the drawers could not fit onto the runner. By this time we were pretty fed up with Bensons and I telephoned the store and advised the Manageress that the goods were faulty and we were rejecting them. I also said we wanted a full refund and for them to collect the faulty goods from us. She gave me the telephone number of the Customer Services department in their Head Office and said the store did not handle complaints. Next day, Customer Services said that only the store could handle refunds and directed me to them again. I explained my frustration and she said she would speak with the store and get them to ring me. After many phone calls and another visit to the store I was told that only an Area Manager could authorize a refund and they would try to get a hold of them and let me know. A week after the original complaint, I was called by the Manageress to say that she had told the Area Manager everything and "unlucky for me, he has decided not to give a refund". No reason was given and she advised me I should write to their Head Office. I declined and told her that I would be contacting Trading Standards.

Trading Standards have had absolutely no response what so ever from Bensons for Beds to three letters they have sent to them and we are now in the process of raising a Small Claims Action against them. Now five weeks later, I still have their faulty merchandise sitting in my garage and they still have myA3300 with no end in sight to this frustrating experience.

Please think very carefully before dealing with this company as if any problems occur with any goods or service they do not appear to have any mechanism or staff trained to help customers or deal with complaints, refunds or give any kind of satisfaction. I will never have any dealings with this company again and wish to alert as many others as possible so they can avoid this costly and frustrating experience.

Sincerely,
Lorraine