Thursday 28 June 2007

The Bunnings complaint

This one is scathing……


I recently emailed you in this form about a particularly horrible experience I was subjected to upon visiting your Northland store. The service or " lack of service " your store provided was so excruciating that the person I was with made a complaint about the same issue due to them being even more displeased than myself, if that is even possible. The only thing that I found even remotely pleasing about this experience was that there was a forum where I could vent my frustrations with the hope that just maybe it would be worthwhile. This is obviously not the case. Having taken the time to provide some feedback, according to you, I was supposed to be contacted in relation to this matter within a couple of business days. As you would imagine this did not occur. It seems incompetence and excessively poor customer service is rife throughout your organisation. The slightest shred, if there was any, of Bunnings keeping me as a customer has now completely diminished. I feel nothing short of foolish to think that by taking the time to try and communicate with you, you would even show me the smallest amount of courtesy and reply. Lowest prices are just the beginning? You're not mistaken about that. It was the beginning of a most horrendous experience in customer service and total disregard for any professional courtesy, one that has done little more than left a bad taste in my mouth. If you feel it unnecessary to reply to this feedback this time, do not stress yourselves. Enlightened now by your conduct, I would rather contract chicken pox than deal with your company again in any way shape or form. At least that would be less irritating.

22 comments:

Dikkii said...

Rossco, that one was my personal favourite and the reason for this blog.

Lowest prices are just the beginning? You're not mistaken about that.

That is my personal favourite quote.

Anonymous said...

I hope you have a better experience next time you visit a bunnings store.

Anonymous said...

hope you have a better experience next time at a bunnings store

nice1bruva said...

Thanks anonymous. Once would have been fine. Would have been fine. Dhhhhhhh.......

Anonymous said...

i concurr Cranbourne Bunnings has lost me there service is atrocious and there manager is even worse at cranbourne.After waiting 20 minutes to get an item price, i was dissastisfied with the way the item and price was displayed.i called for the manager and i took her over to the spot item was displayed she asked if i had been happy with that// i said im far from happy she offered no recompense she wanted me to tell her wot i wanted rather than her initiating a reduced price till i had pointed out that normally when an item is incorrectly displayed genrally you give i t at that price or free...she declined to do that. i said thats th elast time i shop at this bunning store..and decided to leave the other 2 items i would have purchased...they have no clue in being a salesperson or how to keep thier loyal customers!

Anonymous said...

I have shopped at Bunnings Warehouse at various stores in Melbourne, Ballarat and now Sydney, having renovated 6 houses in the last 20 or so years. I shop there because I find it convenient and reasonably priced. I have spent conservatively more than $50,000 during this time. Over the years I have come across various levels of incompetency and unprofessionalism, but nothing so great as to warrant serious follow up. However this week at Lidcombe store in Sydney it was the last straw. As I buy a lot of items (and spend a LOT OF MONEY) at Bunnings, I naturally regularly have items that are returned to the store - usually excess items that were not needed or bought too many of, and sometimes change of mind due to the renovation process. I have never returned a faulty item, until earlier this week (Thu 18 June 2009 to Lidcombe, NSW). I had 2 items, one door bell that had been removed because it no longer worked, and a door closer unit that had a missing adjustment screw which mean it didn't work at all. I held on to the door bell for a couple of weeks and then the door closer was incomplete so took them both back to Bunnings Lidcombe. As I walked in the door, the returns person (Jackie), walked out past me. She recognises me because I shop there SO often. Inside the store another person was asked to help me. I asked her to exchange the items which were faulty or had stopped working after only a few week. She wasn't particularly helpful and phone "James" (a manager), who promptly came over to tell me that because I didn't have my receipt with me that I cannot get a refund. I won't go into the ridiculous altercation that followed, except to say he was rude, ridiculing and lacking in any positive customer service. I told him that I had been shopping at Bunnings for years and require an EXCHANGE ONLY for the faulty goods. He refused, and also refused to supply me with their policy, instead directing me to their website (which is all very well if you have a computer). Their website states that faulty goods will be either refunded, exchanged, repaired or a similar item supplied. It states NOTHING about requiring a receipt for faulty goods. I contacted FAIR TRADING NSW and they advised that Bunnings should exchange the goods, and if I can't find the receipt that a credit card statement is sufficient. I complained to Bunnings head office in NSW and was dealt with suitably by their staff who said they would look into it. In all fairness they did contact me promptly to tell me to come back to the store and they will sort it out. When I came back to the store I was greeted again by "James" (a manager) who instead of doing what was required of him, decided to lecture me and repeat over and over how they are doing me a favour as the goods I returned will need to be thrown away, and that under no circumstances I am to return anything to their store again unless I have a receipt - WHICH IS IN BREACH OF THEIR RETURNS POLICY - see: www.bunnings.com.au. I told him that as the goods were faulty was I expected to just throw them away and waste the money I had already paid to Bunnings to purchase them. I asked him if he wanted a "soap box", and later if he thought I was deaf or stupid. Eventually he shut up and then had the gall to tell me that I need to take the items out of the store with their knowledge so that I don't get arrested! I could have pursued the matter further with him, but in the end could not be bothered. I had other shopping to do, and spent a further $150 that day - but only because I was under pressure for time. I can tell you I will never shop at Bunnings again, and I'll tell everyone I can about the shocking treatment you will be dealt if you happen to strike the wrong person at Bunnings. Had Jackie been behind the desk when I arrived I would have not had aANY TROUBLE WHATSOEVER, and would not be writing this diatribe. By the way the items I returned retail for less than $20 each. How ridiculous and unfortunate. Karen.

Dikkii said...

There's some serious anger there, Karen. I'm sure The Hulk agrees that Bunnings has some problems out there.

Nice1bruva said...

Karen, you need to be more involved in making companies realise that they have wronged you. Your case with Bunnings warrants a verbal follow up with head office. Don't give in to your lack of motivation to pursue the complaint. Stand up for what is right for all consumers! Take it all the way and make James pay for his mistake by embarrassing him with your persistence!

Anonymous said...

On 16 July 2009 I visited the Bunnings Warehouse, Lake Road, Port Macquarie NSW to enquire about an advertised position of Department Manager.

The obvious place to enquire was the Service Desk where I was met with smiles and offers of help, that was until I advised the young lady that I wanted details about the advertised position.

Her response caught me completely, and what’s more the smile and helpfulness rapidly disappeared. “Why would you want that job, it is just soooooooo stressful”.

So the job is stressful is it? What a wonderful representation of the company that pays her wages. If the job is sooooo stressful then why are you still there?

By her own admission she stated that jobs at Bunnings are obviously soooooooo stressful!!! Where is her loyalty to her company? I am pleased she works for Bunnings because if she was my employee and spoke to a customer in that tone she would be dismissed instantly.

What a wonderful introduction to the world according to Bunnings.

It was an absolutely wonderful PR exercise, well done Bunnings.

I was eventually referred to another young lady who I was informed was a Department Manager. Once again I was greeted with smiles and offering all the appearances of wanting to assist. That was until I explained the reason of my visit.

Her tone changed completely also, and so began what I considered to be an interrogation that would have done the Gestapo proud.

She tried to intimidate me by describing how much was involved in the position and how I would have to fit into the Bunnings “team”. Really, I would have to fit into the team irrespective of my qualifications. It really was beginning to sound like an adult version of MacDonalds. The exception being they are taking to adults not some pimply faced 15 year old kid. (No offence intended to all pimply faced kids).

The interrogation continued by being asked if I was a local, well it was obvious that I wasn’t however I did explain that I owned a house and other real estate in the town and I intended to move to Port Macquarie in the near future.

I was then asked as to my qualifications, I advised the young lady of my qualifications and her response was simply, “Well with all your qualifications why don’t you just go back to Sydney and get a job?

Up until that point in time I always considered that every Australian had the right of freedom to live and work where ever they pleased. Apparently not, it appears now that approval has to be sought and approved by some arrogant, self opinionated upstart who is employed at Bunnings.

To anyone considering seeking employment at Bunnings I wish you well.

Anonymous said...

Just a short note, I'm a self employed tradie who's been in business for 7 years and I stopped shopping at bunnings about 6 years ago. Their material prices are average, their service is f$*cken crap, and when you go looking for service, their employees run off and hide. Hopefully their share price will take a nice dive and they will be humbled the hard way. My advice, don't waste your time at bunnings.

Anonymous said...

I ordered i blind at the special orders desk for a bedroom and it was short by 10 cm.

I waited at the special orders desk for 20 minutes before i was told the person was away that day.

There were 6 employees within 10 metres of where i was standing.

I could go on but I wont

Dikkii said...

Probably best that you didn't Anon. I can visualise it now.

peajay said...

To Anonymous
I'm guessing you didn't read the return policy properly because if you had of you would have saved yourself a LOT of grief! It quite clearly states what the procedures are when you have a receipt or not for a product in good order. It then goes on further about the return policy on damaged faulty/goods. Policy states that it up to the store to inform you of your options, of which they did! You were told by both the return desk team member and co-ordinator that NO PROOF OF PURCHASE - NO RETURN! Can't be any clearer!

I have copied Bunnings return policy for your perusal. Hope this clears things up.


A) Return / Exchange of Non-Faulty Goods

With A Receipt
• We can provide a refund
• All returned goods must be unused, in original packaging and in saleable condition
• Receipts must be valid and intact

All refunds will be provided back in the original tender. Cheques and debit cards will be refunded as cash and credit card refunds must be processed back onto the original credit card
Note: The original credit card must be present to gain a refund.

Without A Receipt
• We can provide an Exchange Voucher or an exchange for ‘like’ goods.
• All goods for exchange must be unused, in original packaging and in saleable condition
• Positive identification will be required.
• Exchange Vouchers are valid for 14 days from time of issue and are redeemable in the store of issue only. These Vouchers are not redeemable for cash or Gift Cards.

Trade Account Returns / Exchanges
If you are an Account customer and presenting goods for return or exchange, a copy of the original invoice must be presented in-store along with the goods to arrange an Account Credit.

Commercial quantities are not generally returnable.

Exceptions
Unfortunately we cannot offer a refund or exchange on the following items:
• Custom made products
• Any product/s specifically cut to size at your request
• Toilet Seats, if packaging has been opened (for health reasons)
• Tinted Paint (if you change your mind on the colour)



B) Return / Exchange of Faulty Goods

Faulty or Damaged Goods Under Warranties
If the goods are being returned because they fail to comply with legal or manufacturer’s warranties, our Team Members will be able to advise you in regard to availability of a refund, exchange, repair agents or replacement of like product.

Dikkii said...

Peajay, you know rather a lot about Bunnings' returns policy.

I take it that you work there?

Anonymous said...

Peajay or should I call you peabrain, have you considered changing your name to R2D2 as your little pea brain clearly only operates as a programed robot and not an actual human being, you poor little saussage.

Anonymous said...

After working for Bunnings for a number of years i left the company due to the way employees are being treated by management. I have seen numerous acts of harrasment and bulling. Unfortunatly if you report it you are treated worse. Its a shame the way things have turned with Bunnings. They used to be a great company to work for.

Anonymous said...

Peajay...having worked on the Service Desk at several Bunning's Warehouse stores over the years I have seen hundreds of faulty goods be returned without a receipt. It really comes down to the manager on duty at the time. I have even had a shovel returned that was YEARS old and it was replaced without a receipt because the handle was broken. There is a returns policy as you did state however from my vast experience it is not followed. If the customer complains loudly enough they will replace or give a store credit.

Anonymous said...


I have worked at two Bunnings stores for a combined total of 7 years, and am not surprised at all to hear the stories of very poor customer service mentioned here. So often, employees like myself are put under enormous pressure due to being CONSTANTLY short staffed, being bullied and harassed by management, and having completely unreasonable expectations placed on us by department supervisors.

So often, in my experience the store is so short staffed to the point where you are expected to look after multiple departments on your own regardless of whether you have sufficient, if any product knowledge of that area at all.

So often, I have been the only person covering up to one third of the store, and have had up to 6 customers following me around waiting to be served while I am serving another customer and have 3 phone calls on hold.

I have even been verbally abused by a manager for not putting enough stock away in a set period of time because I spent 'too much time' serving customers. When I reminded my manager that customer service is my job, he further verbally chastised me for being insubordinate.

The number of times myself and colleagues have tried to vent our frustrations to management and ask for some support in the form of more staff we have been told that their is no money in the 'budget', despite the fact that for the previous financial year the store returned a record sales figure and net profit.

I personally try to do my best at work, and provide the best service, but so often simply cannot due to a total lack of support from management.
Sometimes I think management must be deliberately trying to piss off the customers, because there is no way in hell you would allow the things that happen to happen if you truly wanted to provide the best service.

Anonymous said...

As a coordinator with Bunnings I can say that it comes from the top down. I see a lot of "Manager" bashing going on, I'm an employee as well and have the same stresses as everyone else. I don't like the way the company operates at times and I certainly understand team shortages and wage constraints and the negative effect it has on customer service. The business certainly has lost its direction and is more about money and shareholders then team and customers. Perhaps it's worth a look at the Area and Complex managers and above.

Anonymous said...

I too had a brief experience working at Bunnings as a Night-Filler in 2014. The 2 day training was terrific and I thought that if they "walked the talk" it would be unreal. On the first day I got blasted for entering the GI area without wearing a Hi-Vis jacket, but I hadn't even met anyone, signed on or been allocated a badge or any work gear. There were also no signs to say that I had to wear Hi-Vis gear. I felt more than uncomfortable.

During my time there I introduced a few innovative ideas and received a number of nominations for excellent customer service, only to be told that I was ineligible to receive any rewards because i was a mere night-filler and wasn't supposed to be assisting customers directly. Little did they know that I had 8 years of previous experience as an independent (and very popular) hardware store manager.

I tried to persuade management to try a few ideas that would easily improve the quality of the customer service in all Bunnings stores, but the manager didn't want to hear about them. He was far too busy turning off the machinery maintenance budget and applying ridiculous cost-cutting (and quality cutting) techniques in a desperate attempt to score the Area Manager position. He was ruthlessly ambitious and had this goal in mind from the get-go and was very unpopular with every team member as a result. He rarely left his office and never smiled. since then he's been stripped of the manager position and demoted to his old position in Officeworks, but re-located to Melbourne in the hope that he'd simply leave the company. He obviously needed income so he and his family moved (again without a send-off of any kind.

After 12 months of working my butt off and going home most nights very sore, I was dumped by Bunnings because I was a casual and they were applying cut-backs. There was no send-off, no good-byes, nothing. I wasn't even informed that I was out. The only way I knew is when I found myself not being allocated any more hours when I looked up the electronic roster system. What a joke.

The ironic thing was that 5 other team members chose to leave after hearing that the 3 casuals had been dumped. For them it was the final straw.

I still enjoy shopping in Bunnings and occasionally bump into old work-mates (although they are now fairly thin on the ground). My ideas for improving customer service would still be hugely beneficial to Bunnings and maybe one day I'll lose the sour taste in my mouth and present my ideas again.

To the coordinator at Bunnings that casts the blame on the management above, you are wrong. Everyone and anyone can make a difference. If everyone did, Bunnings and the rest of the world would be a better place. So take responsibility for your own actions, don't cast the blame on others. Be the difference and be proud of who you are. I am. I choose to take the positives (and negatives) from every experience I have and find ways to improve myself from them.

As for Bunnings - watch this space.

Unknown said...

The future rewards those who press on. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. I don't have time to complain. I'm going to press on. See the link below for more info.

#complain
www.ufgop.org

Nicky said...

Bunnings refunds back into my card even tho I was wanting an exchange voucher as had other items..
Never once have I seen my refund go back on my card??
Does anyone know how long it takes?
2 missing amounts and now today's 127.00
Lost that !
It should be 2 days but it's not ?
Why? Does anyone know?
Was a credit debit card
Power pass purchase and refund
Pay passed it with Pin number
I needed that this week but someone on another page said it can take up to 3 weeks to return?!!?