John Lewis Gets It Wrong
I’m putting up new blinds in the house, as the tenants of the previous owners, wrecked them, just as they wrecked a lot of other things.
I’ve always liked vertical blinds that you can draw to one side, but have never installed them, as C preferred traditional curtains. The house is modern and I live on the first floor, which has a large living area and my bedroom behind it. There are three big windows, with two in the living room and one in my bedroom.
So I felt the best plan would be to get new blinds fitted in the bedroom and then if I liked them, put them in the living room. As I’m not too sure of some of the things I do, I felt it best that plan would be to get John Lewis to measure them to avoid any mistakes.
The lady came and measured my bedroom and whilst she was here, she measured the living room windows as well, so that they’d have them on file for later.
A few days later John Lewis sent me two copies of each of two estimates; one for the bedroom and one for the living room. It was a total of over a dozen sheets of paper. As instructed I accepted the estimate by signing and returning it. As I thought that there was only one estimate, as I thought the living room was just being kept on file, I signed the last estimate, which as luck would have it was for the bedroom.
Imagine my surprise yesterday, when the fitter arrived with the blinds for the living room and not the bedroom.
At first they said that is what I’d signed for and it was only after some lengthy phone calls, that John Lewis admitted they had made a mistake. They’ve also got two blinds made up, that don’t fit any windows except mine.
It still means that I’ve not got any blinds in my bedroom and in a few days, the sun will be streaming through from about four in the morning.
This is a classic cock-up, that could have been much worse. So why did it happen?
The sheaf of papers I was sent could easily get mixed up. I didn’t, but when I returned the estimate, they did something like put it in the wrong file.
Suerely, in this day and age, there should be an Internet-based system, where everybody can see and check the progress.
Targetting Businesses that Avoid Tax
If you read this blog regularly, you’ll see that I tend to shop and purchase with I hope an ethical dimension. Other things come into it like good service and convenience.
So if I need something quickly here, I’ll tend to use local shops or the two small Sainsbury stores within walking distance. As one has a good Free From section and sells Green’s beer, I use it a couple of times a week.
As I said in a previous post, I never use Tesco, except when it is totally to my advantage, as the store’s attitude gets up my nose in so many ways. But I am a free man and can have my own prejudices towards business.
So when it comes to the protests against the likes of Vodafone and Arcadia, because of tax avoidance, I have a certain sympathy with the protesters. But these two companies have been on my don’t buy list for years, as I don’t like their attitude. My cheaper clothes usually end up being purchased in such as Gap and Marks & Spencer, if possible. But lately, it’s been Gap, as they have a small size that isn’t made for the obese. Fit is important to me.
So if these protests cost Philip Green some money, I’m not bothered, especially, as I never use his shops because they don’t have what I want. I’m also annoyed with British Home Stores for effectively cutting out the dry way of getting from Oxford Street tube to John Lewis, by reorganising their store. But that doesn’t bother me now, as I can take a 73 bus to right outside John Lewis.
I tend to use John Lewis a lot, as I get service and goods that last at a good price. But then could the service be so good because John Lewis is a partnership with everybody’s bonus on the line?
Why I Love John Lewis!
This may be a personal view, but then John Lewis is one of Britain’s most respected brands.
I went to Oxford Street today for two reasons; to have lunch in Carluccio’s and buy some storage and other goods for my house.
I arrived about two thirty and made for the television department, as I wanted a double swivel wall bracket for my lrge-screen television. Some have said that I should have a bigger one, but then I think 32 inches is big enough for me, especially as my eyesight isn’t perfect. But I do want to be able to view it either from my kitchen and both ends of my living space at various times. So I was sold a bracket, that would do all the swivelling, but would also take a larger screen if I decided to upgrade. So that probably saved me the cost of a second bracket, which is about £100.
I then bought some underbed storage boxes, a dual-compartment waste bin and a vegetable rack on wheels in the basement. Three people offered to carry them for me to the till and eventually after I’d paid for them, one even took the storage boxes to the customer collection department, where after a few minutes I was united with the rubbish bin.
But that wasn’t the end of it, as not even a Chinese pole juggler could have carried all of my parcels, even taking account of the fact that the TV bracket was in my backpack. So the guy behind the desk in Customer Collection came out and carried one parcel to the taxi rank at the back of the shop.
The taxi home did cost me £25, but it was the rush hour and the driver got out of the cab and helped me get the parcels into the house.
Isn’t John Lewis and London wonderful?
John Lewis’s Wedding List
A friend’s daughter is getting married on Saturday. The wedding list is on-line at John Lewis. It was so simple to use and saved a lot of hassle for me, as how does a sixty year old widower choose something for a twenty-year-old or so woman and her new husband? I took the easy route and gave gift vouchers.
John Lewis/Waitrose: Shops of Choice for Champagne Socialists?
I heard an actor on the radio a couple of weeks ago, going on about the evils of capitalism. It might be alright for him to pontificate about large salaries, but he showed little knowledge about how market forces work. In other words if we had a hundred percent tax on all salaries over say £50,000, we’d lose anybody of talent. Well not all, as surely black-marketeers and tax fraudsters would have a field day.
But he did put in a good word for John Lewis and its Waitrose subsidiary, as they are partnerships in which all employees have stakes.
So does this explain why in this recession, they have done so well? Perhaps, those of the left feel that they must spend their money where it doesn’t go to shareholders.
Christmas Music
What a pleasure to go to the shops now that the dreadful Christmas music has stopped.
But there is also another side to this. Before Christmas, I visited Waitrose and John Lewis several times. Did they have any Christmas music? I didn’t hear any!
But which store group has done very well over Christmas. Step forward John Lewis!
Perhaps I Should Get a Sewing Machine
They’ve just announced that the “Make Do and Mend” culture is returning, with John Lewis reporting an increase in the sale of sewing machines. The department store has also brought out a guide with the same name.
You may ask, why a sixty-two year old man would buy a sewing machine. I probably won’t, but I used to be very handy with one, having been taught how to sew by my mother.
When we were first married, I used to make some of my wife’s clothes. I can remember making several dresses and a long brown coat. In fact, somewhere in this house is a short maternity dress, that I made in 1969 out of some red Dorcas fabric.
My father also taught me how to do proper carpentry, service cars, hang wallpaper and of course everything there is to know about real letterpress printing.
I don’t think we taught our children such a wide range of skills. And I think that these days kids learn even less from their parents.
A Freezer from John Lewis
Eighteen months ago I bought a new freezer from John Lewis. It had a few moments, probably caused because I didn’t shut it properly, but everything inside was ruined.
The service man called and was charming, even though he knew that it was probably my fault.
But the best thing about the response from John Lewis was that they paid out for the food inside and the cheque arrived within five days of submitting the claim!
We hear so many stories of bad service, I think that sometimes we ought to post when it’s good! No very good!
Guess where I’ll be buying any appliances I need. In fact, since I bought the freezer, I’ve bought a bread maker, a microwave, a digital camera and a toaster from the same group.
The Anonymous Widower 