AN OBSERVATORY FOR THE GARDEN

Do we need to go and picket the company?

 

Oh, believe me, Trogre, they already know how unhappy I am about the lack of customer care, feedback and the over run of 7 weeks on the lead time of delivery.
To be honest, my prime concern is to get the Observatory delivered and installed and then I will give them "what for". So I will be e-mailing them on Thursday asking, again, for the delivery date and saying how "unhappy" I am on how it's being handled....but as I said, they already know that!!

 

Glad you find it interesting, JJ

 

Ho, Ho, Ho

 

So I guess you must be hoping to observe Christmas day.

Tonight would have been a brilliant night for 'night skying' . It's the clearest night that I can remember for ages. Fascinating

 

I fired off another e-mail to the Manufacturers of the Observatory today as I'd not heard from them. I've never known a Company that's so careless at Customer Care and information. Anyway, this is the replies:

"Hi Eddy,
I'm sorry - I'm away from the office (and have been for the last week or so) and thought Gary had been in touch! I'll speak to him a.s.a.p and get him to get it sorted.

ATB
Steve"

"Hi Eddy

It is due with us any day now, as so as it is here we will be over.

Kind regards

Gary"

To be honest, I'm not that convinced that I will get delivery before Christmas, due to there only being around 7 working days left before then, and also because of the lack of customer care in the past.............we'll see!

Hi Shiney, I don't think the Observatory will be up and running, even if they deliver and install next week. I have to install a rubber floor, which I won't order until I know the Observatory is sitting outside. Then it has to be painted matt black on the inside, install six electrical sockets for the various devices and other stuff. So I might have the scope on the Patio on Christmas Day if the weather is clear rather than in the Observatory.

 

There's nothing there to report to T S or to take them to court over. Unless ARMANDII had specifically said a date he wanted it by and they had agreed. Then he would only be entitled to his money back and would have to try and find another supplier - and start all over again.

 

I don't think it will get that far, JJ. Reporting them to Trading Standards will achieve little and actually do more harm than good.
They quoted an 8 to 10 week lead time in delivery and we're now in the 18th week with just the assurances of the last e-mails from them. I am in the frame of mind that I'll believe it when I see it, but I'm not able to put any belief in their e-mails as they have gone from one excuse to another since the expiration of the 10 week lead time. It's also me that has had to chase them several times to even get some sort of response from them, that's not what a customer should be doing. Even the latest e-mail is not really substantial as it merely says that the Observatory should arrive at their Unit "It is due with us any day now, as soon as it is here we will be over" is merely in essence a repeat of their e-mail over a fortnight ago.
I think it will arrive, but not before Christmas and as you can guess it is taking the experience, pleasure and excitement out of buying the Observatory.
Should it get to the stage of demanding my deposit back and going to another dealer that would set me back at least another ten weeks in Lead time. If these people actually deliver the Observatory I will be asking for a reduction in the invoice for it.

 

I think that is partly at the back of my mind. Not that I think they would delay the Observatory out of "spite" as it is a fairly substantial deal for them, but complaining voraciously would probably not speed it up. They're a long standing Company and reasonably well known in the Astronomy world and they supply to Schools, Colleges and Astronomy organisations, it's just that their organisation of logistics and customer care seems to be so lacking. As I said, if anyone was to ask me if I would recommend buying from them, then I would say No!