Awful service (balance to Phil's thread) Travis Perkins

[AJB Temple]

Yesterday I ordered 10 packs of red 25mm by 50mm rated roof battens (this being the only ones they sell in Kent) on line via my trade account. And various other things that you would expect to be readily in stock at a builder's merchant, like 25kg bags of cement and sand. I have at least 4 Travis Perkins depots near me in Kent.

This morning I got an email telling me I could expect by delivery in just over two weeks, with a date to be confirmed nearer the time. They allocated the order to a depot that is minuscule and always has hardly any stock, so their plan was to ship it there and the depot would then contact me. I am certain that TP will close this depot soon as they slim down their operation.

Phoned the depot 6 times this morning. They never answered the phone. Then I informed them by email that no company or tradesperson alive orders basic items like this two weeks ahead on the off chance that TP may deign to deliver. Cancelled the order for full refund.

Since Covid I find that Travis Perkins inundate me with emails trying to sell stuff, but the service is abysmal. If the Conservatives push the building sector as they say, wholesalers should do well, but not with awful service like this.

Similar items ordered from another supplier. Delivery will be tomorrow morning. Chalk and cheese.

Adrian

 

[Trevanion]

Two weeks?! Are they waiting for the trees to grow first for the battens and sediment to turn into limestone for the cement?!

 

[AJB Temple]

Yep. And you only find this out after you have placed the order. Usually, if I use TP, I collect from Tonbridge, but battens are 4.8m long so I opted for delivery (online ordering gave no collect option). They have lost the plot recently.

This is not an isolated incident.

 

[porker]

I won't attempt to defend TP because I don't like the way I have been treated on the couple of occasions I have dealt with them in 'normal times'.

The whole lockdown thing happened just as I was in the middle of a major house refurbishment and some materials have been difficult to get (Plaster was one). I needed some floor levelling about a month ago and I couldn't find any in stock or anyone not trying to profiteer off the short supply. I did find one supplier which charged a bit for delivery so placed the order. I got an email within the hour saying they didn't actually have any in stock and they might get a delivery in 3 weeks! They did however offer to refund and did so in 10 minutes of me responding by email.

Always wondered how TP stay in business as they are pretty poor at customer service to some of the builders I know. Maybe their trade prices are good. I have switched to a local independent Builders Merchants and they give me prices as cheap as I can get anywhere, do what they say they will and are generally pleasant to deal with.

 

[Trevanion]

I heard there won't even be a TP branch left in Wales once they've done all the closures, might not be a bad thing though. An independant builders merchant started up locally a few months ago and they seem to be doing quite well and the prices are very fair compared to the likes of TP and Jewsons.

 

[toolsntat]

Unless it's changed, your next debacle is obtaining the refund :roll:
The Hinckley branch could do me a favour and disappear :wink:
Andy

 

[Blackswanwood]

I have found MKM to be very good but have been told it can be variable depending upon the quality of the main man running the branch.

 

[The Bear]

AJB
Sounds like you have a cash rather than a credit account if needing to get a refund straight away? I’ve a credit account but wouldn’t bother with the online ordering. My prices on there never match what I pay. Always ring the branch you want to do the delivery, find out when they can deliver and ask my price. If not happy with the timescale ring another branch. Ive got 2 equidistant to home, if you’ve got 4 you have the choice. Also if need be due to stock put different bits of your order with different branches. All deliveries on credit accounts are free no matter the size is it the same for a cash account?
I’ve had plenty of issues with Travis in the past but I think your issue here is ordering online and not ringing a specific branch and getting to know them
Mark

 

[AJB Temple]

Thanks Bear.

I have a credit account and usually use Tonbridge who I know. On this occasion I ordered online as I was very busy and it was the evening. Usually I get next day delivery from my usual branch (which is not my nearest - that is East Peckham- but Tonbridge is much bigger) or I collect. On this occasion my wife did the order and paid by credit card.

I would not normally post this kind of thing, but this is the third time in a row in recent weeks we have had delivery problems with TP. I suspect they are in disarray. I am far from being a big customer, but I am a good payer.

Adrian

 

[harryc]

COVID 19 has probably just highlighted the shoddy customer services of a lot of companies.
Especially those who have outsourced to a call centre.

My own personal experience was with a bath store - admittedly the actual owners of the business were shocked with their so called customer services “team”.

 

[owen]

I've been using Travis a lot throughout lockdown, the Porth Madog depot have been good to me. Email them over what I need and it arrives the next morning or if it's not in stock they get it to me within a couple of day. Maybe it's because we're spending a fair bit (about 10k the last couple of months) so are treated a bit better (which shouldn't happen) or maybe each depot is different I don't know.

 

[MikeG.]

I gave up on TPs many years ago. Expensive, unhelpful, and with a poor stock level.

 

[owen]

They've matched the very good prices we get from our local builders merchants in Buxton which I was surprised with.
The only issue I've had so far was we hired a petrol slate bumpa from them, they sent a 110v electric one and a transformer, but no fly lead to connect the tranny to the bumpa. Phoned them up and explained what the issue was and they sent someone out with a 110v extension lead which still wouldn't fit the bumpa because the plug was fixed to the side. Explained again what we needed and eventually they sent the right lead out a day later.
No issues with material orders though.

 

[Eric The Viking]

We have a local independent (Kellaway) who are excellent, at least they are at their main depot (not the Kellaway Rd. branch, ironically). I have an interesting test for them today, as I need some doorstop urgently (daughter's new house). I could run it myself, and will probably end up doing that, but if it saves a few hours I'll be happy.

Son-in-law got packed off to Toolstation yesterday to get hinge screws, only to find out everything sensible was out of stock. We ended up with things actually called "hinge screws" that were (a) stupidly expensive, and (b) too wide at the head to fit normal hinge countersinks correctly. At least they were single-start - that's another two issues: useless "product information", and the world's worst web site* - you have to have been burned before in order to learn about products (or waste ages returning them).

What do we pay premium prices for at these places, if it isn't stockholding?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Toolstation? I look up what I need in the catalogue, then go on the website armed with the stock number. I haven't enough life left to search for things on their site.

 

[lurker]

Toolstation? I look up what I need in the catalogue, then go on the website armed with the stock number. I haven't enough life left to search for things on their site.

I do the same.

Tool station have been really good throughout the lockdown.
I have used Click and collect only will be a bit annoyed when they go back to normal as ditherers in the store are a damn nuisance and should go to bnq :twisted:

 

[lurker]

I won't attempt to defend TP because I don't like the way I have been treated on the couple of occasions I have dealt with them in 'normal times'.

The whole lockdown thing happened just as I was in the middle of a major house refurbishment and some materials have been difficult to get (Plaster was one). I needed some floor levelling about a month ago and I couldn't find any in stock or anyone not trying to profiteer off the short supply. I did find one supplier which charged a bit for delivery so placed the order. I got an email within the hour saying they didn't actually have any in stock and they might get a delivery in 3 weeks! They did however offer to refund and did so in 10 minutes of me responding by email.

Always wondered how TP stay in business as they are pretty poor at customer service to some of the builders I know. Maybe their trade prices are good. I have switched to a local independent Builders Merchants and they give me prices as cheap as I can get anywhere, do what they say they will and are generally pleasant to deal with.

I have been the same.
I think availability of plaster has been the one thing that has held up my project.
There have been upsides as the property is unoccupied, so I have been able to jump the queue with tradesmen.
I know my plasterer went down to travis Perkins and had a bust up with them as they sold his plaster allocation to someone else. Not sure what was said but we had to wait an extra week , but the plaster was foc. And bless him he gave us the saving and just charged labour.
Mind you he had a total of 8 days work when he couldn’t work anywhere else.

 

[The Bear]

Even in normal times theres always a shortage of something in the building trade. 3 years ago it was rigid insulation board. Before that it was blocks.

Mark

 

[RogerS]

I have found MKM to be very good but have been told it can be variable depending upon the quality of the main man running the branch.

Tell me about it. I foresaw lockdown coming. I placed an order for some 18mm sheets of ply plus some guttering stuff. Delivery scheduled and agreed for the Tuesday (which, as it turned out, was the day before lockdown but no-one knew that at the time). 2pm they ring up to tell me they won't be delivering to me. Lockdown the next day and so no chance of getting anything from anyone anytime soon. And he wondered why I said the things I did to him and told him where MKM could shove their account.

My TP branch is great !

 

[1NRO]

TP = bandits IMO

If you have your wits about you and pay attention to their pricing you'll soon catch them out. It can be fun though, give them enough rope and they'll soon trip themselves up. As they say comedy is all about timing, knowing when to snort the punch line and head for the door, great sport TP baiting