Screwfix Trade Counters.

[Gary]

Does anyone use them?

Have you had any better luck than I have?

Having been a long standing customer I have attempted to use the trade counter three times. On only one of these occasions have they been able to fulfill my order.

Having processed todays order, paid and after a ten minute wait 50% of it was out of stock. :evil:

Having obtained a full refund, I'm glad to say it was only a short walk across the carpark to Toolstation. Free coffee whilst I waited for my order and an all together better service and sttitude from their staff.

Guess where I'm going first next time?

Rant over. Bye.

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

b&poo? :lol:

Its the same regardless and your not the first to complain. They once said they can order the stuff to be delivered next day but ............ ill have to pay postage. My toolstation is around the corner from SF so i do the same when they have no stock.

 

[woodshavings]

My local Trade Counter (Basingstoke) has been OK so far - I have used the main 0800 customer service number and asked them to check if the Basingstoke branch had the item I wanted in stock.

Dont have a local Toolstation...
John

 

[Steve Jones]

I use the local one in Dudley occasionally and up to now I've had no problems with them.

Steve

 

[chippy1970]

yep they are crap most of the time and they seem to all have the same staff usually a young girl too busy chatting about who or what she did at the weekend :roll: :roll: :roll:

ive started using toolstation much better for most things

 

[OPJ]

Never used a Screwfix trade counter but I use Toolstation a lot - only complaint I have is that they don't appear have any heating and, especially at this time of the year, it's bloody freezing in there!! :shock:

I'm surprised to hear that Screwfix take your payment immediately. Toolstation can tell you whether or not an item's in stock while you're at the till and they won't take your money until after you've received the goods. Never tried the coffee, though.

 

[cambournepete]

I've had no real problem with Screwfix trade counters - either in Taunton or Cambridge.
They've also checked stock before taking any payment.

 

[Dibs-h]

Never had issues with my local branch - I can ring up, give them the code and they'll tell me whether it's in stock and how many. Occasionally if I ask for them to physically check the stock - i.e. if it's showing 1 or 2, they don't appear to mind.

Occasionally if I pop in and order something - they might not have it in stock, but will get it in the following morning. Always tell me whether it's in stock before payment is taken. I wonder whether in the OP's case the system was showing the stock but the shelf only had half there.

No real complaints. Although there's another place nearby, which for screws, hardware and similar is substantially cheaper. But then again not everyone wants screws in thousands and even I don't want at least a thousand of every screw - so 6 of one and half a dozen of another. Especially as I have to drive past the other place to get to screwfix.

Cheers

Dibs

 

[Dodge]

Screwfix in Norwich is an absolute Joke!

Have tried to get items in there at least half a dozen times and never in stock.

Toolstation though are completely the opposite - Brilliant service and if they havnt got something will do their best to get it to you the following day - and the coffees ok too

Screwfix 0/10

Toolstation 10/10

Dodge

 

[Harbo]

There's a Screwfix and Toolstation opposite each other in Winchester. (M3 Junct. 9)

Had no troubles with either - I try TS first as it's generally quieter?

Rod

 

[jaffajim0]

I find it odd that screwfix has such bad reviews. There was a post before about them having been bought by the Kingfisher group. I don't know how long ago but I would have thought customer satisfaction was one of the top priorities for a company like them. Having said that, I do think the level of customer care has definitely dwindled at B & Q. I am also surprised to hear that they a) are not as cheap as some of their competition and b) some of the stuff they sell is cheap cr@p. I always assumed the opposite on both scores. Misplaced customer loyalty by the looks of it.

 

[flying haggis]

Perhaps if SF stopped selling remote control helicopters and concentrated on selling stuff and having same stuff in stock it might improve

http://www.screwfix.com/search.do?fh_se ... 7&ts=20344

 

[Hitch]

I very rarely bother to even attempt going to SF. Just go to toolstation straight away now.

Last time i only wanted a couple of things, but a couple of each thing. Only had one box of each in stock.

Its a far cry from when they first started the trade counter in Yeovil. Everything was picked from the main warehouse so always instock. Now they appear to have the same stock levels, but spread between 50 trade counters

 

[Eric The Viking]

Toolstation: their web site is brilliant.

When you register, it lets you store your local branch (you can alter this). When you log in, you see local and national stock levels against every item. So you can go down to the trade counter with reasonable certainty that they have stock.

Better still, if you print your shopping basket, rather than order on-line, the system puts a five or six character code in large print in the top right corner of the printout. Hand your printout to the person on the counter; they put in that code and instantly get an accurate pick list -- no mistakes because they couldn't read my handwriting!

Really sensible, all of it.

I only have two issues with them:

1. that they'd expand the range a bit. The quality can be rather variable, and I'd rather buy better stuff if they sold it.

2. that they fix the parking arrangements at their Bristol branch!

 

[big soft moose]

Am I right in thinking that toolstation was set up by the guy who used to run screwfix before he was bought out by the KF group ? If so that probably explains why so many Toolstations are close to SF locations.

 

[big soft moose]

yep they are rubbish most of the time and they seem to all have the same staff usually a young girl too busy chatting about who or what she did at the weekend :roll: :roll: :roll:

In my younger days I'd have seen that as a plus - being devishly handsome and suave and debonair ...

Course now that i'm a married man I dont even consider such things

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Am I right in thinking that toolstation was set up by the guy who used to run screwfix before he was bought out by the KF group ? If so that probably explains why so many Toolstations are close to SF locations.

Yes

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Am I right in thinking that toolstation was set up by the guy who used to run screwfix before he was bought out by the KF group ? If so that probably explains why so many Toolstations are close to SF locations.

Yes

 

[studders]

Am I right in thinking that toolstation was set up by the guy who used to run screwfix before he was bought out by the KF group ?

And Thrice Yeah.



:lol:

 

[chris_d]

I very rarely bother to even attempt going to SF. Just go to toolstation straight away now.

Ditto! TS have friendlier staff, serve you quicker and are on the whole cheaper. Only downside with TS is that their range isn't quite as broad and their website's search function is a bit poor.

I had a recent incident with SF rejecting some vouchers I had received just six months earlier as xmas presents and when coupled with the poor quality staff, service (especially returns) and stock levels I have vowed never to go there again.