Harveys Furniture Delivery Charges
While looking for a 3-piece suite this weekend we visited a Harveys Furniture store, and while we didn’t see a suite we liked, we did see a nest of tables that we did for GBP 179 less 10% (~ GBP 160). However, when we asked for one we were told that they had to be ordered on an 8-10 week lead time. Don’t they have any in stock, whether at the store or a regional warehouse?
The bombshell, however, was that the delivery charge was GBP 47.50!! That represents almost 30% of the cost of the table, just for delivering an item I didn’t even want delivered in the first place – I could take it home in the car. We couldn’t believe our ears.
Apparently it’s a fixed charge, whatever the size of the order, but that’s no use if you just want a small table. We asked if they could have it delivered to the store and we would pick it up from there. “Sorry sir, we can’t do that”.
So basically, Harveys lost a sale for 160 quid because they are inflexible.
Is it any wonder that the likes of Ikea are so popular, when you can turn up and go home with the furniture you just paid for.
Update: 2nd Feb
I left a message on Harvey’s website regarding the above, and today received a reply which contained the following:
Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for your email the content of which has been noted, unfortunately you have not stated the invoice number that your goods were ordered on nor the branch the order was placed with, and we are unable to locate your details.
If you would be able to forward the relevant information, we will be able to continue with the query and pass the details to the relevant person.
What?! I didn’t place an order! Didn’t you read the message? What a Farce!
Ironically, the message concludes with:
Assuring you of our best intentions at all times.
I very much doubt that.
Jeez its moaning people like you that are making retail such a bad occupation.
160 Quid order and you want free delivery!
Think about it!
it costs to do deliveries
who else should pay?
Either they include it in the price (then if you buy 2 items you pay 2 hidden delivery charges)
or they charge it on top (Then you pay for what you get, one delivery)
Collect it from the store? (Who pays to have it delivered to the store?)
Buying anything includes the cost of the delivery, it also includes the cost of the lighting, the cost of the staff, the rent and the rates, it also includes the dividend to the shareholders.
Go to Ikea and buy cheap self assembly Chinese rubbish or shop with a proper company and get proper furniture.
Gordon
Absolutely hilarious ‘Gordon’. You had me laughing out loud. You consider Harveys to be a ‘proper’ furniture store?
FACT: I have bought lots of furniture from several proper furniture stores on the high street (proper stores who have been in existence for decades providing a decent service, not the rubbish retail park stores we have to put up with nowadays) and I have NEVER been charged extra for delivery or to order something.
FACT: Every single person I told about this situation (all educated people), thought it was ridiculous not to be able to take the table away there and then, and that a 30% additional charge for delivery was unreasonable.
Fair enough if I was ordering a large piece of furniture, but this was a small table measuring no more than 18″ square and could easily be held in stock.
If I buy a TV, I don’t pay extra for the shop to get it from their supplier. If I want it delivered and set up at my house then yes, a delivery charge is acceptable, but not to carry it away from the shop myself. Any cost is built into the overheads, so the price you see is the price you pay.
In this instance Harveys are advertising a price for which you cannot buy the product and want to charge 30% extra for delivery and wait several weeks for it! That is a rip off, plain and simple. It is also misleading, but it is what we have come to expect from furniture retailers in recent years. Other retail sectors have all the overheads you mention but do not subscribe to this practice, why do you? In fact, since you don’t actually hold stock for sale, you have one less overhead than other retailers, so you should be cheaper.
You mention IKEA. Is it surprising that they are so popular, when people like you have this sort of attitude?
Retailing is about providing customer service. If you don’t like that, then maybe you chose the wrong career.
I see you came here by entering ‘Harveys Furniture’ into Google. No doubt that search will have found you countless other pages about Harveys’ lack of customers service, failed deliveries etc. Maybe that tells you something about where Harveys should be focusing their efforts rather than having what looks like one of their employees trawling the net to post attacks on customers.
It was not an attack by a Harveys employee, I have shopped at Harveys in the past and was looking for there website, I came across this site and thought I would give it a look,
1 You say you have never been charged or delivery, then the cost was added into the price.
2 Holding goods in stock costs money, warehousing, staffing, lighting and heating would mean the stock costs more.
3 You say if you buy a TV you dont pay extra for the shop to get it from their supplier, so who do you think pays?
4 You talk about attitude, its moaning people like you that have an attitude problem, Customer service is all about providing service, its not about being held to ramsom by custmers, and that is what you are doing.
5 Every single retailler has websites full of moaning minnies, Harveys is not unique Including Ikea
the problem I see with the service you want is that you dont want to pay for it.
To answer your points:
1. I am perfectly well aware that the cost of an item in most shops includes the overheads of the business (staff/heating and light/rates etc.) but the price displayed is the price you pay. The price displayed in Harveys is not. There is an extra price to pay which is not optional. If Harveys had included a reasonable amount in the price then fair enough. They are trying to make out that the price is lower than it really is.
2. See 1.
3. See 1.
4. I am not holding anyone to ransom. Harveys simply lost custom because of this sharp practice. Harveys would be holding me to ransom by charging 30% extra than the advertised price.
5. Every single one of those retailers (Ikea included) have obviously made a mistake to warrant those complaints. Some learn from it and improve. Others ignore their customers.
Finally, at work we ship goods much larger and heavier than the nest of tables in question. I therefore know that it does not cost 47.50 to deliver a small table. Either Harveys need to get a different courier or Harveys are profiteering on the delivery charge. I would have probably accepted a 10-15 quid charge.
You are way out with your last remark. I’m a firm believer in ‘you get what you pay for’. I don’t mind paying a premium price for a premium product but not when it’s a rip off.
Ian— good for you I too believe in that what you get you pay for, ticket price on goods should have clearly marked the delivery charge for each item, then you can decide ifs thats fair.
Why should a small table be the same delivery price as a large 3 piece suite? people should stop putting up with it and vote with thier feet.
If Gordan Zola thinks its fair I dont maybe hes a van driver?
Dear oh dear….I’ve always wondered what type of person creates a web space to wince on about a delivery charge…a guy who needs viagra to get it up I suppose…a guy who needs a life…Ahem, take note Ian!
I am somewhat curious about his grievence against Harveys, he goes on about poor customer service, er, didn’t he say that he didn’t buy the table? I believe so in which case he is not a customer, he is a member of the public who was a potential customer therefore Harveys need not respond to his-over-the-top complaint. By the way, I am not an employee of Harveys, I just got enough grey matter between my ears not to get frustrated by a delivery charge.
I bought my furniture from Harveys and I’ve never had any less than exceptional service from them. In light of the fact that the salesperson had informed Ian prior to ordering the table Ian was then given an opportunity to make an informed decision to buy of that retailer or not, as he decided he was not going to order he then should have focused his efforts on finding a retailer that meets his requirements not rubbishing a reputable company and going completely over the top in the process.
GET A LIFE!
Absolute classic – I love it when someone wades in without thinking first, or even checking their comment before submitting it.
I’m curious… What kind of person considers a single blog post (out of currently 180 on a website) to be ‘creating a web space’? Maybe someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. How exactly do you ‘wince’ on about something anyway?
I was simply pointing out a ludicrous situation. The fact that I didn’t buy the table is irrelevant – charging 30% more to deliver an item you could walk away with, and not being flexible about it is still laughable and worthy of comment.
As far as I’m concerned, customer service applies both before and after a sale. If you didn’t at least attempt to provide good customer service before the sale, you wouldn’t stay in business long. In this case, the lack of customer service (i.e. to apply common sense to a potential sale) lost them that sale. Additionally the fact that their ‘customer services’ clearly fail to even read their emails is an indication of how much respect they show for their customers (including potential).
Obviously from this rant, ‘P Lawrence’ considers charging 30% on top of the advertised ticket price to be perfectly reasonable. In that case, as they say ” a fool and his money are easily parted.”
I would repeat: Every single person I told about this situation (all educated people), thought it was ridiculous not to be able to take the table away there and then, and that a 30% additional charge for delivery was unreasonable.
I note that P Lawrence arrived at this site after typing ‘Harveys Furniture careers’ into Google. He/she may not work for them now, but it is interesting that someone with their attitude (resorting to sexual ‘name calling’) wants to work for them. Says it all really.
Wow that P Lawrence really has got a bee in his bonnet! He says ‘get a life’ but look how much time he spent writing that lot.
Ian, gotta agree with you mate (and I Pinnock). I don’t expect to be told that there’s such a large charge on top of the price tag.
Thanks Dave. I got in tonight to find two comments on this post: yours and another even longer one from P Lawrence.
I don’t like to delete comments because I believe in free speech (something he seems to be against) but it’s just more of the same including this time a personal attack accusing me of being a hostile person and someone who is verbally abusive in a shop; anyone who actually does know me knows otherwise. It doesn’t get you anywhere.
I’m going to close this one off now.