Does it matter that John Lewis has changed its price guarantee?

I wonder if any of JLP’s managers are reading this?

If so it would be lovely to think they’d take note of how despised their company has become by some people and how many other people are realising that they are not what they used to be.

If they do take it on board perhaps they will start to address some of the issues – better customer service, more polite staff and increased product knowledge for a start should be quite easy and almost free to deal with.

I’m not holding out too much hope though: there seem to be plenty of shoppers who don’t care if the service is tat, the knowledge is tat and they are sold tat – they are staying loyal to JLP. It’s sad that people can afford to be so profligate but it will suit JLP’s bosses.

I have found John Lewis always found a way around this but they always kept their prices way competetive till of late. Having had a winter of discontent with electrical products with DVD Recorder, Microwave and Hoover dying on me I thought of John Lewis but having had such appalling customer service at their Bluewater store on 2 occassions I decided to look around. The DVD recorder I got £45 cheaper inc costing in for a 2 yr extended warranty. The Microwave was £30 including costing in a 5yr extended warranty. These were bought from a previously undicovered gem Co-op Electricals. The hoover I bought from a strictly online retailer and saved £60. John Lewis are going to have to up their ante in a lot of areas or they will lose many loyal customers.

I did get wonderful service and advice when buying a TV recently from their Kingston store – including a good hour of an attentive and well informed salesman – much better than the overworked and formulaic service offered from Oxford street. That must come down to the quality of local management. However I am dismayed by their ‘ modernisation’ and introduction of those weasel words and bundling of service charge which I see as a deceitful way of evading their ‘never knowingly undersold’ USP which allowed one to shop there without worrying whether the price was right or not as they were really guarnteeing that it would be.

Now it seems that they have become so ignorant of, and therefore contemptuous, of marketing as
to destroy a reputation forged over many decades. This loss will be irretrievable unless the management do an immediate U-turn for customers such as this one. We will be more assiduous in weighing up alternatives before we buy, and JL will lose all those automatically repeating, because trusted orders. A great shame. A bad decision, but typical,of large corporations once they start to believe in their own inalienable right to our business.

I have only just recently ‘woken up’ to the John Lewis brand having only had one of their stores in my city for the past 3 years. I can honestly say that having worked and shoped at stores such as Next and M&S, John Lewis certainly holds the trophy for customer service and quality. I thought that JL was an expensive store, but it is not by any means. What it does offer is a lovely, relaxing and enjoyable place to shop and I never get ‘overheated’ or frustrated. Everything is easy to find and you never feel hemmed in. I say, well done JL for setting the benchmark for fantastic service, quality and value – long may you reign supreme!!!

Just had the same stunt from Comet in Aylkesbury
Their Samsung TV is £60 more than shops in the next county, I took in proof.

They refused – now they only match Argos (its nest door) and john lewis (its outside the 10 mile guarantee limit) and or Dixons /Currys, they are 1 mile away and have the same over priced TV.

I think this is now price fixing.

I am a big fan of John Lewis and I advertise them on my site (amongst most other retailers too). I don’t get the fixation on price-matching. I personally don’t want things to be cheaper at John Lewis. I want them to be cheaper at the other places where they don’t care too much about customer satisfaction, survive only on selling mass quantities of products and who’s staff know very little about the products they sell.

How can a business be so much better than that, and be the same price? It makes no sense. It’s the same with Marks and Spenser. I don’t sop there because I expect things to be just as cheap as at Tesco or Asda. I shop there because I want better – and I know better costs more. I appreciate you have to be reasonably well off to adopt such an attitude, and things are getting tough, but either a business model pitches better quality at a higher price which still equates to good value – if not better value in the end – or it trades on price, in which case standards must fall. Trying to offer the best and the cheapest cannot work.

I’ve also never got the “never knowingly undersold” sales pitch. Any one could use that, all they need do is never check competitor’s prices and voilà – never knowingly undersold 😉

For many years JL offered a genuine unqualified price-match even with some retrospection, together with their well-regarded 5-year warranty on TVs. This worked very well for customers who bothered to do their research; I doubt that most customers benefitted that much in reality.
Now they only price match if a substantial number of conditions are also met, which obviously makes the task much more demanding. As a result their prices are drifting significantly higher than before; they must surely be losing turnover from this attitude, they may however not be making smaller profits.
I find the current attitude of apparently hiding behind the small print to be common in many businesses these days; I thought JL were better than that but apparently not.

I was going to be away in singapore working, on my daughters 21st birthday so decided to order an LED Tv from John lewis to ensure her present was there, even if I was not. They were out of stock but I checked the website over 5 or 6 days and in late January they had 5 of the Samsung TVs that I wanted. I placed the order, and contacted my daughter to arrange a suitable delivery slot, so she was there to receive the present (she did not know what she was getting- it was to be a pleasant surprise).
Wednesday 8th Feb between 7 and 14.00 was booked and my credit card details were entered.
My daughter sat in waiting for the delivery that never came, while I sat in Singapore, desperately trying to figure out what to do. I checked the JL site – the delivery date and time had passed, and there was no info on the site. I contacted JL and they did not reply in the promised 24 hours- so I searched the found a set in a rival supplier in Manchester and had to tell my daughter to go and buy it, on her birthday- 10th Feb. So much for the surprise, so much for the detailed planning. I again contacted JL, and they simply cancelled the order – no apology.

When a shop gets the high accolades for service one sees in Which? one chooses the shop for important occasions, even when the price is higher – Beware of this strategy – we could have had the TV cheaper from Amazon, and like pretty much everything I get from Amazon, no doubt on time.
JL had stock when I ordered and allowed me to select a delivery day and time.( When they dont have stock you CANNOT place an order.) Then they chose not to supply this important present and did not even let me know, so I could make alternative arrangements. I would award them a service raspberry and certainly would not consider using them again for any important purchase.

Not supplying the goods is an issue, but my complaint is that having booked a day and time for delivery, they did not bother to notify me that they would not be delivering and when I contacted them they cancelled the order without explanation or apology – that is unforgiveable

I asked for a price match on a gas barbecue by Weber. JL turned down one match because the other retailer had a shop on an industrial estate but agreed to match another retailer’s price. They would not supply the free cover though as they say they don’t sell them. So far so good but, you have to buy at the higher price and then claim the difference back. They continue to sell the item to others at the higher price. I don’t see that as not being knowingly undersold, they know full well it is being sold for £150 cheaper elsewhere. Surely we should be able to buy at the cheaper price instead of having to pay more and depend on a refund. Also, why should I be the only one who benefits? If they know that they are selling it at a much higher price, why not reduce the item. Surely it is about time this practice is investigated by whatever body does the investigating?

My advice is never, never to go near a John Lewis kitchen department. I speak with direct experience of the department in the Kingston store and that of their Oxford Street store. The following is the saga of the Oxford Street store.
The kitchen we chose was, at the time, John Lewis’ most expensive but we were to suffer 14 months of shambles and stress from 25 February 2008 until 2 April 2009 to have it installed. As we live in a flat and were then in our late sixties this was even more unacceptable. So bad was it at one stage that my doctor advised that we stop the process for a while for me to recover.
The installation did not begin until 18 weeks after the 20% deposit had been paid; and the demand for the balance was made weeks before it was due. The Alno appliances were delivered on time but the two men had a foul mouthed row and the younger one had to be persuaded by my husband to continue working. Other items were delivered before or after the stated time.
When the installers arrived they discovered many items missing, the Miele hob scratched and other damage.
John Lewis’ sub-contractors who did the Corian worktop and splashback did such a bad job that it all had to be redone; additionally the hob, sink, one full length cupboard, one wall cupboard and one cupboard door were damaged by their operative. This was reported to John Lewis on 13 April 2008 but by 12 May 2008 John Lewis had made no arrangements for the worktop replacement so I had to deal directly with the subcontractors myself, arranging appointments etc. for the work to be done.
A Miele combi oven never worked properly; John Lewis improperly refused to replace it insisting that I had a technician to look at it. Three did so without success but as there was still no help from Jonh Lewis despite repeated requests I dealt with Miele myself to arrange a replacement.
A pull-out larder never worked properly and there was a problem with the integrated Liebherr fridge size and the size of the door panel. Endless Heath Robinson solutions were tried and a year or more later, only when all had failed or when I refused them because they were ludicrous, did they do the obvious and replace the pull-out larder (on 10 March 2009) and the fridge (on 2 April 2009).
We wrote 100 plus e-mails because unless things were written down they were forgotten or denied. We contacted Customers Services – on one occasion they promised to ring every day until it was all resolved – and they never rang again. We spoke to the office of the Chairman and were told that the kitchen department was “ doing its best”. We wrote to the Chairman twice – to no avail.
Finally when it was completed after 14 months of stress, of goods not delivered or the wrong goods delivered, of muddle and mismanagement, of misunderstandings and broken promises we felt we deserved some compensation. But even to get a relatively small sum we had to get a solicitor to negotiate for us and it was given with a very bad grace and no apology.

Foolishly we thought that we had reached the end.
Not so! in early 2012 I noticed the sides of two white cupboards were yellowing and that the pull out corner carousel unit was not working properly. Additionally a small knob on a worktop light had broken. On 17 April someone came and examined everything and agreed all should be replaced under the guarantee.
By early July the work had still not been done (we were to discover that the replacement cupboards had not been ordered until late June).
However, in early July the Liebherr larder fridge door would now not shut. This was reported on 6 July 2012. We later learned that the hinges had been damaged because the door panel was too heavy – some 7.6 kgs heavier than the recommended maxmum weight. There followed the usual Heath Robinson solutions such as hacking the back of the (glass) panel door out to make it lighter or replacing the Liebherr fridge with other makes which, when checked by me, would certainly not carry the panel.
Eventually, in late August, I asked the only person in the department who I respect (and whose job is not to deal with reparations) to come to my house and we worked out a solution: not entirely satisfactory, but a solution.
It was agreed that the additional items would be ordered and all the reparations, including those dating from the 17 April visit, would be done in one go. My preferred fitter unfortunately did not respond till 5 November to say that he could not do it until early December, so another fitter was recommended.
On 8 November, because of past experience, I wrote seeking re-assurance that all the items were indeed in stock. On 9 November I was rung and told it seemed that the replacement carousel unit was not, in fact, there but they would confirm this. Hearing nothing I rang again on 15 November and was told that it definitely was not there and would have to be ordered. This unit is due in on the week beginning 19 December – eight months after it was agreed that it needed to be replaced.
My husband has now taken over dealing with the department as I can cope with them no longer. In response to his complaint he was told “I am sorry that you feel let down by our department”. Hardly an apology. It seems that there is no recognition of how appalling their management is and what stress they cause.

This article must be a joke and of course in 2014 out of date!
If you are doing a price match, you must be matching like for like! For instance, if you search the world wide web, you can find anything that John Lewis sells cheaper somewhere else. Taking it to the extreme, by the time you add shipping or airfreight costs and import duty an item will be more expensive, so how could you realistically expect John Lewis to match the advertised selling price? The statement in the article “Since the addition of ‘….on quality, on price and on service’, it now included extras such as guarantees and delivery. So if you found, say, a washing machine for £60 less at Argos, you’d be turned away because the Argos guarantee was one year, not the two (or three) offered by John Lewis”, surely is right; you must make a true comparison of what is offered otherwise why doesn’t every company give a lifetime guarantee for everything they sell and deliver for no cost? A guarantee is a risk of a cost if the item fails and there is not a delivery company in the country (or the world) the doesn’t charge for their services. I have no interest in John Lewis other than being a customer.
So, I have just placed an order for a camcorder from John Lewis after having carried out a price match. I reported the competitions offer to John Lewis and they have agreed to refund the difference after I advise them that I am satisfied with my purchase. I don’t have a problem with this as I may want to return the camcorder for a full refund.
I can’t argue with “Never knowingly undersold”.

I recently made the mistake of buying a set of headphones from John Lewis for my Brennanb JB7. When I attached them I found the headphones couldn’t mkuster more than a loud hiss.
The real problem however was when I removed them from the Brennan – no sound, even when the headphones were no longer.

The Brennan had been fine until I attached the headphones. Of course I took the head phones back and got a refund, but, thanks to JL, I’m now faced with a bill of £54 + parts to get my Brennan repaired.

In future I shall buy be buying my electrical good at Argos.

I have to say that this doesn’t surprise me, my experience of shopping at John Lewis in recent years has been less than satisfactory, and their online customer service is diabolical. I love this store and feel passionately that we should be supporting UK business but I can’t justify spending money there any more. I have an awful feeling they have expanded too quickly and have forgotten what their core values are – good customer service. I’d forgive them the change to the never knowingly undersold if they stuck with the basics.

For many years I’ve bought my TVs at John Lewis, and continue to remain pleased that I have done so. Earlier this year I noticed an irritating fault on my three and a half year old Panasonic plasma TV and called them in to look at it. They agreed it was faulty and in turn called in their contractors. They then replaced two component boards, but to no avail. JL then sent another engineer to confirm the continued presence of the fault and then opened a discussion on replacing the TV. I found this process easier to carry out in my local store and it only took a few minutes to negotiate a very satisfactory settlement, whereby they allowed me a sufficient sum to purchase a replacement TV with the same features as the original. The amount allowed was greater than the original purchase price. It was also pointed out that if I upgraded to a more expensive set then I would also receive a new full 5-year warranty.
This in fact is what I did and I am now the very satisfied owner of a new Sony 4k TV which exceeds all my expectations, even on normal standard and high definition pictures.
I remain very satisfied with their service, although I’ve found the need for a little more patience than on previous occasions.
Incidentally the price of the new Sony TV appears almost identical in all outlets, and many are offering a 5-year warranty, but I now know that the JL one really does hold good.

l agree that these comments now seem out of date I recently bought a Sony TV from JL mainly because of the 5 year guarantee & the good service that I have always had in the past. When I got home, I noted that Curries were selling it for £80 less albeit with a 1 year guarantee. The JL website specifically mentioned that they would pricematch even though a competitor had a special offer on at the time so I called customer services. Initially I was told that it wouldn’t apply because of the difference in guarantee time but she agreed to pass the query through to the pricematch team for them to have a look at it. The next day I received a call from them accepting the pricematch & confirming that they would refund £80 onto my credit card. I am very pleased with the result.