You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April 2007.

Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 22:34:30 +0800 (CST)
From: XXXX@yahoo.com.sg  
Subject:  [URGENT] RE: Extremely bad customer experience from TWC
To: “Novena Customer Service” <custservice@e-novena.com>
CC: “‘EXXXX Novena’” XXXX@e-novena.com

Dear Hui Mei,

In great anticipation and good faith, we eagerly await the arrival of our storage bench this evening. However, with our greatest regret we wish to inform you that we just have another blotched job delivery from TWC – we meet up with the delivery person and lady and they were punctual as promised; however the storage bench is still defective! The wrong nails and torn leather were replaced but now, the bench cover cannot even be closed properly (please refer to the attached photo). 

Nevertheless, the delivery people firmly insisted that the bench is normal and is not defective although we pointed out to them that the bench’s cover at the showroom could be closed properly. After numerous attempts to reason with them, they finally give in (but we have to make a partial payment before they are willing to leave) only when we managed to prove to them that the cover is misaligned. However, they promised that they will get someone to align it correctly next week.

We find ourselves in a very ridiculous situation; we have several blotched deliveries from January until April – coming May: which includes no stock, wrong model, mixed up deliveries and now, defective goods (in various forms in both situations)!

We are now demanding for a compensation for time and efforts wasted. Surely we have been giving TWC enough chances and feedbacks to the numerous channels and the personnel. Yet even after taking the initiative and trouble to bring the attention of this matter to the management but, such a thing  still happened. We are immensely disappointed beyond words with your company.

Therefore, we feel its not fair for TWC to collect the rest of the payment from us as in the first place, we were told that we are not allowed to cancel the storage bench even after so many blotched deliveries. Yet, we have to undergo so many frustrating wasted trips (we are not staying at our new flat yet), time and efforts just for a storage bench which should been delivered along with the dining chairs back in January. Now 4 months have lapsed and we still ended up with a defective storage bench in our living room.

Hence, we really hope to hear a favorable response from you by Monday.

[Name]

[Contact Number]

Defective Bench

We finally received a response from TWC today after shooting them another email, threating to write to the press should they choose to ignore our email. Alas! Their response is short and only stated that they have received our feedback and will look into this incident and prevent from happening again in the near future. They even thank us for the “valuable” feedback without any offer to compensate for our frustration and loss of precious time.

We on the other hand are very sure that it will NEVER happen again because we will NEVER buy anything from them ever again! Same goes for our family and friends who have witnessed what happened to us! :(

Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:19:03 +0800 (CST)
Subject: Extremely bad customer experience from TWC
To: admin@novenaholdings.com

We wish to write to you to express our greatest disappointment with your delivery of furniture which we have ordered.

We came across one of The White Collection (TWC) branches and were impressed by the furniture that Novena Holdings have to offer. As such we decided to place an order for the dining chairs and later on, the storage bench from your company in good faith.

Nevertheless, we had to delay our delivery for our furniture a few times due to our unexpected delay in renovation. As such, we informed TWC 2 weeks or more before of the delays and rescheduled the delivery day with them. However, somehow the message never got through and we have received calls from the deliveryman that they are already on the way to deliver the furniture on both occasions although we have already informed TCW of the change of date in Dec and Jan. Nevertheless, we feedbacked to TWC on the mixed ups but they never responded to us on why the mixed up has occurred or whether they have done anything to ensure that this will not happen again.

As we target to get the furniture delivered before the Chinese New Year, we called TWC a couple of times to make sure that they will deliver the dining chairs and storage bench on time. On these occasions, the person-in-charge ensured us that the furniture will be delivered as scheduled.

After making arrangements and applied for leave to wait for the furniture to arrive on Feb 03, TWC unbelievably called up at the last moment and said that there is no stock for the dining chairs we ordered! Imagine our shock and horror since they have already called up the day before to confirm with us that the delivery will be from 5-7pm. However, what shocked us the most is that TWC do not know when the shipment is going to be in and they cannot guarantee that we can get our dining chairs before CNY! They promised to get back to us by the next day on this but we waited for 2 days and they never did.

So we have to call and demand for an explanation, as for the last few occasions they kept mixing up the delivery date and now this. They didn’t offer us any solution and we called up Alan Wong the salesman who apologized to us profusely for the mixed up and advised us the get another set of dining chairs. We refused since it will mean topping up more cash and there is also no guarantee that there are stocks for the another model. Nevertheless after calling them chasing them for an explanation as to why there is no stock since the deliveryman even called us in Jan saying that they are already on the way to deliver, TWC finally arranged for another delivery. However they scheduled the storage bench delivery from 12pm-2pm and the dining chairs at 5pm-7pm on the Feb 08. So my husband has to take leave again for the whole day to wait for the furniture to arrive.

Nonetheless, TWC called at the last minute at 3pm to inform him that they cannot deliver the storage bench and will arrange another day instead. My husband wasted the whole afternoon waiting for a storage bench which for whatever reasons cannot make it to our place and furthermore, no reason is given as to why. However we are still relieved that the dining chairs finally arrived.

The whole grueling episodes took place in Jan and Feb this year. This time when TWC called in Mar to finally make arrangements to deliver the storage bench. We informed them that we will not scheduled a delivery date on a weekday again unless they are sure that they have the stock for the right model as we do not want to waste our leave or our time waiting as they have the habit of informing us that they cannot make it at the last minute. Hence I want them to be sure and asked them to get back to me only until after they have ascertained that they have the right model and stock. We even appealed to them that TWC should really do something about their logistic issues. They promised to follow-up on this us but again, they didn’t.

Finally in April, I received a call from TWC but it was not to make arrangements to deliver the storage bench. Instead they asked us to make our payment soon since its long over due.

By then, we were really very upset and explained that TWC haven’t complete their delivery and had promised to get back to us on the rest of the furniture. Why should we pay up since we haven’t gotten our furniture yet? TWC finally made arrangements for the storage bench to arrive this time.

We took another risk and applied for leave on yet another weekday on 9th this week. The storage bench finally arrived but to our horror, we discovered that there were scratches on the side of the bench and at the bottom; there was a big tear. Furthermore, there were 2 long exposed protruding nails in the storage area.

By then, we have finally given up on TWC. The guy informed us to either cut off the long nails by ourselves or we can easily replace them on our own. We refused to do that when we discovered the tears. The lady tired to persuade us to receive the bench in its condition since “its still under warranty” and we can exchange it any time we wanted.

We wondered what is the use of accepting a defective good even if its under warranty. We told her of the numerous problems we had encountered and now this. She offered a discount of $40 for us to accept it in its defective condition although I already informed her what is the use of doing that since I can also get the same “defective goods” but at half of the price. They tried to make a counter offer of $60 discount to remove the nails and repair the tears and said that TWC wouldn’t accept the half price which I offered. We can’t imagine that instead of immediately offer to replace the bench for a brand new one, we would still have to negotiate the price we are going to pay for a delivery gone seriously wrong and we never asked for any of this.

In view of the following, we seriously appeal the management to look into TWC logistic and also relook into the customer experience that it has been rendering to its customers.

Our Invoice no is XX-XXXXXX-H & Alternation order number is XXXXX. We hope to hear from you soon on this.

Many thanks.

Regards,
Name, Contact Number

We finally decided to shoot a letter to the management of Novena Holdings.

However, we do not have much faith in them becoz based from experience, whatever lines we have called to appeal to them of their logistic issues have fallen to nothing but deaf ears. They seriously do not even chap.

Honesly, we would be surprised if they respond.

So far, a whole day had past without any word from them. So, lets see how it goes.

And by the way, those folks who have ordered stuffs from them….

Keep your fingers crossed and say a few more prayers. ;)