18 June 2010
| Would you like it fast or frugal? |
 MY DAY in Bromley started with a visit to Wellingtons Electrical on Westmoreland Road.
As I entered the store, Robert greeted me and I moved to the home laundry area, where I started to have a look at some of the products on display.
After a minute or so, Robert approached me and asked if I needed any help. I said that I wanted to buy a new washing machine, but that I did not really have a clue what I should be looking for.
Robert said: “The first bit of advice would be to buy a German brand. Bosch has an excellent reputation, so much so that it keeps winning Which? Best Buy awards.”
He explained Bosch’s VarioPerfect feature.
“You have two schools of thought,” Robert said, “some people are banging the eco drum and they just the most efficient wash they can get and some people just want the fastest wash – and the two don’t necessarily meet.
“So what Bosch has done is create VarioPerfect, which means you can select your wash and then decide if you want it done as eco-friendly as possible, or do it as fast as you can.”
He showed me a Bosch model that featured VarioPerfect. He described the model (WAE28366GB), which was priced at £429, as a 1,400 spin machine that sits “in the middle of the range”. The model has a 6kg capacity.
Robert continued: “Some people like the idea of a machine that puts its money where its mouth is and that’s with a longer warranty than the two years, which you get on Bosch products. Its sister company, Siemens, offers a five-year parts and labour warranty”.
He presented a Siemens model (WM14E162GB), which was priced at £449. He said that the Siemens model was not “not quite as well specified as the Bosch model”, but he pointed out that it has a 7kg capacity, compared with the 6kg drum of the Bosch product.
I asked Robert how much it would cost to deliver the new appliance.
“We deliver free, we connect free and we take the old one away,” he said.
I thanked him for his help.
Summary: Robert was friendly and through his product knowledge was able to give me a useful insight. After excelling at talking me through the options, I would have loved him to close the sale, but, sadly, he did not.
|
| Score: 9 out of 10 |
| Shame about the service |
 LOOKING to buy my first digital SLR, I went to the Jessops store on Market Square.
From the outside, I liked the modern look of the store, with its smart fascia, and I was not disappointed when I got inside, as the store was well presented and very busy.
Three members of staff were serving customers and another handful were browsing the displays.
I headed to the well-dressed D-SLR cabinets and liked the look of two Sony models.
The Alpha 230 was priced at £299, a saving, according to the price ticket, of £30 on the normal price. The Alpha 450 was priced at £499, but was part of a £50 cash-back offer. According to p-o-s materials, both cameras came with an 18-55mm lens.
After more than five minutes, it became clear that I was not going to get served, as there were already five people in the pecking order before me.
Thoroughly disappointed, I left the store.
Summary: After my initial observations both outside and inside the store, it was disappointing that I did not get served, but I was delighted to see that the store was so busy. As my initial thoughts were so positive, I have awarded the store two points for presentation, but was unable to give any more points as I did not get served.
|
| Score: 2 out of 10 |
| Smooth performance from Adrian |
 KEEN to find out more about a Sonos wireless music system, I headed to the Sevenoaks Sound & Vision store on East Street.
Adrian greeted me and asked if I wanted any help. I said that I wanted to know more about the Sonos system and he immediately pointed out that he could not demonstrate the system because of problems with the store’s router.
He described Sonos as “quite a smart system”. “It’s designed to run off PC files as most people have music stored on their PCs these days,” he said.
“It allows you to access those files and distribute them around the house, with less wiring than a conventional system would require.”
I asked him if it really was as simple as he had explained. He said it was and he went on to explain that the system was compatible with Napster, while another element of the Sonos system opened it up to internet radio from around the world.
He showed me the ZonePlayer 120, which was priced at £399. He explained that this unit has an integrated speaker and needs a pair of speakers added to create one ‘zone’. The Controller 200 would set me back £279.
Although he could not demonstrate the system properly, he showed me how easy it was to use the controller.
“You scroll through and find whatever you want to hear, and away you go,” he said.
Adrian said that the store offered a bundle for £799, which included one amplifier unit, one unamplified unit and a controller. “The idea is that that is a good starting system,” he added.
I asked for some information to take away and he gave me a flyer.
He also mentioned the ZonePlayer S5 model, which at £349, offered five integrated amps and five speakers. “If you didn’t want large external speakers, and you just want a standalone unit, something like this works quite well,” he said.
I thanked Adrian for his help.
Summary: After Adrian’s smooth presentation of the Sonos system, I was genuinely gutted that a recent power cut had knocked out the store’s wireless router. A demonstration would have been great and I am sure that Adrian would have been able to demonstrate the system flawlessly.
|
| Score: 9 out of 10 |
| Allan is on sparkling form |
 I NEEDED to get a new washer-dryer, so headed for the two-in-one Currys and PC World store on Homesdale Road.
Inside the store, the store greeter, James, did his job and I climbed the stairs to the mezzanine, which is home to the store’s white goods offering.
At the top of the stairs, I was greeted by Allan, who asked if he could help me. I explained what I was looking for and I asked him which models he could recommend.
“They’re all good,” he said, before singling out a 1,200 spin Hotpoint model, which he described as “not a bad buy”.
“You can get higher spin speeds than this one, but you have to bear in mind the price will increase as the spin and capacity increase,” he said.
He asked me about my last machine and I told him that it was a 5kg model, with a 1,200 spin speed. I said that I wanted to get a bigger drum or faster spin speed, or both.
He asked how many people there were in my family and I said there were four of us, me, my wife and our two kids.
“So you do a lot of washing then – a 7kg machine would be ideal for you,” he said, before presenting a Hotpoint machine (WDL540P), which was priced at £379.99.
He explained that the machine not only had a 7kg capacity for washing and a 5kg capacity for drying, but was also a 1,400 spin machine.
Next, he showed me an LG model (WD12317RDK), which was priced at £599. He explained that this was a direct-drive model and that the motor was guaranteed for 10 years. The LG model, he said, offered an 8kg capacity for washing, but just a 4kg limit for drying.
Allan said: “It depends which way you want to go. The Hotpoint is not a bad buy for a 7kg machine and is only 1kg under the LG model, but when was the last time you weighed your clothes before you put them in the machine?”.
I asked Allan for some information to take away. He printed off product specs for both models he had presented.
I asked him if he could arrange the delivery of the new appliance for me and how much it would cost.
“It depends,” Allan said, “if you plan it ahead, like in a couple of weeks’ time, it’s free, but if you want it tomorrow, it’ll be £29.99.
“We’ll take the old one away for you, for free, too.”
Summary: Allan was confident and knowledgeable and able give reasons to buy. By asking lifestyle questions, he was able to steer me through relevant products. The only thing he could have done, that he didn’t, was attempt to close the sale.
|
| Score: 9 out of 10 |
| Time to take stock |
 THE Currys Digital store on the High Street did not open until 11am as staff were conducting a stock audit.
Michael greeted me as he opened the store as the local church clock signalled the arrival of 11am.
Looking to find out more about satnavs, I wandered around the store, before settling in front of the satnav display cabinet, which looked messy with products and empty boxes strewn inside the cabinet.
As I browsed, I could see two members of staff serving customers, while Michael was wandering around the store and a fourth member of staff was standing in the next aisle to me.
One product that met my requirements was the TomTom Go 630, which was priced at £319.99. According to product information next to the product, the satnav had maps for the UK, Republic of Ireland and Western Europe.
The list of features included such terminology as ‘Bluetooth hands-free calling’ and ‘IQ Routes’, both of which were alien to me and needed explaining.
After five minutes of browsing, I headed for the exit, where Michael asked: “You OK?”
I said I was fine and took a deep breath before leaving.
Summary: Now stocktaking may not be the most favourite pastime of staff, but that is no reason for customers to be ignored. As the store usually opens at 9am, I would have thought that sales staff would have been at the top of their game to try and recoup the two lost hours. A point awarded for Michael’s greeting.
|
| Score: 1 out of 10 |
| Alvin gets into the flow |
 LOOKING to buy a new TV, I went to see what was available at the Sony Centre on the High Street.
Inside the store, Alvin greeted me from behind the counter, while two other salesmen were busying themselves with admin work and cleaning.
I began to have a look at the TV sets on display. After more than three minutes of browsing, Alvin approached me and asked if I needed any help.
I explained that I wanted to get a new TV and Alvin asked what size I wanted to buy. I said that we currently had a 32in set that we were moving to our bedroom, so a 40in set would be ideal.
He showed me a 40in set (KDL-40S5500), which was priced at £499.99. Alvin explained that the set had Freeview integrated and was a full HD model.
I asked what the next model up was from the set he had shown me. Alvin then presented the KDL-40W5810 set, which was priced at £649.99.
He explained that the set was 100Hz, but I said I did not understand what that meant.
“Basically, if you watch a lot of sport, if you watch DVDs where there is fast-moving action, the 100Hz stabilises the picture so that you don’t get picture judder,” he said.
“The motion flow is smooth.”
The price ticket indicated that the price was based on a trade-in deal.
He said: “You’ll get this price if you trade in any old TV. Any size, it doesn’t have to work, and you’ll get a free five-year warranty.”
I noticed a Freesat logo on the set and asked if the set had Freesat built-in and if so, what was available on the platform.
“You get high-definition channels from the BBC, ITV and Channel 4,” he said.
“That is a very good buy.”
I asked how long the trade-in offer was running for and Alvin said it would run until June 6. I asked for some information to take away and Alvin gave me a copy of the Sony Bravia TV range brochure.
Summary: Alvin was on good form. The only thing really missing from his pitch was a demonstration. Also, he got the number of HD channels on Freesat wrong. There are two HD channels on the platform, not three.
|
| Score: 8 out of 10 |
| Blu-ray shoes and more |
 HAVING seen an advertisement for one of Panasonic’s Blu-ray recorders, I headed to the technology department of Marks & Spencer in The Glades Shopping Centre.
After walking through the men’s clothing department, I arrived at the technology department and immediately spotted the product that I had come to see.
The DMR-BS850 was priced at £899, a saving of £100 on the usual retail price.
Matt was on the telephone and another member of staff was serving a customer, so I began to read the information that was next to the product.
After almost three minutes browsing, Matt joined me and asked if I needed any help.
I told him that I wanted to find out more about the Panasonic product.
He pointed out that the product had a twin Freesat tuner that would enable me to get high-definition channels, as long as I had a satellite dish installed on my property.
Matt said that the model had a 500GB hard drive that would allow me to record “around 300 hours of content”.
He also said that I could go online with the product to such sites as YouTube.
I asked how many HD channels were available on Freesat.
“At the moment, there are four HD channels,” he said, “BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five.”
The big highlight of the product, Matt said, is that it is a Blu-ray recorder.
“You can record down to Blu-ray discs,” he said, “but the only problem is you have to get hold of the Blu-ray discs, which are not that easy to get hold of.”
He pointed out that the unit upscaled standard DVDs and he also mentioned that the model had an SD card slot, “so that you can put create a photo album on there”.
I asked if Matt had any information available for the product he had presented.
He said he’d go and get some information for me. After three minutes, he returned with a photocopy of the information that I had already read, which showed the product highlights.
Summary: Matt was laid back and was able to talk me through the Panasonic product competently. He got the number of HD channels on Freesat wrong – there are two. Also, I would have liked him to demonstrate the unit and he did not attempt to close the sale.
|
| Score: 7 out of 10 |
| A dog’s breakfast? |
 AFTER a hearty breakfast a local café, I went to the Richer Sounds store on East Street, to find out more about Blu-ray players.
Inside the store, a salesman was serving a customer who wanted to buy a pair of headphones, while another member of staff was cleaning products and tidying up piles of flyers.
I headed to the back of the store to where the Blu-ray players were piled high. There were 11 players on display, from Sony and Pioneer models at £119.95, to a Sony model at £299.95.
After five minutes browsing, the salesman was still helping the customer who wanted to buy a pair of headphones and the other member of staff was still preoccupied with his tidying duties.
So, with no sign of an approach, I left the store.
Summary: While I fully appreciate that stores have to be kept clean and tidy – indeed the mystery shopping team will deduct points for messy displays and stores – cleaning when there are customers waiting is another example of retail suicide.
|
| Score: 0 out of 10 |
| No action on the floor |
 WANTING to buy a new vacuum cleaner, I headed to the Debenhams store in The Glades Shopping Centre.
After searching around, I found details of the store layout and took the escalator to the first floor, which is where the home department is located. I was the only customer in the department.
I found the floorcare display, which looked quite untidy.
As I browsed the Dyson cleaners, a member of staff walked between where I was standing and the display, but did not utter a single word.
A couple of Dyson models caught my eye – the DC14 Origin and the DC27 Absolute, which were priced at £209 and £299 respectively.
As I waited for an approach, I noticed a point-of-sale poster that was hanging from the ceiling, which was headed ‘Choosing your vacuum cleaner’.
This notice offered advice on key features, explained the differences between bagged and bagless and uprights and cylinders, and pointed out the key features of steam cleaning.
Sadly, no one approached me, so I walked out.
Summary: It is all well and good to have information at the point-of-sale, but it is key that staff also interact with customers, to trade the customer up and recommend suitable products.
|
| Score: 0 out of 10 |
| Nice box, but no service |
 HAVING seen Freesat advertised so much on TV, I went to the Maplin store on the High Street to find out more about the subscription-free platform.
As soon as I stepped foot into the store, two salesmen walked straight towards me, but then ignored me.
I made my way to the rear of the store to the set-top box area. Among various Freeview boxes, as well as other boxes, I spotted, on a bottom shelf, a Metronic HD box that had the Freesat logo on it.
I picked up the empty box and began to read the details on it. Although the box was empty, I could not see the actual set-top box on display. The Metronic (SATHD100) box was priced at £99.99.
After studying the box for more than five minutes, and with no approach, I left the store.
Summary: To have two sales staff walk straight past me without speaking is not just unprofessional, it’s plain rude. There is not much else I can say about this visit. |
| Score: 0 out of 10 |
|
Request ERT magazine
Sign up to the e-newsletter
Go
RSS Take a Town Feed
