Empire Direct: BE WARNED!!

TameRacingDriver · 06-09-2008, 9:35 AM

This is now the 8th week I have been without my TV set thanks to this disgraceful company. The warranty is not worth the paper it is written on. Let me tell you my story and hope that it serves as a warning that getting something for less money is sometimes a false economy.

Back in April last year, I was in the market for a new TV to replace my aging Sony Wega, and decided on advice from this forum to go for the Panasonic Viera 42" PX70 plasma model.

After shopping around, we had initially attempted to get John Lewis to do a price match on it but they refused, so we ordered it from Empire Direct as for only a little extra money, they offered a 5 year warranty.

Should have done my homework first on this company.

Anyway, the TV proved extremely reliable and good, until the middle of July when I got the dreaded "vertical line" fault on the screen.

So I rang them up, and they said that they would send a courier to collect the TV. I asked them how long it would be away for, and they could not give me an answer. Very helpful I'm sure.

What they did tell me however, was that it would get down to their repair centre the day after the courier picked it up and it would be looked at within three days of that.

At least the courier turned up when promised, and the TV was taken away. This was in the middle of July.

Two weeks later, I had heard nothing from them, so I rang them up again and asked if they had actually done anything with it yet. They told me that it had taken about 3 or 4 days to actually reach their repair centre, and that they had just looked at it and had to have it sent somewhere else for repair. So they lied to me about how long it would take to reach them and how long it took them to look at it.

They then told me that they had a two to three week turnaround. I asked if therefore this mean't I would get my TV back in two or three weeks and they told me this should be the case.

I waited 4 weeks and heard absolutely nothing from them again. So an email was sent to them telling them what I thought about their customer services and demanding to know when it would be returned to me.

I received a phone call soon after, and they told me that they had found out what the fault was and they were waiting for a part from Panasonic, and that should come either the following day, or Monday the following week, and then TV would be returned to me the following week after testing.

Fair enough then, but again they lied to me about the turnaround time. It seems that they had not even looked at it for about 4 weeks after it was sent to this other place.

I will add at this stage that I was fed up of watching TV on a laptop and we went and bought a cheap TV from a supermarket, thus negating any savings we had made in the first place by buying from them.

A week later, and once again I had heard nothing from them.

I rang their "customer service" department and all they could do was give me the number of the engineer. So much for "customer service". Then I tried to ring the number they gave me and I simply could not get through. I rang the "customer service" department back and they simply did not know what to do because "that is the number they use".

Eventually, after arguing down the phone with them, they gave me another number (why couldnt they just do this in the first place?). I tried this alternative number and got through, but was told they didn't even have the TV.

They said they would ring me back, and later I got a phone call and was told that the part they got "was faulty" and another was on order and it should take no more than a couple of days to get it and fit it.

However they said they could (would?) not tell me the number of the place that had the TV set when I asked to speak to them. They said I would be better off speaking to Panasonic, and they gave me the number. Not sure why though, but I thought what the hell I'll ring them anyway.

So I rang Panasonic, and explained the situation to them. They asked me what was wrong with the TV and I explained the fault to them. Straight away over the phone they told me "ah yes, that is a replacement panel that is needed, we always stock the parts for these and the turnaround for the parts is 24 - 48 hours". I was really livid by this stage, these idiots have had my TV for 7 weeks by this point and yet Panasonic not only knew what the fault was just off a description, but also that it could be fixed in two days tops. Why then, the need for 6 weeks of investigation?

Panasonic offered to try and find out where the TV was and what was happening. They rang me back and said they could not find out where it was (surprise surprise).

I rang Empire Direct back and told them I had spoken to Panasonic. They then said they would "try" and find out where the TV was and ring me back.

Later, I got a phone call back from them saying that the "wrong part had been sent and they were waiting for a new one". Hold on, the wrong part? I was told it was faulty before? I asked them if they were lying to me again, as that is different to what I had been told before and they said they had made a mistake. They told me though that they expected I would have it back this week.

I heard nothing until Wednesday when I got a phone call to say that I would be getting the TV back by courier on Friday (woohoo!).

Well someone stayed in all day to collect yesterday, and guess what? Nobody showed up. I rang them up again and asked where the hell it was? They said "it might come tomorrow" (as in today) but if it doesnt, ring back on Monday.

You know what? What an absolutely pathetic company this is. I actually think that they dont really want people to use their warranty, and I believe that had I not chased them up time and time again, I may never have seen that TV set again... and I still aint got it back so theres time yet for that to come true.

The customer service is none existant, and the main lesson I have learned from all of this is that low price isn't always everything. We really wished we had now just paid the extra from John Lewis, as I really believe that they would have got it sorted a lot quicker than this, and they would have loaned us a TV in the meantime, thus negating the need to actually buy another TV set.

I really expected that it would take up to a month or so to repair, but I think anything more than that is completely unreasonable. I actually truly believe that Panasonic would have repaired it a lot quicker than this, and in some ways I wished I'd just spoken to them in the first place as they have been quite helpful anyway and probably would have fixed it as a good will gesture. The fact that they knew what the fault was just from the description and said they had a 48 hour turnaround on parts delivery is just the icing on the cake. Its disgusting that I have been without a TV for approaching 8 weeks now.

I will never, ever buy from this company ever again, and I will be very vocal in my criticism of them to others. I will warn all of my friends, and I will write this wherever I think it may be read and useful to people.

I would seriously warn people off these, just because they are cheaper doesnt mean to say you should buy from them. God help you if what you buy goes wrong.

I will likely write to my local newspaper about this company and the terrible way I have been treat. They have lied through their teeth at every step of the way, and have taken way too long to fix the issue.

DO NOT BUY OFF THIS COMPANY!

*avinitski* · 06-09-2008, 9:47 AM

very unlucky tale there you have although im sure it wont scare people off from buying from ED in the future.

everyone has a bad story about one company or another, i have to say i don't hear many regarding ED.

it certainly could have been handled better in your case but im sure that doesn't happen every time.

all the best.

eric pisch · 06-09-2008, 9:51 AM

I've had 4 or 5 items (tvs, microwaves, fridges) from them always arrived in a couple of days perfect

I do always make sure any item I order from anyone is in stock first thou.

Sounds like you have had some bad luck

TameRacingDriver · 06-09-2008, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric pisch

I've had 4 or 5 items (tvs, microwaves, fridges) from them always arrived in a couple of days perfect

I do always make sure any item I order from anyone is in stock first thou.

Sounds like you have had some bad luck

In fairness, when I bought it, it came quickly. From that point of view, they were fine. Its just seems that once its left them, they really couldnt give a toss about you after that.

Beetlejuice · 06-09-2008, 10:05 AM

I have a Sony LCD TV which I ordered from them last year with the 'free' warranty... hope I don't get a fault too

Feel very sorry for you mate, nothing worse than when things aren't working and people genuinely don't seem to care.

Look on the bright side though, without have a TV for so long you've missed Big Brother

TameRacingDriver · 06-09-2008, 10:36 AM

Dont watch that crap anyway, I'd rather go and play with a hornets nest than watch that.

Ned Senior · 06-09-2008, 10:45 AM

About 7-10 (Iforget) years ago I ordered an AV amp off them stupidly not measuring my cabinet first I realised and tried to cancel the order but it had already gone to "Packing"
on arrival I refused the parcel and it got back to them 2 days later... however it took 3 weeks to get my refund!!!!

Never used 'em since

don't little av shops in towns pride themselves on CS even though they may be more expensive???

Xan · 06-09-2008, 1:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ned Senior

don't little av shops in towns pride themselves on CS even though they may be more expensive???

I agree, you will pay a slightly higher price but get much better service, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

With that said, there is stil no excuse for the poor service the OP has recieved.

Mr Incredible · 06-09-2008, 1:54 PM

For I moment I thought I was transported back to listening to That's Life!!

Shocking service. A warning for all.

Saggy · 06-09-2008, 1:55 PM

Sounds like you have had a bad run there. Being from a panasonic repair centre myself it sadly is a problem with the screens and our method is to order the screens in at time of booking the call so a turn around of 4-5 days is possible. I hear that some of the big internet companys use a online service system and the job can be picked up by anyone on the system (order works) and the dealer may not know who in fact is carrying out the repair.

I would recomend to anyone who does suffer this problem or in fact any repair in the guarantee is to either take it back to the company you purchased it from (if they have there own on site engineers) or ring the manufacturer direct and get your nearest servcie centre's details. Panasonic do have a wide network of repair centres and Panasonic do expect a turn around within 10 days.

I hope you get your set back soon and should you get any further problems you know what route to take.

Martin

*avinitski* · 06-09-2008, 2:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Incredible

For I moment I thought I was transported back to listening to That's Life!!

Shocking service. A warning for all.

i used to like the re enactments they did on that show, like how they would all take a character on board, anyway......

marty2005 · 06-09-2008, 2:56 PM

That's put me off ED.

You should try Microdirect. I waited over a month to get a refund. They ignore your emails, I was sending them 3 a day. They sent me a faulty graphics card and faulty ram.

Eclipse Computers - I took them to court and won. No apology, just a cheque send through the post. They didn't even bother to turn up so they lost.

Did you pay by credit card? You could have complained to your bank since they paid for it.

shahedz · 06-09-2008, 3:33 PM

Not to do with Empire direct but Panasonic, when my projector packed in with a common fault that affected 70% of the projectors sold , it took 3 phone calls and the best part of 8 weeks just to get a box from Panasonic to post it off to them in. Got to say though after that , they picked it up and fixed it pronto

andrewjh009 · 06-09-2008, 4:08 PM

Thats unfortunate, its very rare that a tv will develop a major fault outside the manufacturers warranty period, and usually by year 4 the tv isn't worth too much anyway, When my Sony Bravia developed a fault i simply looked at the list of approved agents for warranty work and they were out within a few days opened the case and fixed the loose cable, but this was of course within the one year manufacturers period. Item was bought from empire and in the panic i tried to get a refund/exchange but thats only available within 14days of delivery.

I've used empire a few times now and found them to be very good, they have shops now too and if the item in't in stock they'll order it in and give you a precise time for collection etc.

Yes its true that the local Av dealer or even john lewis will take care of you better, but then your paying alot more for that over a 30+ year purchasing timescale.

I'd maybe write to the MD mate, argue a case for a £250 gift certificate or something, as you say your out of pocket here due to waiting around for couriers and buying the supermarket tv that wasn't really upto much and campatible with your current set up.

Sonic67 · 06-09-2008, 4:24 PM

I bought a cooker off them in April, there isn't many people who can supply a green coloured fitted cooker cheap. It's been fine and they delivered on the day promised.

JagoPlasma · 06-09-2008, 4:37 PM

colleague of mine bought a tv from them a few months ago, went faulty after a few days. he's still waiting for a replacement.

i had a fault with a toshiba tv(only tv in household), couldnt give me an estimate of when it would be fixed as it was with a local repair place. kept ringing up and even rang the repair centre. they couldnt even tell me when it would be that they get to have a look at it.

anyway i complained to toshiba twice and the second time i was authorized a full refund. not bad for an 8month old tv

(still know where my 10yr old toshiba crt is and it works fine)

i do have purple snakes on my panasonic but i just cant be bothered with the hassle of trying to get it fixed as il buy a new tv soon and just move the panasonic upstairs

daviem · 07-09-2008, 9:53 PM

I'm in the middle of an almost identical saga with Empire Direct at the moment. It's a Panasonic PX70 37" with the vertical line fault, they've had the TV for 4 weeks now and the only feedback I've had is when I've phoned myself. The Customer Services Dept. are uninterested and on the verge of being rude, the Service Department don't have a clue what the fault is or who is trying to fix it and none of them can predict when I'll have my TV back.

The warranty provided by ED is a total joke and, like the OP, I'll never go this route again to save a few quid. It's only when you have problems that you find out how good these companies are. Like others who replied, I had no problems with the item being delivered but that's the easy part for them.

On my experience I would advise people to avoid Empire Direct like the plague.

JUS · 08-09-2008, 3:29 AM

This is quite shocking. I've bought a few things over the years from them. Nothing as big as a TV..I try to buy from faces. I certainly won't be buying anything else from them.

I find it odd some people posting "ordered a x from them and the delievered it really quickly"...that apparently is when the service stops so the comments are pointless.

Also quite surprising to hear so may people having problems with TV's. Little off topic but I wonder if it's due to the makers continually striving to make cheaper models...

Sonic67 · 08-09-2008, 9:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JUS

I find it odd some people posting "ordered a x from them and the delievered it really quickly"...that apparently is when the service stops so the comments are pointless.

People who get a good service are less vocal than those who get a bad one. It's possible many people have had a good service and not said anything as they don't see a need to. Aside from that if the thread is on Empire Direct can't people post their opinions both good and bad?

JUS · 08-09-2008, 9:25 AM

I haven't had problems with ED delivering goods and neither has anyone else in this thread. So I don't see why it helps. The aftersales seems to be the big problem. I'd be more than happy to read a post about someone having an aftersales problem ED resolved quickly and professionally. Seems to be all negative at the moment.

I'm certainly not going to buy from them if they deliver quickly but offer me no help if the product breaksdown when I get it.

PJTX100 · 08-09-2008, 9:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JUS

I'm certainly not going to buy from them if they deliver quickly but offer me no help if the product breaksdown when I get it.

Ditto.

Any of the big companies can generally get the goods to you quickly. It's the minimum requisite really nowadays, rather than a sign of good service.

What differentiates a company in terms of service is after-sales.

Clearly ED don't focus on this aspect, hence will not get my business in the future.

I don't mind paying extra at a bricks & mortar seller, or an online seller who invest in their after-sales.

Sonic67 · 08-09-2008, 9:42 AM

You make a good point but on the other hand I imagine that 99% of all goods ordered work fine. Also buying from a more expensive store doesn't always guarantee good after sales service. In my case I ordered a cooker from ED.

I could have ordered from Curry’s and paid more and still have had them trying to rip me off if the product failed. Given that generally products don’t fail I tend to take the view that I buy from the cheapest I can. 99% of the time it’s the right decision. Once in a while it might happen that the after sales service is abysmal but then I have various laws I can use to then go to the company with. It might mean hassle but then I don’t mind doing that. I once got involved in a dispute with Curry’s and by the time I’d finished they were jumping through hoops for me and the store manager had a heart attack (I’m not sure if that was linked though. I assume not).

TameRacingDriver · 08-09-2008, 11:49 AM

Update... apparently my TV has now been delivered back to me, although I am at work.

The cynic in me is half expecting it to have some other fault now though. Wouldnt surprise me if the screen was scratched or had some other fault, but until I get back from work I wont know.

I do know this much though, it'll be the last time they get any of my custom. They have been incompetent, and not in the slightest bit apologetic about any of it.

Beetlejuice · 08-09-2008, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbirkett

Update... apparently my TV has now been delivered back to me, although I am at work.

The cynic in me is half expecting it to have some other fault now though. Wouldnt surprise me if the screen was scratched or had some other fault, but until I get back from work I wont know.

I do know this much though, it'll be the last time they get any of my custom. They have been incompetent, and not in the slightest bit apologetic about any of it.

Here's hoping that it's sorted for good

mjn · 08-09-2008, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbirkett

Update... apparently my TV has now been delivered back to me, although I am at work.

The cynic in me is half expecting it to have some other fault now though. Wouldnt surprise me if the screen was scratched or had some other fault, but until I get back from work I wont know.

I do know this much though, it'll be the last time they get any of my custom. They have been incompetent, and not in the slightest bit apologetic about any of it.

Was there anybody actually at home to receive it though, or was it left on the door step?

TameRacingDriver · 08-09-2008, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjn

Was there anybody actually at home to receive it though, or was it left on the door step?

Yes luckily, wouldnt have put it past them to pull a stunt like that though!

daviem · 02-10-2008, 6:40 PM

Just an update to my saga with Empire Direct. After 7 weeks without a TV I am finally getting a replacement TV from Empire but only after I kicked up hell with them. It came as no surprise to discover that the PX70 was considered to be beyond economic repair but why did it take so long to decide that.

I was offered a Panasonic TH42PX80B and an Alphason stand as a replacement for my 37" PX70 with cabinet. As I wanted another cabinet and the PX80 range doesn't have them, I ended up getting a TH42PZ80B with the cabinet. I'm paying them another £200 for the upgrade though.

Never again Empire Direct!

TameRacingDriver · 02-10-2008, 6:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daviem

Just an update to my saga with Empire Direct. After 7 weeks without a TV I am finally getting a replacement TV from Empire but only after I kicked up hell with them. It came as no surprise to discover that the PX70 was considered to be beyond economic repair but why did it take so long to decide that.

I was offered a Panasonic TH42PX80B and an Alphason stand as a replacement for my 37" PX70 with cabinet. As I wanted another cabinet and the PX80 range doesn't have them, I ended up getting a TH42PZ80B with the cabinet. I'm paying them another £200 for the upgrade though.

Never again Empire Direct!

Wow a new TV, thats better than I got. Mine simply got fixed. I noticed a scuff on the cabinet too that wasnt there before, but to be honest, I was just glad to have it back, so didnt bother pursuing it.

Like you say never again.

daviem · 02-10-2008, 9:39 PM

I would have quite happily accepted my PX70 back within a reasonable time scale as I really liked it but to take all that time without any feedback is shocking. If I hadn't been politely forceful with their customer service department I wouldn't have been offered this replacement at all. They tried to blame Panasonic for the delay in making a decision on the repair but, as it's Empire's warranty cover, that isn't valid IMO.

daviem · 06-10-2008, 5:10 PM

The latest in this sorry saga is that I took the day off today to accept delivery of the replacement TV but when I phoned them to say I hadn't received the promised text message regarding the delivery time, I was told that the delivery was scheduled for Friday. They really are a shocking company to deal with.