[WillowTheWhisp]

Well, praise for the area manager of 'Sense' actually, Mrs. Barbara Hand.


Yesterday I was having a look round 'Sense' the new charity shop on Broadway. I spotted an item of furniture which was ideal for a spot in our hallway. Paid for it and arranged for it to be delivered today, at an extra charge. Was told that deliveries are done sometime between 10am and 3pm but they couldn't specify when. I told them I couldn't have it delivered tomorrow as I wouldn't be in in the morning and couldn't guarantee what time I would get back.

I saw him write it down in a book. I waited in all day today, not even daring to go out to the shed in case the delivery came and I missed it. Every time the phone rang I thought it would be the delivery man saying he was coming as they had said he would phone before coming.

3pm came and went but the item of furniture didn't so I got Mimi to call in at the shop on her way home from college to see what was happening. (I didn't have a phone number for the shop.) She phoned me to say that they claimed to have no record of me wanting it delivered. I spoke to them and this varied between my not being 'in the book' to my details saying that I didn't want it delivering today but wanted it tomorrow morning, to my details only being in one book when they should be in two. The driver apparently only looks at his delivery book and it had only been written in the furniture book.

The manager asked if they could deliver it tomorrow. I said no because I didn't know when I'd be in but asked if I could collect it when we got back and could I have my delivery fee refunded. She said I couldn't have it back because it had already been given to the driver to cover his deisel. I asked how he could need it to cover deisel he hadn't used because he hadn't been.

By this time I was losing my cool and got rather annoyed with her so by the time she said "Is it my fault if I have incompetent staff?" I replied that it certainly wasn't mine!

Anyway she said she couldn't refund me even if I picked it up because she needed authority from the area manager to do refunds. So I asked for the phone number of the area manager.

I phoned a lovely lady by the name of Barbara Hand who is the area manager and she was brilliant. She said the driver didn't actually finish until 5pm and as he was at that very moment sitting upstairs in the Accrington shop she would get him to put it on his van and bring it up here - which she did, and which he did, and here it is. Now she made it so simple. If only the manager of the Accrington shop could have responded to Mimi with "Oh sorry, we've obviously got our wires crossed. I'll get the driver to pop up with it now." It would have saved her being on the receiving end of a very miffed Willow.

Well done Mrs Hand. You have restored my faith in humanity.