Senior Management at Box.co.uk To whom it may concern, Dear Sir / Madam, This is not a rant from a frustrated customer – after all it’s the season of goodwill. I do perhaps have some reason to be frustrated, however, as on the 10th of this month I placed an order (Order Number: S6H-8WM-L5C-YDC) for a customisable laptop which I spec’d for my art student daughter’s Christmas. This was delivered on 17 December, which in itself was a good result for Box.co.uk / DPD. Apart from the cardboard packaging being torn in the area of the handle, all appeared well until I switched it on. Then a black kidney-shaped area covering 30% of the screen appeared, and some crazing of the inner substrate was visible under back-lit conditions. Well these things happen, I had taken a chance with what for me was an unknown firm, located on the internet. Disappointing, that my daughter would be without her present on Christmas day though … unless the returns department were super-efficient … That was when other cracks of a different kind began to appear. I was asked to photograph the broken screen – unusual request, but I was told that there was no RMA forthcoming if I did not do so. So I did, and was scheduled for a 19 December collection for return to base (RMA# 75788). As I prepared the machine for return, I paid close attention to the very detailed and cautious return packaging instructions which as you well know are accompanied by a diagram. It was then that the obvious thought struck me: if the packaging it had been sent in had been compliant with these instructions, there never would have been a problem in the first place. It had come in a standard slim cardboard laptop box with small polystyrene frame struts only. No bubble wrap. No larger outer box with the industry standard polystyrene fill (as clearly shown in the emailed diagram: with one box within another larger box). No marking of fragile or identification on the outer grey plastic mailbag. I remarked on this incongruity to the returns staff who politely said that the somewhat minimalist dispatch packaging yielded on average only one damaged laptop per day. I understand that overall this is an economics argument: the cost of an extra protective margin in the packaging over against time saved, small percentage failure risk, all covered in any case by a claim against the carrier firm. You will, however appreciate that for me, I’ve experimented for a first time with Box.co.uk and it’s one failure out of one. I do think you have an issue not only with DPD, but with your dispatching department. Usually firms go over the top and drown us in acres of cardboard filled with fresh air, bubble wrap and polystyrene pellets – even for robust objects. You have an alternative strategy, fair enough, but for this reason, I do not wish this laptop (S/N NKW650SF0004C01632) to be returned back to me again, simply because quite obviously the HDD will have suffered the same trauma as the screen. Now, I’m experienced enough with distance selling to know that within 7 days – in any case – I can have a full refund, so we could easily be in a ‘I don’t lose / you don’t care’ situation here. Your polite staff have indicated that’s the likely outcome (0.1% failure rate is acceptable, and so we all play it all by the rules, shrugging our shoulders). I just wonder if there’s any chance of appealing to more senior executives who are empowered to think outside the box (no pun intended), and whether we could yet achieve a ‘win / win’ scenario which would retain my future custom, recommendations and positive review and your sale. Congratulations for your patience if you’ve read this far. Here’s my suggestion: I’m quite prepared to accept the full refund for the laptop which I’m entitled to, and never to have dealings again with box.co.uk, leaving you with a custom laptop to match up with another customer’s requirements. Or, if you are willing to refund me £20 for my fuel I am prepared to take a day out and do a 200 mile round trip to collect an all new replacement if it can be sourced by Christmas Eve. (I might be persuaded to let you send an all new replacement here provided there was an agreement that it would be packaged in a box within a box as per your own return instructions.) Well, whatever happens, I wish you a restful Christmas, Yours sincerely, Brian Johnston 10 Donnington Close, Leigh WN7 3NY, 01942 609748 or 0794 7874616