Paid for a 1.4 meter long £165 antenna, I was sent a £3 ferrite clip in a jiffy bag. I spent some time online replying to eMails and entering into online chats to explain the problem, and I provided photographs of the incorrect item, the packaging, and the tiny bubble wrap pouch it came in.
I was told an error was made and that a replacement would be sent out to me next day, and to print out their return label for the incorrect item. I was told that they didn't have the ability to collect the incorrect item at the same time as delivering the correct one.
The following day the delivery person came again with yet another jiffy bag. I could see what was coming.. clearly I was sent the wrong item again.
He wasn't aware of the collection so it remained with me.
I advised RS in yet another chat and further emails. I was given more return labels to print out at my expense and was assured my order had been dispatched the previous day.
Day three came, a knock at the door. I assumed this mess was now dealt with and was about to sign for my new antenna. The person at the door had no goods for me, but was here to retrieve one of the incorrect items.
I spoke again to RS via email and their website. To my surprise they still hadn't dispatched the McGill 7.5dbi antenna I ordered, claiming that they are still trying to locate it in their warehouse, in contradiction to their claim the previous day that they had located the item and the 2nd incorrect item was sent out before they realised the error.
Now three days since paying £166 for my "next day delivery" antenna I've still not got what I paid for. I've asked RS what they intend to do about it and they tell me they are still trying to locate the item in their warehouse.
It's not terribly difficult to see that a 3 inch by 4 inch jiffy bag doesn't contain a 7.5dbi 1.4 metre microwave antenna, and one would think that these issues would ensure a person of sound mind picking the stock could be asked to actually look at the item and label in their stock bins.
I'm beginning to feel as if I've ordered from a scam website, I've had better received orders from wish.com.
I've now made a direct request that I am refunded so that I can pay the additional £10 saving to McGill directly for my antenna.
I have had no reply. It is now 3pm on Friday and clearly this is now going to drag on to the middle of next week. I've wasted three days at home for deliveries that didn't come, I've wasted hours responding to tone deaf emails asking me if I could please restate my complaint with order numbers, account numbers, addresses and phone numbers I've already given over and over and over again.
This is without a doubt the worst and most negligent online ordering experience I have ever had the misfortune of finding myself in.
Do yourself a favour, don't buy from RS, find out who the OEM is and order from them directly. Your time is worth more than institutional incompetence tantamount to postal fraud.
I have reference numbers, order numbers, supply numbers and after sales reference enquiries coming out of my ears!
Order/ After sales question 371900-2236590-3231006.
Order reference 169091052 for stock 2370182.
Order/ After sales question 371900-2236590-3234460.
Enquiry ID number 86292547.
Order/ After sales question 371900-2236590-3238309.
Order/ After sales question 371900-2236590-3239937
Every new email they send me, every enquiry reference they give me, every new delivery response they send me, every new question number, every time they send me an incorrect product they give me a new order number, every time they issue a return label they give me a new returns number and order me to print out their labels with new tracking numbers.
It's all nonsense. None of these numbers persist from one interaction to the next.
I've ordered ONE product. I paid ONCE. I should have ONE order reference, I should have ONE tracking number. That should be the totality of my interaction with a business I buy a product from!
Instead, every time I respond to an email or chat request I'm talking to a new person who appears to be working entirely from the notes left by the previous person, new garbage numbers are issued. One interaction has no link to the previous one, their customer service staff have the text recognition capabilities of a Windows 95 486DX hand operated photo scanner.
To add insult to injury I was contacted again on the 9th May to advise me that they will not be giving me a refund until 3x parcels are collected to retrieve their £4 clip. The incompetence here is astonishing. Firstly they sent out the wrong item twice, not three times. Secondly, they already collected one last week. Thirdly, how DARE they hold MY MONEY TO RANSOM while they clean up their mistakes?
I've wasted so much time since ordering on the 3rd May, and STILL I neither have the product or my money. INCOMPETANT.