DFB whinge

[Vectis]

A while back there was a thread encouraging those of us who'd received bad (or good) service at the big DJ suppliers to post our experiences.

Last Thursday, 25th October I had a booking for a big kids disco (you may have seen the pics on the other thread) and the organiser asked for a bubble machine. So about a week beforehand I'd dug my decrepid old machine out of the shed and decided it was time for a new one. I did a bit of research and decided on a specific make/model and ordered one from DFB as they were showing as 'in stock' and the price was good. I ordered on the Friday evening so fully expected the order to be satisfied on the Monday and shipped overnight to arrive Tuesday.

Anyway, on Monday received an email stating that model A was out of stock, they could offer model B which they considered a better machine at an even cheaper price instead. Quick google showed good reviews for model B so I agreed.

Dispatch email arrived on Tuesday (not Monday as expected) and so I made sure someone was home all day Wednesday to take delivery. No parcel. OK thinks I - 'next day delivery' sometimes becomes 2 days especially when you consider where I am - so I arranged to be home Thursday as well. I then went to the courier tracking website to be shown the parcel was 'Delivered' on the Wednesday. Too late to do anything about it so I leave it 'til the morning to check with neighbours etc.

So, Thursday. Day of the gig. Check with the neighbours - nothing. I call DFB and am promised someone will look into it. I email them as well with full details. Strangely the courier website status changed a few minutes later showing the parcel 'out for delivery'. At 3:30pm there's a knock at the door. Parcel guy asking me to take something in for number 56 (we live at #58) as they're not home. So I agree and he brings me my bubble machine!!!

Number on the parcel? #56. Number on the invoice (inside the 'documents enclosed' wallet)? #58. So obviously a balls-up somewhere along the line with the dispatch department. I think nothing of it as I'm busy getting ready for the gig - quick test of the machine and out we go.

Anyway, tonight (Sunday... 4 days after complaint and 3 days after the gig) get an email from DFB thus:

Call Business Post and querry the delivery. If shown delivered then they will
have a signature.

Regards

############ (Director)
DFB Sound & Light Warehouse Limited


Well he's had a piece of my mind already.... :mad:

[Arnold_disco]

A while back there was a thread encouraging those of us who'd received bad (or good) service at the big DJ suppliers to post our experiences.

Last Thursday, 25th October I had a booking for a big kids disco (you may have seen the pics on the other thread) and the organiser asked for a bubble machine. So about a week beforehand I'd dug my decrepid old machine out of the shed and decided it was time for a new one. I did a bit of research and decided on a specific make/model and ordered one from DFB as they were showing as 'in stock' and the price was good. I ordered on the Friday evening so fully expected the order to be satisfied on the Monday and shipped overnight to arrive Tuesday.

Anyway, on Monday received an email stating that model A was out of stock, they could offer model B which they considered a better machine at an even cheaper price instead. Quick google showed good reviews for model B so I agreed.

Dispatch email arrived on Tuesday (not Monday as expected) and so I made sure someone was home all day Wednesday to take delivery. No parcel. OK thinks I - 'next day delivery' sometimes becomes 2 days especially when you consider where I am - so I arranged to be home Thursday as well. I then went to the courier tracking website to be shown the parcel was 'Delivered' on the Wednesday. Too late to do anything about it so I leave it 'til the morning to check with neighbours etc.

So, Thursday. Day of the gig. Check with the neighbours - nothing. I call DFB and am promised someone will look into it. I email them as well with full details. Strangely the courier website status changed a few minutes later showing the parcel 'out for delivery'. At 3:30pm there's a knock at the door. Parcel guy asking me to take something in for number 56 (we live at #58) as they're not home. So I agree and he brings me my bubble machine!!!

Number on the parcel? #56. Number on the invoice (inside the 'documents enclosed' wallet)? #58. So obviously a balls-up somewhere along the line with the dispatch department. I think nothing of it as I'm busy getting ready for the gig - quick test of the machine and out we go.

Anyway, tonight (Sunday... 4 days after complaint and 3 days after the gig) get an email from DFB thus:

Call Business Post and querry the delivery. If shown delivered then they will
have a signature.

Regards

Shaun Palmer (Director)
DFB Sound & Light Warehouse Limited


Well he's had a piece of my mind already.... :mad:
Come along to the open evening tommorow:)

[Vectis]

Come along to the open evening tommorow:)

Bit far... Anyway I can think of lots of places where I get much better service and will in future.

[Corabar Entertainment]

In fairness, I've heard many others compliment DFB on their service, so maybe you were just unlucky in this case

[sleah]

....and I've just ordered something from them tonight:eek:

Fingers crossed eh?

[wensleydale]

i had a problem with them a while ago and they refused to accept they were wrong, so ended up with me sending all the gear back at their expense.

they must have lost out a fair few hundred quid on that just beacuse they forgot to send about £30 of cabling which they refused to refund me as I had bought it from a local shop.

i would not use them again.

[Vectis]

....and I've just ordered something from them tonight:eek:

Fingers crossed eh?

If you're after receiving it in a hurry it might be worth a phone call to check they've definitely got stock.

[Sapphire Disco]

Must say I have always had good dealings with them , but if they do lapse at anytime it doesn't hurt to let people know, I'm sure they read this.

[rob1963]

I've used DFB nearly 10 times, and have always received excellent service.

My items have always arrived the following day, and on the 2 or 3 occasions when I've ordered something which was out of stock, I've received a phone call offering me an alternative model for the same price, even though the alternative is often more expensive...sometimes by £50.

I can't fault this company.

[Corabar Entertainment]

I've used DFB nearly 10 times, How do you use them 9.75 times then? :p (Sorry, I know, :offtopic:, but I couldn't resisit.... I'll go and stand in the corner now!)

[rob1963]

Sorry Angela,

I mean I've used them 8 or 9 times.

Now you can go & stand in the corner!

:rolleyes:

[Dragonfly]

How do you use them 9.75 times then? :p (Sorry, I know, :offtopic:, but I couldn't resisit.... I'll go and stand in the corner now!)

with your hands on your head facing the wall.....

ive used them a few times too always very helpful and also on the advice side , from my experience they have never been ones to sell me something i didnt need.

got my starcloth backdrop from there and they were great helping to find a stand solution for it.

[jamesh]

Sadly i can join the dont use DFB camp.... as had bad dealing with them in the past....

I had a faulty product and i sent it back under warranty for repair.... after 6 months of chasing them they turned around and said they had returned it and it was a delivery issue as they had sent it back and if i hadn't got it take it up with them.... and gave me the number of the company they use... All the tracking details recorded the parcel as delivered.... even though it hadn't been delivered to me.... the delivery company wouldn't talk to me on account matters as i didn't work for dfb but DFB didn't want to help anymore....

Eventually after a lot of moaning and phone calls to DFB once again they spoke to the delivery company and said it was ok for them to speak to me.....

Finally when the delivery guys had permission to talk to me about the DFB account matters it turned out that some how the delivery company were at fault as although they had a signed delivery note for the package but the package somehow was still in the warehouse depot!!!!!! So some driver had possible been a bit naughty and signed for it and hidden it away to claim at a later date.....

SO wasn't DFB's fault that it didn't arrive back to me in the end BUT their complete lack of customer support in the matter and them not wanting to try and sort it out and pretty much their basic attitude of not our problem sort it yourself we don't care approach made me never want to buy from them again...

[Vectis]

their basic attitude of not our problem sort it yourself we don't care approach

Sounds about right.

Wouldn't have minded if the email had arrived same or next day (not 4 days later) or if I'd had the callback that was promised asking basically 'sorry to hear about this, in the first instance please can you call courier company X on telephone number NNNNN quoting reference number ZZZZZ and if you still have a problem call me on YYYYY'.

[Vibrant Sounds]

I also will not use DFB anymore, I used to have my Mastermix disks on subscription with them, but when I required a specific light for a gig on a Saturday, ordered it by phone on the Wednesday, was told it was in stock and I would definetely receive it on Thursday. Took the Thursday off from work to ensure I was available to receive it, waited in all day, no parcel. Rang DFB on the Thursday evening and was very apologetically told there had been an error and it would be delivered on the Friday. So I now take another day off from work and again wait in all day for my light. Nothing arrived and at 5pm I again telephoned to find out what was happenning. Imagine my disgust when I am told nothing has been sent out to me as they did not have the item in stock and would not be receiving any until the following week, when I explained that I had asked the sales person to check the stock levels and he assured me that they had stock they again apologised and said the assistant had been mistaken. I told them to cancel the order and put down the phone.

The following morning, I was even more incensed when I received a letter from DFB with a bloody refund. It turned out that even though they didn't have the item they said they had, made me waste two days leave to await receipt for nothing they had even also charged my credit card for the item on the Wednesday.

I rang them as soon as they opened, had a right go at the manager/owner and cancelled my subscription with them, and I will never deal with them again, regardless of how good any offer may seem.

[dj-jaym]

no problems with dfb at all,

Very helpfull top lads, Price match etc do the best deals they can when ive asked them,

Lent me loan items if what i want is not in stock, Provide excellent tech help to, But then again i do visit in person,

Cant comment for DS because ive never ordered anythign for delivery

[wensleydale]

i think this is a lot of "problems" for one retailer- overall you expect stuff to be fine, but this many issues is a big concern from a relatively small selection of people...

[Vectis]

i think this is a lot of "problems" for one retailer-

To be fair I have used them 2 or 3 times before - not as often as I might have because I find their website very slow and confusing - and everything has gone well previously.

The problem seems to be bad synchronisation of stock detail and poor after-sales.

As a running business I can't afford to take chances on whether, when a business advertises they have stock, they might not. Or when I request help it takes 4 days to arrive and then is useless.

I've used other online suppliers many many times (given my location) and I've now got a shortlist of the very few that I trust.

[soundscapes]

ive used dfb loads of times and have never had any problems with them

[Excalibur]

I've usually gone in personally, and have always had an accurate check of whether an item was in stock over the phone. I have however heard less than complimentary things about them, but speak as you find, they've been OK with me.( So far!)

[rob1963]

i think this is a lot of "problems" for one retailer- overall you expect stuff to be fine, but this many issues is a big concern from a relatively small selection of people...

I disagree.

I've only seen 4 negative comments about them (including your own) from MDD forum members in this thread.

I think that's very good for such a well-used company.

Even the best & most efficient companies in the world will still have their share of problems.