Peter Jones & Partners — Attraction in London

Stalked and discriminated against. Worst experience of any store I have experienced, let alone a John Lewis branch. I’ve had better experience in Wilkos. 1 star is far too high of a rating.

Right, so I was shopping with my daughter, a few items for my newly arrived son. Unfortunately they didn’t have much in store in terms of stock or assortment. Ended up grabbing a 3 piece baby outfit for a friends baby to arrive and a bath toy my daughter picked out. Both items were placed on my daughters buggy seat, as she was walking around after a nap. I wanted to head up to 4th, to grab a small TV for a guest room. But I noticed a female staff member following me around, she was following me around for a while as I was wondering, as you do in a department store, but didn’t give it much of thought. I was under the impression she may just be around to offer assistance. Now I’m shopping around as usual, nothing out the ordinary, and dressed casual for the weather - jeans, jumper and coat. I’m a brown man. Very distressingly I feel I have to mention this, as I have never encountered an experience like this in any shop in London, in my 32 years of life - born and bread in leafy Bloomsbury. And I cannot fathom what would cause a person to treat me in the way I am about briefly describe.

So, I was heading to the lift, and the Caucasian female staff calls out to me, “excuse me, have you paid for those items”. I need to stress I’m on the 3rd floor at this point, not near an exit and I’m attempting to go to 4th via the lifts. I replied, “no, I’m just heading to 4th quickly to find a TV. I can pay for all my things together, no?” In short, her response was, “no, you aren’t allowed to take items into the lifts without paying!!!” In total shock?!?! Never heard such a thing. Yet I’m seeing others go up and down in lifts with items on their hands and baskets. Which I mentioned to her. She insisted this is something that is policy. So I just told her to send security after me, as I’m going up regardless. I feel I’m being discriminated against, as I couldn’t understand what made me standout. The only thing I could see a variation against at that given time with other customers roaming freely was my skin colour. Which I also mentioned, at which point she said “no I care about black children” and moved away in what I can only describe as embarrassment and guilt. I went on to 4th but couldn’t really, continue my shop due to shock, embarrassment and feeling uncomfortable. I decided to go back to 3rd floor to pay and speak to manager to voice my concern. First, I was told no manager was available by this very lady who discriminated me (due to race sadly to say). Suddenly, duty manager Greg showed up. Who is a jobs worth, and seems like he was trained by zoo keepers. Had no skill or experience in customer service, compassion, empathy, listening and most importantly problem solving. After detailing the experience I had encountered and how I felt, his solution was that he would escort me to any till of my choice. Seriously? I recommend either JLP put this chap in immediate and intensive training on all fronts of management fundamentals or he voluntarily opts for such training. How is he able to delegate or be taken seriously. Or is it he cares not for my situation as a coloured person being discriminated against?

Such a sad experience in London, in 2023. All the while with my 3 year old daughter right by my side.

Note @JL: I have a receipt of my purchases in store to indicate date and time. Please advise best course of complaint process for this as #BAME and #BLM count. Shame,...

This is the second time I make the mistake of ordering a white good from JL/Peter Jones and adding the installation service. For this dishwasher, installation cannot be booked online, one must call the number detailed in the product description. I tried on three consecutive days, on each and every time unable to get through but kept on hold for 15 minutes because lines were exceptionally busy. On day four, I resolved to leg it to my local JL, which happens to be Peter Jones. I ordered the dishwasher in person, added the removal of the previous one, plus the installation service. Eventually, delivery was finally arranged for 14 days later.

The men swiftly removed the existing dishwasher but told me they couldn't install the new one because three planks of wood were lodged underneath the old one and they are not 'allowed to remove them'. They told me these instances are very common. So I am now looking for a handyman who can remove said planks, before I am supposed to call JL back [yeah right] for them to book the men again [who knows when] to come and finish the installation. Pic enclosed shows how lovely the new dishwasher looks in my kitchen.

I experienced an identical situation three years ago, when I purchased a new washing machine. The delivery men arrived and told me that they couldn't remove the existing one because it was wired into the wall [yes, you will find many older machines are wired into the wall for safety reasons] and that I had first to find an electrician that would un-wire the existing one, then I would need to call them back so that they would push the one into place, and then my electrician would need to come back to wire the new machine into the wall because they couldn't do it.

Therefore John Lewis, let's describe your 'installation' service in detail: we will deliver the white good to your kitchen and plug it in; if anything more complex is required, we won't do it.

Now, anyone but the least dexterous amongst us can "install' a dishwasher or a washing machine when all you do is connecting the pipes to the taps and plugging the item into the socket. The point of purchasing a NINETY QUID INSTALLATION SERVICE [by the way, you can refund it now, thank you] is so that anything else above and beyond the simplest plug n' play scenario can be resolved by the servicemen. Three weeks since my existing dishwasher failed, I have the new one in the middle of the kitchen and I need to find someone else to help me with it. JOKE or WHAT!

[By the way, it took me SIX WEEKS to resolve the washing machine installation]

Steph + John Lewis = it's over! And...

Not good. Can do better!

I visited Peter Jones a couple of days ago to purchase some Calvin Klein underwear. Before I entered the store, I expected that there would be an issue of some sort because there so often is when shopping at the John Lewis Partnership. My prophesy turned out to be correct!

The fixture displaying designer underwear was substantially reduced in the brands and styles on offer. There were no Calvin Klein briefs in a three pair pack in medium size; and very few Calvin Klein lines on display at all. The Assistant told me that the store had not had a delivery since the Covid 19 lockdown which should be cause for concern because the store had been trading for a few weeks following the easing of lockdown restrictions. I found this explanation surprising because John Lewis sells Calvin Klein underwear on-line and deliveries must have been taking place to the Partnership's distribution warehouse during the lockdown restrictions. As John Lewis has been doing so badly in recent years, it should not have been beyond the capability of its managers to ensure that they had adequate supplies of all the things they sell in readiness of sales when lockdown restrictions ended.

The John Lewis Partnership is run like a civil service bureaucracy with procedures set in stone that must be maintained no matter what. John Lewis employees are content with whatever outcomes occur so long as the procedure has been followed faithfully. An analogy might be helpful to exemplify my position - If John Lewis manufactured a car which required four wheels, they would be content producing a car with three wheels so long as the defined process and its procedures had been correctly followed. This type of bureaucracy may have suited retailing in the 1950's, after the war, but it has no place in a modern progressive market economy.

The staff listen to customers but things never improve. Institutional arrogance, perhaps? The absence of an apology from the Shop Assistant for inconveniencing me was noticeable. John Lewis will not recover by rebranding itself "John Lewis and Partners", or 'Peter Jones and Partners." I could not care less if the employees own the business collectively or if it is listed on the Stock Exchange, all customers want is product availability without the fuss.

I went to a small retailer a few hundred yards from Peter Jones and purchased my underwear without any...