B&Q Stockton-on-Tees — Local services in Great Britain

Never been so insulted in a shop ever! I have been a B & Q customer for over 20 years and have recently become a trade point customer as I was spending quite a bit there doing major renovations to my house. I went there this evening with the wife to get some plasterboard for the weekends task at hand. We entered the store through the tradepoint entrance and proceeded straight to the plasterboard as I hadn’t made my mind up on vapourboard or insulated. After browsing that we walked to have a look at the fixings and decided the wife could pick some up from screwfix tomorrow whilst I was plasterboarding, I text the wife who had wandered off to look at the light fittings and told her when she got bored with lights to meet me at the hand tools, i had noticed a female member of staff watching us a few times by this point. Whilst browsing the tools the member of staff approached me and asked if she could help,I told her no.She then said she had noticed me wandering around and was there something I was looking for and I said no I’m just killing time while the wife is looking at sparkly stuff in the lighting department. A short amount of time went by with the same staff member watching me when the wife showed up, the same staff member then approached me again and asked if she could help me and what was I looking for I told her I didn’t need any help and that I knew what I wanted but was waiting to get it when the wife was finished browsing she then said it would be best if I left the shop as I had been acting suspiciously. Now I understand the challenges the retail industry faces with theft and shoplifting, by all means watch me but at least wait until I try to leave the store without paying for something before you approach me and accuse me of shoplifting, at this point I was furious and highly embarrassed as this had taken place in front of other customers. I asked to speak to a manager, the deputy manager arrived almost immediately. I explained to him what had happened and he said it was our fault because we look suspicious walking round the store at 7:30 at night??? I then told the deputy manager Dean that we were leaving. After walking out the store I left the wife in the van because she was embarrassed and shocked and I decided to return and get the items I needed as I hadn’t done anything wrong. I re-entered the store and immediately approached the same deputy manager Dean and explained that I was a long standing loyal customer of the business and that I wasn’t rude or abusive to anyone and that I understood that he had a right to be suspicious and to watch me but I shouldn’t have been directly approached until he had reasonable suspicion I was actually trying to leave with something rather than him just not liking the look of us, he the said “he didn’t know what suspicious looked to people from my world but to him I looked suspicious” I asked him what he was implying when he said people from my world and he said I was from outside retail, a lot of assumptions going on from the deputy manager. I said I had no reason to leave the store as I had done nothing wrong and could I go about my business unmolested collect the items I required and leave the store peacefully. All in the most embarrassed and insulted I’ve ever felt in a shop anywhere ever. In future I will use the Wickes over the road when I need plasterboard after work on a...

I have been a trade user at B&Q and the staff have always been more than helpful but today the tall gentleman who was working went above and beyond an excellent I had recently lost my work wallet 😭 with my cards in all bank cardsand trade cards I had already arranged replacement with my bank and I was able to get some cash to keep me until the replacement arrived not even thinking about having to purchase currently with card due to the covid 19 situation I got all the items that I needed and proceed to the till that was where the tall gentleman was serving in the trade part I gave him my details and got the cash to pay for them he said it was card only I explained what had happened and he offered to help by using his own card and I gave him my cash it was not a baq card but his own personal card that he used and cannot explain how excellent value staff are who go to work to keep the country moving I would like to say a massive thank you and the gentleman is a credit to baq work force as key workers people you only come across once in a million Many many thanks David odd jobs handyman...

Unfortunately my shopping experience was not great. On 3 separate 50 mile round trips I struggled to find what I needed. When I tried to speak to a member of staff again on each occasion I was spoken to abruptly and felt I was treading on eggshells when I needed assistance. I was spoken to rudely by a member of the click and collect team when I asked if there was a customer service desk to check product availability. I was rudely informed that there was no customer service and to check online, I was left standing with no solutions as to the products I required. There were at least 4 members of staff who I found rude over the recent visits to the store and some I found would rather stand and stare at customers who required help as opposed to assisting when needed. I understand these are unprecedented times that we are all facing at present however customer service should never be tarnished as a result. For this reason I will avoid B&Q for further purchases and feel the low level of service I received...