John Lewis & Partners — Local services in London

Dear John Lewis,

On 26 November 2024, I purchased a Ninja Air Fryer for £209 from White City Westfield, Ariel Way, London W12 7FU

On that evening, the staff were very helpful and polite. Three members of staff assisted me with packing, etc. I was very pleased with the purchase as I thought it would ease my life with cooking, given that I have surgery on both my hands. I had to carry the heavy item on the bus, which was a real struggle. When I began cooking, I realised that the machine was not performing well as the food was not cooking in the middle. I tried again the next day, but the result was the same. I decided to return the item. On 6 December 2024 at around 3:30 pm, I arrived at the shop with the heavy item. I was in pain with my hands and shoulder. I went to the till and explained the situation to a member of staff. She said she would need to speak to a manager. The manager was 2 metres away but did not come to speak to me directly. The staff member returned to the till and repeated that I would have to take the item home, call Ninja, and wait for them to collect it. I would then be given a code to return to the shop for a refund. I explained that I could not carry the item back due to my hand injury. I lifted my sleeve to show the staff member my arm. I also pointed out that I was not informed about the return/exchange/refund process on the day of purchase. The staff member continued to ask what was wrong with the machine and insisted that the food was not cooking properly. She wanted to test the machine, and I agreed. She and the manager took the item into a back room without inviting me to witness the test. After a few minutes, they returned with the machine and claimed it was working. I asked how they tested it and why I was not allowed to witness the test. The manager replied that they plugged it in at 240 degrees and it was working. Both became defensive when I suggested that the correct test would be to cook food in the machine. I requested to speak to another manager. A lady named Chloe came to speak to me. She repeated the same information, stating that I must take the item home and that they could not help me. This was despite my repeated explanations about my physical limitations and the lack of information provided at the time of purchase. In the meantime, I called Ninja. I had to go outside due to poor signal. After explaining the situation to the Ninja staff member, I returned to the shop and requested assistance to read a code on the machine. I was unable to do this myself due to my vision and hand injury. Manager Chloe refused to help, stating that she could not get involved in the matter with Ninja. I struggled to lift and turn the item while holding my phone to speak to the Ninja staff. Ninja provided a code, which I gave to the staff member at the till. She shrugged her shoulders and said she did not know how to use the code. She again requested assistance from another manager named Daniel. Daniel's approach was sarcastically aggressive. He claimed to have the same item at home and that it worked perfectly. I explained that my machine was not cooking properly, but he insisted that I must not have followed the instructions correctly. I assured him that I had followed all the steps in the instruction book. He then suggested that the instruction book envelope looked unopened, implying that I had not read the instructions. I explained that I am a tidy person. He then asked me three times for the receipt which I provided along with the Ninja code. He waved his hand at the staff member at the till, indicating that the code was not needed. I requested my bag back. He sarcastically offered to fold the bag for me, highlighting my disability. He then proceeded to disclose his own disability, stating that he had a metal plate in his spine, in a condescending and aggressive manner. My experience was extremely distressing and humiliating. I felt abused and forced to disclose my medical condition. I formally request that you treat this letter as a complaint. Thank you for your attention to...

John Lewis booked a delivery and assembly service for us for 14/01/2023, we received a text message in evening 13/01/2023 to confirm the time slot, so my wife and I drove from Birmingham to London after received the confirmation message. On the morning 14/01/2023, we received another confirmation message to confirm the delivery will be between 15:00 and 17:00. We have been waiting at the apartment whole day, then at 15:47 I have received a call, because my phone was on my hand, I tried to pick up the moment my phone rings, the delivery person hanged up straightaway. I then tried to call back, no one answered the phone but instead received the message saying they were not able to reach me, they will try to re-arrange the delivery. Then we spent about an hour on the phone with John Lewis customer service to explain our situation, not only we drove from Birmingham to London just for the delivery and assembly the day before, and spent whole day for nothing, but also, we will be away overseas for more than a month, we are going to lose several thousand pounds because their intentional missed delivery. On the phone, John Lewis customer service explained to me that the delivery people have been in front of our apartment, and they found no body in. I told them that was absolute a lie as both my wife and I were in the apartment all day, and the intercom system is brand new (perfectly working). They said they took a photo of our apartment, I asked them to send over the photo to prove, they said the photo will be send on Monday 16/01/2023. We have never received it. On the phone, we said we would like to complaint, the person from John Lewis customer service said to me that he has already raised a complaint for me.

Two weeks late, today 28/01/2023, I paid someone £400 drove from Birmingham to London waiting in the apartment for the delivery. Shockingly, we have been told it was only a delivery service, there is no assembly service. However, we have paid John Lewis for assembly service, and it shows on the receipt there is assembly service, and there is even a note on the delivery paper says “bedstead assembly will be setup for the same date”. Nevertheless, the delivery people have not done assembly even after they called their manager.

Absolutely...

Today I was subjected to a discriminatory and racist hehaviour by the security guard of your shop. I have been to multiple branches all over the UK, and I am from Dubai where more than 80+ nationalities reside and is huge tourist destination and we never treat people which such disrepect and its a disgrace to such a shop like John Lewis to have employees with such an attitude. I bought items from multiple shops in the mall and then went into John Lewis coz I like the quality and the brand, the entrance buzzed like many people before and after me and when I went out it buzzed again, the same occurree to other people -white- before and after me and he never bothered to move or check on them. Only me, he stopped me and asked me if I took anything from the shop, implying shoplifting which is the first disrepectful question, I explained nicely that I never bought nor touched anything and then he kept arrogantly asking me to show him my shopping bag from other shops saying that their must be tagged items, I thought it’s the bills’ barcode and no he said it isn’t and kept asking for me to show him the contents of my shopping bag, I told him this racism and discrimination and that I saw multiple people whom he didn’t even ask, so I show him my shopping bag contents one by one and obviously there is nothing stolen from any shop, I was in Primark before hidding to John Lewis and there was never a buzz or anything when I never bought anything from there. I walked out calling his behavior discrimination and racism and he kept yelling at me while I walked away that it isn’t and it is the policy. Does your policy not promote diversity and inclusion in one of the world’s biggest tourist destinations? or do I need to fit into a certain category or perhaps walk with my passport? or is it because I am a woman of color? this is a huge shame and a red flag to the quality and minset of such a prominent brand, and its a reflection that made me question everything. I don’t come to shop to get insulted in such a disrespectful way. This is racism and discrimination and sexism and I have lived in the UK and never had such an attitude towards me and such lack...