Beware of StressFreePrint

[joshgeake]

I just wanted to let everyone know why I’ll be avoiding “StressFreePrint” for my company’s stationery.

The other day I realised I needed to order some more letterheads as we were running low. As ever, the thought lingered until I got an email from StressFreePrint offering 20% off my next order. I’ve used them a number of times in the past and only had good experiences.

“Perfect! I’ll sort that now.”

It was 6pm and I needed to get home so I hurriedly placed the order but in my rush, I couldn’t find the voucher box.

“Never mind, I’ll pay now and ask for a partial refund, no biggie.”

So I paid the full amount there and then and immediately left an online chat message asking for the discount to be honoured via a separate partial refund. That was that and I left the office to go home.

Several days passed without a response until some rather bashed up boxes of letterheads arrived. This was followed by an email...

“I'm afraid we are unable to offer you a partial refund, however, as your code is still valid until 27/04/17 you can use it on your next order by adding it into the discount code box.”

What? Did they deliberately wait for the order to be delivered before denying the partial refund? What service is this?! I wanted the discount on this order!

I checked our accounts with them and it seems we’ve used StressFreePrint 23 times over the past 2 years, spending in total over £7,000. With the discount being only about £40, why on Earth were they being so awkward about it?

I emailed them, just to make sure they fully understood what happened and simply asked for the partial refund again. However...

“Whilst I am unable to provide a partial refund for the order, I have been able to organise a 20% discount off your next order without any restrictions on when you need to use it. All you would need to do is get in touch prior to placing your order and I will organise a discount code for use on that purchase.

If that isn't satisfactory I would be more than happy to arrange collection of the letterheads and, once returned here, provide a full refund for the order.”

So they would rather collect the entire order and process a full refund than just give me the £40 discount they promised?! How bizarre. I replied and simply said...

“I have no idea why your company is being so awkward about offering the 20% refund. It’s like an insurance company that’s more than happy to bill you for a premium but then denies all in the eventuality of a claim. I’ve spent THOUSANDS with you, recommended you and frequently left good feedback on feefo in the past so this is especially disappointing.

To be perfectly frank, I’m perplexed that you’re offering us such appalling customer service.”

They didn’t even bother responding and apparently made sure I didn’t get the FeeFo review invitation! Here’s where I didn’t want to waste any more time with them and gave up chasing.

Okay, it’s not the biggest scam on the internet but to deny a regular customer the discount that you originally offered is appalling customer service. As an online business operator, I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to offer a partial refund simply because my customer didn’t fill in a voucher field.

Beware folks, I certainly won’t be going back to StressFreePrint.

 

[obscure]

So you didn't bother to order your stationary in good time and when you did place the order you felt it was more important to go home than to go through the order process properly to claim the discount and yet this is somehow poor service on their part even after they offered you a no restrictions discount or full refund.

Sounds like a classic case of the 80/20 rule.

 

[DanS]

Hi Josh,

I feel their response of offering a 20% off code for use in the future was more than fair.

Perhaps it isn't a case of not wanting to give you a refund, perhaps they are simply unable to, i.e their payment processor may only allow them to do full refunds and I certainly don't think this case warrants that!

"Okay, it’s not the biggest scam on the internet but to deny a regular customer the discount that you originally offered is appalling customer service." - They haven't denied you the discount, you simply haven't bothered to use it, this is far from a 'scam'!

I myself offered my customers 75% off their first order, I even put a code and text at the top of the order page saying 'make sure you use this code below'.... people still didn't and instead paid full price.

Will I offer them all 75% refunds? Absolutely not! If you want to the discount, use the code!

 

[joshgeake]

Hi Josh,

I feel their response of offering a 20% off code for use in the future was more than fair.

Perhaps it isn't a case of not wanting to give you a refund, perhaps they are simply unable to, i.e their payment processor may only allow them to do full refunds and I certainly don't think this case warrants that!

"Okay, it’s not the biggest scam on the internet but to deny a regular customer the discount that you originally offered is appalling customer service." - They haven't denied you the discount, you simply haven't bothered to use it, this is far from a 'scam'!

I myself offered my customers 75% off their first order, I even put a code and text at the top of the order page saying 'make sure you use this code below'.... people still didn't and instead paid full price.

Will I offer them all 75% refunds? Absolutely not! If you want to the discount, use the code!

That's fine, just don't expect them to ever come back.

 

[joshgeake]

So you didn't bother to order your stationary in good time and when you did place the order you felt it was more important to go home than to go through the order process properly to claim the discount and yet this is somehow poor service on their part even after they offered you a no restrictions discount or full refund.

Sounds like a classic case of the 80/20 rule.

Oh I'm entirely aware that I didn't jump through all their hoops. Customer service doesn't start and end in the Terms and Conditions though, especially when it's a £3,500 p.a. customer.

 

[DavidWH]

You got the e-mail offering 20% off, that reminded you to place the order for your letterheads, it was 6pm, and you wanted to go home, rather than find the discount code that reminded you to order your letterheads, you placed the order at full price and expected the supplier to refund the 20% because of your bone idleness?

I think them offering an extended 20% off your next order is more than reasonable... from my understanding it was entirely your own making, and not theirs at all.

Perhaps they don't really want the mither, and wouldn't bat an eyelid if you went elsewhere?

£7000 of turnover, probably didn't nett them a huge amount of profit, and looking at their accounts on companies house I doubt they've lost any sleep over it.

 

[AllUpHere]

You've got to love threads like this. The OP can't get his way so throws his toys out of the pram and seeks revenge on the internet. What would forums do without keyboard warriors to keep them going, I wonder.

 

[joshgeake]

I'm pretty surprised by all these responses. Have you all got customers to throw away?

 

[DavidWH]

If they're a pain in the arse... yes. Someone else can entertain them and I'll get on with running my business and looking after customers with common sense.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

Of course they need to do this.

What sort of precedent would it set if they give you a post-sale refund? What if someone placed an order without knowing anything about a discount, then found a code on the web and started demanding a refund?

I understand your frustration as appears nonsensical to upset a long-standing customer over a trivial amount. However, such practices can open a can of worms the company would rather do without.

Big companies like this also have structures in place. A member of the sales staff could be sacked if they hand out a refund without authorisation. And in their day-to-day job, how much effort are they really going to put into speaking to a manager about this?

I certainly don't think it warrants a thread like this, though. It was your fault, and the second fault was making the assumption that the partial refund would be provided. You've ordered a lot from them, so you must have been happy prior to this.

I think saying "beware" and bad-mouthing the company online when they've refused to do something they were not obliged to do is a little harsh, wouldn't you say?

 

[AllUpHere]

I'm pretty surprised by all these responses. Have you all got customers to throw away?

Yep, if a client was given a discount, couldn't be arsed to use it, then moaned about it, they'd be gone.

 

[fisicx]

That's fine, just don't expect them to ever come back.

They do come back. I'd put money on you using stressfreeprint again as well.

 

[obscure]

Oh I'm entirely aware that I didn't bother to do my job properly. Customer service doesn't start and end in the Terms and Conditions though,

Fixed the typo for you and you are of course correct. Customer Service starts with the customer (who isn't always right). there is no reason why a company should reward a bad customer. Just because you spent some money with them it doesn't mean that your failing become their problem.

 

[STDFR33]

Businesses brand customers like this 'PITA customers'.

The only unreasonable party in this is the OP. The OP was lazy, and later had an entitled attitude.

If the OP is such a regular big spender, £40 would not have made a difference on the order, and the offer to get 20% later (perhaps on larger order) was more than fair.

 

[joshgeake]

They do come back. I'd put money on you using stressfreeprint again as well.

Not likely, partly for the above but also because the European printers like Hello Print and OnlinePrinter.co.uk are far cheaper.

 

[AllUpHere]

Not likely, partly for the above but also because the European printers like Hello Print and OnlinePrinter.co.uk are far cheaper.

The cynic in me suspects this whole thread may have been an excuse for a link drop. Well played Sir.

 

[joshgeake]

Nobody has to agree with me or even empathise. The frustrating thing for me is that I assumed they would honour the discount despite me not jumping through their process whereas they had other ideas. It wasn't laziness, or that I "couldn't be arsed to use it", I was just in a rush to get home and feed my kids.

In my experience (of having worked at these places) Tesco, Currys etc would have honoured it and so too would many other online retailers because the cost of recruiting a long-term happy customer is far more than £40. I'd have also not batted an eyelid about offering it to one of my customers but maybe that's just because the likes of Amazon are currently trashing online retail to pieces.

 

[joshgeake]

The cynic in me suspects this whole thread may have been an excuse for a link drop. Well played Sir.

I'd have had to get the link right for that - it's actually onlineprinters.co.uk! Delivery takes a while and it's based in Germany (ignore the tld) but they do offer rounded corners which it crazy rare.

 

[DavidWH]

maybe that's just because the likes of Amazon are currently trashing online retail to pieces.

And these European (and UK) print houses, are trashing the industry for those printers who have own presses, driving the prices and margins down further and further. As above, they're probably not making as much as you'd think, and it's not worth them messing about with you.

 

[ethical PR]

Nobody has to agree with me or even empathise. The frustrating thing for me is that I assumed they would honour the discount despite me not jumping through their process whereas they had other ideas. It wasn't laziness, or that I "couldn't be arsed to use it", I was just in a rush to get home and feed my kids.

In my experience (of having worked at these places) Tesco, Currys etc would have honoured it and so too would many other online retailers because the cost of recruiting a long-term happy customer is far more than £40. I'd have also not batted an eyelid about offering it to one of my customers but maybe that's just because the likes of Amazon are currently trashing online retail to pieces.

Come on.....

Putting a voucher code into your order would have taken you about 5 second.
1. Copy code
2. Paste into the order

 

[Dean Shepherd]

Clearly not the dose of realism the OP expected but hopefully, on reflection, a lesson learned.

The offer of a replacement discount code is pretty generous and evidence of a company that cares about its customers, however small they are. I will now be giving StressFreePrint a go with my next stationery order.

I think they call that a PR win!

 

[AllUpHere]

Clearly not the dose of realism the OP expected but hopefully, on reflection, a lesson learned.

The offer of a replacement discount code is pretty generous and evidence of a company that cares about its customers, however small they are. I will now be giving StressFreePrint a go with my next stationery order.

I think they call that a PR win!

Agreed. I'd never heard of them but I'd consider giving them a go now.

 

[Alan]

What if this whole thread was just ruse to promote stressfreeprint by creating an 'unreasonable' customer persona?

 

[bigbuzzbelfast]

If what the OP said is true then I'd ditch them as the saying goes "plenty more printers in the area" gaining a customer can take months losing one can take minutes, if this is the case then they would have lost me in a heartbeat.

I know plenty of printers and if one is not up to the job or gives me a reason to go to another then so be it. He will have to remember that he/they are not just losing my business but also an advertiser for their services. As we all know happy customers are a great source of positive advertising.

 

[AllUpHere]

As we all know happy customers are a great source of positive advertising.

As are unhappy ones, as this tread proves (as long as the unhappy customer is seen to be unreasonable).

 

[japancool]

Try this...

1. Buy pizza from Pizza Hut, Dominos or a similar chain at full price.
2. Eat pizza.
3. Return next day with voucher code and ask for refund.

What do you suppose will happen?

 

[bigbuzzbelfast]

As I said " gaining a customer can take months losing one can take minutes" if anybody can afford to lose customers then good on them.

 

[japancool]

And the last time you gave a customer a retroactive discount because they demanded one was...?

 

[bigbuzzbelfast]

And the last time you gave a customer a retroactive discount because they demanded one was...?

Sorry but I don't think the OP demanded rather asked was it possible as they were under pressure and had to run and is a bit, annoyed and dismayed at the fact that there was no response from the business. I don't see anywhere that there was a demand.

 

[ethical PR]

@bigbuzzbelfast having read what the OP said happened, I think the company was more than reasonable.

1. The customer couldn't be bothered to copy and paste their discount code when they made an order (a couple of clicks)

2. They then wanted the company to retrospectively apply the discount after the order had been processed

3. The company explained it wasn't possible but offered the OP an opportunity to apply the discount to a future order without a time limit

4. The OP is annoyed because they can't get their own way and came on a high profile forum to try and damage the suppliers reputation

I don't believe in retaining customers at all costs. Some customers are not worth having.

 

[bigbuzzbelfast]

Seriously are you all without fault on these forums? Have you never been annoyed? Never vented your annoyance. We don't know the full history or come to that facts we can only go on what the OP said or how they put it.

Let the person vent their annoyance, get it out of their system. It does not seem to be doing the company any harm on these high profile forums I am sure we have all had worse done to us.

 

[joshgeake]

Seriously are you all without fault on these forums? Have you never been annoyed? Never vented your annoyance. We don't know the full history or come to that facts we can only go on what the OP said or how they put it.

Let the person vent their annoyance, get it out of their system. It does not seem to be doing the company any harm on these high profile forums I am sure we have all had worse done to us.

I have found these forums to be full of people that are (perhaps understandably if they're business owners or operators) more than happy to pour salt on a customer's wounds.

As for the chap that asked about retrospective refunds, yes, plenty of times - these are my most valuable customers.

 

[joshgeake]

Try this...

1. Buy pizza from Pizza Hut, Dominos or a similar chain at full price.
2. Eat pizza.
3. Return next day with voucher code and ask for refund.

What do you suppose will happen?

If you ordered in person at a branch, it wouldn't surprise me if they offer a partial refund or store credit etc. Amazingly, these places do need customers.

 

[joshgeake]

As are unhappy ones, as this tread proves (as long as the unhappy customer is seen to be unreasonable).

Sometimes they are, sometimes they're not. Any whiff of a negative experience is often enough to put someone off a £1000+ print job. Especially because it's not exactly the easiest thing to fix after the work is carried out.

 

[fisicx]

As for the chap that asked about retrospective refunds, yes, plenty of times - these are my most valuable customers.

Indeed, but you probably spoke to first level support and they have no means to give you a retrospective discount. The automated systems these companies use are locked down with no simple way to override the database. Which is why they offered you a discount on your next order. It's got nothing to do with customer service, it's simply just not something they can do.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

£7000 spent over 2 years
Say £3000 over next year
£3000*20% = £600
I would get the biggest order together and send it in for the £600 rather than £40

 

[joshgeake]

£7000 spent over 2 years
Say £3000 over next year
£3000*20% = £600
I would get the biggest order together and send it in for the £600 rather than £40

It's all quite small orders - letterheads, promotional leaflets etc. I could get 20,000 letterheads printed but I'm planning on removing the fax number (and possibly moving premises) over the next 12-24 months.

 

[japancool]

Sorry but I don't think the OP demanded rather asked was it possible as they were under pressure and had to run and is a bit, annoyed and dismayed at the fact that there was no response from the business. I don't see anywhere that there was a demand.

I didn't get a refund so I'm taking all my business away. Sounds like a demand to me.

 

[HarveyIT]

Is it THEIR fault that you ordered at the last minute, and because of that, didn't have time to find the voucher box/code, before you placed the order?
In this day and age, I really don't think anyone can avoid negative reviews. At some point, there will be someone who, for one reason or another, won't be happy. A reasonable person won't just look at the fact it's a neg, but will look at what it was about(if there is enough info to go on). A person who isn't so reasonable... well, perhaps you don't want them as a customer anyway?
You referred to bashed up boxes, but you never mentioned if the actual contents were ok? Were they?
I've ordered stuff in the past, from different companies, and sometimes you do get boxes that are bashed a little, but the contents have been fine, because the contents are cushioned to avoid that possibility.
I can't prove it's you, but I suspect it is (given it was only posted 4 days ago), I like the fact you appear to have left a review on TrustPilot under "OnlineReviewer", that says:

"Didn't honour the offered discount after I couldn't find the voucher box and the letterheads arrived in bashed up boxes. Why don't they protect the paper in the boxes?"

Once again, were the contents intact and ok? I'm assuming from your last statement, they WERE badly damaged?

Also, how come you seem to have blocked your profile on here from being viewed? I'm a free member.... so are you it would seem... I take it you were aware? If so, why?

I get voucher codes for things all the time (infact usually on a daily basis), and usually from places I've ordered from before, and intend to again. I don't think I'd ever ask what you did.
I reckon you've made this out to be a bigger issue than it really should be... but hey, that's just my opinion, what do I know!

 

[bigbuzzbelfast]

I didn't get a refund so I'm taking all my business away. Sounds like a demand to me.

Or perhaps it's a statement? That's the thing about words written or spoken they can be taken in so many different ways.

And as you said yourself to YOU it sounds like a demand.