Customer Care, no response

[37lover]

Adam [Admin]

Could I please ask you to contact Customer Care on my behalf and try and get them to reply to my query/complaint raised 31/12/2015, acknowledgment HD32623. I sent a reminder on 14/01/16 and this generated a different reference [HD36125]. Even allowing for the holidays this seems an excessive delay.

[WilliamDavid]

Best to phone them.

I don't think their email machine works.

[poliss]

Well it should work. Maybe the person in charge of the email needs a rocket.

[37lover]

WiiliamDavid,

Hornby operate an email system, they should support that. I do not accept that I should phone them, in my particular instance I am very hard of hearing so this 'option' is not really acceptable.

[poliss]

There are hundreds of thousands of us, if not millions, who do not use the phone for other medical reasons too.

It's Hornby's duty not to discriminate against disabled customers.

[The Captain90]

I too have been waiting a long time for a reply. Their email must be working as I got the auto reply.

[Wobblinwheel]

I sent them an email before Christmas. Still no response.

[michael.hamilton]

I've just asked a simple product information question via email (Wednesday morning UK time). I'll let you know when I receive an answer.

[michael.hamilton]

Auto-response received to product information question sent via email -

"Thank you, we have received your email, this is an automated response.

If your email was regarding Airfix or Corgi spares please allow up to 28 days. For all other enquiries we normally endeavour to reply within five working days. However we are currently experiencing longer response times for which we do apologise in advance. We are working to return to our normal service levels as quickly as possible and thank you for your patience at this time."

[VESPA]

More tales of woe in CC. It really is not good enough that emails are ignored. Perhaps the MD or Chairman might like to comment??

[walkingthedog]

I emailed the club earlier this year, nothing, rang them and got straight through. It's abysmal. All I can imagine is that they have a massive spam folder. 

[SteveM6]

As it is so well documented on here that emails to Hornby rarely, if ever, get a response, I am surprised that anyone bothers to try anymore. And yes it's not acceptable that Hornby have apparently failed to address the issue.

So, in the knowledge that you won't get an answer to an email, why do so many still try? Answer: so they have something to moan about.

If you want an answer use the phone.

[poliss]

Did you not read the posts explaining that thousands cannot use the phone because of medical conditions?

[SteveM6]

I did actually. So perhaps I should have said ask someone to phone on your behalf.

My point is that if you know they won't respond to an email, there is no point sending one in the first place.

[poliss]

You're trying to tell us that disabled people have to beg someone else to phone up for us? You're having a laugh aren't you? It's insulting too.

Maybe a disability rights organisation should sue Hornby. That would make them get their finger out.

[walkingthedog]

What did people who can't use the phone do before emails. Just interested that's all..

[Chrissaf]

Write letters......maybe!!!

.

I agree with the general sentiment expressed here that disability communication should be given more priority, by all organisations and companies.

[VESPA]

A email is the 21st century letter and the service is also 21st century where nobody gives a damn.

[37lover]

As it is so well documented on here that emails to Hornby rarely, if ever, get a response, I am surprised that anyone bothers to try anymore. And yes it's not acceptable that Hornby have apparently failed to address the issue.

So, in the knowledge that you won't get an answer to an email, why do so many still try? Answer: so they have something to moan about.

If you want an answer use the phone.

A rather rude, unneccessary, and probably factually incorrect post. Sure there have been quite a few posts about unanswered emails but we don't know how many do get answered. The percentage of unanswered might be very low but that's no help to those senders. I believe you've contributed to this forum for a while but perhaps you did not see the post by Adam asking for anyone who was experiencing a delay to post on here so he could raise with CC.

[37lover]

What did people who can't use the phone do before emails. Just interested that's all..

Personally once my hearing had failed to a level that made telephones too awkward I did as Chrisaf suggests and wrote letters. It was also about the time fax machines came on the market and I used them quite a bit, but loss of one's hearing is very restrictive and you simply cannot carry on as before.

 

PS: I should add that there was a text type telephone were you connected via a third party who typed the other persons spoken words which the deaf person could see on their 'telephone'. These are still in use today.

[Wobblinwheel]

I live in the US. International phone calls are usually not "cost effective". Shouldn't even be necessary these days. Emails give one a written, dated record of a particular conversation. SHOULD be much more efficient than a phone call! Phone calls have become almost obsolete in the "real world"! Answering an email can't be that difficult!

[WilliamDavid]

WiiliamDavid,

Hornby operate an email system, they should support that. I do not accept that I should phone them, in my particular instance I am very hard of hearing so this 'option' is not really acceptable.

I agree with you,  as I have never had a reply to an email, other than the automated response.

Unfortunately, although there are lots of things to like about Hornby, there are lots of things not to like.

[WilliamDavid]

As it is so well documented on here that emails to Hornby rarely, if ever, get a response, I am surprised that anyone bothers to try anymore. And yes it's not acceptable that Hornby have apparently failed to address the issue.

So, in the knowledge that you won't get an answer to an email, why do so many still try? Answer: so they have something to moan about.

If you want an answer use the phone.

A rather rude, unneccessary, and probably factually incorrect post. Sure there have been quite a few posts about unanswered emails but we don't know how many do get answered. The percentage of unanswered might be very low but that's no help to those senders. I believe you've contributed to this forum for a while but perhaps you did not see the post by Adam asking for anyone who was experiencing a delay to post on here so he could raise with CC.

The fact is their email system is not fit for purpose if any number of people don't get a reply.

They are probably understaffed, as are most companies these days, the team having to read and respond to stacks of emails, and also having to answer queues of phone calls. The phone always takes priority.

 

[dynax]

have you given any thought to the fact that Hornby may have problems with replying to emails because they can't get any staff to do the job, it not as easy as it may seem,  being sat in front of a screen replying to emails is a very demanding and time consuming job, you need to have excellent skills in typing, grammar, punctuation, not to mention being computer literate, and also have the knowledge to be able to answer questions and undertake problem solving, in an enviroment that is quite a niche area, the biggest problem is finding someone who has an interest themselves that has an understanding of the questions being asked, and to be able to reply to 10's if not 100's of emails on a daily basis is not an easy task, and to employ someone who is trustworthy is another matter as they are dealing with people's personal email addresses and other confidential material, so if you really want to make a difference why not ask Hornby for a job, and we'll see how long you will last, i'd give you 3 days tops, before you jacked it in,

[37lover]

dynax,

I certainly know when to use a full stop!