Comments on: Red Letter Days http://www.thatcanadiangirl.co.uk/blog/2005/03/30/red-letter-days/ Tech, community & life Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:02:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Richard http://www.thatcanadiangirl.co.uk/blog/2005/03/30/red-letter-days/#comment-26909 Richard Thu, 07 Oct 2010 10:55:43 +0000 /?p=349#comment-26909 Hi everybody, Interesting to see so many complaints about the voucher expiry issue simply because I have just suffered the same fate. My wife booked a RLD cookery course for me last November for my 40th. Although I tried to book an actual event, over six month period it was cancelled THREE times, usually at only 24 hours before the event actually took place, buggering up child-care arrangement etc...Took ages for RLD to issue a new voucher (needing all sorts of paperwork from me and incurring a recorded delivery cost...) only to discover that it only had a three month useage limit....which of course has now run out!!! Have sent a begging email to RLD's MD but not holding out much hope...... Hi everybody,

Interesting to see so many complaints about the voucher expiry issue simply because I have just suffered the same fate. My wife booked a RLD cookery course for me last November for my 40th. Although I tried to book an actual event, over six month period it was cancelled THREE times, usually at only 24 hours before the event actually took place, buggering up child-care arrangement etc…Took ages for RLD to issue a new voucher (needing all sorts of paperwork from me and incurring a recorded delivery cost…) only to discover that it only had a three month useage limit….which of course has now run out!!!

Have sent a begging email to RLD’s MD but not holding out much hope……

]]> By: Gail http://www.thatcanadiangirl.co.uk/blog/2005/03/30/red-letter-days/#comment-25279 Gail Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:42:57 +0000 /?p=349#comment-25279 Hi there, I noticed that you have said that Gift Experience Scotland has gone the same way but the business is still running (6 years strong) and has no problems paying suppliers / running experiences. We're actually expanding at the moment. I work with Gift Experience Scotland and would be happy to help you if you have a specific problem. Please contact me through the website and I will be happy to help. Gail Hi there,

I noticed that you have said that Gift Experience Scotland has gone the same way but the business is still running (6 years strong) and has no problems paying suppliers / running experiences. We’re actually expanding at the moment.

I work with Gift Experience Scotland and would be happy to help you if you have a specific problem. Please contact me through the website and I will be happy to help.

Gail

]]> By: Me http://www.thatcanadiangirl.co.uk/blog/2005/03/30/red-letter-days/#comment-25205 Me Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:20:21 +0000 /?p=349#comment-25205 I appears Gift Experience Scotland has went the same way, treating the paying customer with contempt, not paying suppliers in time and ruining experiences. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!! I appears Gift Experience Scotland has went the same way, treating the paying customer with contempt, not paying suppliers in time and ruining experiences. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!

]]> By: Dan http://www.thatcanadiangirl.co.uk/blog/2005/03/30/red-letter-days/#comment-23434 Dan Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:17:00 +0000 /?p=349#comment-23434 As a current and long time employee of RLD, can I also just add that Bobby is no longer an employee here and for good reason as you can see. We're under new ownership and have addressed many of the concerns raised throughout this post. Many thanks :o) As a current and long time employee of RLD, can I also just add that Bobby is no longer an employee here and for good reason as you can see. We’re under new ownership and have addressed many of the concerns raised throughout this post. Many thanks :o )

]]> By: a-coward http://www.thatcanadiangirl.co.uk/blog/2005/03/30/red-letter-days/#comment-486 a-coward Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:07:54 +0000 /?p=349#comment-486 I was compelled to reply to this post even if it is 3 years late, my reply is directed at Call Centre Drone. Whilst i am sympathetic to the pressures applied to people who work in call centres I don’t think the whinge from Call Centre Drone is professional and certainly does nothing to improve the profile of RLD. I myself have worked taking referred calls from a payment merchant and I understand KPI's and SLA's and how aggrieved and angry a customer can rightly get, especially when their mortgage payment is taken twice in a month! Whilst this job was frustrating it is not by far the most arduous job I have had - try working in a steel press mill, you will then know what pressure and REAL hard work is for a considerably lower salary and an infinitely more dangerous working environment. Thankfully my career has progressed since then. I suggest that you try and further your own career, a call centre is like any job at the bottom, we have all been there and managed to act gracefully. I am sure as a child you were told that life is not fair and that you make your own luck, the big surprise I suspect for you is that this is true! No wonder call centres are outsourced to foreign lands. Maybe not being able to communicate with the call taker is less detrimental to a business than having rude jobsworths you can understand! I was compelled to reply to this post even if it is 3 years late, my reply is directed at Call Centre Drone.

Whilst i am sympathetic to the pressures applied to people who work in call centres I don’t think the whinge from Call Centre Drone is professional and certainly does nothing to improve the profile of RLD. I myself have worked taking referred calls from a payment merchant and I understand KPI’s and SLA’s and how aggrieved and angry a customer can rightly get, especially when their mortgage payment is taken twice in a month!

Whilst this job was frustrating it is not by far the most arduous job I have had – try working in a steel press mill, you will then know what pressure and REAL hard work is for a considerably lower salary and an infinitely more dangerous working environment.

Thankfully my career has progressed since then. I suggest that you try and further your own career, a call centre is like any job at the bottom, we have all been there and managed to act gracefully. I am sure as a child you were told that life is not fair and that you make your own luck, the big surprise I suspect for you is that this is true!

No wonder call centres are outsourced to foreign lands. Maybe not being able to communicate with the call taker is less detrimental to a business than having rude jobsworths you can understand!

]]> By: Kerry http://www.thatcanadiangirl.co.uk/blog/2005/03/30/red-letter-days/#comment-485 Kerry Fri, 27 Apr 2007 08:58:35 +0000 /?p=349#comment-485 Hi Vero - I came across these old posts about Red Letter Days whilst doing price comparisons for my own gift experience company (Gift Experience Scotland Ltd). Although aware of many RLD problems during our initial market research, I had no idea things had gotten so bad. I just want to say thank you to you and your comments for reminding me exactly why we treat both our suppliers and customers with the utmost respect and politeness. Never in a million years do I want this sort of thing to happen to our company and to this end we pay our suppliers BEFORE the customer books and we are as flexible as possible when it comes to expiry dates etc. I just don't understand the reason for the extra charging when supplier prices went up - that is the main reason for an expiry date - so you can guarantee that price to the customer. Their prices are inflated too - during my price checks I found them to be sometimes 50% more expensive than us, and I know that we use the same suppliers for the particular experiences I'm talking about. Rest assured that we won't be putting our prices in line with RLD. Anyway, to summarise, please don't let your bad experience put you off - there ARE experience companies out there that act with integrity and great customer service. Thanks for reading this Kerry Hi Vero – I came across these old posts about Red Letter Days whilst doing price comparisons for my own gift experience company (Gift Experience Scotland Ltd). Although aware of many RLD problems during our initial market research, I had no idea things had gotten so bad. I just want to say thank you to you and your comments for reminding me exactly why we treat both our suppliers and customers with the utmost respect and politeness. Never in a million years do I want this sort of thing to happen to our company and to this end we pay our suppliers BEFORE the customer books and we are as flexible as possible when it comes to expiry dates etc. I just don’t understand the reason for the extra charging when supplier prices went up – that is the main reason for an expiry date – so you can guarantee that price to the customer.

Their prices are inflated too – during my price checks I found them to be sometimes 50% more expensive than us, and I know that we use the same suppliers for the particular experiences I’m talking about. Rest assured that we won’t be putting our prices in line with RLD. Anyway, to summarise, please don’t let your bad experience put you off – there ARE experience companies out there that act with integrity and great customer service. Thanks for reading this

Kerry

]]> By: Simon http://www.thatcanadiangirl.co.uk/blog/2005/03/30/red-letter-days/#comment-484 Simon Fri, 05 Jan 2007 11:13:01 +0000 /?p=349#comment-484 Our voucher expired - completely our fault, but most companies will extend a voucher if it expired... so I get an email from Red Letter Days today saying no refund as it's in the T&C's... blah blah blah. BUT, you can have 25% off if you want to re-book - word of mouth is the strongest communication method. Foxtrot Oscar.... By the way - if you booked on a credit card, you can still put a chargeback in upto 12 months after purchase.... ;) Our voucher expired – completely our fault, but most companies will extend a voucher if it expired… so I get an email from Red Letter Days today saying no refund as it’s in the T&C’s… blah blah blah.

BUT, you can have 25% off if you want to re-book – word of mouth is the strongest communication method.

Foxtrot Oscar….

By the way – if you booked on a credit card, you can still put a chargeback in upto 12 months after purchase…. ;)

]]> By: TomP http://www.thatcanadiangirl.co.uk/blog/2005/03/30/red-letter-days/#comment-483 TomP Thu, 03 Aug 2006 12:32:28 +0000 /?p=349#comment-483 As a former employee (a long time prior to the bankrupt episode), I can quite happily say that Red letter days used to be a great company both to work for and to be a customer of. However, things started to change. Richard Kaffel (at the time rumoured, probably correctly, by all the staff to be Rachel Kabra's bit on the side) began taking over more of the day to day running of the company and 'SNAFU' became the normal state of operation. Rachel turned up to approve designs and check out the marketing campaigns but had no clue about the actual customers and their feelings or the treatment of the suppliers of the various 'experiences' (they regularly got paid late if at all). All in all, the people at the firm were actually pretty competant and generally pleasant but the instructions and business practices handed down from senior management (We do not give refunds etc.....) were the sort of thing that one would expect from AOL. Far too much focus on marketing and branding with not enough emphasis on quality, integrity and transparency (also know as good old fashioned common sense). It is all very well being the 'market leader' but if you are leading a field with almost no competition that is not difficult but as soon as lastminute.com and numerous others (even the supplier themselves via the internet) get in on the act you have to lead the field by actually being GOOD at what you do. Hell, I even new suppliers that refused to deal with RLD as their billing and payments practices were so bad (just tip toeing on the right side of legal..... if you stretch the law a little). As a former employee (a long time prior to the bankrupt episode), I can quite happily say that Red letter days used to be a great company both to work for and to be a customer of. However, things started to change. Richard Kaffel (at the time rumoured, probably correctly, by all the staff to be Rachel Kabra’s bit on the side) began taking over more of the day to day running of the company and ‘SNAFU’ became the normal state of operation. Rachel turned up to approve designs and check out the marketing campaigns but had no clue about the actual customers and their feelings or the treatment of the suppliers of the various ‘experiences’ (they regularly got paid late if at all).

All in all, the people at the firm were actually pretty competant and generally pleasant but the instructions and business practices handed down from senior management (We do not give refunds etc…..) were the sort of thing that one would expect from AOL. Far too much focus on marketing and branding with not enough emphasis on quality, integrity and transparency (also know as good old fashioned common sense). It is all very well being the ‘market leader’ but if you are leading a field with almost no competition that is not difficult but as soon as lastminute.com and numerous others (even the supplier themselves via the internet) get in on the act you have to lead the field by actually being GOOD at what you do. Hell, I even new suppliers that refused to deal with RLD as their billing and payments practices were so bad (just tip toeing on the right side of legal….. if you stretch the law a little).

]]> By: PapaPulpo http://www.thatcanadiangirl.co.uk/blog/2005/03/30/red-letter-days/#comment-482 PapaPulpo Fri, 30 Jun 2006 12:21:28 +0000 /?p=349#comment-482 I was given a Red Letter voucher in July 2005. They then went publicly bust and I phoned in August to enquire...they said they were being taken over (by one of the other 'dragons'...obviously shorthand for arsehole thieves) and that all vouchers would be honoured but that they'd need a couple of months to get things in order. I moved house, and with various other committments, thought I'd wait until this Summer to use it. Now they say that no chance...it was last September or never. I've worked in call centres. I've worked in retail companies. I've never had (nor given) such appalling service. I recommend everyone avoids the new Red Letter company. 150GBP down the drain - and no attempt to try and help. May the owners have boils on their proverbials and suffer an almighty bankrupcy! I was given a Red Letter voucher in July 2005. They then went publicly bust and I phoned in August to enquire…they said they were being taken over (by one of the other ‘dragons’…obviously shorthand for arsehole thieves) and that all vouchers would be honoured but that they’d need a couple of months to get things in order. I moved house, and with various other committments, thought I’d wait until this Summer to use it. Now they say that no chance…it was last September or never. I’ve worked in call centres. I’ve worked in retail companies. I’ve never had (nor given) such appalling service. I recommend everyone avoids the new Red Letter company. 150GBP down the drain – and no attempt to try and help. May the owners have boils on their proverbials and suffer an almighty bankrupcy!

]]> By: Lavender http://www.thatcanadiangirl.co.uk/blog/2005/03/30/red-letter-days/#comment-481 Lavender Tue, 29 Nov 2005 21:04:13 +0000 /?p=349#comment-481 We did not suffer from an expired voucher, rather the Rally Driving experience was definately not anything like the desciption. Far from a wonderful three hour experience my husband and son stood around for two hours 45 minutes and finally were allowed in the rally car (well a ford anyway)drove around a disused airfield and then were criticized for not doing it right. The voucher says they would get a momento of the day, a baseball cap but oops, they were out of stock and after having paid £390 for the "experience" they were even charged for the tea and coffee !! I complained and the nice people at RLD sent me two more vouchers for the blue experiences, which are neither use nor ornament to my husband or 20 yr old. Not only that, it will just cost us more money and time to actually get to any of the places. The vouchers are going back. Don't suppose I will get any real money in return....... We did not suffer from an expired voucher, rather the Rally Driving experience was definately not anything like the desciption. Far from a wonderful three hour experience my husband and son stood around for two hours 45 minutes and finally were allowed in the rally car (well a ford anyway)drove around a disused airfield and then were criticized for not doing it right. The voucher says they would get a momento of the day, a baseball cap but oops, they were out of stock and after having paid £390 for the “experience” they were even charged for the tea and coffee !! I complained and the nice people at RLD sent me two more vouchers for the blue experiences, which are neither use nor ornament to my husband or 20 yr old. Not only that, it will just cost us more money and time to actually get to any of the places. The vouchers are going back. Don’t suppose I will get any real money in return…….

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