I cannot say I am superstitious about black cats. Being allergic to cats generally, I am not really fond of them, but I will not go out of my way to avoid them. Redcats are another matter altogether. No, not ginger cats. Redcats, the internet / mail-order clothes retailer that belongs to the PPR group.
I have been ordering a few childrens' clothes over the last year, as they tend to be relatively cheap and cheerful, and you can return items for free if you do not want them, for whathever reason. They have a fairly aggressive marketing approach. If you are on their e-mailing list, you are bombarded at least weekly by promotions making you regret ordering two T-shirts and a pair of shorts two weeks ago, when they are now 20% cheaper. But the trick is that your average customer (presumably budget-conscious mothers) needs to be particularly good at maths to find her way through this marketing campaign.
I recently decided to use up a £8.90 credit balance with VertBaudet, a Redcats brand which means Green Donkey. Here is what went through my mind. I am only allowed to use one "promotion code" per order, but which should I choose: free P&P if I order over the web (but the web did not acknowledge my account credit), £5 off my order if I order more than three items, 30% off my first item, 20% off my first three items, a free rucksack worth £15, a £5-off loyalty voucher, etc.? Trusting my old maths skills, I ordered two duvet covers (not on the list of items excluded from promotions), or, I figured, just enough to use up my credit, enjoy the £5 loyalty voucher and receive a free rucksack.
Well, you can imagine my surprise when VertBaudet invoiced me £45.75 for the duvet covers (single-size, printed cotton, nothing fancy at all). I rang up "Customer Care" and asked to be put through to Complaints: there was no need for it as the lady on the other end of the line handled my complaint herself. In fact, she presumably only deals with complaints... After only a few minutes and no fuss, she said a cheque of more than £20 would be issued to my attention, including £15 that had been charged for the "free" rucksack. How can I trust this monkey-, sorry, donkey-business in the future?
VertBaudet's motto is "Putting children first." Fine, as long as it is not at the expense of their mothers' purse!
I have been ordering a few childrens' clothes over the last year, as they tend to be relatively cheap and cheerful, and you can return items for free if you do not want them, for whathever reason. They have a fairly aggressive marketing approach. If you are on their e-mailing list, you are bombarded at least weekly by promotions making you regret ordering two T-shirts and a pair of shorts two weeks ago, when they are now 20% cheaper. But the trick is that your average customer (presumably budget-conscious mothers) needs to be particularly good at maths to find her way through this marketing campaign.
I recently decided to use up a £8.90 credit balance with VertBaudet, a Redcats brand which means Green Donkey. Here is what went through my mind. I am only allowed to use one "promotion code" per order, but which should I choose: free P&P if I order over the web (but the web did not acknowledge my account credit), £5 off my order if I order more than three items, 30% off my first item, 20% off my first three items, a free rucksack worth £15, a £5-off loyalty voucher, etc.? Trusting my old maths skills, I ordered two duvet covers (not on the list of items excluded from promotions), or, I figured, just enough to use up my credit, enjoy the £5 loyalty voucher and receive a free rucksack.
Well, you can imagine my surprise when VertBaudet invoiced me £45.75 for the duvet covers (single-size, printed cotton, nothing fancy at all). I rang up "Customer Care" and asked to be put through to Complaints: there was no need for it as the lady on the other end of the line handled my complaint herself. In fact, she presumably only deals with complaints... After only a few minutes and no fuss, she said a cheque of more than £20 would be issued to my attention, including £15 that had been charged for the "free" rucksack. How can I trust this monkey-, sorry, donkey-business in the future?
VertBaudet's motto is "Putting children first." Fine, as long as it is not at the expense of their mothers' purse!
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