Retailers that deserve to go bust

Starbucks can also go for selling horrid coffee and tea that is frankly not tea.

Please share ?

Oh noooo what happened? I hate Nando's, ate there once and it was vile.

I vote for Lush, Primark and the Body Shop, for what it has become.

Currys, bunch of charlatans. Shoefayre, horrid plasticy faux leather shoes.

The problem is our local high street is already 75% charity shops so more retailers going bust will lead to yet more charity shops.

actually i quite like argos ?, and sometimes get things from there

though i was watching an Alan Carr video recently and he described the chairs you sit on whilst waiting for your item as "like a theatre for the poor" ?

I don't mind Argos either ? Especially now they have those machines where you can do it all yourself and don't actually have to interact with anyone - this is my ideal shopping experience ?

Go on then. We went to Nando's on a whim. They seated us in a tiny downstairs bit, barely bigger than our lounge, with a party of 20+ teenagers (no way any of them were over 16 and no adults with them) who were hideously behaved. We asked to be moved upstairs and were refused, then two minutes later a couple at the table next to us asked to be moved and they moved them! We asked again and were refused again. The kids were so loud we couldn't actually have a conversation.

The food took forever to arrive and when it came the chips were barely warm, H's chicken was burnt to a crisp and mine wasn't what I'd ordered; I'd asked for the chicken burger with the lemon and herb and without garnish and they did it with the hottest spice and with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. The atmosphere was so horrid that we didn't want to wait for it to be sent back and new cooked, so we decided to leave. As we left, we asked for and complained to the manager, and he just stared at us! Made no attempt to address our complaint at all; didn't even speak!

I sent them a complaint via their website, hoping to either get a refund or a free meal voucher we could use at another Nando's. Needless to say, we will never been returning to that particular one. In a 'normal' restaurant, where you pay after you eat, not before, we wouldn't have paid. The letter I got back told me they have procedures in place to ensure the quality of the food (what help is that to someone whose food was inedible?) and that staff would have moved us had there been somewhere to move us to. Clearly bollox as they managed to move the couple next to us who asked after we did. The letter didn't address the issue of the management failing to deal with our complaint. I've written back, but heard nothing yet.

Noooooooooo they do the most sinfully lovely sausage rolls <fat pig icon> ?

My vote goes for small Tescos which take over nice, small local stores ?

I also vote for TK Maxx and Primark. I refuse to enter either due to not being able to find anything. I like to see what I am buying without resorting to rummiging. also vote for Next, which used to be a favourite of mine, but just recently (as in the past few years) it's gotten boring, every time I go in there I feel completly uninspired.

also Phase Eight the only thing they seem to stock is over-priced 'mother of the bride' type outfits.

So did Michael McIntyre....

?

What MH said ?

John Lewis, Bluewater. Appalling customer service, surly staff.

Rache, I buy clothes at Laura Ashley <I am old>. I really like their work wear

Argos can stay, but their home delivery bit has to go. I spent an entire Saturday waiting for a washing machine to turn up only to be told when I rung up to query where it was that they'd cancelled my order 3 days beforehand for some spurious reason.

I hate argos. I've never got stuff in there in less than 45 minutes, and that includes the times its been reserved.

agree with PC World- I WANT TO GIVE YOU MONEY! how difficult is it for you to allow me to buy something in your shop?

Generally, I'm up for furmiture shops. When we bought our first house we'd go and select, say, a sofa. I'd like the sofa please! no problem, that will be £X. all good. until your told you won't be getting it for 4 months.. 4 months? how can they say these things with a straight face? Its only a frigging sofa for crying out loud (this is why i have a house full of ex ideal home exhibits ?)

So DFS, Land of leather, MFI etc etc

I was only thinking yesterday how totally tragic it would be if Boots went under though.

Really? I'm not sure I'd miss them at all to be honest. I hardly ever shop in there because I can get everything in Tesco with my weekly shop, and usually cheaper.

But BHS has to be allowed to continue selling socks. They do the best socks for my giant feet ?

MK One - that can go. Like Primark but shitter

I was going to nominate Shoefayre, but I think they might be on the way out anyway. Is Priceless shoes the same company? Anywhere that has big racks of the same (usually crappy plastic) shoes but not enough giant sizes (spot a trend here?)

Barrats sucks as well.

i d have left there and then. i d have also demanded a refund

ah yes, my mistake. MM, not AC

I'm confused . . . Nando's demand cash up front ?

That alone would ring warning bells with me. ?

They've gone bust twice this year. The retailer that just won't die.

I like our local Boots store and have always found the staff to be helpful and attentive. Yes, I agree you can buy some similar products cheaper in supermarkets, but they are good for specific items not so available in other stores e.g. specialist health foods/medicines/herbal remedies etc. I vote to keep Boots.

They don't really compete on price, but quality. Their advantage card is brilliant and their staff are very well trained. I might be biased (I worked for them for 4 years whilst at school) but i think their products are all very well made and easily compete with premuim brands.

They even do nice food! their sandwiches were found to be the healthiest on the high street in one of those "the truth about.. " programmes.

Yes, you pay when you order. Not unusual I suppose in that most pub grub is done this way. Just not what you expect from somewhere that professes itself to be a restaurant.

Nick J, we'd already paid when they refused to move us, or we would have left then.

You're younger than me! ?

If you are old then I am ancient ?

Iceland because of their adverts and support of the cheap produce culture.

None of you are enticing me back to the UK with your tales of woe with shops and restaurants!

I'm dreading facing getting a few last minute bits and pieces when I get back next week. Thankfully the only 2 places I HAVE to go to aren't any on this thread!

Why do you think the British customer service is so bad? Maybe it's the little pocket we live in here, but it really stands out how 99% of the shop staff go out of their way to be friendly, and get it right between being helpful, but not too pushy. Is it the lack of training, lack of wages or just ill manners?

Noooo, leave greggs and argos out of it. ?

I can't stand TK Maxx, that can go.

Nooo, I like Lush

For me:

PC World as they never seem to know what the hell they are talking about and I have never seen so many staff doing so little

Primary, sorry, I just don't like them

Starbucks

Macdonalds. Even when I was a teenager I thought their food was awful

Lush has already gone bust...well sort of. it's the *** child of a company that did go bust - cosmetics to go. Local Poole rumour has it that the factory staff were so lightfingered they stole all the profit. Anyway CTG was mail order only...wish it had stayed like that as the smell from Lush shops make me retch.

Laura Ashley? isnt that for lavender stinking old ladies? every time i pass a shop i just cant believe the chintz i see.

I actually think UK customer service is quite good on balance, especially compared to mainland Europe. it seems to me that the more commercially minded and more competitive businesses are, the better the customer service. The US is very commercial, very business-orientated- hence you get fab service. France, Belgium etc- v uncompetitive, crap service. I think the UK's somewhere in the middle.