Boots cannot retain information through time

Yesterday I tried to ring up Boots to try to get them to deliver the perfume that they should have delivered a week ago. Having plucked the customer services number out their site which was pretty much so over complicated a task that I felt like a cross between Alan Turing trying to break the Enigma code and Jean-François Champollion deciphering the Rosetta Stone (0345 609 0055 if you want to know a secret) I finally got through to a real human.

She said she would have to put me on hold while she rang the store.  She then said she couldn't get through to the store and therefore had to terminate the call and I would have to either go to the store with the above number and ask them to call her or call her again later.  I asked if she or someone could not retain the information Id just imparted to prevent repetition but she said this is apparently impossible.  "I can't just give you a refund because the item is expensive".  Well, I know.  I paid for it.  Cheek.  I mean what's the point of customer service agents with no database?

Later I received this non-committal lackadaisical response that they might give me a refund or the article at some time in the future.  Whether a refund will occur and whether it will be cash or a gift card I cannot tell.  Or indeed if they will find the original item and expect me to take that...

The insanity is that this is a click and collect item so if it's lost somewhere it's lost in their warehouse, from their van or their store.  If I went into their store a similar item would be sitting on the shelf but they can't give me the identical item on the shelf because that's too complicated.  I have to wait for the exact item they lost.  But no one can see the insanity of this.

Hello Anthony,

We’ve sent your refund request for order *[848616443]* for review. If it’s approved, we’ll email you to confirm.

The review can take up to 14 days. However, our team is currently responding within *[6]* days.

You can check your return status anytime in *'My Account'* on our website.

*Please note:* Your order or item may show as refunded in 'My Account' while the review is still in progress. This does not mean the review has been completed. We apologise for any confusion or inconvenience this may cause.

Refund times vary by payment method:

 

• *Debit or credit card:* 3 to 5 working days

• *PayPal:* up to 30 working days

• *Klarna:* 3 to 5 working days

 

• *Advantage Card points:* up to 14 working days

• *Gift card:* Your refund confirmation email includes a link to your new digital gift card. To find it quickly, search your inbox for “Boots refund”.

If there's anything else you need, just reply to this email and we'll be happy to help.

Kind regards,

Eddie

Boots Customer Care Team