Room for Improvement!

Room for Improvement!

I don't recommend this company for small complex design projects. These are my opinions on the experience I had in 2018 after working with this company.

I paid a high price for them to complete a project in three days, for it to then be delivered five weeks later. All@1Stop told me I was responsible for all delays. It was a project I was involved in at a world-famous Children's Hospital in Western Cape.

They demanded 100% up-front payment. I paid because I trusted them and they also refused to start any work before full payment was made.

They later said I misunderstood the meaning of a three day project - I am a UK doctor and English is my first language. They said I was to blame for all delays. In my opinion, they were unable to manage the project or their staff to meet deadlines. They seemed inexperienced, unable to handle their work efficiently and in the end provided a lot of defective work and products.

The designers however are good.

I got no additional opportunity to discuss my complaint in person with them. A meeting had been arranged to discuss my complaint, but unfortunately with a busy day at a Children's Hospital, I couldn't make that appointment, and I contacted them to explain. I wasn't given another appointment - they said I couldn't organise myself adequately, or something along those lines. I submitted a complaint to the Consumer Protector of Western Cape.

The Western Cape Consumer Protector upheld my complaint but could not enforce any negotiations with the company as they have no additional powers to do that. They advised I should take it further. Their comments were as follows:

THE COMPANY RESPONDED IN WRITING DENYING LIABILITY. THE BUSINESS IS NOT WILLING TO NEGOTIATE WITH OUR OFFICE FURTHER. THIS MATTER IS NOT CAPABLE OF RESOLUTION VIA OUR MANDATE. WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU REPORT THE MATTER TO THE NCC (NATIONAL CONSUMER COMMISSION).

The design was a set of three rotating wheels with a central rivet. So many they produced were off-centre and could not be used as they caused confusion for users (doctors and nurses) because the numbers did not marry up accurately. These numbers were drug doses and drug volumes for children. I was informed by Australian and UK hospitals that they would have been dangerous and unsafe to use, so I got them produced elsewhere. These were the additional costs to me along with courier costs that they initially agreed to pay because of their delays in delivering the project and they then refused to pay.

My advice to customers:

Try other businesses in Cape Town and get other quotations.

Do not under any circumstances pay 100% up-front costs.

Do not accept one item of poor quality, poor work and bad service and inferior customer care.

Find a company that can work to strict deadlines.

Customers are always right - because without customers there can be no business.

Get a refund for damaged goods and work that is not fit-for-purpose.

Don't accept an invoice that was costed for three days and then delivered weeks later without getting money back from a company.

I won't use this company again, it is a project that needs a good company to produce a high-quality product.

The mark of a good company is not when things are going well, but when there are problems that need to be put right and their willingness to address them.