Builders Express Norwood

My experience with the Norwood branch of the Builders express goes back some years. However, since I have been building recently, my experience intensified. Sadly however was the fact that the experience with the shop and its people have been always very negative. This fact has not improved over time. On the contrary.

During the last two months I have been to this store for about 40 times. As the store is close to home and I did not know of alternatives, I felt that I had to put up with the bad service. Fortunately now have an alternative store that sells the same products, but with friendly and efficient service.

What is so bad at the Norwood Builders express? In short, staff. Staff members are clearly either *********** of simply unwilling to serve and to help people. I have noticed that if someone needs advice it is hard too find somebody at all. If one is lucky and finds a person, that person is normally not able to help but he / she will find somebody who can. Of course this all takes time. But staff members are often observed talking on cell phones – and I take it that they are not speaking to clients.

Worse is the treatment one receives at the till. Often it happens that two women who are supposed to be working the tills, are speaking to one another. One would expect this conversation to be interrupted while one is paying. But this is not the case. They simply enter the articles on the till, all the time speaking to one another, even simply pointing at the card device, and the whole time continuing the conversation to their colleagues. Professionalism is not found here.

Upon my parting words, saying thank you and wishing them a good day, I am just looked at in blank amazement, without any comment - at least without any comment directed at me.

There are however two exceptions to this. The one is a security woman, Millie is her name. She is always helpful and focused on whoever it is she is dealing with. The other person I do not know by name. He always wears a green apron and he is very able and willing to come up with solutions.

However, the final straw was the other day when I found out that a tap I bought did not have all the necessary parts. It needs to be stated here that I did not want a refund, I simply wanted the missing part. It also needs to be stated that there was not a chance that the tap could have been bought somewhere else. It clearly states on the box that this is a builders warehouse tap. But the woman at the information was more concerned about me not having the slip available than trying to help me. Even the man that came later was just following protocol and refused to talk, as long as I did not come with the slip. In my disgust, I even went so far as to buy the missing part somewhere else.

It suffices to say that I will not visit this store again. Ever!