H**l*y customer service just gets worse and worse.....

kevin · Jul 18, 2007 7:45 pm

I am honestly appalled by the level of service from H**l*y; and would like to hear from the rest in this forum about similar experience.

If you were to read my other post, I had initially not heard a reply from the customer service rep for 5 business days about my questions. This was just 2 days after being assigned one.

I had subsequently made a trip down to their office and spoke to the team leader whom this customer rep reports who then promised to improve their level of service and that I should stick to this customer service rep cos it's their 'best'.

Last week, I again sent a list of questions needing answer prior to my tender appointment and guess what? No reply; not a single word, call, email for the past 3 full business days. I contacted the 'team leader' again today and the only reply I had was that he'll reply to my queries in the next few days.

I just can't comprehend why I get much better customer service buying a $40 radio from a store vs spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to build a house with a company like H**l*y.

This is getting ridiculous. I cannot imagine the treatment if I do sign the contract.

Anyone with similar experience pl. PM me. Some contacts as to whom I should be taking this up (to the top maybe) sounds like the only option now.

Cookiemonster · Jul 18, 2007 7:48 pm

Sorry to hear about your dramas.

My only advice would be speak with your wallet. Take your business elsewhere if you're not happy.

kevin · Jul 18, 2007 8:01 pm

H**l*y in Melbourne need to get their act together. I wonder if this is the same with H**l*y everywhere.

devank · Jul 18, 2007 8:13 pm

There aren't many good stories I heard about 'Henley' ! You may want to do a bit of search on Henley here.

sneakersss · Jul 18, 2007 9:23 pm

Cookiemonster

Sorry to hear about your dramas.

My only advice would be speak with your wallet. Take your business elsewhere if you're not happy.

I agree.

If I was in your position I would just walk away right now. If you're having this much problem now then what might happen later when things get more serious?

mollmart · Jul 18, 2007 9:28 pm

Oh where do we start !! I tell you where, we started with them (Plantation Homes) ie Henly in [b]March 2006[/b] and here we are now in July 2007 !! and if we are lucky we might get to move into our new home by mid August !! after the most stressfull building process we have ever encountered !! SERVICE - Henley (Plantation) do not know the meaning of customer service !!!!!!

vpande · Jul 18, 2007 9:35 pm

If you are in Melbourne, I would recommend Sandra in Berwick display who was fantastic. she was happy to stay back to discuss with us and even sent us a quote for the modifications same night.... we didnot go with them because the floorplan modifications were going too far.

vpande · Jul 18, 2007 9:39 pm

2005 when our friends built w Henley they never had issues and recommended them to us... perhaps the same staff keeps changing from building co to co.... looks like the've joined Carlisle.... :lol:

Matt what do you say! :lol:

kevin · Jul 18, 2007 9:42 pm

I've no complains of the sales person at the point cook display where we signed up. It's the customer service rep assigned to us at their HQ along ferntree gully road.

vpande

2005 when our friends built w Henley they never had issues and recommended them to us... perhaps the same staff keeps changing from building co to co.... looks like the've joined Carlisle.... :lol:

Matt what do you say! :lol:

vpande · Jul 18, 2007 9:54 pm

oops, Ok I get it now. Is there any means of asking for a different person to the 'team leader"or even perhaps give a written complaint. we had several changes of staff as they kept leaving (2 of them) then finally when we got the third we confirmed jokingly if she planned to leave too... but she's been fantastic. Hubby did tell the team leader that #immonds have been calling us up almost daily to see if we had decided and perhaps at this rate we should be choosing them instd of you)
Good luck..

perryr · Jul 18, 2007 10:03 pm

I think elsewhere on the forum, there's a reference that the CSRs at Henley have about 50 houses on the go at once. That could explain the level of customer service.

As was said earlier - if you haven't gone too far, get out and take your business elsewhere.

mattwalker · Jul 18, 2007 10:44 pm

perryr

I think elsewhere on the forum, there's a reference that the CSRs at Henley have about 50 houses on the go at once. That could explain the level of customer service.

As was said earlier - if you haven't gone too far, get out and take your business elsewhere.

This is 100% the issue ... overworked and underpaid!

Kevin,

Walk away if you are not happy. There are so many good builders out there (Carlisle Homes for example) who really want your business.

connexion · Jul 19, 2007 12:37 am

Hi Kevin, sorry to hear that.
I am building with Henley in Berwick. going for final inspection on 3rd august. My experience overall has been very good. My admin office is in Narre Waren not in Henley HQ. It seems that there are a lot of problems for those who build on the west/north of melbourne. let us know how you go with this...

kevin · Jul 20, 2007 5:23 pm

List of events which follow..........

[19/7] Left message on CSR's Team Leader's voicemail. He called to say that they are swamped with work and having problems with staffing CSRs. yada yada yada...... and promise to revert to my questions before noon on Friday 20/7.

[20/7] 3:30 pm. No reply. Left messages on both CSR and CSR's Team Leader's voicebank. Decided to escalate the matter. Phoned H**l*y's mainline requesting to speak to person who Heads Customer Service with unsatisfactory response from both CSR and CSR Team Leader. H**l*y's receptionist magically locates and put through the same CSR Team Leader who said he was just about to reply to my emails.

[20/7 4:15 pm] CSR Team Leader replies answering only half of thew questions I had asked. Unsatisfactory, so had to send another email requesting for clarification.

yvette72 · Jul 22, 2007 3:27 pm

there we alot of problems with them in sydney people took them to court in a joint action be very careful my husband worked for them in sydney they are longer there as far as I know I think they changed there name

Casa2 · Jul 22, 2007 5:15 pm

This sounds scary. Does anyone know what Henley in Sydney changed there name to?

Ed Perry · Jul 22, 2007 5:50 pm

No they are not in Sydney anymore -

It's intersting you can type Henley without a problem... but not M***con.

vpande · Jul 23, 2007 12:35 pm

Kevin,
what are the reasons you chose this builder? floorplans? inclusions? If so far you've only spent on the soil test its still not too late to move on. I would be tempted to send a written complaint and take it from there.
Good luck :roll:

kevin · Jul 23, 2007 9:44 pm

After being promised by the CSR team lead on Friday, I had decided to proceed with the tender appointment.

When I arrived, the person who was conducting the tender made it the point to highlight that I MUST sign the tender document on the spot else, I lose the keeping the initial price of the house I had placed a deposit on (the price of the house has since increased). The funny thing about this was that in the past 2 weeks not withstanding confirmation from the sales rep, the CSR and the CSR team lead; ALL who highlighted that I will not be FORCED to sign on the day of my tender. The letter from the company highlighting my tender appointment also clear states that I am given 7 days to schedule another tender appointment.

Guess what? The person who handled the tender appointment said his department/section OVERRULES all what the others were saying. This coming from people in the SAME COMPANY mind you. I tried to bring up the point of what the rest (ie. sales rep, CSR, CSR team lead) was saying but this person wouldn't even let me finish and threatened to walk out of the appointment. I even tried bringing this up with his manager but he said he is in a meeting. Anyone else higher than his manager would be the directors and he said the directors would not be interested in meeting with me.

The funny thing about this is that I personally would not want to waste anytime with the tender stage and get to building. And all I was asking was for 2 days grace to work out decisions because all my unanswered questions were left to the tender appointment and there was no way all that could be cramped within 3 hours.

After the person who handled my tender appointment returned (I was left in the office for about 10-15 mins with no clue as to what was happening), he returned to finally say that 2 days is fine because I had initial expressed my concerns to the CSR team lead that my partner could not make it to the appointment (of which was a bunch of ******). My partner and I were present and we are greatly appalled.

I still can't comprehend why a company like this would want to resort to this and then have to take back promises made.

Casa2 · Jul 23, 2007 10:01 pm

kevin,

It's all a ploy to seize the upper hand. Until you sign, you have the upper hand. They want (actually need your business and others like you, otherwise they are out of business). I wouldn't sign until everything was to my satisfaction - price, incusions, colours, everything. If they are not interested then there are plenty of others lining up for my business.

Once you sign, they have the upper hand. Every change - and they know they will be needed - is charged at inflated prices. Once you sign they've got you over a barrel.

A friend of mine was charged about 5 times the going rate for a water thank since it was needed down the track to satisfy Basix. Then they hit rock and the charge was extortion.

My suggestion. Organise everything and only then sign anything. You're in charge until you sign. Really.

Cheers,
Casa