Missing Morse

Dear Time Life,

Thank you for your letter of January 11, 2007, enquiring as to why I didn’t answer my phone.

It has prompted me to put my thoughts about your business on paper.

Dealing with Time Life has been one of the longest-running dramas of my life. It would probably sell better on a DVD than ‘Happy Days’.

All I ever wanted was a complete set of ‘Inspector Morse’ DVDs.

There are 17 in the set, I’m still waiting for the last two.

I’ve called, emailed, called again, left messages … sent money, called again … even answered your call once when one of your customer care folk proactively called ME to ask about my experience of Time Life …

I told you in March 2006 that I was leaving the country in December, and needed to buy the complete set in bulk.

Your operator persuaded me to go with the “introductory offer’ and then the rest would be sent. This never happened. Total DVDs purchased: 5.

One arrives on it’s own in April, my card is charged full price. 6.

I call again in May to get the rest in bulk, you can’t find my original order. I cancel the month by month order. I ask for the remainder in bulk, you say you don’t have them all, but will send when they come in. Five disks arrive, 11.

By August, I’m starting to panic. I call again. You can’t find my order. I convince the guy I AM in the system. He sends me some DVDs. Two more. He says more will follow, they don’t. 13.

In November, a very smart sounding young woman appreciates I’m in a difficult mood, and says she will sort it. She makes it sound as if she will go down to the warehouse and put the last four disks I need in a box, right then and there.

I tell her it said on my last invoice “the remainder of the set will be sent as they arrive in stock”. I ask her if this will actually happen, she says “No, probably not.”

There is a short discussion when she says she is unable to send a bulk order of less than five disks. I desperately offer to purchase a Hercule Poirot.

Incredibly, later this day one of your customer service people chooses to call me. I tell her your ordering system is a shambles. She says “Yes, I’ve heard that before”.

No disks arrive.

It’s December, we leave Australia and come home to New Zealand. Our mail is forwarded to Queensland. Total IM DVDs which leave Australia with me: 13.

In January, two more disks arrive, in Queensland. Miraculously, I don’t have them already. 15. So close, but yet … not 17.

Now it’s April. A full year has passed, and I’m still two disks short. I doubt even Inspector Morse himself would be able to find them.


With Regret that Our Business is Not Concluded,

Visit consumer site Not Good Enough