Homepro & Sharp Practice?

[GungaDin]

On Tuesday I was in HomePro and found a bed on special with a huge ticket announcing that it was "only" 9990bt.

I had a good translator with me and eventually paid for the bed.

Now, "bed" is the key word here.

I noticed that the bed was on 2 single bases, a good idea I figured as it would be easy for the delivery guys to get the base up my stairs to the main bedroom.

"Cannot deliver until saturday" ok, no problem.

Del day. Out pops the mattress from the truck, the guys manage to get the mattress up the stairs and dump it on the floor.

I'm offered the paperwork to sign for the delivery....

Ummm, where's the base?

Sorry, you buy mattress not base!

Ok, take it back. Which they did after a few phone calls.

At no time in HomePro was it ever mentioned that I was just buying a mattress without a base.

I assumed that I was buying what I saw on display.

ie: A BED, in 3 pieces!

The base fabric was the same as the mattress. There was no price tag anywhere on the base.

Who is at fault here, me or HomePro?

BTW, I had a good translator with me, so that no misunderstandings would occur.

It appears to me, they were being "economical with the truth" it was a case of what was not said rather than the opposite.

To me, the whole deal stinks of sharp practice.

And now to get a refund........ oh Jeeeez!

[Beardog]

Sorry to hear your home pro dilemma. We bought a bed from them . It did come with a 2 part base. The 2 part base is a nightmare. When they set it up (no matter what you or they do) The bed will inevitably never sit flat because for some strange reason the 2 pieces never match & the heights are different. They have an adjustable setup that won't work . We tried planing pieces of wood with levels to get it right. The only way we could use the bull shit system was to ditch the 2 base system & sleep on the floor. They told us to keep on the plastic wrapper on the mattress for 30 days - so we would be able to return it. I would rather listen to head banging disco music than crunch crunch crunch all night every time you turn in bed. @ days later we went back & told them the bed is unacceptable & They advised us no money back, so we ended up upgrading to a 17,000 baht Sealy posterpedic Ultra soft mattress (no box spring )& already had a nice soft topper mattress & purchased a bed frame which we are upgrading to a nice hardwood frame now. We got a 3000 baht cheap Charlie unit from Pattaya at one of the Indian shops to get us by. It is possible to grind it out with homepro for a refund although it is usually an act of God to get them to give money back as most places in Thailand. We needed the bed so it was worth the upgrade.

P.S. they made us hold the piece of crap bed 1 week till the mfgr. of the old bed could pick it up. The new company delivered the new mattress. If I were you I would sriously stay away from any 2 part frame & go with a regular frame that always comes level -even if the floor isn't. You will have a much better sleep & won't wake up from a bad nights sleep on a sloped bed.

In our case it was worth the change up!

[Naam]

They told us to keep on the plastic wrapper on the mattress for 30 days - so we would be able to return it. I would rather listen to head banging disco music than crunch crunch crunch all night every time you turn in bed.

[GungaDin]

Hi Beardog.

I'm surprised that you had probs with the double base.

At least you got what you ordered.

I should have remembered what my neighbour, Lord Haw-haw does.

We were in Makro & I was buying buckets & bins etc

He held each item up to the light to make sure there were no faults in them.

"Better to check everything than come back for a refund, Thai hate to refund monies, Haw-haw-haw"

I guess the moral of the story is never assume, and dot every I & cross every T before purchase.

In 9 years I have never had to buy a bed as I always rented furnished houses and apts, this is my 1st and last time buying a "bed"

It's back to the floor again........ and I'm too old for this shit!

[kurnell]

I just bought 3 mattresses, 2 single and one double. My Thai wife made all the negotiations. They were all on bases in the display room and a similar price to what you paid. We ONLY wanted the mattresses so their was no confusion. If you had a translator the sale should have been very clear, but this is Thailand and nothing is EVER 100% crystal. Your receipt should have said mattress and base, just like it would in any shop in the world.

[GungaDin]

^^^^^^^^^^ In Homepro?

[dotcom]

You won't get a refund. You'll get a store credit that is good for 10 days. Hopefully that same set is still out on display. So that you can discuss the con with the store manager.

[torrenova]

Just been through the bed buying nightmare. Done HomePro, HomeWorks and everywhere else.

Mattress sales seem like loss leaders. The mattress is the more important bit but many times the base can cost 2 or 3 times as much. Maybe Thais only buy mattresses ?

Then they tried to screw me over at Home Pro as well so I just told them to stuff it up their <deleted>. Got some good service at Homeworks in Pattaya and delivery to Buriram for Bt1000.

[GungaDin]

You won't get a refund. You'll get a store credit that is good for 10 days. Hopefully that same set is still out on display. So that you can discuss the con with the store manager.

It should be, as it's a sample, and del comes from the manufacturer, not HomePro.

Homepro don't carry stock, hence the delay with delivery 4 days after order.

PS I will get a refund!

[GungaDin]

Just been through the bed buying nightmare. Done HomePro, HomeWorks and everywhere else.

Then they tried to screw me over at Home Pro as well so I just told them to stuff it up their <deleted>.

What exactly happened to you at Homepro?

cheers

gd

[Rimmer]

I've more than enough problems with Homepro so much so that we don't go there anymore.

Favorite is to put a BIG special price tag on something then get charged the regular price at the check out. Once I even went back and got the 'special' price label off the display model to show the check out girl. Standard reply,

"Oh special offer finish already'

[GungaDin]

Hmm, it appears that I'm not alone.

Thanks Rimmer. (overcharged for a nail file was it?)

[Rimmer]

Hmm, it appears that I'm not alone.

Thanks Rimmer. (overcharged for a nail file was it?)

Ooooooh I'll scratch your eyes out

No it was a garden seat the last time.

[Beardog]

^^^^^^^^^^ In Homepro?

Especially at Homepro. they are even shits when it comes to a return in an obvious defective part they sold a day ago.

Went to Global house in Rayong yesterday & was shocked at the raping I have been getting on Sprinkler systems - electrical plumbing doors ETC. I am not saying that any one company will serve as a 1 stop but unfortunately you really cant afford to buy anything not inspected first(it can still die on you regardless) 6 months ago I watched some poor gut from England that brought his 15000-17000 baht lawn mower (it was one of their best 0 Have to beg & plead for anything to get done. He had it 4 hrs & it wouldn't start. An hour or so later they were still trying to wriggle out of responsibility & They still made the poor guy wait for it to be repaired(In Bangkok) instead of sucking it up & give him another one. They know how to shoot themselves in the foot real well.They were only going to let us exchange the bed setup for the same but after I was firm & Alisa saying we stay till you take care they swapped us up-I think it was more of a losing face issue. The change up meant more commission .

Edited January 25, 2009 by Beardog

[kurnell]

^^^^^^^^^^ In Homepro?

No mate, it was a Slumberland sale. 10,000 baht for a mattress and base? Don't think you'll find that price anywhere in the world. Suggest you scan and display a copy of the Homepro receipt on this site if you really want to kick up a stink. Maybe some of the members can read Thai and tell you what it says.

[GungaDin]

Thanks Kurnell. or is it FaarCanaaaal?

I have/had no idea of prices as I haven't shopped around. I just had a budget.

The receipt probably says 'mattress only' but stupid me trusted them.

I didn't sign a delivery note & refused delivery.

cheers

BTW, I did say 'FaarCanaaal' (plus a few other expletiives) when the bases weren't on board.

[kurnell]

Bet you did

[GungaDin]

I learned a new Thai word today: Khi Kwai.

I'll use it every time the HomePro manager pauses in his speech about no refunds.

[neverdie]

GD, You crack me up have you ever thought about writing a book about your adventures in Thailand . Your having a #rick of a run.

Maybe you and beardog can slide down to the local home-pro & have a little chat with the manager in person (I understand beardog has a big drive ahead of him). Be kind to beardog tho GD, he's a little nervous about cooking pans at the moment.

I bought a bed & base from homepro, it was also on special, but a little dearer than ur 9990 pricetag.......but it came out home all good, set up no problem and the twin base is perfect - no problems.

Having said that if I see that homepro dude that sold me this samsung....watch out!

Edited January 28, 2009 by neverdie

[Beardog]

GD, You crack me up have you ever thought about writing a book about your adventures in Thailand . Your having a #rick of a run.

Maybe you and beardog can slide down to the local home-pro & have a little chat with the manager in person (I understand beardog has a big drive ahead of him). Be kind to beardog tho GD, he's a little nervous about cooking pans at the moment.

I bought a bed & base from homepro, it was also on special, but a little dearer than ur 9990 pricetag.......but it came out home all good, set up no problem and the twin base is perfect - no problems.

Having said that if I see that homepro dude that sold me this samsung....watch out!

Nice one neverdie, Especially the cast iron type!

[UncleFrank]

I boycott Home Pro because the service sucks.

Don't reward a mismanaged company by doing business. Best if they go belly up and something new takes that space.

[mdechgan]

I just think it was a misunderstanding. "Bed" can be translated and re-translated into a mattress or a base. Did you actually point your finger at the base or at the mattress at time of purchase? It how the displays are here. You can't show a mattress without a bed and you can't show a bed without a mattress. In some cases mattresses actually cost more than the bed. Very rarely are the mattress and beds sold together.

[GungaDin]

Misunderstanding my arse!, I was there, I know what happened and translation had nothing to do with the purchase.

[GungaDin]

Good news!

I have just rec'd a call to go to Homepro and get a full refund in cash.

Thanks to Thai lady friend who worked in a lawyer's office in NYC for 10 years.

I haven't spoken to anyone at HP since the event last Saturday.

Well done K. Sue.

[Maestro]

A troll’s off-topic and nonsensical posts have been deleted.

--

Maestro

[Tyke]

On Tuesday I was in HomePro and found a bed on special with a huge ticket announcing that it was "only" 9990bt.

I had a good translator with me and eventually paid for the bed.

Now, "bed" is the key word here.

I noticed that the bed was on 2 single bases, a good idea I figured as it would be easy for the delivery guys to get the base up my stairs to the main bedroom.

"Cannot deliver until saturday" ok, no problem.

Del day. Out pops the mattress from the truck, the guys manage to get the mattress up the stairs and dump it on the floor.

I'm offered the paperwork to sign for the delivery....

Ummm, where's the base?

Sorry, you buy mattress not base!

Ok, take it back. Which they did after a few phone calls.

At no time in HomePro was it ever mentioned that I was just buying a mattress without a base.

I assumed that I was buying what I saw on display.

ie: A BED, in 3 pieces!

The base fabric was the same as the mattress. There was no price tag anywhere on the base.

Who is at fault here, me or HomePro?

BTW, I had a good translator with me, so that no misunderstandings would occur.

It appears to me, they were being "economical with the truth" it was a case of what was not said rather than the opposite.

To me, the whole deal stinks of sharp practice.

And now to get a refund........ oh Jeeeez!

I think your both you and your interpreter were at fault. Almost everywhere I've seen beds for sale, Homepro, Index, SB - they have the same kind of card stuck on the bed - I've often been fooled too, but I don't think it is intentional. If a Thai person has been with me - the reality is made clear. I always ask if the price included the bed and it hardly ever does as is normal in Thailand - beds are sold separately from mattresses. I also think you should have asked this too before buying, so you are also at fault by not making sure what exactly you are buying. NEVER assume anything - if you do then you are at fault because the details are in Thai.

[Mai Krap]

Trying to deal with some of the staff at Home Pro can be maddening but the same goes for Global House. Both tend to hire people off the street who do now have a clue as to whats going on. I love it when somebody tries to sell me items they have no experience with. People following you around and getting between you and what your looking at is also a comedy. I just start walking fast and try to loose em in the isles.

Home Pro was cool about replacing a exspensive fan for me last year. At first they wanted to send my fan to Bangkok for a month but after talking to the manager they decided to give me a new fan and there was no paperwork involved. The bottom line is if they have what you need and the price is OK, go for it. The problem with the bed was one the OP should have seen coming but it was a learning to buy in Thailand thing, could happen any Expat in LOS.

There is not much need to boycott them, they have few customers as it is. One thing I do like is the big empty cool space to browse around in but they tend to have less and less items I need or want. In fact I have had several conversations with friends wondering how they are still in business as the place is empty most of the time.

[kamalabob2]

Home Pro and Home Works make significant income in "slotting fees", "coop advertising" and other legal kickbacks from vendors who desire products on the shelves of Home Pro. They make money even if the product does NOT sell. That is why the exact same model product can easily be less money at an independent shop than Home Works or Home Pro. As the man who owns the busy independent tool/pump shop in Buriram says "Air conditioning is not free, rent at the mall is not free".

[Gonsalviz]

I bought a very good bed with mattress and frame for a good deal at HomePro.

But I still don't like to go there because of the pressure sales tactics. I once I went there to buy an airconditioner. I knew what I wanted because I had shopped around and inquired on TV.

When I showed them what I wanted, I was told that another brand was better. The brand I wanted didn't have so and so feature etc.

I stuck to my guns and found that what I wanted was in fact what I wanted and that the features it didn't have were there.

My wife won't go there for another reason. If I am not with her, they won't give her the time of day. They figure she doesn't have enough money and is 'eye shopping'.

Proves to me it is a store to rip off expats.

I still go there but I will not give them the time of day. I look for what I want and if it is at a good price, I'll buy it.

[craigt3365]

I still go there but I will not give them the time of day. I look for what I want and if it is at a good price, I'll buy it.

That is what I do. They are really aggressive. It use to drive me crazy when they would follow you around the store. Now, I just ignore them and look for what I want. LIke everywhere else in the world, it pays to shop around and get educated on what you are buying...

We bought our beds from Index. From the Sealy rep who works there a few days a week. Even got a better deal than was published...and more stuff was included. Better prices than at HomeWorks who had the same sale going on (same listed prices, but additional discount at Index).

The guy told us the promotion was good until the end of March. That was 4 weeks ago. So, went in last week and guess what? There is still a promotion, but different prices! I almost lost it...luckily, he remembered us. Especially when I showed him HIS hand written prices in my notebook...along with an expiration date. He honored the prices with NO questions asked. Whew...

For small stuff, or something I need quickly, HomePro/Works is OK. Otherwise, it's off to Global House. Not always better prices, but a much better selection...and at times they have MUCH better prices...Thanks Rimmer for the intro to GH!!!!!!