Phone Booking Confirmation

Customers like to phone we're told, so they can make sure there is a real person at the other end! We get that, and are happy to answer any questions you might have. But we will normally recommend customers Book Online to avoid the shortcomings of phone bookings and to get the 10% saving.

Shortcomings... surely not! The list is long and hopefully if you've the inclination to read on, our explanation will offer some insight into these short comings.

Hearing: Yep, mobile phones are the predominant method for making calls these days, and I'm sure you'll agree, the line isn't always perfectly clear. Sure, my hearing isn't what it used to be, but often the line is a bit degraded and hearing things can cause errors. It's why this page was created. Took a phone booking where the Customer mispronounced Miele (quite common), which I thought sounded like Emilia. But what he was actually saying was "a Miele" oven. Which we don't service. And so an awkward moment ensued after standing in the kitchen explaining why we don't do Miele and what the Customer would need to do to get the oven repaired. Should the customer pay for a service call?

Language Barriers: Not every customer is an English speaking person; to be honest not every English speaking person is easy to understand. Accents and customs can be tricky. More errors happen this way than bad hearing.

Oven Details: More often than not when customers call they haven't really studied their oven in any great detail and so when we start asking for details for the booking process the inevitable... hold the line I'll go check happens. Sure enough, the customer comes back and qualifies the make of the oven but forgets to note the model number or other relevant information... off they go again, getting more details. Then there is the issue of what we remember to ask on the phone. And it's always some crucial bit of information that gets missed. Our booking form has been developed over many years and has a list of oven details to make sure we don't miss anything.

Booking Information: It's difficult over the phone to qualify our service area, whereas online we have a map showing our service area. The booking date is connected to a drop down calendar which helps keep the correct dates connected with the correct day of the week. It allows us to confirm you booking via sms or email. And to check that parts are onboard before confirming. We can't do all that over the phone.

Distraction: Your talking to the technician, webmaster, coffee maker, receptionist and unfortunately he's easily distracted. When you've got your head in an oven it's not that conducive to maintaining a sensible conversation in order to get your booking right.