Comet Review

Overall Rating

This is a review of the Comet store at Team Valley, Gateshead.

I have recently been looking for a new cooker, we finally found a Beko 50cm solid top cooker with glazed doors at Comet in Team Valley and thought 'perfect'. Sat down to start the ordering process, gave my details, arranged a delivery date and then we got to the 'do you want extended cover' question. We said 'no', the salesman started to push, offering the longer cover for a cheaper price, but still £54 which is a large percentage of a £250 cooker. If i'd bought a £500 Zanussi or and Range then i would probably take the offer, but on a £250 cooker we were willing to take the risk. The sales person pushed and pushed and pushed to the point i started to put my purse away. The husband looked at me, understanding i was getting fed up and warned the Comet employee that he was being too pushy and the answer was no. At this point the Comet mad announced "I think you're mad, they don't make cookers like they used to". he may well think we're mad, but that is the last thing any trained member of staff offering services to a customer should say. At which point i stood up and got ready to leave.

The salesman got very defensive at this point, and when we told him his sales pitch was atrocious and we found him rude he continue to argue with us. At which point i asked to see a manager, and he announced he was a manager, I reiterated that he needed to change his sales technique and we were leaving to visit Currys a few doors down. Another sales assistant gave me a very apologetic shrug and apologetic smile as we left. I later sent husband back to the store to get the model number of the cooker, the ap;ologetic sales assistant leant my husband her pencil so he could take down the model number. Apparently the staff members comission increases if they sell the extended cover by quite a percentage, this is why they push to see the cover, not because you're likely to need the cover or benefit from it. However this man's need to increase his commission cost him his sale.

We then went to Currys (we'd bought a fridge from Curry's two weeks earlier and although delivery was a day late due to a driver going off ill, it was generally a pleasant, friendly experience). Sadly Curry's did not stock the cooker we wanted, and as a result we've bought a £319.99 cooker instead from them, so that's more than the cost of what Comet were trying to sell gone to Currys simply because Currys are friendy and offer a pleasant service. As it was the fridge we bought previosly was also £90 cheaper in Currys than the same model in Comet. Currys also price match, so my advice to anyone who sees something they want at a cheaper price in Comet, get Currys to price match and get it there instead.

I bought a laptop from Comet (the same comet) a year ago, and even then the salesman was brisque and seemed to want the money out of me asap rather than to be polite.

Basically, if you want something from Comet, go to Currys instead, you'll get a better standard of customer service, and the staff seem to have more manners.