Disappointed by Toys R Us

Well, I was waiting patiently for my replacement trampoline cover which I was told would be delivered early October 2015. Guess what? Still no cover and the person I was dealing with at Toys R Us seems to have switched his phone off. Will have to start again to see if Toys R Us can finally provide me with a replacement cover. Zero points for customer complaints follow up.

Response received from Toys R Us

I am happy to report that I received a response from Toy R Us Bahrain.

I was informed that my ripped protective cover would be replaced and this should arrive in a couple of weeks. Very much appreciate the response and look forward to receiving the new cover.

Still waiting for a response from Toys R Us customer service

Because I didn't hear from Toys R Us customer service regarding my defective trampoline I had no option but to see if I could encourage a response by recording their (in)activity on my consumer protection blog. Well, I tweeted my complaint to Toys R Us and also left a complaint on their Facebook page. Geoffrey (a giraffe) said he will get back to me soon. Let's see.....

So far, I am not pleased with the slow response from Toys R Us Bahrain...

Toys R Us - Defective trampoline cover

Yesterday I visited Toys R Us in Bahrain to complain about a trampoline I bought for my children.  The trampoline is great save that the protective cover is ripped to shreds. We had called Toys R Us in Bahrain when the rip was much smaller however they never responded until I made a formal complaint yesterday.

What I found quite remarkable from the customer service was the series of questions I received upon my complaint:

Customer Service: Where was I using the trampoline?

Me: Outside.

Customer Service: Why outside?

Me: It is an outdoor trampoline. It doesn't fit inside the house.

Customer Service: You do know the cover is only for protection?

Me: Err, yes, isn't it supposed to protect the trampoline from the weather outside? Wind, sand, sun light?

Customer Service: Was the cover ripped before you bought the trampoline?

Me: Don't know. It is ripped now. Can you fix it please. What does it matter if it was ripped before I bought it or the day after?

So now I am waiting for the customer service to get back to me. I let them know that for each day I wait the ripped cover gets bigger.

My first impressions of Toys R Us Bahrain customer service - not very good. Let's see how long it takes them to fix it!  Will keep you updated

Consumer Protection Service in Bahrain

As a consumer in Bahrain would you use a consumer protection service which does the following:

- takes away from you the hassle and bother of seeking your consumer protection rights

- someone collects your defective item and takes it to the retailer

- provides a case manager with the support of a lawyer who handles your case

- provides the platform to tell the world your negative consumer experience as bad experiences with retailers will be published on the consumer protection service website

If you are interested in such a service would you agree to pay a nominal fee for this? 

What would you pay for such a service if you bought an item for BD20?

Would 200 fils be a fair price?

What would you pay for such a service if you bought an item for BD90?

Would 900 fils be a fair price?

Let me know if you would be interested in such a service

Bahrain Ministry of Industry & Commerce - Submit complaints related to consumer protection

http://www.moic.gov.bh/MoIC/En/Main/eServices/Consumer+Protection+Register+Complains/ Register Complaints

Instructions: Use the "Complaint/Inquiry" field to select the complaint type and "Addressed to" field to select to whom the complaint will be sent Enter at least one contact phone number Enter the "Name", "Email address" and "CPR" Enter brief complaint description in the "Abstract" field Please note that only the following file types will be accepted for attachments: (.jpg, .gif, .jepg, .png, .bmp, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx, .pdf, .txt, .htm, .html) General Information Complaint On:*   Product Complaint  Other  Select One  Other: Address To:*   Head, Consumer Services  Other  Select One  Other [Address To]: Comp. Product Sector:   Cars & Services  Cloths  Construction Material  Electrical & Electronic Appliance  Food  Furniture  Tourism  Other  All  Other Product Sector: Personal Information Name:* Nationality:   Afghanistan  Akrotiri     Albania       Algeria      American Samoa       Andorra  Angola  Anguilla  Antarctica Antarctica  Antigua and Barbuda  Argentina  Armenia  Aruba  Ashmore and Cartier Islands  Australia  Austria  Azerbaijan  Bahamas, The  Bahrain  Baker Island  Bangladesh  Barbados  Bassas da India  Belarus  Belgium  Belize  Benin  Bermuda  Bhutan  Bolivia  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Botswana  Bouvet Island  Brazil  British Virgin Islands  Brunei  Bulgaria  Burkina Faso  Burma  Burundi  Cambodia  Cameroon  Canada  Cape Verde  Cayman Islands  Central African Republic  Chad  Chile  China  Christmas Island  Clipperton Island  Cocos (Keeling) Islands  Colombia  Comoros  Congo  Cook Islands  Coral Sea Islands  Costa Rica  Cote d'Ivoire  Croatia  Cuba  Cyprus  Czech Republic  Denmark  Dhekelia  Djibouti  Dominica  Dominican Republic  East Timor  Ecuador  Egypt  El Salvador  EMIRATES    Equatorial Guinea  Eritrea  Estonia  Europa Island Ethiopia  Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)  Faroe Islands  Fiji  Finland  France  French Guiana  French Guiana  French Polynesia French Polynesia  French Southern and Antarctic Lands  Gabon  Gambia  GCC Countries  Georgia  Germany  Ghana  Gibraltar  Glorioso Islands  Greece  Greenland  Grenada  Guadeloupe  Guam  Guatemala  Guernsey  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Guyana  Haiti  Heard Island and McDonald Islands  Holy See (Vatican City)  Honduras  Hong Kong  Howland Island  Hungary  Iceland  India  Indonesia  Iran  Iraq  Ireland  Isle of Man  Israel  Italy  Jamaica  Jan Mayen  Japan  Jarvis Island  Jersey  Johnston Atoll  Jordan  Juan de Nova Island  Kazakhstan  Kenya  Kingman Reef  Kiribati  Korea, North  Korea, South  Kuwait  Kyrgyzstan  Laos  Latvia  Lebanon  Lesotho  Liberia  Libya  Liechtenstein  Lithuania  Luxembourg  Macau  Macedonia  Madagascar  Malawi  Malaysia  Maldives  Mali  Malta  Marshall Islands  Martinique  Mauritania  Mauritius  Mayotte  Mexico  Micronesia, Federated States  Midway Islands  Moldova  Monaco  Mongolia  Montenegro  Montserrat  Morocco  Mozambique  Namibia  Nauru  Navassa Island  Nepal  Netherlands  New Caledonia Netherlands Antilles  New Zealand  Nicaragua  Niger  Nigeria  Niue  Norfolk Island  Northern Mariana Islands  Norway  Oman  Pakistan  Palau  Palmyra Atoll  Panama  Papua New Guinea  Paracel Islands  Paraguay  Peru  Philippines  Pitcairn Islands  Poland  Portugal  Puerto Rico  Qatar  Reunion  Romania  Russia  Rwanda  Saint Helena  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Saint Lucia  Saint Pierre and Miquelon  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Samoa  San Marino  Sao Tome and Principe  Saudi Arabia  Senegal  Serbia   Seychelles  Sierra Leone  Singapore  Slovakia  Slovenia  Solomon Islands  Somalia  South Africa  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands  Spain  Spratly Islands  Sri Lanka  Sudan  Suriname  Svalbard  Swaziland  Sweden  Switzerland  Syria  Taiwan  Tajikistan  Tanzania  Thailand  Togo  Tokelau  Tonga  Trinidad and Tobago  Tromelin Island  Tunisia  Turkey  Turkmenistan  Turks and Caicos Islands  Tuvalu  Uganda  Ukraine  United Arab Emirates  United Kingdom  United States  Uruguay  Uzbekistan  Vanuatu  Venezuela  Vietnam  Virgin Islands  Wake Island  Wallis and Futuna  West Bank  Western Sahara  Yemen  Zambia  Zimbabwe  Working Place: CPR No.:* Complaint Date: Telephone:* Mobile:* Fax:* Email:* Address: Bahrain AddressOther Adresses Flat No.: Building No.: Road Name/No.: Block No.: Area Name: Complaint Against Name:* Working Place CR No.:  -  Telephone: Fax: Website: Email: PO Box: Address: Complaint Information Abstract:* Attachments:   Attachment File: Complaint Copied Information Has this matter been submitted to another goverment agency or to any attorney? If yes, provide the following information

Items marked with * are required Items marked with * at lease one is required

How to improve consumer protection rights in Bahrain?

In an article in the Gulf Daily News Consumer Protection Society Chairman Majed Nasser Sharaf suggested that consumer protection rights in Bahrain would be improved with the implementation of stronger laws and the establishment of dedicated courts and an independent authority.  In the same article Chairman Sharaf referred to a new Consumer Law.

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=309426

Will the new Consumer Law improve consumer rights in Bahrain? I will be investigating this and will report back once I have some feedback. But perhaps the way to improve the position of the consumer isn't through new or stronger laws. With the increasing use of social media it is so much easier now to relay our consumer experiences (good or bad) to a wider audience and perhaps retailers would be more willing to to honour a consumer's rights through fear of losing future sales due to negative social media as opposed to fear from falling foul of a new law. Indeed, communicating with a retailer on line is definitely easier than filing a formal legal case and would probably achieve the desired effect of obtaining a refund, repair or replacement. Perhaps what is needed is a change in consumer attitude where consumers get into the habit of using social media to demand their rights.