Last Saturday morning, I saw in the Straits Times that Courts was having a promotion on a LCD TV I had been eyeing for a long time. It's the Sony Bravia S20, with about $200 off the usual price. I decided to go get one from the outlet at VivoCity since it was nearest to my house.

When I got to the small outlet, the display set did not state that it was on offer. It still got the original price tag. So I asked Salesman A about it. He looked at me questionably but proceeded to check the computer and confirmed that it was on offer. Great, I decided to get one. I would get the white one, I said. We only have the white one. You don't say.

Since I wanted the white one, I didn't mind. I followed him to the cashier, thinking he would go into the store and get me a set. But he pointed to the box at the corner with many other items stacked on top and because of that, the box looked a little squashed.

"Can you get me a new set?"

"This is a new set," he said without batting an eyelid.

I opened the box to take a look. OK, the TV was covered and protected with foams. I was quite relunctant, but I didn't want to make it a wasted trip. I relented. I'd take it, I said.

While in the queue at the cashier, I asked 3 different salesmen including Salesman A about 1-1 exchange and warranty card. They all looked like my parents owe them some money. Maybe it was because of the stuffy little outlet (I was perspiring just standing in the queue). Or maybe it was because it was a Saturday and they really didn't want to work while their friends were out shopping. Anyway, 1-1 exchange could be done within 7 days of the purchase. As for warranty card, they assured me it was stamped and in the box. It was my mistake not to check for the card on the spot, for there wasn't any card in the box when I opened it up back at home.

Now, if you had tried to call Courts, you would know they have only 1 customer service hotline, regardless of outlets. So there was no way you could call the outlet directly. Although the hotline let you select an outlet to speak to, no one would pick it up, of course. So I waited for ages, before someone picked up the call (not from the outlet).

There was no greeting; just "HELLO?" like I just interrupted her TV show. I told the lady about the warranty card. Without hesitation, she told me Sony TV warranty had to be registered online, so no need warranty card. Oh great! I thanked her, put down the phone and proceeded to go to Sony's website to register. But wait a minute, what is this that said I needed a reference number which should come from my WARRANTY CARD? ARGH! At this point, my blood was close to boiling point. I repeated the whole fucking call process and waited until the same lady picked up the call. (I had a feeling that there was only ONE person manning the hotline). I told her about the reference number, and this time she took down my name, contact number and address and said that she would ask the outlet to mail me the warranty card.

Coincidentally, my brother was going to VivoCity the next day, so I asked him to take the receipt and helped me collect the warranty card. I also asked him to give them a piece of my mind.

This was the first time I bought a big item from Courts and it will be the last. I had much better buying experience from neighbourhood electrical stores.

While waiting for someone to pick up my call on their hotline, there was a message playing - Courts cheap sale is now on. No frills, no gimmicks, no fancy ads. They forgot to add "no customer service" in there.

Here's another unsatisfied Courts customer's story.