We purchased an expensive bean-to-cup coffee machine from John Lewis in December, along with additional insurance for peace of mind should anything go wrong. Unfortunately, the machine developed a fault just a few months later, and our experience since then has been nothing short of appalling.

As soon as the machine broke, we contacted John Lewis Technical Support and provided all the information requested. We were asked for the serial number and, as we weren't sure where to find it, we relied on the adviser to guide us. We gave the number he indicated was correct, and he arranged for the machine to be collected by DPD within five days.

When we asked if a replacement machine could be provided while ours was being repaired, we were told this was not possible. Instead, we were offered a £20 gift card for coffee, despite the fact that our nearest John Lewis store is over an hour away.

After receiving no communication regarding the collection, we contacted John Lewis again the following Tuesday. We were then informed that the collection and repair had been cancelled because the serial number we had been advised to provide was allegedly incorrect. We explained that we had simply followed the instructions given to us by their adviser, but the response was dismissive: "It wasn't the correct serial number, so it was cancelled."

When we requested to speak to a manager, we were initially told there was no one available, despite it only being 5pm and the department being open until 9pm. After insisting and remaining on hold for 45 minutes, we were eventually put through to someone claiming to be a manager.

While they apologised for the situation, the earliest collection date they could offer was the following Monday. Given that the delay was caused by incorrect advice from their own team, we found this completely unacceptable. We were then offered a £50 gift card, but what we wanted was not compensation – we simply wanted our coffee machine repaired or replaced as quickly as possible.

The machine has now been out of our possession for 10 days. When we recently contacted John Lewis for an update, we were told they could not locate the machine and that nobody would contact us for up to 28 days. We were simply told to wait until someone got in touch.

This level of service is absolutely unacceptable. We chose John Lewis because of its reputation for quality products and excellent customer care. Instead, we have experienced poor communication, delays, contradictory information, and a complete lack of ownership of the problem.

Having spent thousands of pounds with John Lewis over the years, we expected far better. Sadly, this experience has completely changed our perception of the company, and we are still without our coffee machine.

Very disappointed.

Ordered a top delivered a faulty item.
I was offered a partial refund and it was suggested I wear a clearly unacceptable garment.
Customer service seriously lacking the necessary skills but requests to repeat problem again and again and refusal to log complaint as only the manager can, who can not give a definite time when available.
Disgusting carry on I will not be reordering from them.

Trying to log a guarantee claim. Automated number 03456 100 341 service to terrible, if you dont want to really piss off your customers get rid of this automated answering nonsense.

I made considerable effort to secure a Pokémon collection box for my 8-year-old son, waking early because these sell out almost immediately. I placed a Click & Collect order, only to be informed more than 24 hours after the collection time that the parcel had been “lost or damaged in transit.” By then, the item was sold out, and John Lewis could only offer a refund.

A refund does not replace a rare item or the disappointment caused. It is frustrating to sell highly sought-after products without being able to fulfil confirmed orders, and the delay in communication left no opportunity to purchase one elsewhere. This was a very disappointing experience from a retailer I expected better from.

I bought a necklace for my wife's 40th birthday. The chain snapped within a month during everyday wear. I recieved a replacement, it snapped again within weeks. Clearly a poor quality item and it wasn't cheap. John Lewis keep fobbing me off to their supplier, who are resisting a legally entitled full refund (consumer rights act 2015). It has been nearly 5 months since the initial purchase and the issue is still ongoing with no refund. It has been like dealing with a crooked local trader than a large national "reputable" retailer. Disgraceful.

I ordered a laptop from John Lewis. It was thrown over my 2m wall. I spent 1 hr on hold for customer services and got through to no-one. I tried the live chat which told me I needed to wait for 85 mins but it cut off after an hour with no response. Incredibly disappointed.

Bought a freezer on line paid for delivery, never came phoned up said they would call back. No one called! Got a text with new date stayed in all day still no delivery. Still not resolved said they can’t send it and waiting on money back!

Terrible customer service experience. I rang the helpline to try and resolve a simple issue. I was waiting for an hour, listening to the same tune on repeat, being told repeatedly by an automated voice that they were sorry for the wait and a partner was doing everything they can to get to me. Being kept on hold for an hour is terrible customer service. I eventually had to end the call because the wait was inordinate and no one was picking up the phone. I will never order from you again, for fear that if anything did require support from you I would not be able to contact you in order to resolve it. To leave someone waiting indefinitely on the phone is unacceptable. Invest in your customer services.

I ordered a breast pump which I urgently needed (I gave birth a week ago any my baby isn't feeding well). The delivery was scheduled for 21 July to a post office. The delivery failed as "nobody was home" - it's a post office how can nobody be home? I called John Lewis, waited over an hour on hold. They said no-one in their delivery team was answering hence nothing they could do. Then the call cut. The agent didn't attempt to call back. I really needed the item and paid £140 for it, really disappointed

Staff very friendly but completely unknowledgeable about their stock, which is what JL used to be known for. In the TV department the assistant had to check online to answer basic questions which I could have done myself. I then visited the Place to Eat and almost every table was littered with uncollected plates and cups. Very disappointing.

I have ordered Items on two occasions over the last two weeks and both time had dreadful experience. What happened to John Lewis? It seems to be taken over by AI and everything is going wrong.
I am not using them again, until they switch back to humans. Very sad where retail is going. Bots instead of humans.

I have always associated John Lewis with quality and excellent customer service, which makes this experience even more disappointing.

I ordered a bin (Order No. 560120108) costing £92.80, which arrived with two dents. I emailed customer services with photographs, and to be fair they quickly confirmed that a replacement would be sent. We also agreed a collection date of 20th July for the damaged bin, and I received email confirmation of these arrangements.

Unfortunately, 20th July came and went with no collection and no communication whatsoever.

I then tried to contact customer services. On my first call I waited 58 minutes in the queue, finally got through, spent a further 23 minutes explaining everything, only for the adviser to disconnect the call without any call back.

I called again and waited another 48 minutes before speaking to someone. When I asked to raise a formal complaint, I was simply told I had to do it online and the adviser refused to help me. She then placed me on silent while I could hear her huffing and puffing, and she would no longer respond to me. It was one of the most unprofessional customer service experiences I have ever encountered.

I am still no further forward. I have no idea when the damaged bin will be collected, despite John Lewis confirming the arrangements in writing.

Receiving a damaged item is unfortunate but can happen. What is far less acceptable is the way this has been handled afterwards. John Lewis has fallen a long way from the high standards of customer care it was once known for.

I sincerely hope someone from John Lewis takes ownership of this and resolves the matter properly because, based on this experience, I would think twice before ordering from them again.

Ordered a 20th wedding anniversary present from John Lewis and paid extra for next-day delivery. It never arrived.

Not only did I waste over two hours trying to sort it out, but I also made a completely unnecessary trip to the Post Office. Despite the delivery failure, my request for a refund of the next-day delivery charge was refused.

The result? No anniversary present, wasted time, and money spent on a service that wasn’t provided.

I always thought John Lewis was a company known for quality customer service, but this experience has been incredibly disappointing. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be the company it once was. Based on my experience, I’d advise others to think twice before paying extra for next-day delivery.

Update more delays

This is completely unacceptable.

I paid for next-day delivery, and my order was due to be delivered yesterday, 21 July. The item was a gift for a 20th wedding anniversary, which is today. Because of your failure to deliver as promised, the gift has not arrived in time for the occasion.

I have now been informed that there is yet another delay. This is simply not good enough.

I no longer want the item, as it has missed the occasion it was intended for. I expect a full refund immediately, including the next-day delivery charge, as the service I paid for was not provided.

Please confirm that my refund has been processed without further delay.

Update

Finally got hold of someone. They’re refunding me—but for the wrong amount. It’s just another example of the incompetence and couldn’t-care-less attitude I’ve experienced from John Lewis. I’ve now deleted my account and won’t be shopping with them again.

Disgusting! Disgraceful! Disappointing!
I cannot recommend John Lewis home furniture to ANYONE after our experience.
We paid a premium price for a chest of drawers because we expected a high-quality product and professional workmanship. What arrived was beyond disappointing. The quality of the assembly is so unbelievably poor that I genuinely struggle to believe it was put together by a professional. The finish is dreadful, the workmanship is careless, and it looks like it was assembled by someone with no pride in their work. Had my husband built it himself for the first time, I would have been disappointed. To receive it in this condition from a company with John Lewis's reputation is simply unacceptable.
What made the experience even worse was the customer service. We spent well over an hour trying to get through to speak to an actual human being. Instead, we were forced through endless automated systems before finally resorting to a chatbot, where we had to upload multiple photographs of the faults. That was yesterday. Today, we still haven't received a meaningful response—only automated messages acknowledging our complaint.
To add insult to injury, these automated messages cheerfully tell us they "hope you find this experience delightful." There has been absolutely nothing delightful about it. The entire process has been frustrating, time-consuming and deeply disappointing.
John Lewis has built its reputation on quality products and exceptional customer service. Sadly, our experience has been the complete opposite. We have received poor workmanship, an unacceptable level of customer support, and a complaints process that feels designed to keep customers at arm's length rather than resolve problems.
This has been one of the worst retail experiences we have ever had. We paid extra expecting quality and convenience, and instead received an appallingly assembled piece of furniture and customer service that has been slow, impersonal and ineffective.
I would strongly advise anyone considering buying John Lewis furniture to think very carefully before parting with your money. Based on our experience, I would give this purchase and the after-sales service 0 out of 5 stars.

They are now reaching out privately when I want it public so everyone knows not to trust John Lewis as all they have done is broken promises numerous times

This has been one of the worst customer experiences I've ever had. I ordered a cabinet, but the courier found every excuse not to deliver it to my flat, despite this being part of the service I paid for. I was then forced to rebook the delivery and spent 45 minutes on hold with customer service to do so. The failed delivery, lack of support from the courier, and excessive waiting time are completely unacceptable. Based on this experience, I would never buy from John Lewis again.

I recently ordered a garden table which was advertised on the website as 98cm long. When it arrived it was 178 cm long and as it was made of stone I could not lift it. A misdiscription on their website.
I spent 90 minutes on the phone trying to arrange collection and they said not for a week. I then had to cover it to protect it from the rain as it was lying flat on the patio. I received an email asking if I was happy with the service and to call if there was anything else! I could not get through on the phone again!!!! Then they tried to charge me a collection fee and deducted that from my refund, plus they would not refund me until they had collected the table.. It was a shambles and not what I have experienced ever before by John Lewis.

Big fan. Has everything in one place.

Ordered an LG tv with installation and take away old tv add ons. Delivery scheduled 20/07/2026 and text received day before confirming slot between hours of 08.11 and 10.11am. We waited and waited. No delivery arrived! Waited on phone for 60 mins for customer services to find out why it was late and when to expect. Get through and immediately they cut you off, chat took two hours to get a reply and that was clearly not in UK and a complete lack of understanding about situation. Called customer service three more times and no response. No courtesy call, text or email from JL to advise of lateness. Shocking!
Television finally arrived FOUR HOURS LATE! Excuse was lorry broken down but they’d managed 7 other deliveries before mine! Still working that one out! I don’t believe it.
They attempted to install TV and it’s BROKEN! So we now have a broken new tv sitting here that doesn’t work. Still waiting for a call that we were going to get within two hours of delivery to sort situation out. We actually called up - yet again - then having to endure What’s App messaging to then 40 mins later get to speak to someone - who advised Tv out of stock now! I also spoke to Technical and Comment from the advisor in technical to me ‘these things happen’. I found that comment extremely rude. Lack of empathy and understanding of situation. Could hardly hear the person, foreign accent and speaking too fast! Collection of broken one can’t be until 27 July. No refund until then. So here we are with a £549 broken tv, no refund until collected. JL couldn’t care less that we are stuck with nothing.
JL have become some company that tries to trade on its past reputation and has been smashed to pieces in recent years. Sadly those days of a person understanding problem and WANTING to help resolve the situation went a long time ago! They have become a very poor second rate company who don’t care about their customers just their hard earnt money. Having used them for 50 years I find it very sad that they have come down to this and just show no empathy towards their customers like they used to. They don’t even try to get problems rectified - just couldn’t care less. To be honest I don’t think their future looks too bright if they carry on like this. You are a disgrace JL!

I recently used the WhatsApp chat line to raise an issue with delivery. What a pain that turned out to be ! Had to keep the chat open for 1 hour 25 minutes or so. Really frustrating and time consuming. On the plus side I received a call from an advisor the next day and we had it all sorted in 5 minutes ! Please John Lewis, make it easier for a 1 to 1 call - much more efficient and less stressful.

I wish to give specific mention to 2 John Lewis customer service representatives who went above and beyond to make me feel a valued customer when their senior managers had failed in their duty to do so. One colleague Abeljolie, in furniture aftercare dept despite being out of his rota hours sorted a resolution for damage to a piece of furniture delivered to me when I never had the promised contact from his senior managers. Another colleague Clodine in customer services, spoke repeatedly to her managers to resolve damage to another order I had received. These JL employees reminded me of the company of old, sadly not evidenced by many of their senior colleagues. Thank you to both these partners, they should be commended.