Mktg Hi, I've heard about this The Only Way is Essex beauty range you are doing.
Superdrug (Pause) God. Um ... OK. Um ... is it in the Dare magazine?
Mktg I've seen it in the paper. I'd like to know a bit more.
Superdrug OK, bear with me a moment, I'll just find out for you. Which paper was it in?
Mktg Metro (Mktg waits nearly two minutes for a response).
Superdrug Hello, sorry about the wait. We only have the hairdryer and styling tongs at the moment, but if I can take some details I will try and find out more and call back (Mktg gives details). Was it particularly the cosmetics you are interested in?
Mktg Yes.
(After waiting more than an hour, Mktg calls back, speaks to a different call-handler and is told that they are busy, but someone will call back. Mktg calls again an hour later and speaks to a new call-handler.)
Mktg I am hoping to find out about The Only Way is Essex beauty range.
Superdrug I can just search for you ...
The only thing I can find is a hairdryer and a tong.
Mktg (It's) been in the news. It talked about bronzer, a 'vajazzling kit' and 'reem' perfume.
Superdrug Sorry, what was the brand's name?
Mktg The Only Way is Essex, but they call it TOWIE for short.
Superdrug Let me search ...
No. We'll need to speak to our commercial team to see if we stock it. Have you got a number we can call you back on?
Mktg I've been trying all day and people have said they'd get back to me. I wanted to find out how the Vajazzling kit works.
Superdrug I'll speak to our commercial team and call back. (Superdrug calls back five minutes later.) We don't do the item in our stores, but do on our site. It's pre-glued body-art crystals; they last up to seven days.
Mktg Does the bronzer make you quite orange? On the TV programme they are all orange.
Superdrug No ... I've done a search and the crystal tattoos are the only thing we do.
Mktg OK, thanks for you help.
VERDICT
The call-handlers did little to hide the fact that they were flummoxed by my enquiry and only added to the confusion with their questions. The first two call-handlers seemed to make no effort to return the call; the third one was slightly more helpful, however.
SCORE 2/10