By Dominic Maher, 27 January 1999 00:30
NEWS Following Silicon.com's investigation into the problems faced by online drinks gifts retailer, Drinks Direct, the barrage of complaints has caused the company's Web host to disassociate itself from the fiasco. Shoppers Universe is set to post a notice on its Web site explaining Drinks Direct is owned by Threshers and is not part of its company. The online shopping mall has been forced into this move due to growing customer dissatisfaction over the past weeks. Problems customers have faced include overcharging, products not arriving until threats have been made and a severe lack of customer support. The drink supplier rents space on the Shoppers Universe server and the two companies will be meeting next week to see how this problem can be resolved. Steve Smith, customer services manager at Shoppers Universe, explained that this could give it a bad name. "We will urge them to place an email address and phone number on their pages so customer queries can be directed straight to them," he said. Smith also pointed out that they would be discussing when they are in a position to set up their own independent site. "I will be talking to the Web development team to discuss how we can post a message making it clear we are not one and the same company," he said. Clive Longbottom, strategy analyst at CSL Consulting, said: "Although Thresher may understand booze, they do not understand the Web."
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