Milking The Cow

Couples planning a wedding in Bermuda and wondering where to have your wedding list, be warned: if you're in any rush to get your gifts, don't have it at Triminghams.

My wife and I got married in Bermuda on September 27 last year. Our kitchenware went on a list at International Imports, our cutlery went on a list at Otto Wurz and our crystal and china went on a list at Triminghams. We also had a list at a department store in the UK for the benefit of my family and friends.

We had everything from International Imports right after the wedding. Next to arrive were our gifts from the UK, which despite the need to organise international shipping and payment of customs duties, got here around the end of November. They were quickly followed by our remaining flatware from Otto Wurz. But from Triminghams... nothing.

A week before Christmas, three months after our wedding, we called them up to find out what was going on. It emerged that Triminghams' policy is to give newly-weds all of their gifts at once. As some of our crystal and china needed to be ordered, they were waiting until the oustanding items came into stock. Not good enough, we said: we were having Mandy's family round for Christmas lunch and needed our new tableware. Triminghams agreed to have a rumage in their warehouse and let us pick up the items they did have in stock, which turned out to be perhaps half of what we were due.

In February we got most of our outstanding crystal. But still no sign of the rest of the china. Mandy made numerous calls to the store, speaking directly with the buyer on several occasions. About six weeks ago when she called again she was told that the remaining items were "on the dock" and would be available to collect soon. But no-one ever called us back.

Today we called Triminghams again, keen to discover if we'd get our gifts before our first anniversary. "Oh yes," we were told. "Everything's ready to pick up." Perhaps our timing was coincidental, but I can't help but wonder how long we would have had to wait before someone from Triminghams would have called us.

Eight months from wedding day to finally being in receipt of all of our gifts is unacceptable. I'd be pretty pissed off if I received a birthday present eight months after the event, and I don't see why wedding presents should be any different. But it seems we may have been lucky. We know of one other couple who were married around the same time as us who are still waiting for many of the items on their Triminghams list.

Triminghams' problem seems to be one of complacency. Since their recent takeover of long-time competitor, Smiths, there are now really only two other stores from which a couple can order their crystal and china. Given the amount of money stores rake in from gift lists, you would have thought they would have treated those customers with a little more appreciation. Triminghams seem to view them as a cash cow, to be milked for all they're worth.