John Lewis in Exeter - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

I like visiting John Lewis and have bought many items and been served by an array of lovely pleasant staff. I've never had a bad experience with staff members, their customer service is very good. What lets it down is the cleaniness. Whether you are going up the escalator or down, the dust and cobwebs is bad. Toilets are not great earlier, they seriously need refurbishing or employ someone who can actually clean them.

Excellent goods and plenty of helpfully staff

I like to shop here often. Like the quality of merchandise, cleanliness, ease to browse, and above all pleasant and helpful associates. I’m also writing to seek help from John Lewis Exeter. I shopped here on 3/9/24 during the day for towels and I am afraid I might have left a glasses with black frame in a black soft shell, probably near the towel racks. If it’s in the Lost&Found, I will certainly trot back to get it. Thanks a lot.

Went to buy a pair of shoes today at the John Lewis store in Exeter, the store was not busy at 5pm, but no staff are available to help, they dnt even come over and say hello! I mean I was a manager in Harrods, but the service in Exeter is absolutely disgusting and diabolical, I ended up going to Loake shoes in Exeter and got a nice pair of shoes, the guy there was so welcoming and came over within 3 minutes to ask if I needed anything, no wonder why, people prefer on-line shopping ❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️

The staff were all really nice and friendly. The cafe was excellent, we had egg sandwich, chocolate cake, cappuccino and earl grey tea all tasty and fresh. The toilets are on floor 4 and were clean. The Car Park was a bit confusing as some of the pay machines were out of order and there isn’t one on each floor.

Wonderful helpful and knowledgeable staff. A pleasure to shop there.

Cutlery very dirty , tables unclean , I had english breakfast, it was very greasy , worse than weatherspoons seriously unimpressed, expected alot more from John Lewis

Visited toilets after breakfast on Thursday 1/8/24 around 10am. As I walked into ladies toilet a member of staff was on their way out. Toilets absolutely highly stunk and someone had purposely smeared their excrement on the walls, toilet and floor. There was myself and another customer feeling so upset about this that we waited opposite the ladies toilet for someone from customer services to report this too. No one there ! Unmanned! Finally the member of staff that passed me appeared where we stopped, reported and asked her to close the toilets to get them cleaned as this was such a health issue. Her response was rather brusk and uninterested to get this actioned. On leaving the store I stopped a pregnant member of staff about this - she confirmed she was on her way to get it sorted.

Purchased an expensive TV, delivered last week. The TV was faulty with the HDMI ports not working and so I asked for it to be replaced. I chose to pay extra because I didn't want to be stuck with a similar faulty product. I purchased a different TV, this time a Panasonic which was also faulty on delivery with no picture. No amount of technical support or looking up smart fixes online solved the problem. 2 weeks without a TV now and John Lewis response was just refund or replace again. Totally disappointed with what I thought was a top customer service team whose response was to just keep shipping faulty TVs without any further investigation or customer offer. I appreciate they don't make the product but they can pass any incurred cost on to the companies supply faulty products.

I shop in John Lewis in Exeter regularly and always enjoy it, particularly the service I receive from a lady on the menswear department, last Saturday I was shopping with my husband and as usual she was so very helpful. Whilst I queued I listened to her serving another couple of men and she was brilliant, always happy, knowledgeable and truly a real asset to your company. I have worked in high street retail for 30 years and she stands out a mile and I really thought she deserved a mention at the very least ( she is short, blonde and roughly 45 and originally comes from another country?) please acknowledge her commitment to customers and your company and I hope she receives high praise as she really does deserve it. Kind regards Elizabeth Libby Also I visited the Exeter branch today 14/6/24 and received incredible service from Jo at the French Connection womenswear section, I ssid what I was looking for and she said she would go and get a selection from the stockroom ( black trousers, not summer stock? ) she quickly brought me back 2 styles and also went back to the stockroom to see if she had a sweater in stock that I spied , excellent service ! She revisited me in the fitting room and couldn’t have been more attentive, a brilliant asset to FC ! Also a shout out to the 2 fitting room girls (Alex and another really helpful young girl who also served me at the till, well done John Lewis

Had an absolutely lovely experience talking to Alice at Clarins counter - she was so friendly and polite and made such an effort to make our visit special. Cannot recommend enough we will definitely be back and hopefully be served by her again !!

Just had to write a review for the amazing service I received. It was an online order, and start to finish was amazing. The delivery team, Adrian and Paul went above and beyond. They were the friendliest guys while also being professional, everything that you’d expect from John Lewis customer service from these guys.

Good products, inattentive staff

I would like to thank one of the girls from the Charlotte Tilbury counter (Believe her name was ruby). I went to John Lewis looking for makeup as I have a wedding coming up and thought I would try Charlotte Tilbury. I didn't know what I was really looking for and ruby explained some products which might work for me. My skin isn't the greatest and I am a bit self conscious of this however she put me at ease and asked if I would like to try some of the products, which I did. Really great customer service and would like to say thank you

My sister was followed around and harassed by a customer in the store. Security tracked it on their CCTV and then came to make sure she was ok and escorted her to myself and my mum on the ground floor. I could not believe how kind the staff were and how much they made sure she was ok and to track it on their CCTV and spot it was amazing. TJ at the Charlotte Tilbury counter gave my sister a facial as she was very distressed and we just thought that was so kind, they really took care of her while they handled the situation. Jess was amazing and really put my sister at ease and made her feel cared for. Thank you!

Went into the Women's clothes department in Friday 29th March looking for a wedding guest outfit. I don't dress up often so wasn't really sure what to get. Once I got to the changing room the staff immediately welcomed me and started to enquire what I was looking for. They were incredibly helpful and were soon finding things for me to try or giving me alternative suggestions. In the end they ended up finding me exactly what I'd hoped for (a stunning pair of Ted Baker trousers) I was so impressed with their service. I have never had such fantastic service and would 100% recommend going there if you are looking for some new clothes!

Sadly, quite possibly, it was the worst breakfast I've had. The mocha I ordered was watery and didn't even taste like a mocha. The sausages were like cardboard, mushroom was dried up, and the poached egg had a plastic like layer on the outside. Honestly, it was tasteless, and I left my drink and half of the breakfast. Definitely won't ever go to John Lewis again for a meal :(

Had a breakfast. The only hot items were the toast, egg and hash browns. Sausage bacon beans mushroom and even my pot of tea were all tepid. Food was good just not hot.

Exceptionally helpful today. Gave excellent advice about consumer electricals. Even though it didn't involve a sale for them. Thanks

As someone who works in hospitality, i always try and find a reason to the way things are being run somewhere if I have a (rare) bad experience. In this case, there are no excuses and I'm leaving my first ever bad review! We ordered a black coffee and a mocha...both completely undrinkable. You couldn't see how undrinkable the mocha was but I did take a photo of my 'black' coffee...it didnt taste like coffee at all. That machine has not been deep cleaned in a while. On top of that, my card wouldn't work to pay so I tried another. I was then told it was MY cards and I had to find cash (very loudly in front of other customers). I mentioned there was a wire hanging out of the machine to which I got another loud reply of 'oh that's not the problem. It is your cards so do you have cash to pay'. At this point i was starting to feel anxious with the queue of customers behind me and the lady serving me dismissing anything i said so i popped the wire back into the card machine myself and my card worked immediately... ***Staff need a refresher course in customer service skills***

Very professional and helpful customer services at the Top floor of John Lewis but sadly apparently staff in LG and men’s department needed some proper training…

50 minutes waiting for 2 regular english breakfasts and 1 small one. We up and left and got our money back. Will never go back again!!!

Not so good as it was I'm afraid. Ordered Cod and chips at £11.95 earlier. Average quality at best. Fish tasted like typical supermarket battered packet cod, pretty flavourless tbh. The chips were overcooked, more batter than potato middle. Even the Earl Grey tea was inferior to previous times. Are you using inferior quality tea bags? Overall disappointing.

Excellent customer service at Estée Lauder department in John Lewis Exeter.

Called in today to look at the professional and chefs knives. Stood for less than a minute before being politely approached by a member of staff (Carol) who asked if she could help. She was absolutely brilliant, really knew her stuff, was super helpful and obviously really well trained, well done John Lewis and please pass on thank you to Carol, top notch service and assistance! More Carols in John Lewis stores please!! This is a genuine review and I am a genuine (happy) customer!

Unclear if there are two queues or one, so politely everyone stood in one. 15 minutes later I discover that there is only one vegetarian option available, a full breakfast. No sandwiches but bacon or sausage until noon - it was 11.45am by that time. We had to leave and go to the little cafe in opposite Waterstones instead.

Need to organise the system for ordering and serving food. Visited peak lunchtime. Only two people serving. These two people are also making the drinks, getting food and taking payment. Waited 20 minutes to get served (very polite server). Ideally should have people taking orders and payment and others making the drinks and getting the food. Three members of the team standing around chatting. Could see a large queue forming and did nothing to help reduce. Decided it was better to add more cakes then serve customers. Paid £25.00 for three sandwiches and drinks. Sandwich was hard and very difficult to eat. Not what I would expect from John Lewis. Did not meet expectations 😞

Always great never below. Could be bigger and carry more stock, but orders are available for online purchases and collection

Cafe menu is out of date. We tried to order a beef baguette but we were told it was no longer on the menu … see picture below! It is clearly on the menu! We queued for quite some time. The egg and mayo roll was very dry. The staff were very good and tried their best…. Don’t think I will return to this cafe unless they can solve all the issues.

Very slow service. Ordered fish & chips and wish I hadn't. The so-called fish was mostly greasy batter. Chips and mushy peas were OK. Americano coffee was weak and insipid. Come on JL, you can do better than this!

Sisley counter is excellent. Lady who works there really helped me to decide what to get my mum for Christmas and understand the products. Thank you

Myself and a friend popped in for a spot of breakfast, before we started our Christmas shopping, we ordered a pot of tea a latte and two bacon rolls, 25 minutes later we had finished our drinks but still no bacon rolls, when I mentioned to the waitress that we had been waiting half an hour and already finished our drinks she very rudely replied “well that the way it is “ will never return it was absolute chaos !

Quick bites.....it takes 12 minutes to order a cup of tea, cake suggestion is very poor, when I asked a supervisor for a piece of their custard and rhubarb cake, he said all the cakes are on display.....usually really helpful staff but this evening, very poor. If all they have left are chocolate brownies and a tray bake then you will be very disappointed. Might give this a miss tomorrow

I can not say strongly enough how disappointed I am with John Lewis customer service over the phone. Had a fault with a TV and after 4wks still going though the process of trying to sort it out! contacted complaints and just had another message from the tec team who I was complaining about. Just spoke to them once again and had the same poor experience, lack of knowledge for staff and also very poor customer communication. I am lost for words........ I've always bought from John lewis when it comes to TV etc but never will I buy anything tech from John lewis again due to there tech team!

Brilliant customer service from Olivia in the lighting/homewares department - very patient and professional.

No staff on makeup counters willing to help

A good store with comprehensive departments and a big choice of merchandise.

Big fat black fly landing on the cakes and sandwiches. The fly ate some Madeira cake in front of myself and member of staff. The fly rubbed his legs together. Second member of staff took the cake away. The fly had landed on all the uncovered food. Think all the food needs covering, not left open. The fly was enormous. Fat from eating cake

Shame. Very shabby and empty displays. Really dirty windows!

We always park in the car park, that is close to John Lewis, in Exeter. We always go in for something. They have a ice cafe on the top floor, plus multi use toilets on some floors. They sell a good range of products across the board and it is always good quality.

Awful. Wasted time queuing only to be told the kitchen closes at 2.30pm on a Sunday. Why have menus displayed downstairs and upon entering the cafe that have no mention of this. Either you're open or not and the (at least) 4 members of staff seen in the kitchen are able to operate a toaster for a toasted sandwich.

Huge department store for everything you may need

John Lewis's good customer service has evaporated, so I see no point paying the inflated prices. I recently bought an electrical item which was faulty and had obviously been returned previously as faulty. No apology, they couldn't care less. Thanks for the inconvenience. Bye

All the usual John Lewis products and franchises.

Victoria was super helpful! Really appreciate all the help

Alex in the bra fitting dept was sooo great. I came out with exactly what I needed ( I hadn't previously known what I needed!) Previous visits to lingerie depts usually end in tears. Hurray for Alex,'and all other expert bra fitters, who know their own stick really well. Respect.

Incredibly slow service in the cafe, don't bother going to it. 20 minute queue just to get coffee.

This is a somewhat smaller store than I was used to. However, the staff were working to the usual high standard and were very friendly and professional. The store is very clean and tidy, and it has a good stock level. The restaurant on the top floor was incredibly busy, a monument to the standard of food being served. However, it did feel something of a crush. I managed to find the aftershave that I was looking for, and I'm tempted by a new suit.

A shocking meal. The photo speaks for itself. This is meant to be an egg… I can’t even think of anything else to add to use up these characters

Had a fruit scone cream tea. Scone extremely dry and crusty on the outside, the worst I’ve had. Don’t know how old they were but didn’t enjoy it at all. On reflection should have taken it back.

Service slow no one seems to be in any hurry to serve! Roof leaking so buckets everywhere and chairs upside down on tables! Coffee very weak even when we asked for stronger coffee it was no stronger! Expensive for what we had won’t be going back!

The staff on the main entrance floor seem more intent on having personal conversations than seeing if there was anything that they could help customers with. There was a group of three girls behind the make up counter and further along a group of five staff again, intent on having their own conversations and I actually found it quite intimidating. My friend had a good idea what she wanted, but still wanted some advice. She had to ask for help before this happened. She then told the member of staff that I wanted some advice but I have to say the lack of enthusiasm was overwhelming hence I came out without buying anything. My friend actually spent over £100 and would’ve gone back for some face cream, however, she felt the same as me . Maybe being 67 I didn’t “fit” the bill! The other frustrating thing is I was going to email John Lewis with a complaint but unless it fits one of”boxes “ there isn’t any way of doing this. They suggest you ring them. Not impressed.

Never seem to have any hot vegan options for lunch. I was advised at last visit this was because they could not get the ingredients. After having to queue to be told this I would have thought they would have removed the option from the menu posted at the front of the restaurant to save me wasting my time.

We queued for 15 minutes, tray in hand to find out that the only soup they had on that day was Tomato, which neither of us like. Why can they not put it on the menu at the beginning of the queue? It would save so much time. Even better, why can't they be table service?

A pleasant restaurant with an excellent view, being positioned as it is on the top (4th) floor. I remember this restaurant when it was Debenhams in the early 1970's. Structurally it's pretty much the same, which is pleasing. It's typical John Lewis fayre. Not as extensive as their restaurant for example in Southampton, but a good range of hot and cold light lunches and all the usual drinks. Pleasant service.

Very poor service. Drinks served by staff holding the top of the glass. Ordered a sandwich, chips and a strew. Sandwich was ready straight away. Stew got delivered 15 mins later and despite the length of time it had clearly been stuck under the hot lamps as a skin had formed. And chips turned up 5 mins after the stew. Food tasted ok but overall service and experience was very poor. First and last time I will come here.

Thinking John Lewis high end Cafe Not ! Couldn't believe how dirty the seating area was, table and trays were awful, no attempt to clean them by any of the staff, who all looked miserable . There was a table next to us which had a wet floor sign and liquid spillage on the floor, when we got there and was still there when we left . The coffee was just okay as was the hot chocolate, We have had much better in less prestigious places, the cake again was just okay but the price was very high. Outside area understandably closed at the moment, tables and chairs covered with pigeon poo, and other mess, obviously has been look after at all over the last few months and looked disgusting . Reading other reviews they don't seem to be bothered to step up to the mark, my advice go somewhere else you'll get a better experience , drinks and food . Shame on you John Lewis .

We ate at the John Lewis cafe today - Sunday 18 December . It was not busy despite this being the last Sunday before Christmas Service was unbelievably slow - and the food quality was poor - 2 slices of sourdough bread thrown together with cheese in the centre Very disappointed - we will not be visiting again There are numerous alternatives in Exeter which are a far better choice Avoid

We ate at the cafe on the top floor. It was pretty dire. Stale Turkey sandwich, very dry and stale ginger and lime cake, tasteless and weak coffee. The two side orders of chips never arrived. When I went to the counter, I was told that it had not been cooked and the order had been overlooked. I appreciate they were busy, but this was not a pleasant experience. I guess I realise why I never visit towns from one year to the next, but I have learnt my lesson. Eat at John Lewis? Never again.

Very slow queue service. Many sandwich items were unavailable when we ordered. Hot food took ages to arrive. The empty tables were dirty and still had the previous customers' plates on them. Looking at previous reviews, this appears to be a common theme.

Visited just after store opened, cafe wasn’t ready to take payments as tills weren’t in operation, waited several minutes along with others queuing, finally took order, delivered to table where we watched a member of staff sweeping up crumbs etc, upon speaking to him was told that cleaners were given 2 hours to clean , perhaps not long enough to do the task , thank goodness for a conscientious employee! Do think we will visit again

Shopping in JL and stopped for lunch as we have done many times before. At 12.30 we were faced with a queue of approximately 10 customers. Not too bad we thought and there were tables available. There was a single queue at the Deli counter and no queue at the Hot food counter and three staff in attendance at the later? We spoke to the customers in front of us and enquired if they were queueing for hot food or cold as there was no queue at the Hot food counter and three staff staring into space? Two customers in front said they wanted hot food but had been sent back into the single queue as they had to wait their turn? Having established nobody else in front wanted hot food I encouraged the two customers in front to try again and listened to the frosty reception they received! I could not believe what I was hearing from staff at a store that prides itself on customer service. Eventually I too decided to chance my arm at the hot food counter and was immediately asked if I understood the concept of a queue!! I explained that no one else in the queue wanted hot food and I was this next in line. Eventually the short, stocky tattooed man with a bald head (the manager) stopped arguing with me and served me. I cannot believe how rude he was!! The food was ok as usual but JL needs to train their staff and provide some structure to their cafe queueing system and staff. As a foot note my wife and I perused each department of the store and stopped and examined various items but not once did a “partner” step forward to offer help? I’m not sure what’s happening at JL but it’s not good.

Gave up after 40 minutes and still no food, asked for my money back. They had run out of what I wanted anyway. Plenty of staff but most don’t seem to be doing much. Won’t be coming back

Popped in for a cappuccino, then decided to have a small breakfast of bacon, fried egg, tomatoes and toast. The breakfast was beautifully cooked, egg perfect - I’m a bit funny about my fried eggs, I don’t like it when there is an uncooked layer...

Avoid the gents lavatory in the top floor cafe. Putting aside the broken urinals, the cubicles were pretty grim. These need more than maintenance...a complete replacement is long overdue. I wish the senior management would try using them, they would soon see the problem.

Visited at 11.35am. There was a long queue that moved very slowly. A staff member was handing out trays. Why wasn't she helping the other staff? It was completely disorganised. Upon being served at 12.05pm, I discovered that a number of lunch items had not...

Decided to have an early morning coffee and sandwich here this morning. Ordered bacon sandwiches and got coffee from their machine. Coffee was Luke warm and bacon sandwich’s arrived toasted (which we hadn’t asked for) on both sides of the bread . It was dry...

No cozy crew seals. We were saddened by this and hope John Lewis and Partners can rectify this dishonour to the seal name. We will not be returning.

The service used to be slow prior to the pandemic but now the queue to order for and drink is ridiculous, about 15 minutes. There just doesn't seem to be any organisation.

Weve queued for 20 mins to place our food order. They seem to have plenty of staff but most seem to be standing around. We had to wait a further 15 mins for the food to be bought out!!! To say the service is woeful...

Great John Lewis - but a trek to get to the toilets

Good store but not always the full range of stock available. Best to order online.

Enjoy cake and coffee in The Place to Eat

John Lewis retains it's crown. Excellent staff, products, and location in Exeter

I would like to thank very much personal shopper Sue for my experience last Saturday 16th April... her patience, understanding and knowledge was great. I was very apprehensive about coming in to buy a mother of the bride outfit as I have a disability but Sue put me very much at ease and found an outfit that I am very pleased with thank you so much. Best regards Yvonne

Cafe on top with view Very quick and efficient service. They price match as well.

2 lovely ladies helped me today with a bra fitting for my wedding dress! I didn’t get the first lady’s name (she had short hair) the other was called Kim. They were professional friendly and certainly knew their stuff!!! Look forward to going back for another fitting with my wedding dress 10/10

It didn't have exactly what I wanted but the staff were helpful

Café had basically run out of pre-prepared cold food at lunch time, but had a good availability of hot food to order.

Not the biggest John Lewis in the world, but a very pleasant place to shop nonetheless. Great selection of tech in the basement, wide choice in the food and home department, and not a bad selection of clothes for men and women. Not a lot for children though, that department is small. Fab cafe at the top with wide reaching views over Exeter and the surrounding countryside.

Just want to say a big thank you to Will for his help when we visited the store last week. His patience and knowledge of Mens fragrance was extensive and he went out of his way to find what we were looking for. What fantastic customer service!

Went in last Wednesday for lunch. Didn't believe poor reviews I had seen. I was right not to believe. Staff were helpful, tables were cleared and cleaned very promptly. The food we has was good

No display models for the bed sheets. No staff to ask about them either, just one woman, who was on the phone for ages on hold staring into space.

This Charlotte Tilbury blusher was purchased on Friday 25th March along with other items from this range. It was for a special wedding coming up so when I got home I opened to check, this is what I found. I have rung Exeter twice yesterday been given a reference number but for some reason no body in the store were taking phone calls and I was promised a call back but guess what, nothing. I really don’t see why I should drive 50 miles and pay for a car park to rectify this and I am absolutely furious with John Lewis customer service.

Well managed store, plenty of space to distance. Well stocked with some unusual Christmas things.

Excellent, has just the products I wanted.

Husband bought an ipad - all went well. I visited the ladies - not a pleasant experience. 1 blocked toilet. 1 broken flush. Felt run down and in need of refurbishment. Not up to John Lewis normal standard. Absence of shop floor staff noticeable throughout store.

Normally a really good experience in JL Exeter but today had a cashier in the children's department called James who was quite impatient/ short with me whilst navigating the app on my phone. There was no queue and I thought I as taking a normal amount of time but perhaps he was just in a bad mood. Just left a bit of a sour taste from what is normally an excellent customer service experience.

Went in to buy some nice aftershave for my brother's birthday, lady there was super helpful!! She showed me a selection with the notes I wanted (patchouli or sandlewood base) and was very patient while I compared them all. She also helped me choose a good value box/ combination for my own purse aha! My brother says he gets lots of compliments with his cologne, so I'm very happy! Will be buying perfume from JL all the time now :) thank you for your help!

Nice coffee shop upstairs. Fabulous views. Love John Lewis! Got some eggs to hang on my Easter tree. They had some nice Easter chocolates in there.

Nice lunch. Clean cafeteria and friendly staff

Excellent quality,choice and service

Exeter Store. Beautifully presented and helpful staff right from entrance. We achieved all we set out to do.

Just fantastic service as always from, John Lewis and Waitrose.

Absolutely love the electric department, looking for new TV..

Went for a cold drink after shopping in store. There's a sign to say don't sit at a table until you collect your order. The queue was back to the escalator and took 25 minutes to get to the counter. The staff serving were soooo...

Lovely store with well informed and helpful staff. Car park a bit pricey and misleading information to get to the store. Park on ground floor and walk across Collection Point courtyard. If you park on the upper floors you need to use the lift to get back down or use the connecting bridge on level F which takes you to the high street and you can walk to the store from there.

Travelled from London to Exeter to pick up a specific item. Callum (from TV and Audio) was very helpful.

Always a pleasant experience. Great staff always helpful.

Expansive retail chain in the heart of Exeter