It was amazing the turn around I got from the (originally obstinate) customer service when I CRIED over the phone about the fact my Christmas was cancelled, because they couldn’t locate my new cooker in their warehouse. They ended up delivering 2 cookers, and refunding me the delivery charge three times. I think I must have flustered the person on the other line.
So the OP could try that.
CHASE f*cked up my mortgage (on which I owed $68 and was waiting for them to send my exact payoff amount) years ago. My mortgage ended up being submitted to a foreclosure help program that President Obama had instituted.
I began getting mail offering me help in avoiding foreclosure, on a 30 year mortgage I’d paid off in 12 years. I was FURIOUS. I called CHASE several times each day, requesting supervisors each time, and fake-crying about my coming foreclosure. “WHAT AM I GOING TO DO???” It was actually fun.
I ended up getting a bunch of apologies, but I demanded compensation for all the time I’d spent on the phone. They ended up express sending me a check for $125, IIRC. Fine. But then I got the check again, same cover letter. A few days later I got a third check, same amount, same cover letter. I worried I’d keep getting 3 checks/letters a week, but it stopped at three.
Not a bad problem to have!
Yes, mistakes happen, but the company didn’t make any attempt to correct them. And if I understand correctly, the only reason @Orville_mogul eventually got the item is because he took extraordinary measures himself to track down and correct the issue.
I agree with @SanVito:
Unfortunately true, I think. Some companies live by the fictional-but-not-really-fictional Ferengi Rules of Acquisition, particularly Rule #1: “Once you have their money… you never give it back.”
That’s why I only buy online if I can use a credit card. They’ll refund my money and go after the seller.
I had this happen, and DHL contacted us directly. Similar for when we ordered a print from Ukraine, which took 3 months (or more), but most of the wait was there. Once it reached the Post, we got quick results.
I’ve also had the experience with a French company, when I did not receive my package in a reasonable time, simply refunded my money. I had ordered from them before, and they had a good idea how long it should take to arrive. The package never arrived.
A couple years ago I ordered a fancy pillow during Thanksgiving weekend for my brother for Christmas. They said it’d take 2-3 weeks to ship. Cutting it close for sure, but if it was a few days late no big deal. It didn’t end up shipping until March. At no time during this whole mess did they ever change the 2-3 week shipping estimate on their website. Since this was a manufacturing delay and not a shipping delay they knew exactly how behind they were on orders. As far as I’m concerned that’s fraud. They did send some pillow cases or tote bags or something as a consolation, which helps, but it still warrants a bad review and not doing business with them again.
I ordered something from a German company and yeah, they had a different conception of time and there was a lot less customer followup. It took 6 weeks for me to get a pair of pants. When I emailed them they said they were sourcing organic cotton. Last time I ever ordered from them.
A couple years back, I uploaded a novelty painting I made to a website. I was going to have it put on a few water bottles to give to my gardening friends.
No problem, I get the bottles , they look great. Totally happy. I then went to the site to remove my painting and I wasn’t allowed to. So I contacted them and they said it was company policy and they couldn’t delete anything that was uploaded. Worse, the painting was searchable on the site so anyone that ran across it would be able to download it and use it for anything they wanted.
So, I opened a Twitter account and put a message on their page warning people that the company was keeping every ones original art. I soon had a private reply that my image was removed and a bit about how sorry they were.
To date I have posted twice with Twitter after what I felt was bad treatment and it’s worked both times. It seems companies don’t like criticism to show up on their public pages. So you have that option if you feel like pursuing it.
Not sure what I may have said that was borderline. Can you let me know.
Just FTR, as a longtime customer service rep for several large companies, if I had fielded the call on this I would first have FIXED the damned problem and then credited the shipping fees. The shipping is where it all got bollixed up and I’m betting the OP would have felt much better about things if the part that was fuxxord didn’t have to be paid for, the issue got fixed and they heard an apology. Cost to the company–minimal. Good will value–incalculable. That company done fucked up.
This is a bare minimum. And in a lot of cases sufficient.