UPDATEsince i wrote this i was actually contacted by the manager of customer service. i didn't actually speak with her but she left me a vm and replied to my email. they have decided to refund me the full cost of the item, plus shipping. my faith in humanity is now restored. peace on earth and goodwill towards men abounds..
i am lazy and like to do my christmas shopping online vs. braving the crowds at the malls. most of the time, it works out great, you make your purchase, pay the shipping, and it shows up in a few days. recently, i purchased a christmas gift from a company who shall remain nameless (for now) for a person who shall also remain nameless. i cannot get into too much detail here for obvious reasons, but suffice it to say, as a customer i have been completely ignored. my package showed up at work, where i am having all of my items sent. i opened the box the
standard way, the same way i open all of the boxes i receive, (and as part of my job, i get a LOT of boxes sent to me) with a box-cutter. well, the item was packaged in a way that left the item forced to the very top of the box, meaning all of the packing material, in this case air pillows, were underneath and to the sides of the item. i cut the tape on both sides to open the flaps and then ran my blade down the center of the box to cut that tape. big mistake. i ended up cutting into the item and leaving a giant scar right down the middle. ok, methinks, a quick call to customer service should get this sorted out. i called, jumped through the hoops on the VRU, got in line at the call queue, and then spoke to a customer service representative who must have been having a very bad day. i explained what had happened and that the item had been packaged poorly. she says "why did you use a blade to cut the box open?" excuse me? what am i supposed to do? use my super human hand strength to rip the cardboard open?? "no sir...i am sorry we can't help you". not wanting to let this go, i asked to speak to a supervisor. "fine" says she, and forwards me coldly and namelessly to yet another extension. ring...ring...ring... nothing. whatever, i thought. i'll call back tomorrow. at this point i send an email to customer service explaining in great detail what has occurred, hoping by chance someone will actually read it and respond. fast forward to tuesday. i call, jump through hoops (see above) get cranky csr number two. "nope..can't help. you can talk to leah..she's the supervisor but she's out of the office until tomorrow". ok, i get leah's number and call her yesterday. i get her voice mail (naturally) and explain in a calm manner what my problem is. i asked to be called back and leave two numbers i can be reached at. funny, no return calls. i think i am SOL! so this saga began monday...tomorrow is friday and so far, no email and no returned call. i am apparently stuck with a lovely christmas gift for someone that has a giant gash on it. at this point i don't even care...all i want is to be acknowledged. call me back, make fun of me, laugh and curse, just acknowledge me as a customer. what happened to the customer is always right?? needless to say, regardless of what happens, if anything, they have received the last of my business.
