Since I usually write about poor retail experiences, I thought it only fitting to write about the positive ones I’ve encountered as well.
Two weeks ago I ordered an audio stand from Walmart.com for $139.74 plus shipping and tax. After receiving it, I happened to notice that the price went down to $125.77. I emailed Walmart to see whether they would credit me the difference since it had been less than 30 days since placing the order, and not only did they do it without any argument, they also included the applicable tax, so my credit was just shy of $15. Just goes to prove it never hurts to ask.
There are a few spots where the finish is missing, though, but they are small and I swear you can’t buy any furniture that is perfect these days. At least Walmart’s shipping center had enough sense to use these plastic “corners” that they put on the box and then wrapped it in shrink wrap so that it wasn’t damaged in transit.
I’m pretty happy with the unit, too. It’s quite spacious and good looking. I’m just thrilled to finally have something so we could take the equipment off the floor! After all the problems I had trying to purchase a unit, I was starting to believe we’d never get one. But it turned out just like our house hunt: it took awhile and was frustrating, but in the end we spent less money and got more. So you have to wonder if there’s a higher power out there. Like the shopping fairy or something. ;)
My other positive retail experience started off in a negative way. See, last year I bought this Medisana desk humidifier for work. It ran ok the first month and a half, but after awhile, it would shut itself off, thinking the tank was empty. Finally it got to the point where it wouldn’t stay on for longer than two seconds, rendering it useless. I contacted the manufacturer whom at first blew me off and tried to get me to go after the store I bought it from (drugstore.com). However, since three months had passed since I purchased it, they were not obligated to return my money.
The manufacturer admitted there were issues with the unit, but the person I was dealing with via email couldn’t communicate effectively and left me believing they wouldn’t deal with the issue when she wrote “we don’t deal with customers”. Turns out what she meant was she needed to direct me to the local distributor. The contact there told me a “new and improved” humidifier was currently in production and that he would send me one as soon as it was ready. About a month later, they sent me one, completely free of charge.
I haven’t used it yet, so I’m not sure if the same thing will happen, but at least they did what they could to resolve the issue. If this one stops working, I will contact them about it, just so they know, and I won’t buy their products anymore. But for the time being, I will assume they at least care enough about their customers to do what’s right.
That’s all I really expect from any of these retailers. It’s not a case of whether they are perfect, but whether they are fair.