Retail Experiences – Page 6 – Not Content to Crawl

Poor Customer Service Week

Posted onAugust 5, 2016

It seems like companies just don’t give a shit anymore.

Example # 1

I emailed our association on July 25th about leaking we heard over the front door, inside the wall, when it rained really bad a few days before. They replied a day or so later saying they contacted the property manager and I’d hear from someone. Once a week had passed since my original email, I emailed them again to ask why I hadn’t heard anything. I got the same response, but the next day received a call from the vendor directly who basically asked me to describe the issue which I had already done in my original email. I had even included pictures. Was that information not forwarded to them? In any case, after that I was told by A (the representative I’ve been dealing with at the vendor) that she’d call me back to schedule a time for them to come out.

Yesterday she left a voicemail stating they would be out next Wednesday and to call back to confirm. I called her to let her know we wouldn’t be available and she was like, “well, can you have someone there?”. I told her no and that we’d be available Thursday and Friday. She said she’d speak to the scheduler and get back to me. This morning she called back to tell me they’d be out on Tuesday. Once again, this will not work for us, which I told her. She sounded frustrated with me and pointed out I said my husband works from home. First off, I don’t recall saying that, but I told her this doesn’t mean we don’t make plans. Furthermore, what kind of company just tells you when they are coming out and doesn’t at least give you a few options? I told her their scheduling is ridiculous after she told me that they have to “go where the work is” and made it like *I* was being unreasonable by not being available when they want to come out. Are you kidding me? You are providing a service. I get that they want to try and group jobs together geographically but it’s not like they are driving hours to get here. The call ended with her saying she’d check with the scheduler about another date/time.

While we were in the movies this morning she left a message basically saying since we aren’t available those two days they won’t be able to come out and would call me once they put together a new schedule. What kind of business operates that way? Fed up, I called the association about it. They called the vendor who basically told them the same thing so L (the rep at the association) said she’d speak to the property manager to see if there’s another vendor they can use. I sure hope so because I already hate this one and they haven’t even come here to do the work yet! I cannot wait to post a Yelp review for these people.

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Example # 2

Last year I received a sample of Oscar de la Renta Flor perfume in one of my subscription boxes. I liked it so much that in January I purchased a full bottle on Amazon.com. Within less than three months, however, the smell changed, and not for the better. Now I feel like I wasted my money on a scent I don’t like anymore. I kept it in the box in the bedroom so light/moisture couldn’t damage it, so WTF? I have perfume that is years old whose scent hasn’t changed. I contacted the company through their website and a representative replied asking for the purchase info. I sent them a screenshot of my Amazon order and didn’t hear back, so I emailed them again. At that point I was told they only deal with orders placed through their website and I’d have to call their corporate office. I called them this morning and when I asked if I had reached customer service the girl asked me what my issue was. I told her I just wanted to make sure I had the right department before explaining and she insisted I tell her. So then as I start telling her, she cuts me off (which is what I was trying to avoid), and tells me I need to call a different number for the place that makes the perfume without giving me the company name. You’d think someone who works at the corporate office would be a little more professional! And of course when I call the number she gave me I get a fast busy signal like it doesn’t even work.

Example # 3

We’re planning a trip to Indiana Beach in the near future and I’ve been trying to call them to find out whether we can go back to the car and re-enter the park. That way we can bring food and not have to eat multiple meals at the park (although we’ll still get tacos). The problem is no one at that place answers the phone when I call to ask.

Adventures in Damaged Appliances

Posted onJune 6, 2016

This morning we visited Northside Park in Wheaton so I could get some photos of the wildlife. I love this park so much!

We saw a Great Blue Heron as well as other birds.

Afterwards we went to Lowes to buy a new dishwasher since ours finally crapped out last night. It was 26 years old so it was time. I did a little research online and Consumer Reports recommended Whirlpool so we went with that even though we didn’t get the specific model in their recommendation as it was $150 more. We didn’t want any bells and whistles – just a basic dishwasher like our old one.

The model we bought was on sale for $299. We brought it home and when Joe was getting ready to install it we noticed the side panel was cracked. And of course it wasn’t the side of the dishwasher facing the sink so you’d never notice it. Noooo, it had to be the side facing out where everyone walks past and it’s noticeable. Can we seriously not catch a break with buying damaged appliances? I know it’s only a cosmetic issue, but WTF?

We didn’t want to take it back to Lowes since it was the last one in stock other than the floor model so I called Whirlpool and they are sending someone out on Friday to determine the part that needs to be replaced. Because me taking pictures and sending it to them isn’t sufficient. Even though they know exactly what piece it is and the model and serial number. Then of course they will have to come back to actually do the replacement. I feel like someone should pay me for my time and aggravation.

Cable & Internet

Posted onJune 3, 2016

We ran into a little snafu dealing with WOW so we’re not getting their services for the time being. We called Comcast today, however, to cancel our cable service. Once the rep realized I was serious (I also mentioned we’d be dropping the internet service soon), she gave us an offer that we couldn’t refuse – internet at the same speed we have now and digital economy basic cable for $60 per month for the next 12 months. Internet by itself? $80 per month. Yep, it costs more to NOT have cable. Crazy, huh?

We disconnected the DVR and brought it to the Xfinity store to swap it for a regular cable box. Their stores aim for an Apple Store vibe which is nice.

Waiting over 20 minutes just to swap equipment? Not so much.

Once we got home I checked our new channel lineup and it’s barely more than the local channels, plus a few cable channels like the Food and Cartoon Networks, and Comedy Central. No more FX or TBS though.

The great part is that we cut our bill by $50 per month which isn’t chump change. Once we get our DIY home security set up we’ll disconnect that and save an additional $40 per month.

On the way home we stopped at Dunkin Donuts because I wanted to try their new Almond Joy flavored iced coffee and get my free donut for National Donut Day. Why I didn’t ask for decaf is beyond me. Even though I only drank half my coffee I feel terrible. I should know better.

Annoyed

Posted onDecember 26, 2014

Today has not gone at all as planned. I had trouble falling back to sleep after Joe’s alarm went off, but after taking a Xanax I was able to get almost two more hours of sleep. Once I got up I did a little decluttering and then called my old college buddy as we planned to catch up. Except she didn’t answer even though she asked me to call at that time. So I decided I’d do some deep cleaning in the kitchen in order to “earn” the ability to spend the rest of the day being lazy and streaming Hot Wives of Orlando (a funny Hulu original series) on Hulu Plus (turns out we get a free two-month subscription for buying the Google Chromecast).

But before that, I called the sleep clinic I’ve been working with to schedule an at-home sleep study to find out whether I have sleep apnea. Except they can’t schedule it until my doctor’s office sends them the information we’ve both been asking them to send since LAST Saturday.

Basically, my doctor initially gave me the order for a facility that kept putting me off and putting me off. I gave them all my info on December 2nd and scheduled an in-facility sleep study for December 18th. I explained to them I wanted to know what my out of pocket cost would be and they told me they’d know once I had my insurance info. So when I dropped it off I asked them again and was told they’d need to call the insurance and get back to me. But they didn’t. So I called the next week and they claimed, again, they’d get back to me. But they didn’t. So I called the Monday before my scheduled sleep study and was told the same thing once more. Finally I got pissed off and asked them exactly when they were planning to call me seeing as how my appointment was mere days away. They said the day before. Except when I called them that mourning they still couldn’t help me.

It wasn’t until 3 o’clock that afternoon they called me and guess what? They told me my insurance denied an in-facility study and I’d have to come down and pick up some equipment and do an at-home study.

At this point I was so annoyed that they took three weeks to figure this out that I decided to do the study through the facility tied to the hospital I see my physician through. I don’t even know why she tried sending me to the other place to begin with.

I spoke with the second facility on Friday December 19th and they told me what they needed from my doctor in ordrer to proceed. Since my doctor doesn’t have hours on Fridays, I sent them a fax explaining how I didn’t want to deal with the other place because they were less than helpful, and to please fax an at-home study order to the new facility along with the physical they were requesting. I called my doctor on Saturday to make sure they got my fax and they said yes.

On Monday I called the facility to see if they got everything, and they told me the doctor hadn’t faxed them anything. So I called my doctor and they claimed they did fax it but would do it again. In the meantime I received a call from the first facility because the idiot doctor sent them my fax where I basically said I didn’t like them; they wanted to know what was going on. So I just told them the other facility is easier to get to for me. I was so mad that my doctor would do something so stupid.

On Tuesday I called back the second facility and asked if they’ve gotten the info from my doctor yet, and they told me just the order, but not the physical. So they faxed my doctor asking for the physical.

As of this morning the doctor hasn’t sent it to them and I’m running out of time to get this done for only $50 as opposed to $300+ (thanks to Joe’s kids always going to the doctor the family deductible has been met this year and I’d only have to pay 15% of the cost whereas if I wait to have the study done next year I will have to pay for it out of pocket in full).

I’ve spent so much time on the phone going back and forth with this that I’m at the point I am going to be screaming at my doctor’s office tomorrow morning when they are back in. I don’t usually get like this but I’ve had it with the office manager (which happens to be my doctor’s husband). This isn’t the first time he has made things difficult for me. I guess I’m going to have to switch doctors after having the same one for over a decade because I’m ready to strangle this guy!

On top of that, I just had the worst experience with Petco. A friend alerted me to a deal they had online where for every $25 eGift card you buy, you get a bonus $5 eGift card. I figured I’d get $50 and a $10 bonus since I buy the rats’ litter from Petco, except when I placed my order I never got the bonus eGift card. When I called I was told that promotion expired at 3 am this morning even though it’s still appearing on their site. When I pointed this out, the guy said he could transfer me to customer service so they could do something to accommodate me, except the guy I spoke to was a total moron. He kept talking over me and not understanding anything I was trying to tell him. I will admit, I lost my patience at one point and yelled, “well maybe if you stopped interrupting me you’d get the confirmation #!” LOL But seriously, WTF? I spent a half hour on the phone with him and received no resolution. He claims someone has to call me back in 24-48 hours but I’m not holding my breath. If they weren’t so incompetent I’d just cancel the order, but I’m afraid they’d deactivate the gift card code but not refund my money. It has really left a sour taste in my mouth in regards to that place, though. Honestly, I’m a bigger fan of Petsmart, but the Petco brand paper paper litter has the best smell, texture, and price compared to Yesterday’s News so I always buy it.

Now I’m just so annoyed I can’t concentrate on the Hot Wives show so I guess I’ll go take a shower since I hadn’t gotten around to that yet today.

Skydogz & Costco

Posted onSeptember 15, 2014

Saturday I did a little cleaning around the house and spent a lot of time online trying to choose an iPhone case to no avail. Joe had to work a full day which is highly unusual and a huge bummer.

As a result, Sunday was quite busy! We started out our morning with a trip to Starbucks. I’m usually pretty good at filing away the deal emails I get from various companies but I wanted to check out Starbucks’ breakfast sandwiches since I’d get 50% off. Plus we had money on our Starbucks card thanks to a recent Groupon deal. I got bacon, egg, and cheese on a ciabatta roll and Joe got a vanilla latte and oatmeal. The total came to nearly $10 and Joe paid with our Discover because he’s silly. The sandwich was just ok and the oatmeal is what we can make at home so we won’t be doing that again.

Our next stop was our usual Sunday trip Target to grab some groceries. After coming home and putting the groceries away, I signed up for a Costco membership through Living Social and printed out the email so we could go redeem it. But before that, we headed over to the CSBarks Dog Festival to check out the Skydogz which we’ve seen at different festivals over the years.

I’m a bit disappointed in how my photos turned out because I had to take my filter off my lens as I’ve been a bit lazy lately and realized too late that it was filthy. It was super sunny out and while lots of light can help freeze the action, sometimes there’s too much of a good thing.

We also watching the dogs on the agility course, and this one in particular was cracking me up because he’s got the cutest expression.

He was a bit too focused on what his owner was doing, as you can see here.

He kept getting distracted because he wasn’t focused on the course. It was adorable.

By the time we left the festival we were feeling pretty hungry so we stopped at a place across the street called Bulldog Alehouse for cheap boneless wings. Their garlic Parmesan ones are the best, but we also ordered Caribbean jerk because we thought we liked those too (thought wrong, although Joe didn’t mind them as much as I did).

After lunch we finally made our way over to Costco to complete our membership. We had toured Costco once years ago but concluded it wasn’t worth it for us. This time around we figured we’d give it a shot since the $55 membership included a $20 Costco card and a free rotisserie chicken and pie which I believe is a total value of about $30. So as long as we save $25 or more we’re golden.

Of course no sooner than walking through the showroom were we seriously contemplating dropping $1800 on a TV. No ordinary TV, though, but a Samsung 55″ Ultra HD TV with a curved screen and the most beautifully realistic picture I’ve ever seen. The photos on their site can’t possibly do the TV justice. You have to see it in person.

We’ve been wanting a new TV for awhile now but keep putting it on the back-burner because it’s not like our current TV sucks or anything. In fact, even though it’s not full HD (it’s not even 780p but half that, believe it or not), it’s a plasma with a great picture and we’re pretty happy with it. Until we saw the Samsung that is. But being the responsible people we are we decided to do some research before making such a large purchase, and after about 10 minutes pull ourselves away from the TV to tour the rest of the store.

Incidentally, after checking the reviews for the TV at Amazon I’m not entirely sold on buying it. I get the feeling the picture only looks awesome on blue-ray movies and the like and regular TV might look crappy on it. Plus a reviewer remarked that if you turn on the up-scaling function for regular TV then the sound doesn’t work. If that’s true that’s a serious issue and I definitely don’t want to drop a ton of money on a TV until that is fixed.

Joe found some vodka and beer for a good price, as well as some granola bars. We also grabbed some oatmeal and bottled water. Most of the fresh foods weren’t a bargain for us because there’s no way we’d eat through the enormous portions before the food spoiled. I could see how great they’d be for a large family, though. Oh, and not everything was a bargain either, but I’m sure you’d find that at any store.

In total I estimate we saved between $10-$15 on our trip and our total was $80 before using the $20 card our new membership came with. And it’s a good thing we had that card because no one told us that Costco doesn’t take credit cards! We don’t have a debit card on our main checking account (too susceptible to theft) and Joe’s debit card on his small checking account wasn’t working for some reason. Luckily between the two of us we had just enough cash to pay for our purchase and avoid total embarrassment. We have money, I swear, LOL! Guess it’s a good thing we didn’t try and buy that TV after all. ;)

After that fiasco we tried to get Costco gas for my car but Joe’s debit card still wouldn’t work so we gave up and went to Speedway. If we want to continue shopping there we’re probably going to apply for their Costco credit card since neither of us carries much cash and we don’t want to attach a debit card to our main checking account.

By the time we made it home it was after 3 pm and I threw some chicken in the crockpot and started processing my photos from earlier in the day. Around 5-ish I realized we should start giving the rats their mite treatment in order to be done in time for the Bears game at 7:20. Joe had to help hold them while I applied the medicine. They are squirmy and do not like sitting still and you have to get the medicine on their skin which requires blowing on their fur to expose their skin. At the same time I had to bleach everything in their cages as well as the cages themselves, and remove all bedding and wash it to kill any possible mites and/or eggs which cannot be seen by the naked eye. Then we moved everything out of the room and I shampooed the carpeting too since mites could be hanging out there as well.

When all was said and done it was 8 pm, our loft was a mess (because that’s were all the cages and furniture were being temporarily stored) and we hadn’t even eaten dinner yet. I got to work on making some fried rice and by 8:30 pm we were finally eating.

Today I spent most of the day doing rat laundry (I had to wash even the clean fleece I had stored in the room in case it had mites on it) and cleaning the house in general. I also got the rat room back in order since the rug dried overnight. Now I’m pooped and it’s nearly 8 pm and Joe is still stuck at work. I’ll be really happy when things calm down at his work because I’m starting to feel like I’m single and I don’t like it. Even though yesterday was a busy day it was the best day I’ve had in over a week because I got to spend it with him.