This is basically a long rant; buckle up and bear with me.
Tale number one: As a present to myself, I ordered a garden cart. I waited until the company of my choice--a well-known purveyor of nonelectric and homesteady type tools whose name I won't mention but it rhymes with "Lehmans"--offered free shipping and put in my order. Two boxes arrived within a few days. I opened them with anticipation. Box one held two sturdy wheels. Box two held yet two more sturdy wheels. I knew the cart required assembly but figured there were a few parts missing, so I called customer service.
Surprise! I reached a real person with the first ring. She apologized, said they had some new people in shipping, promised to look into it and to call me back (I have this image of a motherly type hiking down to the shipping department, collaring some hapless workers by the ears and giving them what-for).
Surprise again! She did call back within an hour or two. She arranged for pick-up by UPS of the wrong parts and within a week I had the correct shipment.
Mistake by company taken care of swiftly, politely, and easily.
Tale number two is a far different matter.
At the end of October, I ordered a propane generator via Home Depot. This was at the time of Hurricane Sandy so I feared there would be a back order but was pleased to receive the generator a few days later.
That was the last I was pleased with the transaction.
This first delay is my fault. We had to have an extra propane line run and I waited until it was done before testing the generator. We hooked it up late November only to find that the pull-start wouldn't pull.
Unfortunately, Home Depot was only the seller, all questions and problems needed to be handled by the wholesaler. I won't mention their name, but it rhymes with BUFFALO TOOLS.
We called. Called again. After several attempts we reached customer service who told us to try a few fixes. Nothing worked. They said they would arrange a pick-up and replace the unit.
Here is where it goes downhill at a furious pace.
Days passed. No notice, no pick-up. Finally reached someone who said they would notify UPS. Again, nothing.
More than a week passed. More calls and now we're also resorting to email. At this point, my normally low blood pressure is rising rapidly. Now the company says they need the original receipt. We contact Home Depot for a copy of the order and send it to B.T.
The first nonworking generator is finally picked up.
We wait.
And wait.
More calls. More emails. Weeks later we receive a large box from UPS. Open it with trepidation. It's a generator. A GAS powered generator. We don't know whether to laugh or cry.
It's my turn to call. I am not known for my patience or calmness in these situations but I promise Tom I will not use profanity.
I ask for the customer service supervisor who blames the mishaps on UPS. Huh? (in the time this has taken, we have received numerous shipments from UPS, all in good time, some faster than expected). She promises that shipping will call. They don't. More calls, more emails. We've got this down to a routine, taking turns.
After another two weeks of more noncommuncation, this generator is picked up. We're promised that as soon as they know it's been shipped, a replacement will be coming our way.
This time, only 15 days pass. The supervisor passes the blame to the shipping department.
Eventually, somehow, another propane generator is delivered. The labels on it are a mess and there is oil in the bottom of the box, leaving me to guess this is a used or rebuilt model. We set it up and pull.
And pull.
And pull.
Over 50 cranks and nothing. So...
This email states we expect a refund. Period.
Lo and behold, it is answered, saying the refund is in process (we'll see, nothing yet).
This rant is not to badmouth a company, the one that sounds like Buffalo Tools.
Well, ok, it is that. But also to point up two things:
One. Be persistent. My husband has the well-earned nickname "Mr. Squeaky Wheel". Sometimes you have to push and push and push. It's annoying and exhausting but necessary 'cause often that wheel won't get greased unless you insist on it. And take notes!
Two. There is no excuse for the ineptness shown by the generator company. Lehmans is a good example of a great place to deal with, Zappos is another. Good business and good customer service can co-exist.
This simple idea applies to everyday life, too. We should do what we say we will, follow through, be polite, help when needed. If we all did, the world would see to that grease before being nagged to death by Mr. Squeaky. Wouldn't that lower your blood pressure?
But in the meantime, caveat emptor. Big time.
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