FURIOUS and just need to vent!!!!

[keltic 1]

ok... so my husband doesnt ever really WANT any certain gifts or anything... he finally tells me that he has always wanted a leatherman... apparently they are much more desired in holland than a swiss army knife, which to my knowledge is the much desired pocket tool here...

so, i think i will be a wonderful wife and get him one for christmas... i go online and order one from a site that shall remain unnamed... order it on a credit card and delete the history and clear the cache... the order was placed at the beginning of november... i paid extra to get delivery in 3 days... a few days later, we then go on our vacation to disney... im thinking it will be waiting in the PO Box when we return... but, NO... so i wait a few more days and then call to check... for some reason, the order was cancelled... no email, phone call or correspondence to let me know... just cancelled... plenty of room on the credit card... the customer service rep couldnt tell me why... so, ultimately, i placed the order again and was very specific that this was a christmas gift for my husband and couldnt be delivered to my home address and to be delivered to the PO Box... the customer rep (a man, cant remember his name) was very nice and helpful...

well... the leatherman was, indeed, delivered to the PO Box... but the bill (paid in full online) was delivered to the home address with a nice big return address with the name of the store and its website (which CLEARLY identifies what the gift was) last friday... and guess who was home first and checked the mail? yep... hubby... so now his big christmas gift is ruined... no surprises...

so, obviously, im upset... and i have to wait until today to call... so, i call and ask for customer service... i was trying to stay calm and remain polite as i explained the situation to the rep (her name was hope)... her response to me was "what do you want me to do about it?"... i said that there was nothing she could do to fix it for me, but that she could let the manager know so that something could be done to prevent it from happening to anyone else... she sounded very annoyed with me and told me that they ship 1400 packages a day... at that point, i began to get very upset... i still wasnt cursing or yelling or anything... but i did tell her that just because mine was one of 1400 packages, it didnt mean that it wasnt important... she said that she apologized (in a pi$$y tone) and then said "i cant do anything else for you"... to which, i replied again that she could try to make sure that it didnt happen to anyone else... she then repeated her apology in a raised voice and even more nasty and irritated tone, and then repeated that she couldnt do anything else for me... to which i said "except try to actually sound like you meant it... thank you for nothing... goodbye!" and hung up

at my job, i have to always put the customer first (pt family members and visitors, etc)... pt family members and visitors complain about things that would shock and amaze most folks... even asking someone to wash their hands upon entering the intensive care unit can become a huge ordeal... thru which we have to remain with smiles on our faces and always try to explain and apologize but still enforce the rules... if i EVER spoke to a pt family member in the way this customer rep spoke to me, i would receive a written reprimand and if it happened a 2nd time, i would lose my job... very cut and dry

it just amazes me that ppl like that are in customer service...

if anyone wants to order one of these pocket tools for anyone, pm me first and i will let you know where to avoid if you would like to actually receive professional service

[Jenn! 918]

Did you get her name? If you raise enough of a ruckus about her to a supervisor, I'm sure you could get reimbursed since they ruined the surprise and were rude to you.

[keltic 1]

Did you get her name? If you raise enough of a ruckus about her to a supervisor, I'm sure you could get reimbursed since they ruined the surprise and were rude to you.

thanks... her name was hope... ironic, huh?

im working on composing an email... i dont mind paying for the product since i have it... and its what he wanted... im not just out for something free... i dont want them or anyone else to think that... its the fact that the surprise is ruined and the rudeness... i just want them to take some responsibility for how their system affects others... according to their policies, they may well have done everything by their book, but that means to me... maybe change the policy to allow for things like this, you know?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I would have asked to speak to her supervisor. I would have also asked her for her name to make a formal complaint. She represents the company and if that is the canned response then that company should tank. That is piss poor customer service, IMO. They should have offered you some kind of compensation and at the very least look into why it was not shipped to the address you specified.

[Irisheyes 0]

Oh no, no, no! That b!tch only has a job because of customers. I would get back on the phone and demand that the supervisor dig up the phonecall and listen too. Well they always say calls are recorded for quality purposes, this would seem like the perfect opportunity to use it. After that, make a report on the Better Business Bureau website. If it loses them 1 customer then it makes up for the ####### they pulled with you. How infuriating!!

[TracyTN 237]

MOST sites have an option where you choose if the merchandise is for a gift or not. Sounds like this one did not.

Regardless, she didn't have to be rude when you phoned!! Sheesh!

[Girona40 0]

Do you not find this with CS in general these days? It seems everywhere you go, whether it is shopping in the store, on-line, in a restaurant, etc. everyone is so mean. I find that I am the one trying my hardest to be nice and not too much trouble to them. What's up with that? I just want to buy something and get treated as if I stood in dog mess or something!

I used to work in CS and this kind of behaviour wasn't tolerated back then, but now it seems to be accepted by management. I wonder if it is because a lot of these CS representatives are on such low salaries that the positions are difficult to fill and they feel it is better to have someone on the phone than nobody at all. I don't know, but I would WRITE to the CEO of the company and tell them of your experience. It will get it off your chest, if nothing else, but may just get you some kind of credit on your purchase, which I personally think they should offer as a sign of goodwill. After all, they messed up your surpise!

Edited December 4, 2006 by Girona40

[keltic 1]

i went to the site and composed a very long email explaining everything and how i felt about it... i am sure that this will not make it to the CEO, but at least the head of customer service... if i do not get a favorable response, or even a response at all, i will print it out and mail it directly to the company to the attention of the CEO... i can not expect anything from them, but it does feel better knowing that i am at least getting it off my chest to someone who has the potential to actually give a damn and to do something about it

and yes, i have noticed that this seems to be a disturbing trend... ppl in general arent as nice as they used to be... but esp in customer service positions... the only exception that i can think of recently was my trip to disney... they have customer service down to an art... my daughter lost a pair of earrings in the "honey i shrunk the kids playground"... totally and completely her fault as she had tied the bag around her fanny pack instead of putting the earrings IN the fanny pack... the plastic bag ripped off while she played and got lost... she was horribly upset and looking for them... one of the employees saw her and wrote out a certificate for her to go back to the store she bought them at, and get a new pair for free... to them, its all about making the kids happy... and they arent stupid... make the kids happy, and you make the parents happy... and they will want to return... and that means money to them... much more than the $3.00 that it cost to replace those earrings

thanks everyone for your support... i just really needed to vent all this

i will post any response that i get from the company for anyone who is interested

[rebeccajo 14]

You need to tell us the name of the site. Leatherman is available many places and we don't need to be buying them from companies with crappy service.

Oh, BTW, my son has a leatherman and a swiss army knife. He carries the leatherman.

[rclouse 0]

Did you hear "calls may be recorded for quality assurance" before "Hope" answered? If so, be sure to mention that, they can pull the recording and hear that "Hope" was being a ###### to you. Maybe they'll outsource her job to India.

[Augustajim 0]

I'm surprised you got to talk to a person without first dialing 11 328984 004 78773 894304- -430-3937 776326 389949 90040 7677 3290940-48 7895-5-595747849 0-4=-4048437

[Alanlvsjudy 0]

In such instances I always bring it to the attention of the supervisor that, In cases where a customer choses not to do business with a company any longer it is a 93% chance that that decision was because of a single employee.

This information usually paints a nice visual. Good Luck!

[edsperfect 25]

MOST sites have an option where you choose if the merchandise is for a gift or not. Sounds like this one did not.

Regardless, she didn't have to be rude when you phoned!! Sheesh!

In reply to all these posts you have to look at the christmas season for what the real purpose has become. A means by which the retailers can extract as much money as possible from the public. Do you think any of them give a damn about you? How much money can i get from them is their main objective.

[keltic 1]

You need to tell us the name of the site. Leatherman is available many places and we don't need to be buying them from companies with crappy service.

Oh, BTW, my son has a leatherman and a swiss army knife. He carries the leatherman.

this is what showed thru the return address window:

Tyler Tool Company, Inc.

www.tylertool.com www.leathermanstore.com

www.drilldoctorstore.us www.hobby-store.us

P.O. Box 272, 80 Highway 48 West, Tylertown, MS 39667

(601)-876-2145 (800)-222-8404

Did you hear "calls may be recorded for quality assurance" before "Hope" answered? If so, be sure to mention that, they can pull the recording and hear that "Hope" was being a ###### to you. Maybe they'll outsource her job to India.

unfortunately, i did NOT hear that... i really wish i had, as this will come down to her word against mine

In such instances I always bring it to the attention of the supervisor that, In cases where a customer choses not to do business with a company any longer it is a 93% chance that that decision was because of a single employee.

This information usually paints a nice visual. Good Luck!

if i wind up sending a letter to the CEO, i will definitely include this! thank you!!

MOST sites have an option where you choose if the merchandise is for a gift or not. Sounds like this one did not.

Regardless, she didn't have to be rude when you phoned!! Sheesh!

In reply to all these posts you have to look at the christmas season for what the real purpose has become. A means by which the retailers can extract as much money as possible from the public. Do you think any of them give a damn about you? How much money can i get from them is their main objective.

the real purpose for christmas is whatever is in that persons heart... for me it is not about money or the commercialism... even though this gift for my hubby is no longer a surprise, the reason that i celebrate christmas still remains...

the retailers may feel that the only thing to be concerned about is money... but if that is truly how they feel, then they need to realize that crappy customer service will totally nix any repeat business... and anyone who has run a successful company knows that word of mouth is VERY important... and that you want to foster repeat customers... THAT is where the real money lies... so even if they dont give a damn about me... if they give a damn about getting any more of my money (which the potential was there prior to this experience) they would try to rectify or at least PRETEND to empathize

[ceriserose 1]

so, obviously, im upset... and i have to wait until today to call... so, i call and ask for customer service... i was trying to stay calm and remain polite as i explained the situation to the rep (her name was hope)... her response to me was "what do you want me to do about it?"... i said that there was nothing she could do to fix it for me, but that she could let the manager know so that something could be done to prevent it from happening to anyone else... she sounded very annoyed with me and told me that they ship 1400 packages a day... at that point, i began to get very upset... i still wasnt cursing or yelling or anything... but i did tell her that just because mine was one of 1400 packages, it didnt mean that it wasnt important... she said that she apologized (in a pi$$y tone) and then said "i cant do anything else for you"... to which, i replied again that she could try to make sure that it didnt happen to anyone else... she then repeated her apology in a raised voice and even more nasty and irritated tone, and then repeated that she couldnt do anything else for me... to which i said "except try to actually sound like you meant it... thank you for nothing... goodbye!" and hung up

At the point highlighted above, if I don't like the tone of the employee, I immediately ask for a manager. There is rarely any point in trying to discuss/reason with someone who is approaching it like that. They don't usually like it and try to get me to continue to talk to them, but I stand my ground. If they hang up on me (and I've had that happen, rather than put me through), I call back and immediately get put through to a manager.

I'm so sorry that your gift surprise was ruiined by their incompetence. I hope your hubby likes the present all the same.