Time to put my consumer hat on…
I recently ordered 6 books online from 3 companies. 5 of the 6 arrived within a week. After nearly 3 weeks, I contacted the lagging company, wondering where my last book was ($92 order – more than double the cost of the other 5 books).
When I dialed the number, I was greeted by an automated attendant that listed 3 textbook companies – no choice to select the appropriate company. After a moderate wait, I was connected to an agent.
I explained to the agent that I needed the book and was surprised that it had not arrived within the promised time frame. He told me that they oversold the book (there were 32 available when I purchased, so my guess is I was bumped for a multiple copy order). A shipment had arrived yesterday so my order would be fulfilled today.
I inquired as to why I had not been apprised of the change and offered a different shipping option (or better yet, upgraded shipping at no charge to thank me for being patient). He said it was too late to change shipping, the pack slip had already been printed.
I asked if he would compensate me for the shipping ($8) and he said that he could offer a no charge shipping for my next order. I thought that was pretty smart – at least the company was giving itself another opportunity to earn my loyalty. I agreed. He put me on hold to process the offer.
After a short wait the agent returned to the line and advised me that he could not process the free shipping – that was Company B of the 3 companies he answered calls for, Company C did not offer that.
I then asked for a credit on my credit card. Surprisingly he was able to do that.
I have no problems with the poor agent – he was trying to juggle three different sets of rules without the benefit of separate incoming lines or a smart knowledge management system.
The SCARY part: as a first time customer, I got a credit with absolutely no incentive to ever give this company a second chance. The company’s policy literally was to encourage me to walk away.
The book arrived a few days later in Company A’s packing box – no mention of Company C. Yesterday, my credit card bill came. I did receive the $8 credit. I will be extremely unlikely to repurchase. Too bad – they had a great chance to redeem themselves and they missed it.
Have a safe and Happy Halloween.