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Sunday, May 16, 2010

Crazy Customer Service when trying to order motorhome parts!

Okay...  I have a *rant* here.....

Remember---- over a week ago, I posted that we figured out that we needed new shocks on the motorhome?  Well, with due diligence and research from other Safari owners, helped me locate the best shocks for our motorhome at the best price....

Sooooooo I do not like ordering items online with a charge card.  We have been victims of credit card theft once (actually it was our debit card being used like a credit card--much harder to get your money back!)   and I never want that to happen again if I can help it.   I look up what I want to purchase and then I call a company's 800 number and talk directly to a clerk or customer service and order it that way.  Easy peasy, right?

Welllllll not so this time!

(I will leave the company's name out of it, for now, until we are sure we get what we are promised)

I call there a week ago Friday, the 7th and talk to a guy.  He tells me I HAVE to order the shocks on line to get the lowest price advertised on their website and I can NOT order them over the phone!   Hmmmm????   Here I am, credit card in hand, ready to spend almost $200 dollars and they tell me I can't spend my money?

(ps now we use a credit card, not a debit card for all purchases, we learned our lesson)

I explained I prefer to spend my money by ordering over the phone and prefer to not have my credit card number out there floating in cyber space.  He tried assuring me that he himself shops on line all the time and it is safe!  I said tell that to me and my bank with reversing the 11 charges for $39.95 for a porn site???     He said sorry, it is the ONLY way I can order the shocks and get the listed website price.

Ok, so I hang up, I go to their website, I plug in all my information and my poor little credit card and hit the shopping cart and try to check out.... NOPE.. .each time I get a fault error from their server with a code.   I tried three times.  They won't let me spend my money on line either??

So I call back, get the same guy, and read him the error code.  He said "Ohhh we have been hearing that a lot lately"   Huh?  So I ask him if NOW can I order them over the phone and give him my credit card???   Reluctantly, yes, and he takes my order.   I also ask if he can check that the three times I *tried* to order online get removed or even check if it went through so I don't end up with FOUR sets of shocks?  He assured me that if I didn't get a confirmation number, the order didn't go through.  Well, hope so... we will see.

Now, that was Friday the 7th.   He said it would take a day or two so we should get them by Thurs or Fri of last week, the 13th or 14th.

Of course, you guessed it.  Nothing.  Not Thursday. Not Friday.   When I saw the UPS truck go by our house Friday afternoon, I knew we weren't getting any shocks.   So I pick up the phone, dialed, and got the same guy!   Lucky me!

He remembers me (the freaky lady with the porn charges???)   and he said he would check on that order.   Then said oh oh, our supplier didn't ship it to us and that is why you didn't get it yet.  I asked him WHAT????   We have been waiting seven days for these shocks and you never had them in stock when I placed the order???

(this is getting good, huh?)

He puts me on hold and calls his supplier, and then comes back to me and said that the supplier needs to know if I have 8 air bags???  I said NO!   And why would they ask that?    I explained when I ordered the exact number and type of shock listed on their website and its for a Safari with the Blue Streak Magnum Chassis with Torsilastic Suspension with Velvetride by BF Goodrich.... no air bags, no springs....     He said the supplier held up my order because they were not familiar with my rig's suspension !! (stall tactic?)   Now WHY would the supplier even ask such a thing?   That is not anywhere on my order!   The only thing on my order is a part number.    The supplier don't know a thing about what rig I have or don't have, so why would they hold up an order for more information?

Something don't smell right.

On this company's website, they have my year, chassis and suspension listed with a part number that I ordered with and suddenly they are second guessing me as the owner of the rig in what I am ordering?

And for that matter, IF they were second guessing me, WHY weren't they either calling, emailing or sending me a letter for clarification?  They have all three forms of information to contact me when I placed the order.   ARGGGHHH

He put me on hold again, a long time, and then back again all the while talking to his supplier.   The end result of the phone call is that the supplier will ship the right shocks to them on Monday and they will ship them out to me on Tuesday and we shall have them by Thursday!

Wanna bet????


(gosh can you tell I have been sick and cranky?????)


So as second measure of insurance, I think I will check locally in Green Bay for the right shocks at a few of the heavy duty truck places, even if we have to pay more.  Then if the shocks don't arrive by Thursday, I will call this guy , cancel my order and have Steve pick them up after work.

Otherwise, how is this gal gonna go camping on the weekend????


And just to show you that I am not *that cranky*... as I write this, I am sitting out on my deck, with all my new flowers hanging up and relaxing in the late evening sunshine going down.. hummers are humming around my head, oriels are drinking orange juice and grape jelly at the feeders, and the bright yellow finches are gobbling up the thistle seed and all is wonderful in the world.......

5 comments:

  1. So sorry for all the trouble you have had (or having) in getting your shocks. It sounds like something you would see on a TV sitcom. Very irritating and not so funny when you are living it! I certainly hope they come in as scheduled. Hang in there.

    Ya gotta think its worth it all to get out and camp!!! :) :)

    Mike & Gerri (happytrails)
    http://freedom2roll.blogspot.com

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  2. Sounds like you had a frustrating time. Hope all goes well and that you get the shocks this week.

    I used to work for a credit card company and they will refund your money anytime there are fraudulant charges. Another idea for ordering online with a credit card is to get one card with a low limit like $500 or $1000 that you use strickly for ordering online items with. You tell the card company to freeze the limit and that it is never to be increased unless you call to have it increased.

    We order online and have never had an issue.

    Kevin and Ruth
    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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  3. Dealing with some companies is enough to make you tear your hair out. I hope all works out in the positive for you.

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  4. Hi Karen –

    Bad Customer Service is one thing that just totally annoys me. I ran into the same thing order from a website that said the product was in stock, and two weeks later when I called they said it was on back-order….what your website said in-stock. Anyway hope you get your shocks from someone soon!

    Glad to hear you are enjoying your flowers, the hummers and orioles. I really miss seeing the Orioles; I always enjoyed those beautiful birds.

    Take Care, Sandy

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  5. Karen, you have the patience of a Saint,I would have lasted three minutes on hold and that would have been the end of that order I would have cancelled on the spot and insisted on a confirmation of cancellation e-mail right then. You have waited almost two weeks, Anyway as you can see I get upset when one of my friends is treated badly,sometimes Sam buys locally and spends the extra money just for the conveniance of being able to do the job or return a defective part right then. Hope you get to camp, we are still waiting foe Adam to finish school and the rain to stop. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

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