It “Pays” To Be Right
Recently I posted an article about my recent Big Screen TV purchase. While I am happy with the TV’s performance itself, the process of acquiring it was frustrating and because of this, I took action, pursued it all the way through, and in the end received just compensation/restitution. Oh my goodness, my first…dare I say “Rant”. Well, kind of but not really. There is a takeaway to this and I promise I will get to it.
Origin of the Situation
It all started with a phone call from the delivery company in which they stated they would not be able to deliver the TV on the date I needed it. This was a problem as I had already arranged installation of the TV and could not change this installation date as a friend was doing it as a favor to me and was only available on a specific day. Therefore, I had to take action and pick up this TV myself from the distributor! This required the following:
- Setting up a date and time with the delivery company to pick up the TV
- Borrowing my friend (on his personal time) and his truck because it can’t fit in my car.
- Waking up early on Saturday morning and driving 15 minutes away from my home to the delivery company.
- Barely squeezing the TV into my friend’s truck, worrying that I did not damage anything, driving back and having him help me take it out and into my house (delivery service would have brought the TV inside too).
I specifically made this purchase because it also had Free Shipping included. Although the shipping was free, it wasn’t delivered during the time promised and since I could not reschedule installation, I had to pick up the TV myself.
Complaint Process Initiated
I sent multiple emails explaining the exact situation above to all parties involved demanding some form of restitution for all the arrangements and hardship I had to endure to make accommodations and pick up this TV myself. That didn’t get me much other than a phone call, a hollow apology, and verbal assurance that it won’t happen again (ok that doesn’t do anything because it’s not like I get stuff delivered from them regularly).
So, I sent a formal letter with a lot of the details I stated above and more specifics (dates and times) to the corporate office.
In order for my matter to be taken seriously, I had to send copies of the letter to the website where I made the purchase, the company who was sub-contracted to procure the item, and the delivery company.
The Result!
Guess what happened? A week or so later, I got a call from the General Manager. With some back and forth, I accepted a check for $150!! A few days later the check came in the mail. You may be thinking that is a lot to go through for $150, but the point is I was right and they were wrong and something needed to be done about it.
According to the Better Business Bureau, in 2015 about 79% of all complaints submitted were settled (click to expand):
Source: Better Business Bureau Statistics. That’s a decent size number. Now I’m not saying that all complaints are legitimate and there are consumers out there who may find the smallest reason to not be satisfied with a product or service and cause an uproar. But, and here’s the takeaway I was talking about earlier if you feel that you have been taken advantage of and a product or service was not provided as advertised you should compile factual and relevant information and present your case.
There may be times where you’re like, it’s not worth it or they are ignoring me, but most likely, you can go one level higher/escalate in the organization to state your case.
Here is a copy of the letter (click to expand) I received with my check minus details about the company itself. I plan to keep it as a reminder that justice was finally served!
Wow, SMM! Awesome that you were able to cash in a bit because of a delay in shipping, it’s cool to reap some benefits when its’ the businesses fault.
Rarely business themselves offer something without customers asking (even though they should if they make a mistake). I guess we as consumers need to be proactive if we want things to be fair.
That’s awesome that you were able to compensated for your time and effort. I hate poor customer service and I’m glad that you were able to get a little bit back for all the effort that you went through. Hope you’re enjoying the TV a little bit more now 🙂
Yes. I can enjoy the TV without my mind wandering off about the trouble I had to go through. This is especially important since I’m watching the Blacklist these days and really have to pay attention! lol
There’s nothing worst than bad customer service. Some companies make it extra hard for complaints to have an impact, you’re right that it’s up to the consumers to push for proper restitution. It’s too bad it has to be that difficult. Imagine how you would have felt, and how loyal you would have been if a $150 check showed up in the mail unsolicited as an apology for the issue. Customer service heaven!
If it just showed up in the mail, I would have so much more respect for the company and would actually refer them to my friends and family despite their initial dropping of the ball. What makes it easier in our era is that we can google most companies and find out exactly where they are located and how to contact them.
It’s awesome to see you stand up for your rights.
I had a similar situation with 2 light bulbs that I order through Ebay. Both didn’t work, but I get my money back.
Good for you! Was it tougher because it was an online retailer rather than going to a physical store?
Wow, super impressed you were able to get some money out of them. Completely agree they were in the wrong, but most times they just apologize like you mentioned and move on. We are actually in the market for a new TV so we will keep this article in mind if we have any delivery or quality control issues.
Yes, just remember when they say something is free or included in the price doesn’t mean it should be provided late, or inadequately. All the best in your TV hunt!