Is it me? Or when it comes to customer service, we are heading in the wrong direction. Last month, I had purchased a grass trimmer online. I received the trimmer and needed to chahhge the battery. A couple weeks latah, I excitedly grab my new weed waachah and head to the back yahd. When I stahted the trimmer it worked for a short while and then died. After a couple f-bombs latah, I head back to the garage and recharge the battery. Well the next time I try to use this useless trimmer, it’s completely dead. So I call the “Customer Service” line. I explain the issue and tell them I think its the unit itself, the “expert call center agent from New Delhi” informs me it is the battery and tells me he is sending me a new battery. It should be delivered in 7-10 days. Eight days latah, it arrives but when I tried it the battery was dead so it needed to be chahged. I placed the battery in the charger and watched my weeds grow a little more. I had to travel the next week and when I returned, I knew I had to cut the weeds before my HOA decided to have me flogged for weed violation rule 238b. Grabbed the trimmer, inserted the battery and “Dead”… I told the kids and my wife to go to their rooms and cover their ears. I let loose in the garage and after 20 minutes of a long conversation with both the devil and myself(Which I think were one and the same at that moment), I head to the phone to call “Customer Service” Thank God for my Indian translation App on my iphone. After going ovah the whole story we decided that I need to return the weed wackah and they will send me another one..The only thing I need to do is to pay for the shipping….. What??? Apparently the 30 day warranty is up and i don’t have an extended warranty.
At the end of November, while enjoying a Grizwald vacation in Myrtle beach, we were out shopping when we came across a “sale” (A sale is an event where someone decides to screw you a little less than originally planned). We see a couple of those zero gravity summah chairs and we buy two, one for Debbie and one for me. Well we get back to the beach and use the chairs for the last couple of days of our vacation and then store them away for the next season. This summer when we returned to Myrtle Beach, we pulled out the chairs and when I sat in mine, several of the rubber bands were broken. My Ass is fat but not that fat. I was pissed because although we got screwed gently when buying these chairs, I was starting to think that maybe I was screwed harder than originally thought. I decided to return the chair which is what I love to do when on vacation. We head back to the scene of the crime and look for a sales associate to explain the problem with the chair in hopes of getting an even exchange. After about 10 minutes of trying to find someone who gives a shit, I cornah this sales associate and tell her about the problem with the chair. She then asked me to bring the chair in. After I do this, she looks at the chair, sees the broken straps and I inform her I simply want an even exchange…then here it comes..”Did your purchase an extended warranty?” I look at this lady with a “Don’t start with me lady look.” She states that the 30 day warranty is up and if I bought the extended warranty she could help me but without it, her hands were tied. I looked at her and said, who buys an extended warranty for a frickin chair. I continue to explain to her that I only used the chair a couple times however she seem to be focused on ensuring I never return to that store and spend my money again…she succeeded! Knowing that my efforts with that associate were fruitless, I told Debbie to grab the kids and we parhked the loaded carriage full of crap we really didn’t need to begin with and got in the Grizwald transportation vehicle and left.Knowing that what was happening with this chair was wrong. Since this company was a “Chain” I decided we would forego more of our family vacation and bring the chair along with my positive attitude (I kept envisioning Clahk Grizwald punching the Moose in the face) to the next store 10 miles away .
We hit store number two and here we go. “Can I speak with a manager?” I love when you ask this and the associate continues with “Is there something i can assist you with?” “ignore the moose”… After 5 minutes of some verbal judo the manager comes out and looks at the chair and asked “Did you buy an extended warranty?” That was it! Kids go to the car! I replied to her “Did you?” You obviously don’t make these chairs. When you purchased them to sell to your (one time)customers, did you purchase the extended warranty? If you didn’t why would I??? and if you did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation” She looked at me as if i just hit her upside her head with a business 101 degree. She replies ” All I can do is to give you an even exchange” …SUCCESS! “but you will need to purchase the extended warranty for seven dollars.” At this point the sun is setting, the kids are famished and I realized that I have spent 20% of my vacation looking stupidity in the face and wondering Is it me?
diary of a PB 