Customer Service According to Staples.
Aug. 30th, 2002 10:35 pmLast week, I made a purchase from Staples.com. It consisted of three items: a task chair, a floor lamp, and a bulb for that floor lamp. Ordering the items was fairly simple; I was vaguely annoyed because the "use shipping information as billing information" section of their form was broken, but everything else was fine.
Except.
The first shipment, the chair and lamp, was slated to arrive on the 27th. The bulb was scheduled for the 28th. That would have been fine. Vaguely annoying to not be able to use the lamp right away, but still.
The 27th passed without any sign of a shipment.
The bulb arrived on the 28th, on schedule.
I checked the site to track my order; they stated that they had been shipped, reiterating the ship dates.
At 4:30 PM on the 29th, I got a phone call from the delivery man. He would arrive between 5:00 and 5:30, he said. Outside of business hours. But that was all right, so I waited...
He arrived at 6:00. Half an hour after the already-late time he had stated, he dropped off the packages, and left. I opened the first package, and looked at the second one. And the lamp that I had been given was NOT the floor lamp I had ordered. It was a table lamp. I do not have a bedside table, and I had wanted the brighter lamp for working by. Not a problem, I'll call Staples' customer service, right? Right.
Customer service states that the fastest they can replace the lamp with the correct model is the 3rd. Because "that's the soonest we have a sheduled delivery out your way." Excuse me? You've caused me to wait two days beyond your stated delivery date, you screwed up my order, and I now have to wait a further five days for you to correct your mistake? I opted to find someone to drive me to the nearest Staples, which is two cities over in Durham, because it was still faster than waiting on their customer service. The lamp is sitting on my floor yet, waiting for Monday. And so I wrote an email to their customer service department, restating my frustrations.
( full text )
Today, I received this response, adding insult to injury.
Hello C,
We appreciate your inquiry concerning this issue.
Thank you for the positive feedback! Your needs are our chief concern, and we're glad that we were able to meet them. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. We have forwarded your positive comments to their respective manager so they may receive recognition for their efforts. We look forward to offering you the same great service the next time you shop with Staples.com.
Thank you for your patience concerning this matter.
Tara,
Customer Care Representative
... I am displeased. I am very displeased. I realise that some people believe that a single customer has no call to demand a store's attention, but I believe that if you have taken my money and made me a promise, the least you can do when you've failed to keep your promise is to accomodate me. I expected fair service, and that is not what I got. They never so much as acknowledged that they had made a mistake. An apology would have gone a long way. I am never going to purchase anything from Staples again, online or offline. Frankly, I'm afraid they'll keep their promise the next time, and afford me the same great service they provided this time. I realise that I am just one customer, but I firmly believe that how you treat the one is a true reflection of how you regard all the rest.
Except.
The first shipment, the chair and lamp, was slated to arrive on the 27th. The bulb was scheduled for the 28th. That would have been fine. Vaguely annoying to not be able to use the lamp right away, but still.
The 27th passed without any sign of a shipment.
The bulb arrived on the 28th, on schedule.
I checked the site to track my order; they stated that they had been shipped, reiterating the ship dates.
At 4:30 PM on the 29th, I got a phone call from the delivery man. He would arrive between 5:00 and 5:30, he said. Outside of business hours. But that was all right, so I waited...
He arrived at 6:00. Half an hour after the already-late time he had stated, he dropped off the packages, and left. I opened the first package, and looked at the second one. And the lamp that I had been given was NOT the floor lamp I had ordered. It was a table lamp. I do not have a bedside table, and I had wanted the brighter lamp for working by. Not a problem, I'll call Staples' customer service, right? Right.
Customer service states that the fastest they can replace the lamp with the correct model is the 3rd. Because "that's the soonest we have a sheduled delivery out your way." Excuse me? You've caused me to wait two days beyond your stated delivery date, you screwed up my order, and I now have to wait a further five days for you to correct your mistake? I opted to find someone to drive me to the nearest Staples, which is two cities over in Durham, because it was still faster than waiting on their customer service. The lamp is sitting on my floor yet, waiting for Monday. And so I wrote an email to their customer service department, restating my frustrations.
( full text )
Today, I received this response, adding insult to injury.
Hello C,
We appreciate your inquiry concerning this issue.
Thank you for the positive feedback! Your needs are our chief concern, and we're glad that we were able to meet them. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. We have forwarded your positive comments to their respective manager so they may receive recognition for their efforts. We look forward to offering you the same great service the next time you shop with Staples.com.
Thank you for your patience concerning this matter.
Tara,
Customer Care Representative
... I am displeased. I am very displeased. I realise that some people believe that a single customer has no call to demand a store's attention, but I believe that if you have taken my money and made me a promise, the least you can do when you've failed to keep your promise is to accomodate me. I expected fair service, and that is not what I got. They never so much as acknowledged that they had made a mistake. An apology would have gone a long way. I am never going to purchase anything from Staples again, online or offline. Frankly, I'm afraid they'll keep their promise the next time, and afford me the same great service they provided this time. I realise that I am just one customer, but I firmly believe that how you treat the one is a true reflection of how you regard all the rest.
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