Retailer Stars, Good Enoughs and Duds This Holiday Season

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So far all have been stars at this point:
~Costco--online order arrived 2 days before it was supposed to
~Amazon--still have a few things to buy too
~Sears/K-Mart--in-store pick up
~Northern tool + equipment--in store pick up: item arrived a few days before it was supposed to
~LTD Commodities: Awesome quality for a NFL football with stadium panorama as well as MLB pillow with the selected stadium on it. Items ordered on 11/27 and received on 12/2


Only thing that my be considered good enough wasn't a holiday purchase. We have a battery operated lawn mower and the rapid charger got fried due to lightening. We called the company and as it was still under it's 3 year warranty they sent us a new one. That's the great part. The part I would say is good enough is that they didn't put the battery box inside another box. They just shipped it inside the original box only. This led to the box getting a bit of rough treatment. When it arrived 2 corners were indented and there was a slit in one side. The battery charger didn't have any damage. I guess I just sorta expected a bit more care with a charger that costs nearly $88 (not including tax or shipping as it's not sold in stores). I know that it doesn't cost nearly that much for the company to make it.

Unknown:
Shutterfly--ordered a custom photo pillow expected arrival 12/12-12/14; ordered on 12/2.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Amazon has to get another "bad" mark - my mom shipped my daughter's birthday present. Was supposed to arrive Dec 5...went to wrong shipping location in state, and got shipped BACK TO ORIGIN and then shipped back down to the right one...and still isn't here when her party is tomorrow. Might I add that the 2 locations were in the same state 20 minutes apart, but they shipped it back 6 hours away by truck to ship it back again...it's brilliant shipping so far...

 

[lovin'fl]

PAYLESS....VERY BIG DUD.
Ordered back around black Friday. One of the first things I ordered. Paid for shipping and took forever for them to send shipping notice. Finally the shoes came today...except it's not the tan size 9 ladies ankle boots....it's men's size 11 black work shoes. WTH!!!!! On hold with them for 11 minutes and counting.....15 minutes and counting....talked to a lady who is resending but put me on long hold....28 mins and counting....after all that over 30 mins she transfers me to someone to take my order(thought she as doing that all this time) ...38 mins and counting...OMG, some of us don't have time for this bull. Hence the online ordering to begin with. Almost an hour. Going over the same details over and over. New price of the shoes is double what I paid. I think they were hoping I'd just hang up and reorder online at higher price. Bull. Supposed to ship express at no cost and paid a little less than I originally paid. We shall see if they arrive and if I get credit for first order. And I have to go to store to return the mens shoes we got. Sigh.

 

[lovin'fl]

So Kohl's....I ordered several things on Nov 28. I got several packages over several days. Today was supposed to be last one with two items in it. I had shipping info. Bag arrived in my mailbox. Only had one item. Got an email saying the package with the two items was delivered. Called and was told they started a ticket and someone would call me back within 48 hours.

Nobody has called me back yet. And the missing item here is shoes too. Each of my DDs chose shoes and I bought them but neither arrived.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Amazon has to get another "bad" mark - my mom shipped my daughter's birthday present. Was supposed to arrive Dec 5...went to wrong shipping location in state, and got shipped BACK TO ORIGIN and then shipped back down to the right one...and still isn't here when her party is tomorrow. Might I add that the 2 locations were in the same state 20 minutes apart, but they shipped it back 6 hours away by truck to ship it back again...it's brilliant shipping so far...

Okay, the item, a book came in a bubble wrapped envelope and got crushed up and ripped up, with 6 rips in the packaging...I actually sent my mom a pic and told her to get herself a credit (since she didn't want to when it was just late)...boy, Amazon, this is probably the worst error towards me so far, since I can't replace it now with the party tomorrow (I'm gonna open the envelope after my mom talks to Amazon, if they need any more evidence of their royal shipping screw up)...

 

[amyg1975]

Macy's- dud right now. I ordered perfume, and they never alerted me that it was on backorder. However, if I go to their website, it says it can ship within 3 days. So annoying!

 

[kydisneyfans]

Dud: Macys-Filled out the rebate form for the 10 free black friday items, only to find each one had to be done separately. It should NEVER take over an hour to do rebates. They also have a price policy where if the item is cheaper within 7 days, you can get a price adjustment via email. I emailed and never received the adjustment, so I packaged the items back up, sent them back, and reordered. Macy's could have adjusted, but they didn't and now they will pay shipping both ways as a result of the poor customer service.

Stud: Kohls-yet again, most of the Black Friday ad items were ordered on Monday, and on my front porch Wednesday, before the in store ad even began. What I didn't get Wednesday was received on Friday.

Eh: Best Buy-10 days to get a video game? Time to join 2017.
Eh: Target-TV same day pickup-unorganized and time consuming.

Stud: Meijer In store ads have been decent, our son challenged me to find an item he wanted for under $59.99. I got it for $29.99 at Meijer.
Stud: Kroger-has had great 1 day sales or mega sales on baking goods. I've been paying prices lower than anytime in recent memory for food.
Stud: CVS-always solid through the holidays-get the extrabucks on Thanksgiving, stretch them weekly through December. They are sending out $6 off $30 routinely to stretch the EB's.
Stud: Rite Aid-again for 2017 the spend $$ on Thanksgiving to get plenti points for Macys worked. Sad they are going away in KY in 2018.

Double Stud: Delta airlines-had to cancel a trip to Vegas last month due to my wife's moved up knee replacement. We were flying Delta out and SW back, we expected to lose the Delta flight $$. I called to cancel the flight and they took some information and gave me a reference number to call back to rebook. When I called last week, they said sorry for the surgery and not only did they give me tickets to replace our flight out, they said they didn't want us on a competitor and they gave us 2 flights back. It was absolutely amazing. We had to pay the 9-11 fees.

Studs: Retailers who are sending me $10 off anything coupons to get me in the store. That includes Eddie Bauer, JC Penney, DSW, Kohls, Dress Barn, Staples. I needed more trash bags(Staples) and the others will be used for stocking stuffers.

Comeback of the year: Coke. Saving the lids for a year has paid off. Free gift cards for Amazon, Target, and Shutterfly. Between my wife and I we received $40 for Amazon, $20 for Target, and $20 for shutterfly.

Not participating in the Christmas celebration:
Walmart-they have nothing I can't get cheaper elsewhere
KMart-took advantage of bonus points often last year, not worth driving 65 miles to the nearest store this year.
Walgreen-not price competitive with the other 2 drug stores

 

[Belle_Ann]

Dud: Michaels. I ordered an outdoor snowman decoration and after 10 days they cancelled my order and said it's out of stock. It took that longtime realize this? I would have liked to know that many days ago because I could have gotten one somewhere else in the meantime.

All of my Amazon and Target orders have been on time and correct.

Old Navy and lands end are taking a long time for shipping.

 

[MomToOne]

Despite all the other problems I've had with Amazon orders being late the past few months, I realized I needed a cable for a gift I got DD17, and because I have no patience left whatsoever anymore, I decided to eat the $5.99 shipping fee and get it same day from Amazon. And it actually arrived same day!

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

More Duds

UPS: DD#2 ordered items from Walmart. One was supposed to be here on the 6th, the other the 7th. The 7th one was out for delivery all day yesterday...has not shown. The 6th one was marked out for delivery on the 6th, and is now MIA. They have to be here before Monday, because the movers are coming to pick all the stuff up for her move to Cali that day, and they won't be able to fit bookshelves in their little car for their drive there.

USPS/Amazon: I ordered a Dorbz figure for DD#2. Was shipped UPS to USPS (suremail) and has...disappeared. Was supposed to be here on the 3rd. No sign of it. Can't reorder, because it was an add-on item, and I'm done shopping until DH's bonus comes in (which will be after she leaves for Cali). Amazon won't resend the item because..add-on.

Amazon: I ordered a couple small items (not add-ons) for GS#2. One was scheduled to be here via Amazon's delivery service yesterday. I had another package arrive (from them) but not the one for GS. It's MIA...lost somewhere between them putting on their delivery vehicle and it making it here. The other item is now showing out of stock, and while my order says "arriving Monday", with the way my luck with Amazon has been going, it's not gonna show. They're for his upcoming plane trips, to help keep him occupied, and cost twice as much in stores. Ugh.

 

[richkaryn]

I got a good laugh last night. One item of 4 from my Old Navy order (on 11/29) arrived. It looked different than the picture, so I logged on to make sure I ordered right thing (I did, it just looks different in picture) and I saw on their website "Order by 12/19 for guaranteed free 12/22 delivery. HA!!! It's taking them forever to get stuff shipped as it is, I can't imagine guaranteeing items will arrive within a few days!

Oh, and UPS is on my bad list now....My kohl's order was supposed to arrive today....and I got a UPS notification that it had ended up in alabama and it was being rerouted back to me (No new delivery estimate though.)

 

[MomToOne]

USPS/Amazon: I ordered a Dorbz figure for DD#2. Was shipped UPS to USPS (suremail) and has...disappeared. Was supposed to be here on the 3rd. No sign of it. Can't reorder, because it was an add-on item, and I'm done shopping until DH's bonus comes in (which will be after she leaves for Cali). Amazon won't resend the item because..add-on.

Wow - that's a new one I hadn't heard of for Amazon yet. That's a new low in customer service from them. Remember when they used to be the BEST in customer service? They built their business on that. But it seems like in the last year or so they became just another retailer, like so many out there who couldn't care less.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Wow - that's a new one I hadn't heard of for Amazon yet. That's a new low in customer service from them. Remember when they used to be the BEST in customer service? They built their business on that. But it seems like in the last year or so they became just another retailer, like so many out there who couldn't care less.

According to Amazon:


This is my guess as to why they would not re-send an item. Their add-on pricing structuring is basically offer low-priced items. It's possible the PP could locate the desired item and it not be included in the add-on program it may just cost more (as designed).

You also cannot exchange items that were included in the Add-on program:


That's not a 'new low in customer service' for Amazon. They have a program specifically designed to give you lower-priced items. By doing so they have limitations.

 

[MomToOne]

That's not a 'new low in customer service' for Amazon. They have a program specifically designed to give you lower-priced items. By doing so they have limitations.

I'm aware of what the add-on program is. But this was an add-on item that was lost in shipping by the shipping company Amazon chose. I personally don't think refusing to reship it is good customer service. They ship add-on stuff all the time without the min spend requirement being met when people order via Alexa or Dash buttons.

Many stores have a min spend requirement for free shipping. I've never encountered any of them refusing to reship a lost item from one of these orders if they still have it in stock, just because that sole item was under the the min spend requirement. Even Kohl's will do it, and they are a customer service nightmare.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm aware of what the add-on program is. But this was an add-on item that was lost in shipping by the shipping company Amazon chose. I personally don't think refusing to reship it is good customer service. They ship add-on stuff all the time without the min spend requirement being met when people order via Alexa or Dash buttons.

Sorry but things do come with limitations. Their add-on program is what it is. In exchange for purchasing something at a lower cost you are stuck with stricter limitations. Poster could always try to see if they would be willing to provide even a partial credit on their account so they can repurchase the item outside of the add-on program and get a bit off but that's still up to Amazon and isn't poor customer service. In exchange for purchasing items through Prime I know that it's entirely possible my item costs more money but I get free 2-day shipping (on majority of items some require longer processing time) rather than paid shipping that usually takes longer.

As far as the Dash buttons you pay for those, and Alexa requires you to buy the echo. They are incentives to purchase their product. Call it a perk for purchasing a $4.99 reorder button for each item you want and a $189 fancier (comes with a few bells and whistles) speaker. Or a $49.99 echo dot. Or the $99.99 echo 2nd generation. Of course you can get sales on those items--it's the only reason we bought Echo which was half-off for Prime Day.

Just like coupons that exclude "everyday values" (or whatever the retailer calls them) you could treat limitations on the add-on program like a coupon restricting "everyday values".

It's clear though that you don't like Amazon so perhaps that plays into your "good customer service" because based on your comments throughout the thread I'm not even sure Amazon could do anything right. These days people in general when something isn't done exactly the way the customer feels it should be (even if there are clearly spelled out restrictions or how something works) it's labled as "poor customer service". Without a doubt there are instances of poor customer service (and I've had some for sure) but not everything is. That's not directed at anyone in particular just a generalized comment.

ETA: I see you added to your comment after I quoted it though my comments are based on your original comment prior to additional comments.

 

[MomToOne]

It's clear though that you don't like Amazon so perhaps that plays into your "good customer service" because based on your comments throughout the thread I'm not even sure Amazon could do anything right. These days people in general when something isn't done exactly the way the customer feels it should be (even if there are clearly spelled out restrictions or how something works) it's labled as "poor customer service". Without a doubt there are instances of poor customer service (and I've had some for sure) but not everything is. That's not directed at anyone in particular just a generalized comment.

50% of my prime orders the last 3 months (of which there have been many) have not arrived by their "guaranteed arrival date". That's a service I pay for. Amazon's initial response in EVERY cases has been the equivalent of shoulder shrug and a "oh well-call us back in another 5 days". They've even automated that response on a screen in the website. This is not an isolated incident, it is a pattern of activity. Sorry, but I believe you have a right to receive the service you pay for. And Amazon isn't doing that these days in my case. And from the comments from others on this thread, I'd say there are a fair number of people experiencing the same issues. Their service levels are falling because they think they have cornered the market and have everyone hooked.

And those $4.99 Dash buttons? They've sold them for $.99 on a regular basis, and include a $4.99 shopping credit. You haven't paid for diddly when it comes to shipping. Amazon is just trying to run others out of the market. At least be honest about what they are doing.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

50% of my prime orders the last 3 months (of which there have been many) have not arrived by their "guaranteed arrival date". That's a service I pay for. Amazon's initial response in EVERY cases has been the equivalent of shoulder shrug and a "oh well-call us back in another 5 days". They've even automated that response on a screen in the website. This is not an isolated incident, it is a pattern of activity. Sorry, but I believe you have a right to receive the service you pay for. And Amazon isn't doing that these days in my case. And from the comments from others on this thread, I'd say there are a fair number of people experiencing the same issues. Their service levels are falling because they think they have cornered the market and have everyone hooked.

And those $4.99 Dash buttons? They've sold them for $.99 on a regular basis, and include a $4.99 shopping credit. You haven't paid for diddly when it comes to shipping. Amazon is just trying to run others out of the market. At least be honest about what they are doing.

You've just reenforced my comment about you not liking Amazon. I mean you even had a comment about Khol's and them not clearly spelling out their Khol's Cash restrictions despite the fact that it is available online. Perhaps the larger issue is retailers (both online and instore) have policies that you don't agree with. That by itself is fine but it doesn't mean that they are a no-good company or whatnot. You said you understood their Add-on program which meant you understood that they have items priced a certain way that makes it cost prohibitive to send them on their own. I guess the issue is that while you understand this you don't agree with their underlying restriction of not resending an item. Just like you don't agree with Khol's and their policy regarding Khol's Cash.

Amazon is an online retailer--their cost comes from shipping. Khol's, Wal-Mart, etc have an online presence but have stores too. I would absolutely 100% expect Amazon to differ in regards to how they handle returns, exchanges, lost items, etc being that they deal almost exclusively in the online world.

I already said you could get the dash buttons on sale . Didn't say anything to the opposite. It doesn't mean that all dash buttons all the time are on sale. Just like the echo/echo dot. Sometimes you're going to pay full price for those items. Regardless it's an incentive to buy their product period even if on sale. The dash buttons and the echo are Amazon-made products. It makes perfect sense for them to include perks for purchasing their product. In this instance they are offering to remove a shipping restriction for their Add-on program. And being that they are an online retailer this makes sense.

I get your frustration with Amazon at the moment. I don't have the full details such as was there additional processing listed (as prime is for 2-day shipping which excluded processing), was the item available in your nearest fulfillment facility or did it need to come from elsewhere, was the issue with the company (such as UPS, USPS), or was the issue with the person who delivered it (such as UPS, USPS, Amazon Flex employees, Amazon Logistics route), were the items backordered, was it an issue of the item being temporarily misplaced which lengthened the time it took to get to you, etc but I get your frustration. Clearly other people have issues with them and just as clearly other people don't have issues with them. This is also coming from someone who has had a negative experience with 2 online Amazon reps and a handful of issues.

I don't have any idea about your comment of "Amazon is just trying to run others out of the market. At least be honest about what they are doing." I'm not under any illusions about any company really. It's like a poster on another thread who thought because it was Disney they should have a better return policy than they do..all because "It's Disney". Amazon is a giant just like Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart can be quite the beast when it comes to their products and what price they want to sell them for. As a consumer you have a few choices one of which is if you don't like the company or their business practices then don't shop from them.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

eBay seller rushhourwholesalers major DUD

Ordered 2 Xbox 12 month live cards- seller had positive reviews
Orders placed in two different transactions- both charges posted day ordered. Shipping notification and tracking number given a couple days later. Delivery estimate day came and went- searched tracking information and item never even given to USPS by seller on both orders! Contacted eBay to open claim and disputed charges on card - reading current reviews appears seller is doing this same scam to others! Or if they receive card it’s no valid in US.

I’ve ordered the cards previously for Xmas from other buyers with no issues- going to go buy at Best Buy!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So far all have been stars at this point:
~Costco--online order arrived 2 days before it was supposed to
~Amazon--still have a few things to buy too
~Sears/K-Mart--in-store pick up
~Northern tool + equipment--in store pick up: item arrived a few days before it was supposed to
~LTD Commodities: Awesome quality for a NFL football with stadium panorama as well as MLB pillow with the selected stadium on it. Items ordered on 11/27 and received on 12/2


Only thing that my be considered good enough wasn't a holiday purchase. We have a battery operated lawn mower and the rapid charger got fried due to lightening. We called the company and as it was still under it's 3 year warranty they sent us a new one. That's the great part. The part I would say is good enough is that they didn't put the battery box inside another box. They just shipped it inside the original box only. This led to the box getting a bit of rough treatment. When it arrived 2 corners were indented and there was a slit in one side. The battery charger didn't have any damage. I guess I just sorta expected a bit more care with a charger that costs nearly $88 (not including tax or shipping as it's not sold in stores). I know that it doesn't cost nearly that much for the company to make it.

Unknown:
Shutterfly--ordered a custom photo pillow expected arrival 12/12-12/14; ordered on 12/2.

Update on my earlier post. Last night got alert that the custom photo pillow was expected to arrive today rather than the 12th-14th. Well the pillow just got delivered by UPS so that moves Shutterfly up to a star

 

[DisneyMandC]

Not sure if this is a Star or a Dud, but it'll probably make you all laugh...

My husband and I have been joking for a while about buying a Squatty Potty (google it if you're unfamiliar). So I looked on Amazon the other day and saw they had a 20% off coupon for the Squatty Potty, so I went ahead and ordered it and thought it would be funny for him to open Christmas morning. Well I was home when the delivery came today and was surprised to received two large, identical Amazon boxes... yup, you guessed it- they sent us two Squatty Pottys!! I was cracking up and DH didn't know why. They only charged us for one, and we really don't have the need for the second one since our second bathroom is the downstairs guest half bathroom. I suppose I could contact Amazon about returning it, but I imagine they'll probably just say to keep it... I may give it to my mom haha.