rant place-holder: Circuit City
Jun. 12th, 2002 02:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cellioThe sales person we worked with on Sunday at Circuit City was pleasant, knowledgeable, and highly competent. He went out of his way to get us what we wanted.
The delivery person who brought the new TV today was similarly pleasant and helpful. He even -- unasked -- did all the wiring to hook up two VCRs (including for tape-to-tape copy) and a DVD player. I had expected his service to end at depositing the TV on its stand.
Every single person between these two points of contact whom I encountered was an incompetent, stupid, lying bastard. The people who fancy themselves "customer support", who arrange the home delivery, are absolute scum.
On Sunday we were told that delivery hours are Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm. We told our sales person that we both work, and could we get that 9am slot? We'd be willing to delay delivery until we could get a day with that open slot. No problem, he said (after consulting someone else), and duly noted it. We were scheduled for Tuesday, and he said they would call Monday evening to confirm.
Monday evening came without a call. Eventually I called them. They had no record under either of our last names. Eventually they found it under a misspelling. (We watched the salesman enter the order, so we know it wasn't his misspelling.) They said we're the third delivery of the day, sometime between 10 and 2. I said we were promised 9am. Kathy (I later learned her name) rudely told me that they never make guarantees and "they didn't fax that request over here".
Ok, I said, I don't want to be caught between your sales people and your delivery people. I'm just the customer; I don't know what "they" are supposed to do. Can we reschedule on a day when I can have the 9am appointment? I don't care about blame; I just want to fix this.
"We never guarantee that. You can request it." Ok, I said, I'd like to request it; can you do that for me? "No, I'm not the person who does the scheduling." May I speak with the person who does the scheduling? "No, no one is allowed to talk to him."
Um, ok. Eventually she agreed to "request" 9am Wednesday. I think at this point she probably recorded us in her "mess with these people just because I'm feeling cranky" list. Sort of like Catbert without the style and brains.
Tuesday night they called and Dani answered. He told me they said they'd be here "as early as possible". Minor frustration with Dani for not getting them to say an actual time, but oh well.
At 9:45 today I called to ask about status and got Kathy again. We're number 3 on the list and it'll be between 10:30 and 2:30, she said. I said that wasn't what we were told before. She said "We called last night and told you this". What, is she so stupid that she thinks I'm not going to check that story with Dani? (I did precisely that, and Dani says she's lying.) How stupid is this chick, anyway?
Eventually she said she would do what she could to make us first on the list, and someone would call back later. Apparently the truck isn't even at the warehouse yet. I see: "delivery between 9 and 5" means "our driver leaves Outer Mongolia with the truck at 9 to go to our warehouse", not "we arrive at our first delivery site around 9". (No, I didn't say that to her; I tried to be polite and pleasant with her lest she screw up even more.)
Around 10:30 (I am now 2 hours late for work) someone called. They are loading the truck and should be here shortly. No one has any record of our request for 9am, it seems. (Well, we have it on our receipt, but no one there admits to any knowledge.)
11:15, still no TV. (No, I'm really not set up to usefully work from home; I can't get through the company firewall to get to the server.) They're driving from Monroeville to Squirrel Hill, a 15-minute trip, and it's been 45 minutes since they were "leaving shortly". I call again. They'll be here in 40 minutes, I'm told; they have other stops to make on the way to my house. Um, what happened to being first on the list? I ask to speak with a manager.
They give me a manager in the sales department and I explain the sequence of events. He says "I don't know why our sales person told you you could have 9am". He says he will take this up with his sales staff, but I'm basically screwed this time. The home-delivery people aren't his department.
Noon (I am now 3.5 hours late for work) and a truck pulls up. The driver (Danny) starts by apologizing; he was just told that our delivery was top priority for him and he's really sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. I believe he was completely sincere. I told him that he hadn't done anything wrong; it's the guys who manage his queue. He and his assistant carried the TV in and set everything up, and Danny was very pleasant and helpful. He showed me how he'd wired everything, tested everything to make sure it was working (he was only obligated to verify the TV), and apologized again on his way out. He left around 12:30 (I am now 4 hours late to work) and I left a couple minutes later.
In a few days, I will write a polite, professional letter to Circuit City asking them why I shouldn't go to Best Buy for my next appliance purchase. I will refrain from suggesting an appropriate circle of Hell as a new assignment for Kathy.
The delivery person who brought the new TV today was similarly pleasant and helpful. He even -- unasked -- did all the wiring to hook up two VCRs (including for tape-to-tape copy) and a DVD player. I had expected his service to end at depositing the TV on its stand.
Every single person between these two points of contact whom I encountered was an incompetent, stupid, lying bastard. The people who fancy themselves "customer support", who arrange the home delivery, are absolute scum.
On Sunday we were told that delivery hours are Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm. We told our sales person that we both work, and could we get that 9am slot? We'd be willing to delay delivery until we could get a day with that open slot. No problem, he said (after consulting someone else), and duly noted it. We were scheduled for Tuesday, and he said they would call Monday evening to confirm.
Monday evening came without a call. Eventually I called them. They had no record under either of our last names. Eventually they found it under a misspelling. (We watched the salesman enter the order, so we know it wasn't his misspelling.) They said we're the third delivery of the day, sometime between 10 and 2. I said we were promised 9am. Kathy (I later learned her name) rudely told me that they never make guarantees and "they didn't fax that request over here".
Ok, I said, I don't want to be caught between your sales people and your delivery people. I'm just the customer; I don't know what "they" are supposed to do. Can we reschedule on a day when I can have the 9am appointment? I don't care about blame; I just want to fix this.
"We never guarantee that. You can request it." Ok, I said, I'd like to request it; can you do that for me? "No, I'm not the person who does the scheduling." May I speak with the person who does the scheduling? "No, no one is allowed to talk to him."
Um, ok. Eventually she agreed to "request" 9am Wednesday. I think at this point she probably recorded us in her "mess with these people just because I'm feeling cranky" list. Sort of like Catbert without the style and brains.
Tuesday night they called and Dani answered. He told me they said they'd be here "as early as possible". Minor frustration with Dani for not getting them to say an actual time, but oh well.
At 9:45 today I called to ask about status and got Kathy again. We're number 3 on the list and it'll be between 10:30 and 2:30, she said. I said that wasn't what we were told before. She said "We called last night and told you this". What, is she so stupid that she thinks I'm not going to check that story with Dani? (I did precisely that, and Dani says she's lying.) How stupid is this chick, anyway?
Eventually she said she would do what she could to make us first on the list, and someone would call back later. Apparently the truck isn't even at the warehouse yet. I see: "delivery between 9 and 5" means "our driver leaves Outer Mongolia with the truck at 9 to go to our warehouse", not "we arrive at our first delivery site around 9". (No, I didn't say that to her; I tried to be polite and pleasant with her lest she screw up even more.)
Around 10:30 (I am now 2 hours late for work) someone called. They are loading the truck and should be here shortly. No one has any record of our request for 9am, it seems. (Well, we have it on our receipt, but no one there admits to any knowledge.)
11:15, still no TV. (No, I'm really not set up to usefully work from home; I can't get through the company firewall to get to the server.) They're driving from Monroeville to Squirrel Hill, a 15-minute trip, and it's been 45 minutes since they were "leaving shortly". I call again. They'll be here in 40 minutes, I'm told; they have other stops to make on the way to my house. Um, what happened to being first on the list? I ask to speak with a manager.
They give me a manager in the sales department and I explain the sequence of events. He says "I don't know why our sales person told you you could have 9am". He says he will take this up with his sales staff, but I'm basically screwed this time. The home-delivery people aren't his department.
Noon (I am now 3.5 hours late for work) and a truck pulls up. The driver (Danny) starts by apologizing; he was just told that our delivery was top priority for him and he's really sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. I believe he was completely sincere. I told him that he hadn't done anything wrong; it's the guys who manage his queue. He and his assistant carried the TV in and set everything up, and Danny was very pleasant and helpful. He showed me how he'd wired everything, tested everything to make sure it was working (he was only obligated to verify the TV), and apologized again on his way out. He left around 12:30 (I am now 4 hours late to work) and I left a couple minutes later.
In a few days, I will write a polite, professional letter to Circuit City asking them why I shouldn't go to Best Buy for my next appliance purchase. I will refrain from suggesting an appropriate circle of Hell as a new assignment for Kathy.
(no subject)
Date: 2002-06-12 12:43 pm (UTC)Now, when I got my stove from the Sears Scratch and Dent at the end of Stanton Avenue, they were wonderful. While they wouldn't guarantee a time, they gave me a two hour window and we worked it out so that things got delivered on a Saturday in the morning. But they were reasonable.
Definately send them a letter, hopefully Circuit City cares about their customers.