The worst experience I have ever had with an online retailer
Written: Dec 31 '04 (Updated Jan 01 '05)
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I placed an order online with Lillian Vernon on 12/3. According to their website all orders placed on or before 12/9 were guaranteed to arrive by 12/24. I received one of the items I ordered a few days later.
On 12/17 I called Lillian Vernon's customer service because I was concerned about the whereabouts of the remaining items in my order. I was informed that they were being held up because of personalization and would arrive soon. Only one of the remaining items was to be personalized and the item I already received was also personalized.
I received part of my remaining order on 12/21. The item list included in this shipment indicated (circled in pencil) that the money clip (not personalized) I ordered was being shipped separately.
I called Lillian Vernon on 12/23 when it hadn't yet arrived and after waiting online for over 30 min I told them that I received the rest of my order and I was concerned. The woman I spoke with personally guaranteed that it would arrive the following day.
I called on again 12/24 when it still hadn't arrived. After being hung up on twice and waiting on hold for longer than I want to think about I was told that I had to wait until 7 pm when UPS was finished delivering and then to call back then if it didn't arrive. The woman told me that I was lying when I told her that the rest of my order was shipped USPS. She also told me that they were not scanning or tracking any packages because of volume. What she neglected to tell me was that they were closing early for Christmas and that no one would be there to take my call when I called back later that evening.
I called again on 12/26. The woman I spoke with told me that she would resend the item and it would arrive in 4-5 days. I made her double check to make sure that the item was still in stock and she said that it was.
I called yet again on 12/31 when I still hadn't received the item and was informed by a manager that they never had the item in stock to resend and that she would discount my order. They were not going to contact me to tell me that my item would never arrive. In fact, when I asked "do you not have a system to contact customers when their items are out of stock and will never ship?" the manager replied "oh, that is a good idea."
I have received a refund greater than the original purchase price but I spent way too much time to get it and it still doesn't feel like enough. Every person I spoke with was extremely rude, I was on hold forever and hung up on twice, their system to talk with customer service stinks.
The selection offered in the online store appears impressive but many items are backordered or out of stock when you try to add to cart. Prices seem quite reasonable but I was not overly impressed with the quality of the items I received. You definitely get what you pay for, average to below average products and horrible customer service.
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? money clip/ credit card holder
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Epinions.com ID:
jwlarson
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Reviews written: 1
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