Purchase = Easy, Customer Service and Follow-up = Missing
Written: Dec 27 '06 (Updated Jan 12 '07)
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| Full Review |
Purchase of ProForm Elliptical 900 Cardio Cross machine on the Elliptical Trainer Superstore (ETSS) website was effortless and I got decent information from the site.
Auto-follow-up messages from the ETSS/Mercantila web purchase, while nicely done and inviting appeared to be sporadic as they sent me an email stating I should have gotten a specific tracking info email, which I never got. To their credit, the purchase confirmaiton email did have a link that worked perfectly.
ETSS shipped the unit within 48 hours, as promised.
Then the local Roadway terminal sat on it for 3+ days (I followed it on Roadway's website), delivering it entirely unannounced. Fortunately I was home at the time it showed up in the middle of the afternoon.
It was delivered in the holiday season, which could have had an impact. The delivery truck was all but empty when the package arrived looking a bit beaten up and wet.
Upon inspection, all contents were safe and sound, even thought the box indicated otherwise.
The Roadway driver was very nice and volunteered to put 'Delivered wet and opened.' on the bill of lading, should I need to file a claim. :-)
He even stated that one did not want their package sitting on a local dock for several days for the reason that it may get mistreated.
I might not rely so much on Roadway to deliver packages if I were a company like Mercantila, although residential delivering freight carrier options are probably pretty slim these days.
The unit had clearly been opened, removed, repacked, taped poorly shut and then returned to ETSS. The repacking job was... well, let's say 'not factory' to be nice.
When dealing with a company that carries a 30-day money back policy - no questions asked, it is understandable that returns and resales are going to happen. The unit itself arrived in good-looking, relatively unassembled (by user) condition and all parts were present. It simply could have been repacked better.
I'm guessing that the ETSS returns acceptor didn't inspect it, or did so with no attention to the task at all.
The unit is now assembled and my wife (for whom it was a gift) is now beginning to use it. So far, so good!
The fact that the vendor (ETSS/Mercantila) offers a 30-day MBG and also follows up actively seeking customer reviews (which is how I got here to enter this) is commendable.
Follow-up -
Uh-oh... Problem:
ETSS/Mercantila advertise a 110% price match guarantee. They did not honor this policy for me and the process itself was relatively difficult and frustrating.
I reported a price that was significantly lower ($319 w/free shipping from the Mfg.) to ETSS only a few days after purchasing from them, for execution of their price matching policy.
Upon my first call, I got a run-around and was told that 'those people' who do the price matching are only available from 2:30-4:00pm PST (even though the website gives entirely different and expanded hours for price match reports), and 'they' were not 'here' - could I call back another day...
I called again and got another run-around but this time convinced the rep to process the report just to get it documented in the system, which she claimed to do.
The next call, the rep asked me to send a URL/link of the ad at the lower price (understandable). Incidentally, I found the lower price ad using a link on their own (ETSS/Mercantila) website, as it was an offer from ProForm themselves on the manufacturer's website.
I sent the link to the rep while I was on the phone with her.
I was told that they would investigate it and get back to me in 1-2 days. I heard nothing and 4 days later, I had to leave town...
After hearing nothing at all from ETSS/Mercantila on the matter for 2 WEEKS, I called back in to check the status.
At that point ProForm was no longer offering free shipping on that unit, and the rep(s) that I dealt with on that series of calls would/could not honor the price match policy. Even after going back to the original rep that took/documented the first report, email and all.
I explained several times that the lower price included shipping upon my 1st report(s) several weeks earlier - which the URL I sent them clearly showed, and they still would not honor their policy.
So it could be that they intentionally avoid customers calling in price matches (at least those past a certain $ threshold) until it is no longer valid so that they can keep their $, or they could have simply dropped the ball in this particular case. Either way, they had no intention of honoring their policy of which they boast on their website, nor appeasing the customer in any way.
And we're only talking about $30 here... it had gone way past being worth my time (or theirs...) and into a matter of principle at this point.
The Bottom Line:
If you want a great selection, at a decent price, don't mind the potential of getting previously opened and returned merchandise for your $, while dealing with what is presented as great customer service on the website when in reality it is lackluster and unresponsive (and is off-shore from the sound of everyone I spoke with), with a potential lack of honoring their own stated policies - Mercantila is the place for you!
For me, I prefer a little more integrity and attention to the customer's experience. I will not be shopping there again. I would hate to see what it takes to go through the 'No questions asked' MBG policy.
My advice: shop around...
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? ProForm 900 Cardiotrainer Ellipical Trainer
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cgh1
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Reviews written: 1
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