Beware.. fabulous prices, terrible customer service!
Written: Jan 22 '07 (Updated Jan 05 '08)
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I shop online a lot and when I was looking to replace my vacuum, I read a lot of reviews to decide which to purchase. Unfortunately, I did not read the reviews on the site from which I decided to purchase from. I came across homeannex.com while searching out the best price on a Dyson Animal DC17 Vacuum.
At Homeannex, you will find all types of unique home furnishings from copper bath tubs to chandeliers to framed artwork. Navigation on the site is extremely easy and set up very well. You are able to search by manufacturer and key word on the home page and in addition, on other pages you are given additional search criteria from which to choose.
After searching multiple sites, I found that HomeAnnex had the best price by far (or so I thought). I had the thing in my cart and paid for with "Bill me Later" for only $470 including shipping! The shipping was free. A steal considering the Target across the street had them for $595. I was expecting my vacuum within the next 2 to 3 weeks. Other payment options include credit cards, Google checkout, money orders, checks through ChecksByNet and Paypal.
Well, on the site, I saw wording that said, please call if you would like your order sooner. So... I called, after all, who wants to wait more than a week to vacuum? At that point I was told that they would ship it out ASAP.
So, now I'm expecting my vacuum closer to the 2 week period and when the three week point came up...needless to say I was getting a bit ticked off. I called again.
During this call, I was told that the vacuum should be shipped in the next couple of days. I asked the customer service rep if she could please have a manager call me back (the manager was out at the moment) and asked how long that would be. I was told that I would hear from them in approximately one half hour.
It was at this point I decided that I should check epinions and look up the experiences of other homeannex users. It is now two hours later and I haven't received my call back from a manager so I call again and ask to speak with a manager directly. Up until this point, I should mention that the customer service people I had spoken with were all very cordial and I felt as though I was being taken care of. Of course... I had just read all the reviews on here where so many people were lied to. So.. needless to say, I was becoming a bit weary.
A manager came on the line and after explaining my order, I was told that the vacuum was on backorder from the company and wouldn't be shipped until the end of the month (another two weeks) and that was to their warehouse! I then asked why I was told just a few hours ago that it would ship in a few days. I may have gotten a little snippy with him by asking "did your rep just lie to me?" But my gosh, it certainly was seeming that I was getting the run-around!
The manager I spoke to was also very aware of the horrible reviews that they have been getting on epinions and kept telling me (in a raised voice) that they were "working on their errs" and that I haven't "been billed yet, which was one of the complaints they have received". Of course I hadn't been billed, I choose "Bill me Later"! Anyway, I had to ask the manager to please stop yelling at me numberous times and endured him calling me rude. All I was doing was inquiring as to WHY I hadn't receieved my order or an email stating that my order was on backorder! I guess asking questions is rude?
In the end, the manager asked me if there was anything else he could do for me (he hadn't done anything yet except yell at me) and I told him yes, he could cancel my order.
He did cancel it and I was not billed, thankfully.
Afterwards, I had to look for another deal on the vacuum I wanted and came back to the Homeannex site to try a price comparison. Turns out that the DC17 that I thought I had in my cart was a DC07. The photo went along with the DC17 but once added to my cart... it turned into a DC07 (the lower purple version of the animal). I'm certainly glad that I didn't have to deal with returning this item to them!
UPDATE: January 5, 2008
I just visited HomeAnnex's website this morning and decided to click on the buttons at the bottom... ie.."Secured by Thawte", "Internet Top Rated 500" and various payment options.
Anyway, I decided to click on the "Internet Top Rated 500" button. I thought, NO WAY are they among the top 500! I mean, what else would one think seeing this button along with payment verification buttons. I was right, they are NOT on "the list" at least the list on that site. It is really misleading though, I expect nothing less from this site!
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Dyson Animal DC17 Vacuum Cleaner
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About the Author
Location: Marion, OH, USA
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me: I am a single mom to two fabulous little boys.
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