Terrible customer service! Do not buy from them.
Written: May 28 '07
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In March of 2007, my husband and I decided to upgrade our kitchen with new stainless steel appliances. We searched the internet for a reputable vendor, and based on AJ. Madison's BBB participation and approval rating, along with their claims of “Guaranteed Delivery” and “Service after the Sale”, we decided on March 4 to order $8,686 of new appliances from AJ Madison. On March 5, 2007, we were charged the full amount of $8,686 on our credit card.
In the subsequent three months, we have experienced delivery problems, damaged merchandise, poor customer service, and ultimately a $2,699 oven/microwave unit that is not workable and is taking space in our garage. We are asking that AJ Madison give a full refund of $2,699 and pick up its damaged appliance, or replace it with an undamaged one, based on the facts presented below:
Delivery Problems
• Delivery expectation: On March 19th, my husband called to check on the order status and was told that shipment was "delayed due to a damaged appliance". He was told that the shipment would be held until this item was replaced. The AJ Madison rep set an expectation for the delivery date of March 29th. He then arranged to have time off from work on that day to accept delivery.
• Delivery time: by surprise, the shipment arrived a day early, on March 28th. The carrier "Yellow Freight" did not give us the option of adequately opening or inspecting the shipment. They instead quickly dropped the items in our garage, and then immediately left. Since we ordered $8,686.00 worth of items, it would have taken likely an hour to open and inspect them, and the Yellow Freight driver was not willing to wait. Unaware that this would create a subsequent problem, we accepted shipment.
Discovering the Damaged Product
• Unveiling of products: Our installation vendor, who we’d scheduled for the next Monday, said to not open any items until they were there to inspect and witness the condition of the appliances. Because of Yellow Freight’s premature arrival, the products sat as unloaded by them, in our garage for two working days.
• Realization of damaged goods: On April 2nd, four men came to install the appliances. They unveiled the oven and immediately witnessed that it was severely dented at the top, which caused buckling of the doors. They commented that we should notify AJ Madison, as they were sure they would pick it up and send us an undamaged oven. They all listened to me as I called AJ Madison to report the dented top, buckled sides and oven doors that were damaged in shipment. Their comment was “All reputable vendors take care of their customers. Don't Worry." In retrospect, we now find it unusual that the oven was the only item that was not in a large cardboard crate, and was only wrapped in shrink wrap (the four men from Handyman Matters can attest to this, and it is noted on the Yellow Freight form); we now believe that the damaged unit was shipped by AJ Madison rather than waiting for an undamaged oven.
Notification of AJ Madison of damages
• On April 2nd, I sent two emails to Hannah at AJ Madison with pictures of the damage, along with an explanation of the damages.
• On April 3rd, Yellow Freight came out to inspect the oven and take pictures. The inspector told me that in his report he would be indicating that the top was damaged, the sides were buckled, and the oven door would not shut.
• Dates of repeated calls to AJ Madison identifying the problem and seeking assistance: Per my cell phone records alone, I made in excess of 14 calls on the following dates to AJ Madison: 4/2, 4/3, 4/9. 4/17, 4/23, 4/24, 5/2, 5/3, 5/11, and 5/21.
Lack of resolution to our request to get a new oven or our money back
• Initially, I was told by Diehl at AJ Madison that she would handle our claim and “work out a way” to send us a new oven if that is what we wanted. Diehl also asked me to file a claim with Yellow Freight. We did so, and we were told 1 month later by Yellow Freight that our claim was denied. We tried calling before that one month date and were told by Yellow freight that they had the right to take 30 days, and that they were not obligated to give us a status before that time.
• I tried calling AJ Madison during this "Yellow Freight holding period", but their office was closed for one week during the Passover Holiday (April 3)
• We then contacted AJ Madison when we found out that Yellow Freight denied our claim, and I was told by Diehl (at x 118) that she would assign this situation to a special rep (Yudi at x 127). I called and tried to speak to Yudi, only to learn on May 11th that she didn’t work there any more. I left repeated messages for Diehl (the manager at x 118) that I was awaiting a reply; I did not get a call back.
• On May 21, I called again, and waited on-hold to talk to Diehl (at x 118). She explained that because Yudi was no longer working there, she was assigning me to Hannah (at x 137).
• I spoke to Hannah at x 137 on May 21st. She explained that she was not familiar with my account (even though she is the first person that I sent my pictures to on April 2nd). After some holding time, she said that Yellow Freight denied my claim. AJ Madison also denied my claim and that she would contact Yellow Freight to see if they may pay perhaps 1/3 of our expenses. I asked her what would happen to the 2/3 expense and she said "I don't know how this will work out." This caused me to feel upset, as I didn't feel that I should be out 2/3 of our expense for a damaged oven. When I expressed my frustration and suggested that I might contact the BBB if they can’t consider a full refund, she said that type of “threat” will not do any good, and that she can just put me "at the bottom of the list” to handle my complaint. When I asked her to set an expectation for when I could hear from her again, she said she "did not know." I suggested a week as a call back date, and she said that she "could not tell me if she could get back to me by that date."
So almost three months after our purchase date, we have a damaged oven taking space in our garage, with a poor customer satisfaction experience. At this point, we just want our money back for the oven, or a replacement that is undamaged. It does not seem fair that a consumer who has paid hard-earned money in advance, done nothing wrong, and who has been diligent in trying to solve this situation be penalized $2,699.00, with the frustration and inconvenience that we have experienced- not to mentioned the airtime in cell phone bills.
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? oven/microwave combo
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