Borderline "bait and switch"?
Written: Nov 21, 2007 (Updated Nov 21, 2007)
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Overall impression: not recommended, for the reasons stated under summary below. Note that this review is for the online store only.
WEBSITE: B
Layout is pretty standard from what I've seen of similar types of stores. Search works like it should but is pretty basic. If there are a lot of similar products, it can be a bit annoying to wade through pages of listings with only very basic info (need to click on item for details) to find what you're seeking.
PRODUCTS: Incomplete
Wide selection of products encompassing many sports. Prices -- at least for products I was interested in -- appeared to be MSRP, though a google search may turn up a coupon if you're lucky. The online coupon is the only reason I chose this store above other stores. Grade is incomplete because they did not deliver the product I ordered. I ordered an official NFL blanket, but the one I received was a completely different color and design from the picture on the website; on further investigation, design matched that of a different and 25% cheaper blanket on their site. Wide selection is kind of moot if they can't deliver what they claim to offer.
SHIPPING: C
Product was placed in a box without any packing material or packing slip, so it was free to bounce around the box during shipping. No damage was done since it was a blanket, though it did gather quite a few stray bits of brown paper from the cardboard box. It took 3 days to ship out an "in stock" item, but once shipped, UPS delivered it on time.
CUSTOMER SERVICE: D
Though the rep was polite throughout, I kept getting the impression that she was just reading off a script and not really paying attention to what I was saying (like when "talking" to telemarketers). She kept insisting that since the product I received was 1) the right size and 2) had the correct team, that there should be no problem. Rep kept blaming me for being "not pleased with" the product. I pointed out that this was not just a problem that the color shade didn't match what I saw on the monitor (which I am well aware is a risk you run when shopping online). When I pointed out that the entire design of the blanket was different from what I ordered and looked like a cheaper product on their site, she stated the web site picture is "just a sample" and that I could not expect to get exactly what was pictured (that was news to me and certainly not mentioned on the website in any obvious way). I also mentioned I'd seen the exact blanket I received (not the one I'd ordered) at the brick and mortar shop at the cheaper price; rep responded that online and B&M stores are separate so prices cannot be compared. It took about 3 rounds of pointing out that what I received was a different design from what I ordered, before the rep agreed to authorize a return.
RETURNS: B
Prepaid shipping label was e-mailed 24 hours after request. Received notice of refund 1 week after warehouse received the package. Total turn-around time for the return was 2 weeks from conversation with rep to notice of refund. Of note, though the customer service rep promised original shipping would be refunded (since error was the store's), refund was issued only for the cost of product and not the shipping.
SUMMARY: F/UNSATISFACTORY
Ultimately, I could not obtain the product I wanted, and I never could get an answer from Dick's about what went wrong. Customer service had mentioned asking the warehouse for a bin check to make sure the wrong product was not mislabeled there, but I never heard back about that. I even sent a print-out with my return, including a picture of the original product I ordered; again, there was no response. The website still lists the product I originally wanted as "in stock". This experience has made me unwilling to chance another fiasco though this store. Product was meant to be a gift, and fortunately I gave it a month in advance to account for the vagaries of online shopping, so I had time to find an alternative gift. However, I cannot in all honesty recommend the online Dick's store, unless you like the Forrest Gump box-of-chocolates approach to shopping, where "you never know what you're gonna get".
One final note. Some may be wondering about the reference to "bait and switch". Dick's lists a desirable (to me, anyway) product as available and in stock. It turns out the item either is not available or is mislabeled, and they send me what the customer service rep tried to sell me as an equivalent product, even though it was actually cheaper and of inferior design. If intentional, this is similar to the classic "bait and switch". If not intentional, they should at least have followed through on having the warehouse check for a mislabeled item.
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Official NFL blanket
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