by Jon » Mon Apr 13, 2009 5:10 am
OK, let me say this without defending the specific merchant in any way. I used to work in the online merchant world and can tell you some things that might not be well known to others.
1) Always follow their policies when returning something. If you bypass a step, they will drag their feet on purpose. Yes I know they promised you the email and did not follow through, but the next step would be to simply request the email again.
2) Returns for refunds are the lowest priority in the whole company. Returns for exchange are just above them, but new sales are king. The company is going to put about 90% of it's resources towards new sales, 9% towards exchanges/tech support, and about 1% towards returns for refunds. That is how they rank you in the grand scheme of things.
3) Even when they issue the credit to your card, it still takes the banks a week or more to post that credit to your account. Why? Because the banks get to potentially charge you interest on the balance while they sort out the credit. If you used a debit card, shame on you! NEVER, EVER use a debit card online. Why? They already have your money, the bank that is. You have zero leverage with your card bank. If it were a traditional credit card, they do not yet have your money and you still maintain leverage.
I hope some of that info might help. Just remember to keep your cool whenever talking to them. If you seem angry or bitter, they already know they lost you as a customer and now have no reason to go out of their way to help you. If you come across as a worthy future customer, then they will be more apt to help.
OK, let me say this without defending the specific merchant in any way. I used to work in the online merchant world and can tell you some things that might not be well known to others.
1) Always follow their policies when returning something. If you bypass a step, they will drag their feet on purpose. Yes I know they promised you the email and did not follow through, but the next step would be to simply request the email again.
2) Returns for refunds are the lowest priority in the whole company. Returns for exchange are just above them, but new sales are king. The company is going to put about 90% of it's resources towards new sales, 9% towards exchanges/tech support, and about 1% towards returns for refunds. That is how they rank you in the grand scheme of things.
3) Even when they issue the credit to your card, it still takes the banks a week or more to post that credit to your account. Why? Because the banks get to potentially charge you interest on the balance while they sort out the credit. If you used a debit card, shame on you! NEVER, EVER use a debit card online. Why? They already have your money, the bank that is. You have zero leverage with your card bank. If it were a traditional credit card, they do not yet have your money and you still maintain leverage.
I hope some of that info might help. Just remember to keep your cool whenever talking to them. If you seem angry or bitter, they already know they lost you as a customer and now have no reason to go out of their way to help you. If you come across as a worthy future customer, then they will be more apt to help.
:thumbsup