February 26
To whom it may concern:
I am writing this letter in complaint of Pat Goff's Appliance & TV Warehouse's fraudulent business practices. They are located at 3221 Gateway West, El Paso, TX 79903.
On Friday, February 24 my family and I went to Pat Goff's Appliance Warehouse to purchase a High Definition TV set. Luis Belaval, the Appliance Manager, greeted us and offered to help. My first question to Luis was if they had a price match guarantee; I wanted to shop at a local store I told him, but I did not want to find out that I overpaid by 100's of dollars. Not only do they price match, Luis told me, they keep their competitors ads on a bulletin board in the front of the store to prove that they are the lowest. If I were to find a lower price on the item I purchased they would refund the difference for up to 60 days after the purchase. My other concern was that I would not be able to fit a new television in my trunk and I also had a large 31 inch RCA television which no longer worked that needed to be removed. Luis told me that delivery was included and the delivery drivers would remove my old television for me. With these assurances I decided to purchase from Pat Goff's.
I told Luis that I knew very little about televisions; I knew that I wanted a High Definition TV, but other than that I did not know if I wanted DLP, LCD, or Plasma. He convinced me that a 42 inch Plasma television would give me the picture I wanted in the price range I desired. After looking around the store, I found a 42 inch Toshiba Plasma television that was the perfect price. I asked Luis if it was a good set and he told me that he believed it was, but he had to look at his computer to make sure that it was an HDTV and not an EDTV (enhanced definition tv); an EDTV, he said, was a substandard technology and for the same money we could have an HDTV. A few minutes later Luis returned and said that it was an HDTV and was an excellent TV set. My wife applied for their credit and Luis rang up our purchase. Luis convinced me that I should purchase a 5 year warranty on the television; Pat Goff's was having a half price sale on their warranties and it would only cost me $450 for a 5 year warranty.
As Luis was ringing up our purchase and scheduling a delivery date and time my son noticed on the bulletin board that Sears had a better 42 inch Toshiba Plasma for $200 less than what I was paying for this other television. Luis was convinced that the advertisement must be a typo because the sale price of that television was less than his cost on that television. Even though xxxxx was still open, he opted not to call xxxx that night while I was in the store to verify the veracity of the advertisement, instead he promised me that he would call in the morning to see if it was a typo; if it was he would refund my $200 and deliver the better TV to me.
When we got home, my son looked at the receipt and found out that not only were we charged $42 for delivery (I would not have bee upset about paying a delivery fee had I been told that I was being charged) but we were sold a Toshiba EDTV.By this time Pat Goff's was closed and I decided to call Luis in the morning (our TV was to be delivered between 12 pm-5pm the next day. At 8:45 am I called Luis on his cell phone (a number which he gave to me and told me to call if I had any questions) to tell him that I obviously did not want the EDTV and that he needed to do something so that I would have the television I was told that I bought delivered. He assured me that he would fix the matter and get right back to me.
At around 9:45 am I had not heard back from Luis so I decided to go to Pat Goff's. I asked to speak to Luis but was told that he had not come in yet; I told the salesman who I was and what the problem was and the salesman knew all about it. When I asked him what Pat Goff's was going to do about reconciling their mistake he told me bluntly nothing. I then spoke to Richard, the manager, and told him the problem.in an unfriendly tone of voice he told me that he was busy and I would have to wait. While I was waiting, Luis arrived and was very rude and abrupt (a sharp contrast to the friendly person I had dealt with the night before).
Luis, and his manager, told me that there were no Plasma HDTVs made for the price I had paid last night and that I would have to spend at least an additional $500 in order to get what I wanted. If I wanted to stay at the same price range I would have to purchase a 32 inch television. My son then brought out a piece of paper with 3 different models of 42 inch Plasma HDTVs that were identically priced at 3 various stores to what I had paid for the EDTV the night before. Luis told me that there was no way that those prices could be correct and he would not sell me any of them for that price. After a heated discussion I demanded my money back; I was assured that the order would be canceled but since we had paid for it on their credit he could not give me a receipt verifying an order cancellation. I am not convinced that I won't get a bill for the television which I cancelled.
Pat Goff's Appliance & TV Warehouse used the bait and switch technique in hopes that I would not notice the difference. I took Luis Belaval's word that he sold me what he told me I bought. Had I not looked at the receipt I may not have known the difference. Furthermore, as I mentioned before, I would not have minded paying a delivery fee for my television; however, when I am told that delivery is included I do not expect to pay a fee.
Finally, their signs in the store claim that they will price match; this obviously was not the case because my son showed Luis the xxxx advertisement for a television and Luis did not believe it; he made no effort to verify the validity of the written advertisement which was posted in his store. When my son told Luis the model numbers and prices of the other television that were the same price as what I had paid the previous night he did not even attempt to price match; he just said that those prices couldn't be correct.
In sum, Pat Goff's Appliance & TV Warehouse used fraudulent techniques and outright lies in an effort to maximize their profit while selling me overpriced, undervalued, merchandise.
Laurence
El Paso, Texas
U.S.A.
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