Wow - it turns out I'm not alone: http://bit. Ly/s92SeH
I was told that they increased their prices and my coupon was no longer honored: http://imgur.com/Hxfb4 - And after _half_of_a MONTH_ of waiting the only options they gave me (with attitude) was to either cough up the extra money or go ahead and cancel. They even suggested that the new higher price was their actual cost... Their pricing is a total bait-and-switch scam no different than a sleazy used car salesman at a used car lot. Nobody believes the car salesmen when they tell you its their cost - its a total sales tactic. Furthermore, my customer service message was ignored for 16 hours but my complaints on Facebook and Twitter were responded to immediately and then was told to email customer service instead. The the facebook comments were deleted to hide them. Terrible customer communication - complete lack of empathy. This was my 2nd $700 order form them, and now I will never buy from them again nor will I ever recommend them to anyone. I can only imagine how bad things would have been if I actually had a problem with an order - their extensive "policy" most likely ensures customer dissatisfaction - AVOID AT ALL COST.
Meanwhile I simply took the rational step and canceled my order, and ordered another unit elsewhere http://bit. Ly/demUK8 and they honored the coupon I used without hesitation, shipped it immediately, and threw in expedited Saturday shipping as a bonus... These other guys get it and do it happily.
The most sad thing about this whole thing, is that its all about their abusive tone in their communications and the bait-and-switch tactics in their dealings - and they believe I'm trying to get preferential treatment. What sort of preferential treatment they believe I want totally escapes me since I've sourced my item elsewhere for far better price and far better experience. My intent it to expose the "policies" that they stand behind so there will be no more victims.
In this market, the companies who bend over backwards for their customers will win the business... These guys just stand behind their "policies" and blame the customer for not reading them. Sounds like an airline or phone company - that's not a business style anyone enjoys. I'm sure none of us can remember the last time a hotel, department store, or even a restaurant stood behind "policy" or fine-print to deny people great customer service. Don't be fooled by the sheep who think the these guys are awesome - Alternative sellers include http://bit. Ly/demUK8, http://bit. Ly/xFf8B, http://bit. Ly/rQvMC6, http://bit. Ly/rzYHxt, etc... There's nothing special about these guys - vote with your wallet and shop elsewhere.
There are many other companies who share the vision of great customer service. Ryan Negri and his small shop is not one of them.instead of accepting their failure and trying to learn and improve, they continue to blame their customers for "not reading policy" or suggesting people are "_difficult customers_" and otherwise dismissing them. They also seem quite proud of their actions as well - http://imgur.com/GZ406 Although it makes sense why I am voicing my dissatisfaction with the company, nobody understands why they have decided to attack me personally. Its unclear to anyone why denial, name-calling, and personal attacks make for great customer service. Perhaps its just some "policy" we haven't all seen?
In his quest to attack me personally, Ryan points out a few of one of my companies past mistakes - the key difference is they accept the error and make it right - at all and any cost - even at a loss. Customer service is expensive and only the best and committed can do it right. Its a testament that great customer service requires focus and hard work and is not something you can just claim and expect to happen automatically nor can you just expect to it continue on its own without continued TLC. Clearly Ryan hasn't studied nor made service a focus at his organization. Their actions speak louder than their claims or promises. Their hope is that it will all just go away. Again - there are many other retailers out there - this is not the one you're looking for - perhaps in a few more seasons they won't be around anyways.
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