While sitting waiting for dinner at a local restaurant, I whipped out my iPhone to read my latest emails. I am a frequent online consumer and satisfied my boredom by skimming the latest Tiger Electronics ad emailed to me. I was curious to see their weekend special on computers as I have just bought two for my home from this e-merchant. One arrived yesterday and the other two weeks ago.
The sale on the computer was the exact same model, just not "refurbished" and included a monitor of matching color and brand yet the warranty was for a full year versus my 3 months I had with each of the two I had just bought. Now, shipping was free just a few days later, and the price was essentially the same - a $16.00 difference!
Thinking their "30-Day Ironclad" warranty would be sufficient reasoning for me to call and request a match in terms to extend the warranty; I was told I would need to buy both new computers (which surprisingly happen to be the same models as confirmed by the rep) and ship these two back, along with the monitors, speakers, and accessories. I was further advised shipping would be at my own expense and it would be more cost-effective to just keep them and let this go to rest.
Feeling somewhat taken back from by this extraordinary to essentially "hit the highway and beat it", I calmly let him know I wouldn't be leaving a good review and would explain this circumstance accordingly on a consumer site. The rep was quick to accuse me of attempting to "blackmail" the company and would transfer me to his supervisor. After about 5-7 minutes of what I believe to be a "penalty hold", the same rep came back on the line just to let me know I would be responsible for shipping costs. My reply was that this had been explained by him and probed when he would transfer the call to a supervisor.
Certainly, as a consumer of a business in this economy, one does NOT disrespect a customer to the extent of being accused of blackmail. Perhaps another 5-7 minutes of a silent hold later, the supervisor came on the line and I had relayed the events of which had occurred between his employee and I.
My desire was now to ship everything back, obtain RMA numbers on all items, and purchase nothing now and nothing in the future.
In the end, Tiger Direct not only lost my recent business but my future business and has gained one unhappy former client who merely asked for them to back their product equal to that which is being offered less than a week after the sale. They couldn't and I am losing roughly $100 on shipping costs yet they'll need to discount the items as open-box goods for a much less margin of profit than had they simply understood my request cost them essentially - nothing.
Such a shame... And I had asked for the warranty to only be extended on one computer; the one delivered yesterday.
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