I have been a Personal Creations customer for several years, and have purchased numerous products through the company. I have always been a very loyal and complimentary customer; however, my most recent experience with Personal Creations has left me disillusioned.
On December 5, I used a 20 percent discount offer I had received through my email, and I ordered five (5) items online through www.personalcreations.com. At the time of the order, I was notified that the items would arrive on or before December 17 in plenty of time for Christmas. The order came to a total of $66.85.
When my order had not arrived by December 20, I checked the status using the online tracking service. According to the service, the items were still in process and had not yet shipped. At that point, I concluded that the items would not arrive for Christmas, and I tried contacting the customer service department to discuss my options.
At 11 A.M. On December 20, I called the Customer Service line and sat on hold for 21 minutes. A representative named Cynthia answered the call, asked for my order number and last name, and then immediately said, Hold on please. Unfortunately for me, Cynthia did not place me on hold, but transferred me back to the Customer Service phone number, where I sat on hold for another 24 minutes.
As luck or fate would have it, Cynthia again got my phone call. She again asked for my order number and my last name. She noted that there was no order listed with the specific order number I referenced, and told me my last order listed. I explained to her that I had placed an order on December 5, and received a confirmation email from the service, reading the confirmation email to her. She then said to me, Didn't you just call? At that time, I said that yes, I had just called, but she had placed me back through the customer service line rather than helping me. She again told me to hold on and once again, transferred me back to the Customer Service phone number, where I was again on hold. At that point, I hung up, and immediately called back, where I sat on hold for another seven minutes, before giving up because I had to leave for an appointment.By this time, I had wasted nearly an hour trying to figure out where my order was and when I might receive it.
Rather than sit on hold again for another eternity, I opted to email the customer service department, both by responding to my emailed confirmation and through the contact us option on the Web site. At that time, I wrote that I would like to cancel the order because I would not receive it in time for Christmas, and I also requested that someone please contact me as soon as possible by phone to discuss this issue.
I never heard from anyone.
On December 21, I received a generic email confirmation that my items had shipped. At that time, I chose not to contact customer service because I hoped that the items would still be to me in time for Christmas.
Unfortunately, the items did not arrive until December 27 — two days AFTER Christmas.
All of the items I tried to purchase through Personal Creations were meant to be gifts for other individuals.instead of being able to give those individuals the Personal Creations gifts, I instead had to rush out at the last minute and purchase items.
When the items arrived on December 27, I went through another round of frustration as I tried to contact customer service again about this matter. I tried calling at 5:28 P.M. And again at 5:31 P.M. And both times got a pre-recorded message that due to extremely high call volume, we are unable to complete your call. Please call back between the non-peak hours of 7 P.M. And 12 midnight. I found this curious since, according to the Web site and documents received with the order, the customer service department is only open from 9 A.M. To 6 P.M. CST.
I also found it interesting that the shipping stickers on each of the items finally received show the stickers were printed on December 7, and then handwritten on December 20.
At this point, I have no use for the gifts I tried to purchase through Personal Creations, and I do not believe I should have to pay for them. I will be returning all five items, and I expect to receive a full refund for each item.
According to the Web site, Cancellations and changes must be made by 10:00 P.M. Central Time of the same day you place your order. Unfortunately for me, I did not anticipate having to cancel or change my order by 10 P.M. On the day the order was placed. I expected that the order would be filled promptly and that I would receive the order on or before December 17 as advised when I ordered the items.
The Web site also notes, Our goal is to offer only the finest personalized gifts available, ones that will create lasting memories and provide years of enjoyment. That was my goal in purchasing these items for my friend and family: to give them items that would create lasting memories and provide years of enjoyment. Unfortunately for me, the items did not arrive in time, and I was forced to improvise.
I have sworn by Personal Creations gifts in the past, have been a regular customer, and have recommended the site and the catalog to many others throughout the years. I have never been dissatisfied with a product I have received, and I have only had one other instance where I have had to cancel an order because of processing time and that was because the item was placed on backorder and would not be available for several months.
This experience has soured me on the benefits of ordering items through Personal Creations not because the items did not arrive on time, but because of the horrible customer service I have experienced in trying to resolve this issue. If I had been able to speak to a party on December 20 when I called, or if someone had simply tried contacting me as I requested, this situation would have never escalated to this point. However, because I have been shuffled around, ignored, and have not received so much as an apology for my inconvenience, I refuse to accept the late items and refuse to pay for the items.
I am still trying to get in touch with someone from Personal Creations, and have now resorted to calling the corporate office and leaving messages on random people's voice mails in hopes that maybe — just maybe — someone will be willing to help me with this issue.
I find it extremely sad and frustrating that a service about which I have been so confident in the past can ruin its own reputation — and care so little about it — because its employees seem to lack the critical customer service skills needed to function in a retail and web-based environment.
0 comments