My daughter is soon to receive her First Communion, so the Catholic school she attends recently provided the parents of First Communion candidates with a catalog from the Christian supply store, Shepherds Nook. Shepherds Nook was originally located in Severna Park, MD, just a minute or so down the road from my daughter's school, and was patronized largely by parents and members of my daughter's school and the affiliated church. However, Shepherds Nook recently closed its Severna Park location and opened an online store, www.ShepherdsNook.com. The front of the Shepherds Nook catalog I received reads, "After 22 years, we have moved completely to the Internet from our Severna Park location. You can place your order from home at any hour of the day! All Items at Sale Prices with Free Shipping at: www.ShepherdsNook.com"
This last sentence is underlined. There was also a note, printed by my daughter's school, attached to the catalog which read, "Shepherds Nook is now located in Annapolis, however, they are offering free shpping with all internet orders." Consequently, I placed a small order at www.ShepherdsNook.com for a Communion veil. When placing my order, I noticed the website stated Free Shipping on all orders over $50. However, the catalog we received at school clearly stated "All items at Sale Prices with Free Shipping." There was no mention of a $50 minimum anywhere in the catalog, so I assumend we were receiving free shipping on all orders placed online as a courtesy to their former store patrons.in addition, when I checked out online, my total reflected free shipping, despite the fact that my order did not exceed $50, my credit card number was taken, and the order was paid for. Never did I receive any type of error or online notification that my order did not qualify for free shipping.
I placed the order on 30 March. Within a few days of placing the order, I received a phone call from an employee at the store. She informed me they are not honoring the free shipping offer as stated in the catalog. She stated the free shipping offer had been miscommunicated in the catalog and by the school. I stated I would still like to place the order, but I felt they should honor their original offer of free shipping, since the mistake was theirs, to which she answered, "Well, okay." That was the last thing she said before we hung up.
On 13 April I still had not received my order, so I called Shepherds Nook to inquire about it. I spoke to a gentleman who told me the order had been canceled at my request. I informed him I had never canceled the order, nor had I received any notification that the order had been canceled. He admitted the catalog was misrepresentative and, even implied I might be untruthful, stating either I had canceled the order or his employee had misunderstood my intentions. Either way, it was clear, they had erred; yet not only did he still refuse to ship my item free of charge, he didn't even offer an apology. All he said was "We can't offer free shipping to you." The truth is, it wasn't that he COULDN'T offer free shipping. The truth is, he WOULDN'T offer free shipping.
Certainly, when one shops at a store of this nature, one would expect to be treated in a manner that is reflective of Christian values.instead, I dealt with employees who are obstinate, unwilling to right what is clearly a wrong on their part, and perhaps even a little greedy, considering the shipping charge is a fairly small amount to lose in the grand scheme of things. What a shame that one cannot even expect upright and considerate service, reflective of Christian values, at a business that specifically labels itself as a Christian establishment. We, as Christians, are to be an example to others, at home, at school, and, yes, even in business. So, PLEASE, demand more of our Christian business owners. Let Shepherds Nook know how you feel about how they handled this matter.
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