The following is a copy of the main body of a letter I sent to the Better Business Bureau (to no avail - I sent a duplicate to the Consumer Protection Agency and never even received a response) after my inital complaint was filed and the vendor sent a rebuttal to the BBB:
"I received the response from Urban Traveler. I am not shocked, as Mr. Van Dooijeweert claims he was, but I am disgusted by such drivel, and such utter disregard for the truth, for ethical business practices and for customer service. He says he is not into deceiving customers, yet his entire letter was contrived to deceive the Better Business Bureau.
He goes on to say Urban Traveler has had no substantiated complaints. I can only assume all other complaints were dismissed with a pack of lies, such as the one he sent you. I will do my best to prevent that from happening again by providing something Mr. Van Dooijeweert's letter is completely devoid of: Facts.
I never claimed that Urban Traveler had a specific display merchandise discount. It is simply customary in the retail business. His clothing analogy is colorful but irrelevant. Clothing and electronics are sold differently. I did not insist on a discount. I simply pointed out a couple of scratches that I noticed on the face of the clock, and asked if they had another unit in inventory that had not been taken out of the box. The clerk that I dealt with in the store (Mr. Van Dooijeweert, himself, I assume) said that was the only one but he would give me a 10% discount. He at no time stated that this was a final sale, in which the merchandise was not returnable. He did say, however, that he would still give me the manufacturer's warranty, which he claimed was rather generous, since most stores would not do this. This is a rather odd statement, because if the item was indeed new, like he claims, it automatically comes with the original warranty. It is not left to the merchant's discretion.
Mr. Van Dooijeweert's conduct (if that is who made the sale) was, throughout the transaction, a bit unorthodox. He was arrogant and condescending, and took longer to complete the sale of a single item than anyone would consider reasonable. He ordered two other employees to take the clock into a back room to box it up. They closed the door behind them and did not return for at least 20 minutes. Finally they emerged with a generic looking taped up box.
Mr. Van Dooijeweert alleges that he did not receive a request for an additional discount. I cannot verify what information he did or did not receive after the sale because I was not allowed to speak with him again. The item in question is a neon clock. It was lit while on display in the store. The lighting in the store was unnatural (as is the case with most indoor lighting). I spotted two fairly large scratches on the face of the clock, as stated earlier. However, because of the above-mentioned lighting conditions, I was unable to see the true condition of the clock. Had I been able to inspect it closely in sunlight, like I was able to do at home, I would have offered what I thought reasonable for a heavily used item (not full retail 10%).
I purchased the clock over the weekend. On Monday, I called the store to complain. I spoke to an employee named Ben on at least two occasions. Each time I asked to speak to a manager. Each time, Ben said that would be Willy (van Dooijeweert) and he was unavailable. I told him that the clock was used and listed the details, which supported my claim. I asked that he locate a NEW replacement for the clock I purchased. I stated that if this was not possible, I would like an additional discount. He said he would forward the information to Willy and call me back with an answer.
His conduct on the phone each time we spoke was, unfriendly, rude and short-tempered. He did not call me back as promised. When I called him he said he spoke to Willy and Willy was doing what he saw fit, which was no discount. I asked if he located another clock. He said no, and that I would have to bring the clock to the store within 30 days of the purchase date, if I wanted a refund. I explained that delivering the clock in person within that time frame would not be possible because the store is in Roseville, MN and I live in Eau Claire, WI, and my schedule would not allow for such a special trip. He then said sarcastically, What can I do for you? I replied, I already explained what you can do for me. Again he said (with more obvious contempt), What can I do for you? So I repeated myself, and stated that if he was unable to offer a workable solution, I would have no choice but to file a complaint. He said, Have a nice day! And hung up.
A core issue in this complaint involves the status of the merchandise in question: NEW or USED? I apologize for the length of this letter, but feel it is necessary to provide many details in a situation like this. So I will do my best to describe the clock and let you draw your own conclusion about its condition.
There are several very noticeable scratches on the face (two of them I spotted in the store).
There are countless smaller circular scratches on the face, indicating that it had been cleaned with a semi-abrasive material numerous times.
There are various gouges and abrasions on the frame of the clock.
The neon light is discolored on one side.
The neon tube itself, where it is bent, looks brown and brittle, and has a spider-web pattern of hairline cracks.
One of the rubber feet is missing.
The power transformer was missing they sent me a replacement, but the information plate on the back of the clock calls for a 15V, 150mA transformer, and the one they sent was rated at 12V and 500mA it could not have been the original.
The transformer they sent is white, the clock is black, and the exterior casing of the transformer is brittle and has a hairline crack in it, with browning around the edges of the crack.
The clock was not packed in its original box (the box even stated the color of its original merchandise which did not match).
The face had fresh residue of some kind of polish and fingerprints on both sides, indicating that they took it apart while cleaning it. (I took the clock apart to clean it myself because they did a horrendous job.)
Some of the screws that go around the perimeter and hold together the front and back halves of the clock had been lost and replaced with miscellaneous screws that didn't match the originals.
The clock has a pungent, musty/burned-silicon odor to it.
The clock's manufacturer is no longer in the business of making wall clocks.
The hole on the back of the clock for hanging it up has a dense conglomeration of deep scratches surrounding it, indicating that it has been hung on a wall and taken down many, many times. Yet, it was displayed on a shelf. (I asked Ben if it had ever been hung on a wall in the store. He said it hadn't. I then told him about the scratches around the hole. He said it must be some kind of manufacturing defect.)
I realize getting a satisfactory resolution from these people would be like getting blood from a turnip, but as I stated earlier, I am not about to let this be dismissed as another unsubstantiated claim. If they have such a wonderful reputation as they claim, it is undeserved. I have done business with a multitude of retailers, including Internet and mail-order, and am surprised by how competent and courteous the majority of them are. However, there are a few bad apples out there, and when I encounter one of them I feel it is my duty to prevent their inappropriate conduct from going unnoticed.
Please take all of the information I have given you and do whatever is in your power to make a difference. Smug and unethical business owners like Willy van Dooijeweert are long overdue for a wake-up call."
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