Let me tell you how to cheat a customer online , how to fail on your promises and give a damn about customer service.And the best part, let me show you how to get away with it!!
Do you want to know, then read on to find out more...
I visited Medplusbeauty.com on September 19, 2012 after Googling for Yardley Gold Elegance Deodorizing Talc. This is a talcum powder that my mother uses and is not widely available in stores in Mumbai or at least in the area we live in. I was thrilled to see that the website stocked it as we had run out several months ago and all the retail stores or supermarkets I had visited seemed to have discontinued the product.So with a little sigh of relief, here’s what I did and here’s why I’m rating this website a glaring 1 Star .
Website-The website looked good & displayed a lot of local & international brands. This caught my attention and without hesitation and without checking the website reviews, I placed the order. The amount was Rs 450/- and I selected Cash on Delivery which I wrongly assumed, gave me a safety net and the website displays a prominent 15 day returns policy banner right at the top .They sent me the customary confirmation email too. Now since I shop online a lot with very satisfactory results, my pre-conceived notions gave me the blind faith. So i’m assuming everything is hunky dory and my mother will get a nice surprise.This was my 1st mistake.
Delivery Time- The product, was delivered on Oct 4th, 2012, which is 2 weeks from the order date.By current standards of some of the major websites, this is very slow.The most popular ones pride themselves on anywhere from 48-96 hour delivery times.In fact, around Sep end, my mother had asked me about the talc as I had given her a hint that I was getting it for her but guess what, I unfortunately still assumed it was just a matter of time and went on with my busy life.You see, quite honestly I had forgotten the order date.This was my 2nd mistake.
The Product It came wrapped nicely in a box and my dear mother paid the courier guy with a smile and excited that finally she got her desired product. This excitement was short lived.Minutes later, I get a phone call from her saying that I had ordered the wrong talc powder.Guess what they sent me YARDLEY GOLD DEODORIZING TALC 250 GM--SKU ID: 29900 instead of YARDLEY GOLD ELEGANCE DEODORIZING TALC 200 GM--SKU ID: 29899. Wait a minute, aren’t these two separate but similar named products.Promptly, I call the Customer Service and I’m assure that in 4 days time someone will come over and the replacement will happen in 15 days.Yippee, hope lives.This was my 3rd mistake
The Customer Service-They are all so sweet & always replying in the affirmative and apologetic, making them so easy to trust.After a couple of calls and the email sent to them requesting replacement, my frustration now gathered momentum. The lady on the other line, however was absolutely oblivious to all of this and gave a brilliant suggestion."Sir, you need to courier the product back to us".This after several days of haggling! Now that’s when I’ve had enough.With the frustration visible in the voice, I explain to her that the confirmation email had the right product with the right id and this constant dilly-dallying has to stop and that the buck stops here!! She asks for some time, hangs up and calls back with the standard, "It will be done". They will send someone over in 48 hours and we will get the replacement in a few but unspecified number of days.That’s my when eyes opened and I realized this was a monetary loss for them, product wise and courier delivery wise, and that they weren’t too keen on absorbing it. To hell with our customer’s experience or our reputation, we ain’t gonna bear this.So what if we made a mistake and the customer is disappointed.I gotta run a website remember, customer be damned!!
Finally-Well we never got any phone calls. We got fed up of calling them and listening to their sweet-fake promises and now the product is lying at home below an old corner table. I use it to keep old papers on it.Ah hah, now there’s where my money went, a junk stand.Thank you Medplusbeauty.com, you take utilitarian to a whole new level !!
First impressions are last impressions and I’m never buying from these guys again.Not sure how it’s been for other’s but I recommend to all STAY AWAY.
Thanks for reading and God Bless !!
PS-For the record, My order ID number is MBT65011