Customer Service, Made in the USA?

 I feel like I have been in a suspended state for the longest time. Always waiting for, well everything. First it was the closing date on the park, then it was the movers, then it was the weather to change to tackle all those boxes. Clutter makes me a little crazy. Given the man I married, this should be funny, and I joke about his inability to put anything away, but it is not funny to me.

Our living space is tiny, and everything needs to be put away with great regularity. When we purchased the big shed, I was so excited that it was to be delivered so soon. My mind was so busy putting things away as I contemplated the arrival. When that was delayed, I had no choice but to resign myself that it would not coincide with my plans.

Fortunately, the weather was accommodating, and I was able to get started on my gardens. This kept me busy enough to not dwell on the inconvenience. Then the rain came. Call me Karen Carpenter, rainy days and Mondays always get me down. Not more than HeWho procrastinates inability to FINISH anything he starts but added together puts me on overload.

I got an email from the shipping company who was shipping my loveseats out yesterday, advising me that they would be here today. I was going about my business, thinking I had another day to get the current furniture out of the way. Clouds were warning that rain was coming, so I was outside spreading grass seed in the dog yard and planting bulbs. Lots and lots of tulips and iris. I was thinking the rain would be great. I went in before it began and was making the bed and doing laundry when the FedEx truck delivered my loveseats.

Why send out an email if the information is not correct. We heaved the boxes onto the porch, and I decided to just wait until today to assemble them. I have put furniture together before and was not at all intimidated. I made it clear to HeWho always wants to "help" that his assistance was not needed or wanted (touch it and die). I confess that I was not in an excellent mood. I encouraged (threatened) him to complete at least one project he had started. The first loveseat went together without a hitch, and I was quite pleased with my purchase. I bought them via Walmart on-line. They boasted that they were an American company. True Innovations & Design.

Now came the part for assistance. We needed to remove the small hide-a-bed sofa that was here when we bought the place. Now I know why they left it! It is quite comfy and the extra bed is nice, but this sucker is heavy. We tried lifting it and turning it to make it through the door. It was definitely not going to fit. I suggested that we disassemble the bed mechanism for the frame of the loveseat. HeWho assured me that it would not be possible. At every turn he kept suggesting we just saw the back off the piece of furniture! I vetoed that idea right away. Can you imagine the mess? I can, because he actually did it to an old sofa in the cabin we bought in Wisconsin!

He went about looking for a certain drill bit he said would be necessary to use on the screws. This was after he pointed out that rivets were used on the bed mechanism and offered the sawing solution again. I saw the screws and pointed them out to him. While he was hunting a bit for the drill, I grabbed a Philips head screwdriver and removed two of the screws before he returned. It was a short squatty little screwdriver, my favorite one for old rusty screws that are hard to move.

It came apart just like I said it would and we moved it to the porch. I got dinner started and with great confidence began the assembly of loveseat #2. Having just put one together, I sent HeWho back out to finish the cat structure that will take his litter box and food out of my bathroom. I was all excited to get two projects out of the way.

First problem was the missing bolt for the back of the loveseat. I was annoyed but decided to just use a bolt we had until they would surely send the replacement. I suppose it was my fault for not making sure all the parts were included in the box. I was determined to get it together before the timer on the oven sounded. It was going well until I needed the legs. No legs. We went through the trash and everything. Six 3" legs in a red bag would be hard to miss. 

Highly annoyed now, I decided to just call the number in the assembly manual. I was given all the options and pushed #6 for missing parts and then the recording about the high volume of calls prompted me to request a call back. The call back came in a timely fashion. The man on the other end of the line told me he did not take care of missing parts and would TRY to transfer me to the right department (first clue). Despite the fact that the "please do not remove" label clearly stated that the furniture was made in China, I was speaking with people from the USA. When the call was finally answered after the transfer, she had deep southern accent. I provided her with the information on the packing slip and she asked where I bought it. When I replied Walmart, she told me to return it to Walmart! All the literature that accompanied this shipment had "DO NOT RETURN" all over it. She talked over me and proceeded to tell me that they would do nothing until the 90 day option of returning the product to Walmart expired! I did raise my voice to make her stop talking and said that I only wanted the missing parts! "Do not scream at me," she said "you have no reason to be upset."

I told her I did have reason to be upset and she promptly hung up on me!!! Great customer service is clearly not a part of this company's motto. I was so mad I could not swallow my supper. What do you suppose Walmart would do if I took this piece of furniture apart and hauled it inside to the service desk? 


Comments

  1. RiverMarch 8, 2022 at 8:23 PM

    I say try it and see exactly what they would say, but you've probably got a better solution.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy's KlotheslineMarch 9, 2022 at 8:44 AM

      I went on their website and when I tried to leave an email, it said "page not found", then it forwarded me to a page called "Pissedconsumers" and I read a mountain of reviews, none of them good. I think an email to Walmart will yield better results.

      Delete
  2. CathyMarch 8, 2022 at 9:05 PM

    If it’s the same company this/their web site has a page called - ‘Upholstery Support’ which might be of help.
    https://www.trueinnovations.com/upholstery-support/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy's KlotheslineMarch 9, 2022 at 8:46 AM

      I went to every sit associated with this company and none were user friendly. When you click on customer service and try to communicate nothing happens, or it comes up as "page not found".

      Delete
  3. Linda O'ConnellMarch 9, 2022 at 9:17 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Linda O'ConnellMarch 9, 2022 at 9:22 AM

    I have never been so disgusted with Customer Service. I called the doctor's office and asked for a prescription. The receptionist asked me to spell the name of the drug THREE times. Then still did not submit it. You must be livid with your issues. Hope you get your love seat issue remedied. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

    I di hope you can get your

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy's KlotheslineMarch 10, 2022 at 12:37 PM

      I have pretty much resolved the issue and should be happy in a day or two. I need to find a primary care giver now that I have made the appointment with the cardiologist. Humana says we are no longer covered because we moved, so I still have that to deal with. I am tired of adulting!

      Delete
  5. Joanne NoragonMarch 9, 2022 at 4:15 PM

    Are they very fancy lets, or the fairly common, sort of Danish mod, tapered sort? Perhaps you could find something the same, or very similar on the internet or at a Michaels or JoAnn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy's KlotheslineMarch 10, 2022 at 12:39 PM

      They are plain and I can and did find them, they come in sets of four for $29, of course I need 6. The missing bolt would be inexpensive, but I shouldn't have to pay for anything! They have my $700 and I want what I paid for! I called Walmart and they are handling it.

      Delete
  6. RunNRoseMarch 10, 2022 at 11:21 AM

    I wonder what the return policy is when furniture is shipped from Walmart. It's so easy to
    take a return in to the store for replacement or refund, but don't know how it works with
    delivered orders. Probably you have already handled it, but I was wondering if you could
    order another loveseat, get the parts you need, and return the rest for refund. I mean, I KNOW
    it would burn to do anything for the company so terribly represented by that woman!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy's KlotheslineMarch 10, 2022 at 12:49 PM

      Apparently when you purchase something online from Walmart and it comes from a third party, Walmart will handle the negotiations for any problems. I was unaware of this, since the packaging had the number for the company to call. From the many reviews of unhappy people who bought products from this company, I want to avoid purchasing from them again. You have no way of knowing, though, until you get your product. Walmart service was very apologetic and handled everything. I just wish I could meet that stupid woman who hung up on me!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Retired!

Image
  Let's see if I did this right! Hopefully I will be able to add some pictures. Only one way to find out .... This is where it all started. On a rainy day in October, 2021. The first view of the rest of our lives. Here he is, the love of my life pondering this property he had proclaimed to be over our budget.  Here is the front view. The drizzling rain makes the house look like it needs a good power wash. Not to worry, we have one. While I am not a big fan of the screen door entry, this can be changed. This is the view that convinced HeWho proclaimed this property to be over the budget I had set to make an offer that very day. You can't see it from this picture, but a trout stream with rushing water hides down below. I will eventually get a good shot when I finally start to make some steps down to the water. We are old and do not want to fall and suffer any broken bones! The area behind the stream is never to be developed. This existing tiny shed will become my sewing room. I ...
Read more

Bittersweet

Image
  While awaiting the newest stove delivery I have been working in my She Shed, but the last several days have been overcast, damp and chilly. This has kept me inside. I tired quickly of Netflix and TV in general. Idle hands make me anxious, so I employed the help of HeWho sits and got down all the boxes of photos to sort. I have been saying I would get to them one day when I had nothing to do ..... Strolling down memory lane with each stack. I kept stopping to text pictures to my kids and laughing with them. Then I hit a stack that made me profoundly sad and happy all at the same time. It was pictures with my sister on a cruise with her friend that became mine, too. We had so much fun despite me being homesick. Here we are departing. The winds were high! This is my sister. My big sister, always ready to take care of me. My only sibling. This is Gloria, partner in crime to my sister's antics when I wasn't around. Three three of us indulged in a rum drink called "the Love Co...
Read more

Final Chapter!

  So, you may recall that the delivery did not happen on Tuesday, but was supposedly changed to Thursday. I was skeptical. I was right to be skeptical. HeWho patiently waits on hold, was told that the stove had yet to arrive from Atlanta. They were unaware that he had been notified by text that the stove had arrived in Murphy the day before ad was ready for pick up. When he confronted the store manager with this bit of information, the excuses began once again. The delivery truck was already out for the day and nothing could be added. The stove did not arrive before 6am and therefore could not be added to the day's deliveries. Judge Judy is apt to tell a witness that if you tell the truth, you don't have a need to remember what you said earlier. Finally, HeWho has had enough! He told the liar on the other end of the phone to cancel the order and refund our credit card. I was listening and can tell you I have never heard such relief in a man's voice as the liar's had. He...
Read more