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What would you do?

Original Post
germsauce Epstein · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 55

Admittedly this is a first world problem Had a terrible experience recently with an online outdoor retailer, I'll with hold their name for the time being....

Ordered a specific pair of running shoes that I'd been searching for everywhere- they were purported to be out of production so i was stoked to see someone was still selling them (La Sportiva C-Lite 2.0). Box came, i grabbed it and threw box in my car without opening- took off for the weekend on a trip with my girlfriend, planning to do some trail running.

Opened box next day to put shoes on- realized they were the wrong shoe, completely wrong model. Without another option, wore them any way. They are ok shoes, but not what I paid for or expected. Got back, called the retailer, they apologized and acknowledged they had the wrong information on their site and did not stock the C-Lite 2.0 anymore. Rep said send them back and I'll get refund.

When I sent them back a week later, I receive notification that they are sending them back to me, because "their return policy clearly states they wont take back used items such as shoes"....

Called, complained, they offered me a discount but were not willing to budge on the return policy. I feel like i took it up the a$$ now and want to call again and keep bitching, or complain on a consumer feedback site.... Thoughts? Should i just swallow the bitter pill, and take these shoes I don't want... or fight back?

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 35

I side with them, 100%. They shouldn't offer you a discount either.

You got a box in the mail and didn't check, are you insane?

You wore what was in the box, of course they're yours now.

You don't have a right to complain. You have a right to the price difference, if any between the shoes. Nothing more.

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276

Yep, it's the rare retailer that takes back used merchandise. This is where REI excels.

germsauce Epstein · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 55

Likely I've been spoiled by REI- and thus expect their level of service from everyone...moving forward I will continue to keep my business with them, vs. random online retailers-

Eric Engberg · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 0

Abusing the return policy makes us all pay more in the long run.

csproul · · Pittsboro...sort of, NC · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 330

When you first spoke with them on the phone and they told you to send them back, did they know that the shoes had been worn? If so, I'd agree with you. If they knew they had been worn and told you to send them back, and then they would not honor that agreement, then I would not be happy. If, on the other hand, you did not tell them they were worn when they told you to send them in, it is hard to argue with their decision.

reboot · · . · Joined Jul 2006 · Points: 125
nicelegs wrote:I side with them, 100%. They shouldn't offer you a discount either. You got a box in the mail and didn't check, are you insane? You wore what was in the box, of course they're yours now. You don't have a right to complain. You have a right to the price difference, if any between the shoes. Nothing more.
What if you didn't have time to exchange it before the trip & have to make do. Should the e-tailer have not offered a discount for their mistake?
Christian RodaoBack · · Tucson, AZ · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 1,486

Dispute the charge on your credit card and see what happens.

No guarantee it'll work, but will certainly cost them a little more effort than telling you to f off over the phone.

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520

You should not have worn the shoes.

germsauce Epstein · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 55

they were fully aware of the situation when they said to send them back. THe customer service girl seems to have been overshadowed by the return policy guy.

It was either wear the shoes or have my weekend of trail running ruined. Sure i should have looked in the box, but they also shouldn't have sent me the wrong pair to begin with and should take some responsibility for their mistake, which they did with 30% refund, but now i have a pair of shoes I didn't want and I'm out $70.

Ian Stewart · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2010 · Points: 155

Take the discount and be happy they're even giving you that. They made a mistake that could have easily been fixed, but as soon as you wore them you took away that possibility. I'd guess that most online retailers don't have any way to recoup costs on returned gear like REI does via their sidewalk sales.

And it didn't come up at all before you sent them back that they had been used?

This doesn't seem like a bad retailer experience as much as a bad customer experience, sorry.

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520

How can the retailer resell the shoes as new? It's their fault, sure, but you caught it before you put the shoes on. Instead of wearing them, you should have worn your old shoes or, get this, done something else that weekend. Or hey, go buy a pair of shoes full retail at a walk in store and deal with the return later.

You made the wrong choice to wear them.

Paul Merchant · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 10

I would suck up the loss. Take the discount and sell them on here, gear trade or ebay. This way you are not out 70 bucks.

Christian RodaoBack · · Tucson, AZ · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 1,486
SinRopa wrote: In that case, I'd for sure want my refund. Yeah, maybe you could have figured out a way not to wear the shoes, but what's done is done. They knew about it and promised a refund, then went back on their word. I'd expect them to make good on their promise.
There are cognitive biases that might make the guy remember saying something he didn't actually say to the first CS rep, but from the point of view of the business, it's not in their interest to get into a pissing contest with the guy over what he said or didn't say. At the very least, they should give him a refund for the return shipping he paid and not charge him for the outbound shipping back.

Of course, they're also free to piss off all customers with CS issues and lose a ton of business from the negative word-of-mouth.
csproul · · Pittsboro...sort of, NC · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 330
SinRopa wrote: In that case, I'd for sure want my refund. Yeah, maybe you could have figured out a way not to wear the shoes, but what's done is done. They knew about it and promised a refund, then went back on their word. I'd expect them to make good on their promise.
This. It is fully within their rights to refuse to accept worn shoes, but once they knew the situation and offered you a refund, they need to follow through with their agreement. Going back on that agreement is just bad customer service..
Andrew L · · Austin, TX · Joined Aug 2014 · Points: 0

First off, I would have called the retailer when I first noticed the mistake. That way you can get a feel for how they'll behave before you put the shoes on. If they had told you, "if you wear them, we won't take them back," then you can make the decision on whether or not it's worth ruining your trip.

That said, I'm more on your side than theirs. They screwed up and potentially ruined your trip, they should eat at least some of the cost. I don't know if I'd expect a full refund, but a 50% refund or something would be satisfactory since there's some blame on both sides (they shouldn't have sent them, but if you were expecting to return them, you probably shouldn't have worn them either).

Ian Stewart · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2010 · Points: 155
germsauce wrote:they were fully aware of the situation when they said to send them back. THe customer service girl seems to have been overshadowed by the return policy guy.
I didn't see this with my first response, so I take back what I said. If they knew they were used and still offered the refund, they sure as hell should honor that.

It's because of this type of problem that whenever I need to discuss things with a company I ALWAYS do it via email, where you'll have proof of what was actually promised.
germsauce Epstein · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 55

true i shouldn't have worn the shoes. Here's the deal- I have limited weekend time to spend with my girlfriend who has a kid- we got the weekend off of childcare, so we went camping and trail running . waking up in the AM in our tent, cruising to REI wasn't exactly an option. I wasn't about to spoil my weekend and hers because of their shitty mistake.

It is what it is- $70 isn't going to make a difference in the long run. If it were my company i would instruct customer service to make the customer happy- especially if my company was responsible for advertising sending the wrong product to a customer, and eat the difference to maintain repuation.

The rep who called me back to explain that i wouldn't be getting a refund acknolwedged our previous conversation. I do appreciate the advice, seems it's all over the map. I certainly am not going to scam REI etc... for this. Maybe i'll sell the shoes here- or maybe i'll just wear them anyway.

So- it's a grey area- and up to personal preference. Again- not what I would do if it were my company. But RockCreek chooses their own policies and which they can bend or not. They've lost a customer for life, but hey- they saved themselves $25 in the transaction (likely their discount price from manufacturer- minus the discount they gave to me)

bbecker · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2014 · Points: 0

Just take the hit and move on. Lesson Learned. Done.

Petsfed 00 · · Snohomish, WA · Joined Mar 2002 · Points: 989
reboot wrote: What if you didn't have time to exchange it before the trip & have to make do. Should the e-tailer have not offered a discount for their mistake?
Mispicks are embarrassing for the retailer and a waste of time for you. You should've gotten a refund because of the mispick, regardless of whether or not you used the shoes. Were I the CS person, I would explain firmly what rule I was breaking to get you taken care of.

That said, the retailer isn't responsible for the consequences of not being given enough time to resolve the issue. Your trip is ruined because you ordered late and now need to return it? Provided that the transaction was executed in a timely manner, you don't get to complain. What if the shoe was defective, but correctly picked? Is it still the retailer's fault that you ordered too late to address that problem? It takes time to resolve any issue, and when you order too late, you remove the possibility of adequate resolution.
Jason Halladay · · Los Alamos, NM · Joined Oct 2005 · Points: 15,153
germsauce wrote: Got back, called the retailer, they apologized and acknowledged they had the wrong information on their site and did not stock the C-Lite 2.0 anymore.
It seems people are missing, or choosing to ignore, this information. The company had the wrong product listed on its site and sent you a completely different product (and in the wrong size!) without first contacting you to give you the option to cancel or change the order. This is the company's fault and a bad practice. This is a bait and switch and it shouldn't matter at all that you wore the shoes for the weekend. If the company values its customers it ought to eat the cost of the shoes and give you a full refund or, at worst, full value credit at its store.

It could have been you were giving the shoes as a gift to someone and just left them boxed up before wrapping them in gift paper assuming that company provided you the exact good you paid money for. You're not in the wrong at all to be arguing this.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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