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Saturday, March 26, 2011

Customer Service and two bits of Consumption News

MAny moons ago, I wrote about writing to the Asics shoe company about some shoes my son had that fell apart. Then I wrote about how they never responded (neither did the other company--Asian Food Grocer--I had a gripe with about short-dated food).

Eventually, Asics did respond. The rep invited me to return the shoes for inspection with the caveat that the company is the sole and final arbiter on the issue of whether the shoes fell apart too quickly. And no, they would not send me a pre-paid mailer. And no, they will not return the shoes (shredded as they are) if my plea is turned down.

Well, of course I am wary of spending $8-$10 to ship the shoes under such conditions. Companies set such terms so that you won't return an item.

So, in memory of my good consumer father, I'm sending the shoes back. What do you predict Asics will do?

Just in case you want to spend some money, the OTHER company that gave me bad customer service is having a good sale via a code. I am, of course, talking about Chico's. With code 4505, you get $25 off $50 and FREE SHIPPING. I don't think I'm getting anything, but they may have some of their ponte left. You can use it on sale items too, which makes for a tempting deal.

LL Bean is trumpeting its free shipping to US and Canada. I've gotten free shipping with their Visa--the visa lets you return for free.

That's it on consumer news for the day. I'm going to do a little spring closet cleaning instead.

3 comments:

Duchesse said...

I'll be delighted if they replace the shoes! But as they sound worn, may be hard to assess what is normal wear and what is a quality deficit. I've developed service quality/service recovery programs for major corporations; I would (if the analysis is inconclusive) at very least send you a gift certificate for a discount plus the cost of your postage.

Shelley said...

I'm continually shocked at the sad stories you tell of pathetic customer service. That's just not how I remember my homeland. I'll look forward (maybe) to hearing how Asics respond. Of course they can just bin the shoes and say they never got them... Yep, I'm a cynic these days.

Frugal Scholar said...

@Duchesse--We shall see...

@Shelley--Maybe I just get more upset than most people. My father was always enraged about this and that and some may have been passed on to me.