I’m in a mood. Which means every little thing is annoying me. Maybe it’s because today is the second anniversary of the horrific attack in Israel. Maybe it’s the state of the country. Maybe it’s everything.
One of my joys has been buying clothes for my turkey toddler grandson. So Sunday night I placed an order with a company called Hanna Andersson. They literally email me every day. Every. Single. Day. I used to buy pajamas from them for my own kids- I’m a long-standing customer.
I got a notification that the package shipped but it hasn’t been delivered yet because it’s only been 36 hours since I ordered.
This morning I received an email that they are having a 40% off sale. So I called and asked for a price adjustment. No can do they said. My daughter-in-law would have to RETURN the package and I would have to REORDER. The not so friendly guy on the phone said that it will cost $7.50 to return and it would take 2-4 weeks for my refund to go through. He was clearly trying to discourage me from returning the rather large order I had placed. Which only served to make me want to return it all the more. They don’t know me very well.
I thought Hanna was my best friend. But not only isn’t she my friend, we are now going to have to break up. I know she won’t miss me and clearly I won’t miss her, but still. I thought I meant something to her- were all those emails she sent me fake? Did she lure me into a relationship under false pretenses? It certainly feels like it.
Here’s a tip for any business, not just my former bestie Hanna. Do the right thing. Don’t annoy people. How hard would it have been to say, “I see you have been an excellent customer for the past several decades and especially since November 2023. Of COURSE we will refund you the money since your package hasn’t even arrived. We so appreciate you and by the way, might we add that you have exceptional taste. We look forward to taking more of your money oops we mean keeping you as a customer. Have a fabulous day and don’t forget the holidays will be upon us before you know it.”
Maybe I should work in customer service. Actually, scratch that- my current purpose is trying to save democracy which is more important than dealing with returns and refunds.
Yes, I realize that in the scheme of all that is going on in the world, this is so not important. It’s not even a little bit important. I should be writing about anything/everything else. And I will. But for this moment in time, it feels like writing about something insignificant feels right.
Thank you for reading. I will work on saving democracy later today.
Very very short-sighted business people. They don't deserve your business. And may I also add that we are all under an enormous level of constant stress of which we are mercifully unaware much of the time. Pile on more, even seemingly trivial compared to the state of our country, and you have pushed our buttons in a dangerous way. We do not have the band width for bullshit. Let businesses beware. We will vote with our feet and our wallets. Oh, and you might also get bad online reviews. Was it worth it?
Oh, yeah, that's a pet peeve of mine. There are several companies I had happily purchased from for decades that have recently lost my business. Once upon a time, I would get advance notice of upcoming sales and plan accordingly. That seems to have gone by the boards. Not to mention those whose politics I find absolutely repulsive. One thing is certain, it has made shopping a bit more of a job!