OK, I admit this is just a major vent. Sadly, this seems typical these days, I have far more experiences with cruddy customer service than I do with good or even just acceptable customer service.
On Sunday, I purchased a dress online for DD15 for their homecoming dance this weekend. Yes, I was late to the party because DD was hemming and hawing about was she going to go or not. Since I was on a short-time frame, however, I went to the Shoprunner site to identify stores that would ship in 2 days using Shoprunner for free. (That's my tie to the budget board - I wanted rush shipping for free as a good budgeter!) I discovered BonTon had joined the service, so I went to their website and found a dress. When I added it to my cart, it said expected delivery would be Wednesday with Shoprunner. Great! Then when I actually got to check out it said Thursday. Not as great, not sure why it changed, but it was still do-able, so OK! So I bought the dress.
On Tuesday morning, I got notification from FedEx that a shipment had been created. Perfect - it should be delivered on Thursday as promised since it shipped 2 day, right? Nope - when I checked the shipment information, BonTon had created the shipment for FedEx Home instead of FedEx 2 day and it won't arrive until next week. FedEx had not picked up the shipment yet, so I immediately called BonTon. After 15 minutes on hold, I get through. The customer service agent first tells me "there's nothing we can do after it ships" so I say "But it hasn't shipped - you still have the package!" Her response - "There's still nothing we can do". COMPLETE lack of concern over the issue and complete unwillingness to attempt any resolution. So I tell her "Since it wasn't shipped appropriately, how about sending me out a replacement shipment next day at your expense." She fumbles around and then tells me the dress is out of stock. And then she further tells me that they "just deliver the package to Shoprunner, Shoprunner then ships it. They made the mistake - contact them". So I spend half a day trying to contact someone at Shoprunner. First CSR there tries to tell me even though FedEx is saying the package was shipped using FedEx Home and won't be delivered until next week, it will in fact magically make it half way cross country to me in 2 days because I am "near a warehouse". Huh???? Ugh - clearly a fool with no idea what she was talking about. So I attempt email with them - after a bit of back and forth, I finally get a CSR who isn't a complete idiot, and tells me flat out "Shoprunner pays for the shipment, but doesn't do any of the shipping or generate the labels - the retailer does that. Take the problem up with them."
Ping pong at it's best. The art of customer service is clearly dead.
So DD and I run out last night and frantically shop for a dress.
Come this morning, to add insult to injury, I discover BonTon is still selling the same dress I bought on their website and showing it in stock, contrary to what the CSR there told me yesterday. So I get back on the phone and demand to talk to a Supervisor. 20 minutes later I get one on the line and fill her in on the misinformation I received from the CSR I talked to yesterday - both about how they give the package to Shoprunner, and how the item was supposedly out of stock. The Supervisor proceeds to tell me how sorry she is about all that, but first - can I tell her who I talked to yesterday? Of course I can't, so I say "I presume your call log will show that", to which she doesn't reply. Then she tells me the item is out of stock - so I say it is still being sold on the website, with the message "5 items left". She tells me that's an error and she'll forward it onto someone to address that; and is there anything else she can help with? I say "what do you mean is there anything ELSE you can help me with. You haven't helped me at all yet. So far you've only asked me to help you by giving agent names and such." Yes, I was frustrated, but the complete lack of care or concern - other than a obviously well rehearsed but empty "I'm sorry for the issue" - was astounding me. I continue on to say I've spent hours dealing with this issue and don't want to have to deal with it anymore, so I want them to recall the FedEx shipment and give me an immediate refund. I know it is absolutely possible for shippers to recall package. But the supervisor refuses, saying "we can't do that". Umm..yes, it can be done. She repeats they can't. I ask her to contact their shipping department and see if they can do it. She refuses and just says they can't. And she then proceeds to try and blame FedEx for the problem because "her system" says it went out 2 day shipping!! I ask her to check the tracking number on the FedEx site and she will see it didn't. She ignores me when I say that (despite asking her to do it multiple times). She just repeats HER SYSTEM says it went out 2 day, and it must be FedEx'es fault. I say I saw the electronic shipping information Bon-Ton sent to FedEx before FedEx ever had the package, so I know Bon-Ton was the one that messed it up. She just repeats that her system says it went out 2 day. Hopeless!!! So finally I say I have no use for the dress, you won't recall the shipment, so just give me a refund and I'll donate the item when it gets here - quite frankly, I shouldn't have to worry about having to waste yet MORE of my time on by taking it back to a shipping place for a return. She says flat out she won't do that. But hey, she'll give me a 25% discount on the order. The order that we can't use because it is late. So I should pay 75% for an item I don't need. I pointed out the stupidity of that to her. She then offered a trivial 15% discount on a "future order". From a store that regularly puts out discount codes for 50% or more. Really?
UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I give up. Won't be shopping Bon-Ton anymore.
On Sunday, I purchased a dress online for DD15 for their homecoming dance this weekend. Yes, I was late to the party because DD was hemming and hawing about was she going to go or not. Since I was on a short-time frame, however, I went to the Shoprunner site to identify stores that would ship in 2 days using Shoprunner for free. (That's my tie to the budget board - I wanted rush shipping for free as a good budgeter!) I discovered BonTon had joined the service, so I went to their website and found a dress. When I added it to my cart, it said expected delivery would be Wednesday with Shoprunner. Great! Then when I actually got to check out it said Thursday. Not as great, not sure why it changed, but it was still do-able, so OK! So I bought the dress.
On Tuesday morning, I got notification from FedEx that a shipment had been created. Perfect - it should be delivered on Thursday as promised since it shipped 2 day, right? Nope - when I checked the shipment information, BonTon had created the shipment for FedEx Home instead of FedEx 2 day and it won't arrive until next week. FedEx had not picked up the shipment yet, so I immediately called BonTon. After 15 minutes on hold, I get through. The customer service agent first tells me "there's nothing we can do after it ships" so I say "But it hasn't shipped - you still have the package!" Her response - "There's still nothing we can do". COMPLETE lack of concern over the issue and complete unwillingness to attempt any resolution. So I tell her "Since it wasn't shipped appropriately, how about sending me out a replacement shipment next day at your expense." She fumbles around and then tells me the dress is out of stock. And then she further tells me that they "just deliver the package to Shoprunner, Shoprunner then ships it. They made the mistake - contact them". So I spend half a day trying to contact someone at Shoprunner. First CSR there tries to tell me even though FedEx is saying the package was shipped using FedEx Home and won't be delivered until next week, it will in fact magically make it half way cross country to me in 2 days because I am "near a warehouse". Huh???? Ugh - clearly a fool with no idea what she was talking about. So I attempt email with them - after a bit of back and forth, I finally get a CSR who isn't a complete idiot, and tells me flat out "Shoprunner pays for the shipment, but doesn't do any of the shipping or generate the labels - the retailer does that. Take the problem up with them."
Ping pong at it's best. The art of customer service is clearly dead.
So DD and I run out last night and frantically shop for a dress.
Come this morning, to add insult to injury, I discover BonTon is still selling the same dress I bought on their website and showing it in stock, contrary to what the CSR there told me yesterday. So I get back on the phone and demand to talk to a Supervisor. 20 minutes later I get one on the line and fill her in on the misinformation I received from the CSR I talked to yesterday - both about how they give the package to Shoprunner, and how the item was supposedly out of stock. The Supervisor proceeds to tell me how sorry she is about all that, but first - can I tell her who I talked to yesterday? Of course I can't, so I say "I presume your call log will show that", to which she doesn't reply. Then she tells me the item is out of stock - so I say it is still being sold on the website, with the message "5 items left". She tells me that's an error and she'll forward it onto someone to address that; and is there anything else she can help with? I say "what do you mean is there anything ELSE you can help me with. You haven't helped me at all yet. So far you've only asked me to help you by giving agent names and such." Yes, I was frustrated, but the complete lack of care or concern - other than a obviously well rehearsed but empty "I'm sorry for the issue" - was astounding me. I continue on to say I've spent hours dealing with this issue and don't want to have to deal with it anymore, so I want them to recall the FedEx shipment and give me an immediate refund. I know it is absolutely possible for shippers to recall package. But the supervisor refuses, saying "we can't do that". Umm..yes, it can be done. She repeats they can't. I ask her to contact their shipping department and see if they can do it. She refuses and just says they can't. And she then proceeds to try and blame FedEx for the problem because "her system" says it went out 2 day shipping!! I ask her to check the tracking number on the FedEx site and she will see it didn't. She ignores me when I say that (despite asking her to do it multiple times). She just repeats HER SYSTEM says it went out 2 day, and it must be FedEx'es fault. I say I saw the electronic shipping information Bon-Ton sent to FedEx before FedEx ever had the package, so I know Bon-Ton was the one that messed it up. She just repeats that her system says it went out 2 day. Hopeless!!! So finally I say I have no use for the dress, you won't recall the shipment, so just give me a refund and I'll donate the item when it gets here - quite frankly, I shouldn't have to worry about having to waste yet MORE of my time on by taking it back to a shipping place for a return. She says flat out she won't do that. But hey, she'll give me a 25% discount on the order. The order that we can't use because it is late. So I should pay 75% for an item I don't need. I pointed out the stupidity of that to her. She then offered a trivial 15% discount on a "future order". From a store that regularly puts out discount codes for 50% or more. Really?
UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I give up. Won't be shopping Bon-Ton anymore.
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This kind of thing always happens to me. In fact, it's happening to me right now with an 
