The Consumer Complaints Blog

Fighting the trained monkey in modern society.

March 26, 2009

Magick Woods Ltd.

Filed under: Retail — Editor @ 9:15 pm


I am remodeling my house and I purchased a rather nice bathroom vanity ensemble made by Magick Woods Ltd. located at 111 Creditview Rd., Vaughn Ontario, Canada, L9T1. This purchase was made at Lowes in Florence, KY. This was a closeout model, according to Lowes, and was offered at a substantial discount. I took it home and put it the closet until I was ready to install it. This came as a complete set with the cabinet, marble top, glass sink bowl, and vertical faucet. When I went to install it, I found that the inner works to the faucet were missing. I called Lowes and was told that since this was a closeout sale, there was nothing they could do and I would have to contact the manufacturer.

The installation guide that came with the ensemble clearly states on the cover page to “[email protected] if any parts were missing. I emailed [email protected], a Canadian company, and was told this unit came from their office in India and there was nothing they could do. I emailed them again to find out who in India I needed to contact and I was told “Unfortunately there isn’t anyone that you can contact. The agreement between Lowes corporate office and our office in India is that there are no replacement parts available for this product. I’m very sorry about this. The only other suggestion would be is to purchase a new faucet”

I would like to know who produces or markets a product that is not repairable? Who ships products which are apparently missing parts? Who would make an agreement with a retailer to “not have replacement parts”? Who basically tells the consumer to pound salt when they contact them with a problem about their product missing parts?

MAGICK WOODS Ltd, that’s who!!

I suggest if anyone out there plans on buying one of their products, insult and embarrass the retailer by asking them to open the box, remove everything, take apart anything that is assembled, and inspect every piece to make sure it’s complete. Then ask them to reassemble it and put it back in the box for you. If they ask you why, tell them you read about this company on www.penciltrick.com.

Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.

March 23, 2009

The Worst Consumer Experience EVER (HHgregg)

Filed under: Retail,Technology/Computer — Editor @ 8:17 pm


I am currently experiencing a situation that seems to be unheard of to anyone that I have talked with. HHgregg had a Toshiba laptop on sale the week of March 15, 2009 at a great price. When I called the store on Sunday March 15, I was told that they did not have any of the computers in stock but they have some in the warehouse that would be delivered to the store on Tuesday and I could come in a pay for the computer and then pick it up on Tuesday. After paying for the computer I was told by the salesperson that it would be in the store on Tuesday and to call after 2 to make sure that it had arrived. On Tuesday I contacted the store and was told that the computers were still in the warehouse in Ellenwood and would be delivered to the store on Saturday. Since the computers were in a warehouse in GA I decided to call back on Friday to see if they had been delivered prior to Saturday and was once again told that the computers would be there Saturday after 2.

On Saturday I arrived at the store after 5 pm and after giving the salesperson my receipt I was told that my computer had already been picked up on Tuesday 3/17. Of course I did not pick it up nor authorize anyone to pick it up and I questioned how someone picked it up when I was told that the computer would not be delivered to the store until Saturday. After waiting for about 20 minutes for several people to attempt to research the invoice the manager walked by and he was informed of the situation. He looked at the info in the computer and also told me that the invoice shows that the computer had been picked up. I told him that I did not pick it up and he offered to go in the back and check the surveillance video. After waiting about 30 minutes the manager comes back and tells me that there is a problem and he is unable to download any video feed and offers to call me on Monday. I questioned how someone was able to come into the store and pick up my computer without my receipt and without showing id and he stated he did not know and he would need to verify with the video that it was not me that picked it up on Tuesday. I was forced to go home without my computer on Saturday.

The next Monday I went back to the store to see if any progress had been made since I did not receive a phone call as I was told that I would. I was told by the manager that there were people in the store working on the camera system. I also inquired about how long the surveillance had been out and the manager stated he did not know. I then asked what happens if he gets the video feed but the date and time that the computer was picked up is not on there and he states that he doesn’t know. I then ask to speak to his boss and I am told that he is not there but he will get him to call me. At this point and I beyond infuriated, he can’t answer my questions and is now getting an attitude with me because I keep questioning him and he then walks away from me. Once again I walked out of the store without a computer and no knowledge of when I can expect to have my problem resolved. At this point I have been without my money for 8 days and without a computer that I was told that I would have 6 days ago. My major issue is the fact that someone walked out of the store with my computer without showing a receipt because I had it in my car the entire time and obviously without showing any id to verify who they were. Second the store manager can not answer any of my questions and I am just told to wait. I have never experienced anything like this before and I wanted to share this with others.

Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.

March 15, 2009

Papatek.com

Filed under: Technology/Computer — Editor @ 10:25 pm


I ordered a replacement AC adapter for my Acer laptop. I went to the
site, purposely choosing it because it claimed to be out of California. I
placed the order February 8th, 2009.

I used the sites search engine and using my laptops series number found
what looked like the right AC adapter.

I ordered it, using my credit card and awaited its arrival.

When it came…days and days and days later I was disappointed to learn that it was the wrong one and incompatible for my laptop.

I instantly called Papatek.com and was told that returns/exchanges could only be dealt with via their website. Disappointed I emailed their
customer service and awaited a response. I did get a quick automated
reply from “Sophy” but could tell from the use of the English language
that it was being written by folks who do not reside in CA let alone
America. I have written “Sophy” 5 times requesting a return address and a exchange for the correct charger. And besides being apologetic, I cannot seem to get a return address. I then called Papatek directly again and they confirmed that they have outsourced their customer service abroad. I felt like Papatek concealed the truth about their outsourcing and are not the all American company they appear to be.
According to “sophy” I am responsible for the return postage and then the postage again on the correct charger…even though it was their site that recommended the incorrect one. I think this is wrong. I no longer want a replacement, just my money returned.

I emailed “sophy” again today and again asked for the correct delivery
address. If I do not hear from them again I will just return it and
dispute the charges with my Credit card company. What a waste of time and
energy.

DO NOT USE PAPATEK.COM or you will be ripped off!

Thanks for reading!!

Audaces fortuna iuvat

Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.

Yorkdale Volkswagen

Filed under: Automotive — Editor @ 10:10 pm


Business involved:
Yorkdale Volkswagen o/b 2031113 Ontario Limited
600 Wilson Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M3K 1C9
Phone: 416-741-7480

I leased a new VW Passat CC through this dealer. They used an offer to lease form which doesn’t include the selling price of the vehicle on it. They told me the purchasing price was $34,735,which included the base price of $31,975 + $1,400 for auto transmission and $1,360 for freight and PDI. The leasing company is VW Credit Canada Inc. The numbers were the same as posted on VW Canada’s website. The monthly payments were a little more than what I wanted to pay so I asked if they could lower the purchase price enough to make the monthly lease payment an amount of $350 per month (this included an $8,000 trade-in). The salesman told me that he required my credit card in order to present this to his manager. He came back with a reworked offer to lease form and told me I have a deal. At that time, the salesman took my ownership papers for the car I was going to trade-in.

What they did not tell me was that they retained the same purchase price, but increased the amount I would have to pay up front, not to mention that they used a slightly higher interest rate to calculate the lease payments than the amount posted on VW Canada’s website. After I released what they did, I called the new car sales manager to complain and ask for my $1,000 deposit back. He would not give back the deposit. He agreed to reduce the my up front payment by $700, while maintaining everything else the same. Further I was told that I could have the car in the colour scheme that I wanted by the end of the week. I later found out that they do not have the car I wanted, and promised to order one for me from the manufacturer. The car arrived three weeks later. It did not come from directly the manufacturer. Instead, they acquired it from another dealer and had a manufacture date that was ficve months old, meaning it had sat through the Canadian winter — they did not disclose this to me.

When I picked up the car and fill out the leasing paperwork, the leasing rate offered by VW Credit Canada had dropped from 4.9 to 2.9%. The dealer had forms for me to sign which stated that the interest rate was 2.9% but the monthly payments or up-front payments had not changed. The residual value had been lowered by a mere $340.00. Again the purchase price was not disclosed on the new offer to lease form. When I pointed out that the lower interest rate should have a more significant effect on lowering either the up-front payments or the monthly lease payments, I was told that the effect was minimal. The Business Manager told me that they made $250 and he would make it up to me in services. At this point they already had my car and my insurance had already been transferred to the new car. So I just took his word for it. However, the lease agreement itself, which is an entirely different document, only presented to me after all of the above had occurred, contained a Vehicle Selling Price that was 37,662.83. This price was significantly higher than the MSRP of the vehicle, and when I questioned it I was told it includes freight, security deposit and first month payments as well as some other small charges. Not having a computer with me at the dealership, these items cannot be easily checked. After getting home, I realized they the selling price only included freight, not security deposit and first month payment and was $3,319.83 above the selling price I had agreed to.

Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.

February 23, 2009

Jim Pattison Hyundai Coquitlam

Filed under: Automotive — Editor @ 12:16 pm

Jim Pattison Hyundai Coquitlam
Unit B – 2385 Ottawa Street
Port Coquitlam, BC
604-552-1700

Jim Pattison claims customer satisfaction to be number one.

Well he sure didn’t get that across to his Hyundai dealership in Coquilam. (Jim Pattison Hyundai Coquitlam, Unit B – 2385 Ottawa St., Port Coquitlam, BC 604-552-1700)

My wife called his dealership (Feb.20/09) and talked to a sales rep and eventually to the Sales Manager, Darren Corr. She asked if they would sell the Hyundai Accent for 15,500 all inclusive. Taxes, levies etc.
After going back and forth and several calls back from them, they agreed. She called me in between their calls to let me know what was going on. And once they agreed to her price asked if we could go down as Darren said deal was only good if we went down right away.
I said that was fine, just to be very clear that we want the car for 15,500 including everything, taxes, doc fees or anything else. And to be sure they could arrange insurance and financing so we could drive off the lot with it, as I did not want to make a second trip.
Darren agreed to all.

My wife and her friend were just about to see a movie when the agreement was reached, so she got a refund on the tickets and rushed home to pick me up. We then bundled our 4year old up and started the 45minute drive to their dealership (Start: Friday ~7:00pm End: back home ~9:00pm). Once there, the Sales rep and manager insisted I take the car for a test drive, despite telling them we had already done that at another dealership and there was no need.

They kept insisting one of us take the drive before making the deal, as it was policy. I agreed, but before I took it out I went through what was agreed to on the phone and asked the Sales rep if this was correct. I asked if there would be enough time for them to have an insurance agent come down. Again he said yes to all but that time would be tight. So I said let’s not waste time, and get going. I took the drive, they took my info (photocopy of license) wrote down the original price and the sales rep said the manager would fill in the details to what we agreed to on the phone. Only to have them come back and say there had been a misunderstanding and they couldn’t do it for that price including taxes. The 15,500 does not include the taxes.
I ask you, why would we offer 15,500 + taxes when Hyundais’ own web site has it on for 15,190 + taxes????

They thought we were offering more than the asking price? No one would do that. There was no misunderstanding, they were just typical scam artists doing there trade.

If my 4 year old wasn’t with us I would have had a few choice words for the scum that work there.

Beware this dealership and if enough people speak up hopefully they will pay for their scamming ways many times over.

Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.

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