Why I (now) heart Comcast, Part II and why I hate Sears

How fitting.

In Part I of Why I (now) heart Comcast I wrote about how Comcast ruined my birthday on 08.29.06.

And now it seems that Sears is now also determined to ruin my birthday which is this Saturday 08.29.09.

For my birthday my mom ordered a new mattress set for me.

Glamorous, I know.

However, I’m not in to jewelry, etc.; I’m very practical when it comes to gifts and it is seriously time for a new mattress so I’m very grateful and excited to get the new mattress.

Which, at this rate, may or may not ever happen.

She purchased the Sealy set at a Sears store near her home and paid extra to have the items delivered to my house last Friday, 08.21.09. Because Sears will not give you a “window” until 6:00 pm the night before I had to block out my entire day to be here waiting for the delivery. I was unable to schedule so much as a phone call because I had absolutely no idea what time of day they’d arrive.

So, you know; that makes for a super productive business day.

Anyway I did not get a call with a “window” last Thursday night, and no call Friday morning. After stripping all of my bedding – including mattress pad, dust ruffle; the works – and putting it all in the washing machine I called my mom and got the sales ticket numbers then went online and found the phone number for their Central Shipping department.

I called their 800 number and got a rep who wanted the sales ticket numbers and some other information from me. After a very frustrating and annoying call during which she told me that they had no record of the purchase or delivery order, and ended with her disconnecting me after telling me she was transferring my call to a local store, I called the store directly myself.

When the receptionist answered I explained that I was trying to track down a delivery for a store transfer purchase. She asked for the sales ticket numbers and then informed me that I needed to talk to Central Shipping. I told her that I’d just been disconnected by hung up with them and that they’d told that they had no record of it and I needed to talk with someone at the store.

Without uttering even so much as a mono-syllabic response she transferred me to Central Shipping. So, I explained my tale of woe all over again to the woman who answered. Who told me that they had no record of the purchase or delivery order and that I needed to talk to someone at the store and could she transfer me.

Me: No thanks I’ve got the number right here. I’ll just call them. AGAIN.

I called the store back and ask to speak with someone in their shipping area. I was transferred to this guy I could barely hear or understand because he spoke only in half-words; as in, he only pronounced the first syllable of each word.

Me: Hi, my name is Stephanie Lloyd and I’m supposed to have a mattress set delivered today from your store but I haven’t heard from anyone so I’m concerned. I’d like to know what time the truck will be here today.

Him: Yo na i wha?

Me: Stephanie Lloyd

Me: I can barely hear you…

Him: Wh?

Me: Ok well I have the sales ticket numbers right here – would you like them?

Him: A wh?

Me: Hi can you please connect me with someone in your shipping area?

He said nothing and transferred me to some woman.

Me: Hi, my name is Stephanie Lloyd and I’m supposed to have a mattress set delivered today from your store but I haven’t heard from anyone so I’m concerned. I’d like to know what time the truck will be here today.

Her: What truck?

Me: The delivery truck.

Her: For what?

Me: My mattresses.

Her: What mattresses?

Me: The mattresses we purchased from Sears that are supposed to be delivered to my house today.

Her:

Her:

Me: Do you want the sales ticket numbers?

Her, after a very long sigh: I guess.

I gave her the numbers.

Her: Ok you need to talk to someone else about this.

Me: Ok great. Who?

Without a single word (what is it with these people??) she transferred me and a man answered.

He was a very nice man.

FINALLY.

Him: Hi this is Stan how can I help you?

Me: Hi Stan my name is Stephanie Lloyd and I’m supposed to have a mattress set delivered today from your store but I haven’t heard from anyone so I’m concerned. I’d like to know what time the truck will be here today.

Stan: Oh! I’m so glad you called because I was just about to call you. We have your mattresses here and I’m not sure why.

Me: Ok great! They’re supposed to be delivered today and I hadn’t heard from anyone so I’m just wondering what time I can expect the delivery truck.

Stan: Oh.

Stan: Well.

Stan: Um.

Me: They’re not being delivered today are they.

Stan: Um.

Stan: No.

Me: Ok.

Stan: I’m not saying anything bad about her — but the lady who rang up your sale did it wrong.

Me: Oh.

Me:

Stan: She did it as a store transfer. She shouldn’t have done that.

Stan, chuckling: She was supposed to have them shipped to your house.

Stan: Instead she had them shipped here and all morning I’ve been trying to figure out why we had these mattresses back here.

Me: Great.

Stan: She also rang it up as two separate purchases. She wasn’t supposed to do that either.

Stan: Maybe she’s new.

Me: My mom said she’s a Supervisor.

Stan: Oh.

Stan:

Stan: Well anyway what you need to do is return the items then repurchase them and arrange for delivery.

Me, FURIOUS: My mom purchased these so are you saying that I now have to get her on the phone with someone to handle all of this?

Stan: No. I’m going to take care of it for you. I’ll do a cash return and purchase so neither of you have to do a thing.

Me, beaming: Oh that’s great thank you so much!

Stan: What day would you like them delivered? The next available date is next Wednesday.

Me: So I guess next Wednesday.

Stan: Ok I’m going to print out the confirmation and mail it to you right now. You’ll get a call the night before – Tuesday night – with your delivery window for Wednesday.

Me: So. Now I have to block out another entire workday and cannot schedule a single thing on that day. Right?

Stan: Uh, yes…

Stan: I’m sorry.

Me: It’s not your fault.

Me: And I really appreciate your help today. You have no idea what it took to finally get to you and get some actual help.

Stan: Oh no. I’m so sorry.

Me: Don’t be. Have a great afternoon and thanks again!

True to his word the very next day I received a copy of the return/repurchase transaction Stan had done for me, and last night I got an automated call from Sears stating that my delivery window today was from 2:45 to 4:45 pm.

So, this brings me to today. Here is how my day started.

9:30 a.m. My phone rings and Caller ID says that it’s Sears Shipping.

Me, answering: Good morning, Stephanie Lloyd.

Her: Hi, is this Stephanie?

Me, thinking that I thought I had just covered that: Um, yes.

Her: Hi Stephanie I’m calling from Sears Central Shipping regarding the delivery you were supposed to get from us today.

Me, hearing nothing but the delivery you were supposed to get

Her: There’s been a mix-up

Me:

Her: and blah blah blah wrong truck blah blah blah reschedule.

Me: WHAT

Her: Um.

Her: Yeah.

Her:

Me:

Me:

Me: I know this is not your fault and you’re just the messenger and I am so far beyond livid right now I don’t even have any words to describe just how thoroughly pissed off I am.

Her:

Me: I’m actually speechless right now and I am NEVER lacking for words.

Her: I’m sorry.

Me: Don’t say that. It’s not your fault and I’m so sorry for taking this out on you.

Her: I’m sure you’re frustrated…

Me: Frustrated doesn’t even scratch the surface of what I am right now.

Me: Do you realize that this is now the SECOND day in a WEEK that I’ve had to block out my entire workday – unable to schedule so much as a phone call – because of Sears?

Me: And now you’re telling me we have to reschedule AGAIN because of your [Sears'] error AGAIN and I have to now give up a third whole workday??

Me: Just so you know; at this point these mattresses are now costing me THOUSANDS of dollars in lost work time.

Me: Three whole business days! How would you like to give up three whole workdays to have mattresses that you ordered delivered to your house?

Her:

Her: I’m sorry.

Me: And to top it all off, this is the second time in five days that I have stripped all of my bedding and put it in the washing machine! Do you know what a PITA it is to iron a dust ruffle? And now I have to do all of this AGAIN??

Her:

Me: Is there a manager I can talk to? Seriously. If I didn’t wake up every morning feeling like I have a broken back I would return these mattresses right now.

Her: You can talk to a store manager at your local store.

Me: Do you have a name and a number for me?

Her: No.

Me: Can you get one for me?

Her: Um no.

Me:

Me: Let’s get this rescheduled.

Her: We can come tomorrow….

Me: I will not be home tomorrow.

Her: Can you move some things around so you can be…

Me: NO.

Me: The next day that I don’t have any appointments scheduled is next Tuesday.

Her: We can come that day.

Her: Do you prefer morning or afternoon?

Me: Does it make a difference if I actually have a preference?

Her: No.

Me: Afternoon.

A bit later I received a call from a manager at a local store. He wanted to know what time tomorrow I wanted them to deliver my mattresses. I explained to him AGAIN that I would not be home tomorrow and had confirmed next Tuesday with the woman I’d just spoken with. After telling him my saga and frustrations he informed me that Sears will deliver on weekends. He wanted to know if I’d like the mattresses delivered on Saturday.

WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL ME THIS BEFORE.

And.

That is my birthday.

And you know what?

I am so thoroughly ticked off and just want to get this over with that I said yes.

And my poor mom. She wanted to do something nice for me [she did] and thanks to Sears it’s turned into a huge nightmare.

So anyway.

Now.

Let’s see what happens.

I am now chained to my house for the entire day for the third time – on my birthday – and if they don’t get those freaking mattresses to my house on Saturday you can believe I’ll be starting a new website dedicated solely to Sears and that is all I’m saying.

For now.

Stay tuned for Part III of Why I (now) heart Comcast in which I will actually talk about Comcast again.

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