Fraud Squad to Investigate Easy Cycle Shipper
Posted: Saturday, July 16, 2011
by Gerry Charbonneau
http://nibblednews.typepad.com
"I decided to take an aerobics class. I bent, twisted, gyrated and jumped up and down for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotard on, class was over." ~Anonymous
On May 10th of this year I decided to order an Easy Cycle exerciser for myself. A persuasive, one page glossy advertising flyer sandwiched inside the front pages of my mailed Sears merchandising catalog effectively persuaded me to make the call and order it.
The friendly female associate who answered the telephone call handled the order processing procedure courteously, effectively and promptly. My problem began roughly two weeks later when I was forced to return the product to the shipping place of origin.
I was seeking a replacement for this apparently defective unit I was currently using. A fine, dark gray metallic powder began to appear on the right side of the machine. The inner part of the pedal seemed to be slowly grinding itself into oblivion after each use. This pedal eventually fell off the machine and could not be reattached.
A telephone call to the Sears Ship Direct 800 telephone number directed me to return the item to its original shipper and request a replacement unit. Since I had just purchased the product there would be no charges on my account.
I returned the product to the shipping warehouse via Purolator Courier service. Although I was instructed to return the item via regular mail I decided to use the speedier delivery service. There was a three day delivery guarantee and I requested that a signature be obtained at the receiving warehouse.
Three days later, June 3rd 2011, I telephoned the shipping office and asked them if they had received the package. A female receiving clerk assured me that they had received the item .
When I asked her when the replacement would be sent to me she informed me that the processing would take a few weeks. I would be sent a new cycle when all the necessary paper work had been processed and filed. She instructed me to be patient and assured me that a replacement unit would be sent to me.
Well that was the last bit of contact I had with this shipper. I tried numerous times contacting the shipper via the telephone number that was provided on the advertising circular. A voice recorded message told me that the office was either closed or that I should call back at a later date and time.
On July 5th I called Sears credit card security. My card had been charged for the item and the item was not in my possession. I explained my situation to the credit associate. She took my personal information and the details of my complaint.
She assured me that the security branch of the company would investigate my consumer complaint report for me. I was told to contact them again in 30 days for the result of their investigation.
She also explained to me that large merchandisers who have catalog, online and specialty offers have three distinct billing departments handling the charging and billing aspects. There is no centralized billing structure collating customer data to a generalized accounting department.
I thoroughly enjoyed using the Easy Cycle. I now wonder when and if I will ever receive the product I ordered and paid for . I try to remain optimistic and hope that my Easy Cycle purchase will reach me intact and in good stead.
Large merchandising companies who allow outside advertisers to be featured in their customer mailing catalogs should investigate the integrity and financial background of the firms they seem to heartily endorse. This course of action could reduce consumer complaints and generalized misunderstandings.
This Article has been viewed 387 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.