Faster, better…

Posts Tagged ‘Customer Service’

Less than a year ago I purchased a wireless Logitech keyboard and mouse combination from the Office Depot in Prince Frederick, MD. I did not have the product long when the wireless receiver stopped functioning. The receiver is flimsy. When it is bent, even a small amount, the internal USB connections fail. I went back to the store and asked if I could replace the receiver. They said no and suggested I buy a new keyboard. I did so.

The employee suggested that I purchase an extended warranty. That was my big mistake. It had been maybe seven months and the same thing happened to the receiver – again.  But wouldn’t you know it. I could not find the receipt that had my extended warranty information. I don’t recall anyone telling me at the time that I had to register my warranty or explaining how it worked. I made the foolish mistake of making an assumption that a company as large as Office Depot would have all of its customer service i’s dotted and t’s crossed. Not so.

When the second keyboard failed I drove back to  the Office Depot. The salesman remembered selling me the agreement and the keyboard! What luck. But then, he said since you don’t have your receipt I have no way of looking up your warranty. He called the manager. The manager said the same thing and told me to call the warranty people. He walked off. No offer to call the warranty people.  I was stuck. I needed a keyboard and mouse that night so I purchased a cheaper wireless set. No I didn’t buy an agreement.

The following day I looked up the customer service number for Office Depot and made the call. Guess what. Their “agents” are outsourced to an off shore company. I knew I was talking to someone without an invested interest in making me happy.  This rep was polite and gave me a telephone number for the warranty department.

By now I have 1.5 hours of my time involved in this fiasco. I call the warranty department only to find out that unless I registered my warranty and my receipt they had no way to look up the information. But wait, it gets better. I have one of those store rewards cards. They couldn’t use that to find my sale with the warranty attached. By now I’m getting suspicious. Was the system designed this way because they know a certain amount of people will fail to save a receipt or register their product?

But I digress. It turns out that after fourteen days you cannot return a product to the store. After two weeks you are covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. That means that even though I paid extra to replace this keyboard when it went bad I would have to wait one year from the date of purchase to get any satisfaction. I did try to ask Logitech by email if I could replace the receiver and never recived an answer. Logitech is not what it used to be apparently.

It never ceases to amaze me how some retailers just don’t get it.  Customer no-service is alive and well ant Office Depot. I clearly didn’t understand at the time the terms of this useless agreement I paid good money for. Office Depot made out like a bandit.

The truth is at the right retailer I strongly believe in extended warranty for the right product. Having worked as an Assistant Manager for a West Marine store I can say that West Marine gets it. Their no-hassle guarantee should be explored by Office Depot. Office Depot has lost my business over this. The only thing I have left is to vote with my feet and my wallet.

In order to pursue this I have to go back through months of credit card receipts to identify the date when I purchased the product so the unhelpful warranty folks can put me through to the receipt look up people. They can somehow find my extended warranty if I jump hoops. When I am able to get the date and I file the claim I still have to wait to receive either a check or a gift card. The store can’t help me. Why didn’t the first salesperson tell me to try Logitech? Why didn’t Logitech return my email the second time around? I’m also done with Logitech.

Any time you purchase a warranty:

1. Save your recipt

2. Understand the terms

3. Imagine what could happen under the terms.  When you do not like the scenario do not buy the warranty.

4. Follow through and register your warranty. Don’t rely on the retailer. They are probably going to cross their fingers and hop you forget and that you lose your receipt. They make more money that way.

My time is as valuable as his so after one hour in the waiting room chair I got up and left. Yesterday I had a routine office appointment. A few days earlier this doctor’s office called me to remind me. Great. I was about fifteen minutes early. More times than I can remember arriving early has been a benefit to me and the doctor so to respect his time I always arrive a bit early. I signed in. The receptionist never looked up.

Over the next hour, those of us in the waiting room were subjected to an obnoxious day-time television program. Ignoring the TV as best I could, I scanned every magazine I could find but started to feel like some appreciable time had already passed. Lots of folks had gone in ahead of me. A nice lady sitting nearby looked at me and said, “What time was your appointment?” I said, “Two-thirty.” She said mine was at Two.” When I asked what time it was she said just after three o’clock.

I got up after sitting there for an hour and told the receptionist I was leaving and to reschedule me. My daily errands, being home in time to greet my spouse when she got home from work were all timed and based on the agreed upon appointment time. Already I had wasted one hour of my day in the waiting room. A new appointment was scheduled twenty days out. There was no apology and no regret expressed.

I believe that patients have a right to know when the doctor is way behind schedule. This office made no attempt whatsoever to set my expectations. When I rescheduled I didn’t appreciate the stares or the attitude. I could tell they felt my time couldn’t be nearly as important as the doctor’s. Well I’m done being treated like a faceless name when I PAY for a professional service. I’m sick of being treated like I should be privileged that I’m allowed to be their customer. Keep me waiting I’ll either reschedule or find a new doctor.

I’m curious. Did anyone else get an unexpected delivery of heating oil at the end of March? Oddly enough I did even though there was over 100 gallons in the tank. The bill came to $252. This has never happened before. This last year the oil delivery company insisted upon a payment or cash to guarantee the lowest price and there was a big per-gallon price reduction when the price of oil plummeted. Why would an oil company deliver oil when our use of the heater has been reduced to a few mornings in the entire month?

Very puzzling. I hadn’t planned on this in my monthly budget so they will be getting an ear full from me today on the telephone.

We visited the Killarney House twice in one month. The food and the service at the Killarney House is simply outstanding. Over the years we have visited this establishment many times and have never been disappointed.

Each time we go back we see many of the same faces and speaks very highly of the management of the Killarney House. Linda, and Melissa just to name two have always made our visits special.

Located on West Central a very short distance from Davidsonville Rd at 584 West Central Avenue, Davidsonville, MD 21035 (410) 798-8700 the Killarney House serves special Irish faire. The corn beef and cabbage is superb, the Irish mixed grill a treat and a half. Even the crab cakes will have your mouth watering.

The restaurant’s pub serves a variety of Irish and UK beers. Bar food is part of the service just like it is in Ireland. The bar folks make a show out of their skills. The walls are filled with farming antiques, Celtic K’iche, and photographs of Ireland.

The dining room is a family place. It is visually pleasing with its giant stone fireplace, colorful windows, great photographs, and attractive decor. The food is as authentic as any we had when visiting the UK and Ireland.

It can get a little noisy in this busy place. We like to time our visits so we are ahead of the crowd. Others that like a busier ambiance will appreciate the restaurant during evenings when musical entertainment is available. Visiting their website is a must.  At the website you will find, menus, beverage lists, entertainment schedules, and even catering details and copies of newspaper restaurant reviews over the years.

I like the Killarney House because the manager is present. He is watching over the place, visiting with customers, delivering meals to tables, and making sure your dining experience is the best he can muster. You can tell the wait staff enjoy working at the Killarney House. We have never encountered a sour mood and each of the staff knows the menu well. Customers are VALUED at the Killarney House. That is obvious. The Killarney House is one of the few restaurants we have been to where everything on the menu tastes wonderful. It just is. The wait staff knows it. When the wait staff say that everything on the menu is delicious they mean it. Not one of them has ever said, “Stay away from this or that.” Good food is part of the Killarney House culture.

The restaurant is owned by the Irish Restaurant Company. A link to other restaurants owned by the company is at the Killarney House website.

The food here has a special touch that makes it very special indeed. The Killarney House is one of our five out of five restaurants for food and for service.