Complaint Review: Electronics Showplace

 I have been in the retail industry for a long time now. I have always said that there are certain people that you can't afford to do business with. The author of the original post here seems to be one of them. 

 I would bet she has "issues" everywhere she shops. I believe a lot of her original post was "stretched" to say the least. No one waits at their door all day. And being that I know the proprietors of Elec Showplace .com, I have a really tough time believing she was treated the way she said she was on the phone.

 Good luck, I hope your washer is still washing...lol.

you know, i've actually had the same thing happen w/ ups and dhl before. ups claimed they made an attempt to deliver my package once and no one was home, when everyone was home that day LOL

also, about the U turn, dhl pulled the exact same thing on me, once! i heard the van pull up b/c i was expecting my package and peeping out the window all morning in hopes he came early. at any rate, i saw the driver pull up by my house, look in my general direction, start the van up again, and pull a U turn in front of the house. then he actually pulled another U turn and came right back around to the front of the house. thats when i opened my window and when he saw me, he darted off like a burnt rabbit then a few mins later, it showed up as an attempt on their site LOL!!!!!

i called dhl right away and they rescheduled for the same day. i dont get it, why do they do it? if theyre on a tight schedule, why not just say theyre backed up, instead of pulling a stunt like that? are they afraid theyre going to get fired? or is the shipping company afraid theyll have to refund if the package doesnt arrive on time?

either way, i suppose this has no place in my report about this particular merchant *shrug* so before the first consumer (also known as the hmmm-dinger LOL) pipes up, i should stop :-X

however, about haier being a crappy product, im crossing my fingers this washer lasts for a while. and by a while, i mean forever! i read many good reviews about it, but then again, i also heard (on the news) how you cant really trust review sites anymore, so now im worried *biting nails*. you dont know what i had to go through to get this machine, either! and i dont just mean with this merchant, but i ordered this washer (its in HIGH demand) with 2 other merchants, and both lied about it being in stock and ready to ship. so, when i got that shipping confirmation the same day the order was placed with this merchant, i was exstatic, but i had a feeling in my gut something would go wrong, it came much too easily (with this merchant) type of thing. [always] go with your gut. who said that, was it jeff foxworthy? or bill engvall? well, i know it was ONE of those blue collar comedians, at any rate :-D

im just REALLY hopin' this washer lasts cause there aint no way the merchants going to take it back now. besides, he makes the customer pay for return shipping, and after the poop ive been through getting this washer (previous attempts, false advertising, threats of law suits, fedex fiasco), i dont know how much more i can take *phew*.

thanks for writing, though! :-)

merry christmas to all and to all a good fight, err, night *blush* ;-)

I have had the same issue with Fed Ex.  They pulled twice into my place of business and made a U-turn and both times my delivery showed up a few minutes later as "attempted".  After a heated exchange with fed ex after the second time some guy showed up in a pick up truck with my delivery.  They also seemed very interested in our security cameras which recorded the driver making the U-turn.  This was a delivery from Dell for a client and I emailed Dell and offered to prove my concern by sending them copies of the tapes and they did refund my shipping.
 For a business owner to tell a customer that he has no control after an item is shipped is a cop out. If you are in any kind of business then you simply call your shipper and remind them that there are other ways to get your product to the end user.  In closing I am sorry you bougth a HAIER product.  They are junk.  I have had one and the business that does the warranty work for them in my area will not sell them.  That should tell you something

'You notice I stated that yes, the merchant could have been nice and given you a partial refund but was not obligated to do so. So I agreed with you on that. For whatever reason, he chose not to. That's between you and the seller. I tend to believe though that if FedEx was the one who lied to you, you should take it up with them.'

i would gladly take it up with them, but i did not pay fedex directly for the cost of shipping, did i? nooooo sir-y, i paid who now? thats right, i paid the merchant, and the merchant has to assume SOME responsibility on behalf of his customers, after all, gotta keep us consumers satisfied or how else do you expect your business to stay afloat? the only reason any business, even such moguls as walmart and target make so much money is the consumer. now start pissing us off in large quantities, and we'll boycott your businesses and then see how pretty you sit.

but true enough, you did agree with me that had the merchant been nicer, he COULD have offered at least a partial refund for shipping, then he should have taken it up with fedex HIMSELF, because after all, he shipped the package, and i paid him, so he should have, err, rather COULD have refunded me, then dealt with fedex himself. but, he chose not to. and not in the nicest way. he didnt even offer a kind word, or expressed sorrow, or sympathy for me, or anything. just flat out said, fedex ground is not guranateed, and im not going to refund your money, take it up with fedex yourself!

trust me, i wanted to forget the crummy $35 for shipping i paid, and just felt satisfied after posting this review, but guess what? after reading my initial review, the merchant got bent out of shape and before he even made an attempt to resolve the issue, he sent me a seething email, right off the bat! here, let me quote you some of it, hang on, lemme dig it up, just a moment please...

ah yes, here it is... feast your eyes on THIS...

'We want you to know that there ia a line that can be crossed when you write a review and post it on a public forum. We value our reputation, and will defend and protect it diligently. We recommend you now contact legal counsel to protect your self. You have crossed this line, and are now to the point that you are slandering our name.'

aint she a beaut? (to quote opie taylor/ron howard, the andy griffith show.)

while we were on the phone, i mentioned to the merchant, since he wasnt going to refund my money for shipping, to reconsider the refund, b/c now i noticed (looking back at the shipping carton before me), it said 8.8 lb capacity. i asked him to double check the model number and yup, the model number i purchased in good faith believing it to be 11 lb capacity, was in fact 8.8 lb clearly marked on the product packaging. he stated on his website it was an 11 lb washer, so i told him that was false advertising, and that he charged me for an 11 lb washer, but sold me an 8.8 lb washer, and still all i was asking for was a refund for the amount of shipping, alone to make up for the "error" on his site. again, he would not budge. he told me that he gets his product descriptions from the manufacturer, and instead of calling the manufacturer himself to straighten things out HIMSELF on the customers behalf, which is customery to do, he dismissed my concerns completely, said if i had a problem to call the manufacturer directly. i told him i dont have a problem with the manufacturer, my problem was with his advertising! but he did not wish to discuss it any longer, and advised me to call the manufacturer, instead. so i thanked the merchant (basically for spitting in my face). and believe you me, i might not be an angel in this particular forum, as this is the only place i can really vent my frustrations, but in person i happen to know how to conduct myself, and i did, despite my initial post here, handle myself like a lady. i do not raise my voice to authority, type of thing. and i called the manufacturer and again, in a very controlled tone (as my problem does not lie with the manufacturer, it lies with the merchant) asked 1) what capacity this model was and 2) if the merchant gets his product descriptions from the manufacturer, as the merchant said he did.

the manufacturer (rep) said this model is indeed 8.8 lb capacity and if he advertised it as 11 lb on his site, that had nothing to do with them. they do not tell their dealers what to put on their site, as far as product descriptions go. she even apologized to me for his rude behavior. (deja vu? why do i feel like im repeating myself, here?)

at any rate, when i learned of this, i went ahead and wrote my review. and like i said, he threatened to sue me over it. not to mention, when i took a closer look at the unit, i noticed it was dented in 2 places and found a couple protrusions, as well on the body. but since the merchants return policy states you cannot return items that have been removed from their original packaging and since i broke the box trying to get to the manual to look up capacity before calling the manufacturer, and given the merchant already threatened to sue over this review, and given his very tone and nature, i could not bring myself to bring up the damage i saw to the unit. i knew exactly what he would say. and lo and behold, when i mentioned the damage in an updated version of my review, he went and did exactly what i thought he would, he basically called me a scam artist. i'm a victim, but oh well. what can i do, right?

'I stand by the fact that your design issues/observations with the unit had no place in the ROR. You are complaining about the seller, any issues with the unit were extraneous to your concern with the seller.'

actually, they did. my observations have every place in my report about the seller, because they are only PART of the reason i was asking for a refund for AT LEAST the shipping fees. so i made mention of them, thinking the merchant would take it all into consideration when making his final decision about the REFUND. i'm not complaining about the design or damages to the unit to the manufacturer, i have NO intentions of ever filing another report about anyone given the reaction of the merchant (this is my very first bad review, ive never even posted a review of any other business before this in my life for fear this very thing would happen). i just wanted the merchant and the world to understand that the consumer should not have to pay for crappy service.

'Yes, you should have been nice. Like I said, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Based on the pure anger in your post, assuming you were not an angel when speaking to them was a safe bet. You even state in your rebuttal title that you aren't one.'

well again, believe what you want, but like ive said time and time again, i have but this one outlet for my frustration, so on here, yes, i am not going to be an angel, b/c this is not the place for nice-nice. this is where people who have been unjustly treated come to vent their frustrations, am i right or am i right? but again, i know exactly how to conduct myself where it counts, so please do not judge me SOLELY on this report, alone. i happen to be courteous in all my other dealings, i know how to handle myself in such instances. and yes, outside of this report, i drizzled 100% pure honey over the merchant right at the very moment he spit in my face.

and yes, it is too called SPITTING IN ONES FACE when the merchant, instead of assuming the responsibility of handling complaints with both the shipper and manufacturer forces the consumer to deal with them, herself!!!!! i paid the merchant, he should have at least shown some compassion, uttered a kind word, offered an apology...SOMETHING!!!!!

i worry about merchants who monitor and rebut reviews the second someone posts one on sites like this. it is my OPINION that businesses who monitor their ratings THIS closely and intently, are crooked, and know it, and are worried someone might say something accusatory that they feel obligated to refute, and then threatening with a law suit, instead of trying to calm the customer down by offering AT LEAST A KIND WORD!!!!!

please understand, i do not have a problem with you, consumer who feels it necessary to state his opinion about a merchant he never dealt with, personally. my issues lie with the merchant, and the merchant alone. i have even forgiven fedex for lying about the delivery, but STILL DO NOT FEEL I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY SO MUCH MONEY FOR SUCH CRAPPY CUSTOMER SERVICE AS I HAVE WITNESSED FROM THE MERCHANT, ELECTRONICS SHOWPLACE!!!!!

ive said my piece. im finished. the end.

So first, I am not the merchant.  Why is when someone comes on to ask questions, get clarification or support the merchant that people always assume its the merchant?  So...first your post was completely unreadable.  Paragraphs would have been helpful.

Based on what you said, it was implied that you recorded the calls.  You should have been more clear.  Incidentally, good luck getting those recordings.  You'll have to go through a wall of lawyers to get them and probably would lose.

You notice I stated that yes, the merchant could have been nice and given you a partial refund but was not obligated to do so.  So I agreed with you on that. For whatever reason, he chose not to.  That's between you and the seller.  I tend to believe though that if FedEx was the one who lied to you, you should take it up with them.

As for the delivery times, you stated you looked up the times and they were the same time you were standing outside getting your mail.  That's pretty close to the same instant.  Since you were told that he had lied, then so be it.  He lied.

I stand by the fact that your design issues/observations with the unit had no place in the ROR.  You are complaining about the seller, any issues with the unit were extraneous to your concern with the seller.

Should the seller have threatened you with legal action.  Probably not but it seems like both parties are a little heated about the issue.

The customer is always right no longer applies to most businesses.  It's too easy to get taken advantage of.  Con artists (not implying you are, just a general comment) take great advantage of those kinds of guarantees.

Yes, you should have been nice.  Like I said, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.  Based on the pure anger in your post, assuming you were not an angel when speaking to them was a safe bet.  You even state in your rebuttal title that you aren't one.

I wish you the best of luck dealing with this issue. 

Since I'm not the merchant, I won't sue you. 

-----Based on your ROR, I'm guessing you were not an angel when you spoke to either company. based on my ror? i got ripped off, and i'm supposed to be "nice?" after what i went through w/ the merchant alone, believe me, this IS being nice LOL besides, i was actually very polite when i called fedex and haier america (make no mistake, when i complain, i do it in the nicest way possible). couple problems with your comments: -----As for you just "happening" to be standing outside your door at the very instant that they claim they tried to deliver, I tend to believe that's a stretch. believe what you want, and i never said "exact instant." but the mailman did come on the 18th at 3pm, and then on the 21st at 2:30pm, and thats the times fedex claimed they attempted to deliver. so yeah, i was checking my mail, is that a crime? the mailbox happens to be right next to my door, not 6 inches away. again, like i said in my initial report, the manager of the driver at fedex herself says its unusual for a driver to NOT leave a notice on the door when they come by and youre not home. so, had i not been home like the driver said TWICE (friday and then the following monday), he would have left a notice on the door, which he did not. AND, the driver who was rescheduled to come for the SECOND time the following monday (b/c the original driver lied about showing up when he never did) told me straight up that he apologizes the first driver never actually stopped by either friday or the following monday, in fact, the second driver had to catch up to him, take my package of his truck, and put it on his own to guarantee it finally got delivered. so i have proof the original driver never came to my door, TWICE, and lied about it. -----By the way, is your state a 1-party state? If not, recording conversations on the phone is a no-no. i live in california. everytime i call a company, they always ask my permission to record the phone call. my calls were recorded by both haier america (the manufacturer) and fedex (shipping carrier). i never claimed that i personally recorded anything. (please see detailed explanation above.) -----Your issue with the design of the washer has no place in this ROR as it is not built by the seller. You need a separate ROR for the manufacturer. please go back and re-read my review carefully. i never said i had a problem w/ the design of the washer. i said there was no way i could attach the bottom panel b/c of how the legs were attached. again, that is NOT a complaint, just an observation. the machine doesn't even necessarily need that bottom panel to operate. i do NOT have a problem with the design of the machine or the manufacturer. if anything, the manufacturer was nothing if not sympathetic (and very helpful). the rep was extremely courteous. she even took the time out to explain their product description policy, and she even apologized for the merchant's shady behavior. yes, SHADY! (so sue me!) my problem lies with the merchant. when i told him the washer he sent was labeled 8.8 lb capacity, he said it was an 11 lb capacity. i told him it clearly says 8.8 lb on the carton. in the nicest way, i told him i purchased the washer thinking it was an 11 lb capacity unit, because that's what it said on the merchants item description page. he got bent out of shape and told me he gets his item descriptions from the manufacturer, and to call them and take it up with them. that wasnt right of him. a responsible merchant would take my word for it, and call the manufacturer himself to straighen things out on MY behalf, not the other way around. i felt very gypped. so much for "the customer is always right." so, when i called haier america, the rep told me they do NOT tell merchants what to put on their websites. that it strictly up to the merchant, himself. bottom line, the merchant either purposely or accidentally put 11 lb capacity on his website, when in fact this is an 8.8 lb machine. he did not apologize. he did not offer to look it up. he did not offer a KIND WORD, nothing! his reaction to the whole ordeal: take it up with fedex and the manufacturer. when i wrote this review, he point blank threatened to have me sued for slander! he did not try to resolve the issue, he did not try to make ammends, he told me to "protect myself" by seeking legal counsel b/c he was going to sue for slander. (someones opinion is NOT considered slanderous!) reputable merchants normally take the heat for shipping carriers blunders. i should not have to pay for shipping when fedex LIED on several occasions, be it a guaranteed service or not, but nowhere does it say in the "guarantee clause" that lying is allowed and must be accepted graciously!!!!! i do NOT accept being lied to, sorry!!!!! i paid good money to have that washer shipped, why should i be out that money when fedex lied TWICE about the delivery? a good-natured understanding compassionate sympathetic merchant would understand and at least offer a partial refund, then take it up with fedex HIMSELF, and request a refund HIMSELF!!!!! why should the victim have to fight with the shipping carrier? and i thought that since the merchant made the mistake of listing this model as 11 lb as opposed to 8.8 lb, he would feel obligated to issue the shipping refund, seeing as i was open to keeping the machine. I ENDED UP PAYING FOR AN 11 LB CAPACITY WASHER AND ONLY GOT AN 8.8 CAPACITY UNIT! and you want me to be NICE?! now look i'm tired of arguing. everything i said is a fact, if you dont believe me, hey, thats totally up to you. but dont you go telling me that i'm no angel. where do you come off, anyway...? i wouldnt be surprised if this particular "consumer" wasnt the merchant, himself. yeah, thats right, the merchant himself. again, SO FLIPPIN SUE ME!!!!! and thanks for listening *angel*.

I'm not going to address the merits of her concerns about the actual unit's capacity.   That is between you guys.  I do have to speak up about her request for a refund of the shipping.  I have to agree with the company that it is not their problem if the shipping company screws things up.  They could, if they wanted to, issue a partial refund but are under no obligation to do so.  You need to talk to FedEx although I can tell you right now it's a waste of time.  Based on your ROR, I'm guessing you were not an angel when you spoke to either company.  You catch more flies (no offense aimed at either company) with honey than you do vinegar.
As for you just "happening" to be standing outside your door at the very instant that they claim they tried to deliver, I tend to believe that's a stretch.  I had a problem with UPS one time missing me.  I knew what the UPS truck sounds like, so I kept an ear open.  As soon as they passed the house, I ran outside and caught the guy and got my package.  Simple enough.
By the way, is your state a 1-party state?  If not, recording conversations on the phone is a no-no.
Your issue with the design of the washer has no place in this ROR as it is not built by the seller.  You need a separate ROR for the manufacturer.

*****UPDATE***** upon receiving this review, merchant threatened to sue for "slander" advising me to "protect myself" by seeking legal counsel. merchant did not offer to resolve issue! merchant is trying to strip me of my first amendment rights, freedom of speech. since when is it slanderous to state ones opinion on a review site? upon careful examination, i found 2 significant dents/protrusions by the start button and another on lower right-hand side of front of unit. i want to clear things up about the recordings so theres no confusion: i meant, fedex records their calls, since i based my review on the delivery, i wanted to say their phone recordings were on my side, as proof they goofed up delivery. i did call the manufacturer, like the merchant advised me, as opposed to calling them themselves and taking the responsibility to deal with the merchant personally, not handing off their dirty work to the poor victim! haier america said they record phone calls, so there's proof of my call, and the reps apology to me on behalf of the merchants behavior. hope that clears things up! i cant return the washer, the merchant states you cannot return an item which has been removed from its original packaging. the box broke when i opened it; i knew i couldnt return it that way, i cut my losses and used the washer. a return was never even possible. i only learned of this policy AFTER i broke the box trying to get out the various parts, thinking the merchant would honor my plea to refund shipping when fedex lied on several occasions about delivery. i thought the merchant would respect their customer enough, the victim, to offer to refund shipping AT LEAST when i told them they made a "mistake" on product description; in good faith i purchased a washer believing it to be 11lb capacity, when the packaging clearly states 8.8lb, the manufacturer says this model is 8.8lb, furthermore they do not dictate to their merchants what to put on their websites as far as item descriptions go.

Where to start. First of all, this customer not once requested to return this item, so that makes us feel as though there might be a little exaggeration here. She placed her order, and we shipped immediately. Unfortunately, we have no control of the shipper once an order has gone out. We approximate 3-5 business days for delivery as stated on our website. Due to some kind of mixup at FedEx, she received her order on the 6th business day. Ground service is never a guaranteed service, therefore we cannot refund this shipping cost.  
 
As for the "shaky" voice, well...take a look at our other reviews. We always try to go above and beyond and be fair when we have to resolve an issue. We are not frightened to deal with a problem when and if one arises. Again, maybe a little exaggeration?  
 
She is also stating in her review that there are problems with the item she ordered. We did ask her to call the manufacturer to clarify her questions. We have not yet received a request to return this item, and yes it is returnable. We called the manufacturer, and they have no record of speaking to this customer. The description we have from the manufacturer on this item says 11lb. Once again, as long as the item is boxed in it's original manufacturer's package, and she has not used the item, it can be returned.  
 
And please...we would NEVER "SPIT"??? in someone's face. We take our business very serious. We work very hard to resolve all issues in the most fair way possible.  
 
For those of you reading this review, please take the time to read all of the positive reviews as well. They will tell you how we work very hard to have satisfied customers.

To summarize, this customer is out for something for nothing.  She is upset with FedEx, she is upset with the manufacturer.  She is taking everything out on us.  As for the "problems" with the item she purchased, we have yet to receive a request for the return of the item.  We offered, but she has only ignored our offer to take the item back.  All descriptions and information we have listed for this item is supplied by the manufacturer.  They build the machine and they supply the marketing information to our distributor, who in turn supplies it to us.

Once again.  Since our inception in 2005, we have managed to maintain a 5 star rating from our customers, and intend to maintain that level of service.  Out of all of the customers we have had dealings with during that time, we have never had to deal with someone as unreasonable as this lady.  Merry Christmas.