Complaint Review: Tiger Direct

On May 11, 2012, I placed an order for a tv from Tiger Direct. I was referred by a coworker who bought a TV from the site and according to him it was great and he got a great deal. After viewing the site myself, the price was reasonable and they were having a free shipping special for Mother's day so I thought I should take advantage of this deal. Of course, free shipping meant the order would take nearly 10 days for me to receive. A problem I was ok with because I thought I was going to be getting a good deal, on a good TV. (VIZIO E470VLE 47IN 1080P 60HZ LCD) 
 
I received the package May 21, 2012. What was alarming, was the fact that box was the orginal box for the TV. Not an actual box used for shipping. It was torn up, bent, and ripped apart at some areas. I have pictures as well showing this. When I saw this, I immediatly opened the package, to find that there was NOTHING but two pieces of styrofoam protecting the tv. I carefully, and gently, pulled the tv from the box to find very large cracks and "spider webs" through the entire TV screen.

The next day, I called Tiger Direct, already upset but open to some sort of agreement or compromise with Tiger Direct to fix my problem and still be a satisfied customer. What I experienced was a complete opposite.

The customer service rep I spoke with, had no sympathy for my situation at all. I explained to him that obviously it happened during shipping, but it wasn't hurting Tiger Direct, because the carrier would have had to pay for the damages to see the tv. translating to Tiger Direct making not one but TWO TV sales. Leaving me still without a product I had paid for almost two weeks ago, and without the money I used to purchase it.

After explaining my concerns to the representative, he put me on hold for about 3 minutes. Upon returning, he told me that they could give me $10 off. That almost made me lose it. Here I am spending around $500 for a TV and all they could do, was give me $10 for having to wait over a month to receive a TV I already paid for.

I asked him what he thought about that, and if he was me what he would feel like. He didn't respond just put me on hold for another 3 minutes and came back and said we can double it and give you $20 off of your TV. At this point, I was just too upset to think clearly, so I accepted the offer and told him that I wanted this to be done quickly and a new TV sent as soon as possible.

Two weeks go by, and I have heard nothing from Tiger Direct about getting a new TV. I called them today June 9, 2012, spoke with a representative about my concerns, and then was put on a 5 minute hold, to find out they haven't even shipped the new TV to me yet. Translation, I would have to wait ANOTHER 10 days before I would receive my TV.

I also inquired about my refund of $20 as to when I would receive that. She told me that it wasn't a refund it was a GIFT CARD! Unbelieveable!!! They actually expected me to want to spend more money on their site after all of this? I told her that I was told it was supposed to be a refund. She told me she could forward that along but would not have "guaranteed" results of being a refund.

Fed up with this disgraceful lack of empathy, and horrid customer service, I asked for a refund. I was told it would take 3-5 business days for me to receive my money back. I guess they didn't really care about my purchase because they did not offer anything to make up for my very reasonable concerns with this transaction.

If you have read this, do yourself a favor, save your time, and your money DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM TIGER DIRECT!!!