Some days, it seems that everyone is out to make a buck, regardless of how ruthless they are. With Christmas just around the corner, I’ll share my latest experience about shopping online. It involves a store that begins with a W and ends with a T. You can figure that out.
Being a girl that prefers the site that begins with an A and ends with an N, I haven’t ventured far from the tried and true. I mean, how can you beat it? You think of something. You enter it in the computer. It’s available, ordered, and on your doorstep in a couple days. Pretty wonderful shopping experience, without ever needing to put on real clothes. PJ’s are the new shopping duds. Gas in your tank isn’t required. Just a cup of coffee and a computer work fine.
Anyway, I’ve been wanting some new bedding. One store was out of anything worth buying. Another didn’t offer great prices. Never having shopping W_____t’s online store, I turned to them as a last resort. There, I found what I was looking for. A down comforter and sheets made of 650 thread count cloth. Fancy-shmancy. I ordered both items. A little later, I found a king-size fleece blanket and ordered that, as well. It was all over but the waiting.
A week later, the comforter arrived first. To say it was a disappointment doesn’t cover it. It felt like a piece of canvas. I think there was down in there somewhere, but not enough, by any means. The comforter was stiff as a board. Not something one thinks of when using the word down comforter. It could have been mistaken for a piece of cardboard.
The next item that arrived were the sheets. If these sheets were 650 thread count, they must have used spider web filament in the cloth. Scratchy and thin, the corners of the fitted sheet were held on by the cheapest of and elastic band that went around the entire mattress. This would last a couple washings and break. The sheets got a lower grade than the comforter.
Finally the blanket arrived. The most beautiful deep lavender color, it’d surely be a hit. But, arriving in a shrink wrap affair, it was covered in soot of some sort. The sheets and comforter didn’t come in boxes, but were shrink wrapped, as well. Very odd. Very dirty wrapping. Very cheap items. All three were duds. At least, I could return them to my friendly W_____t. right?????
Wrong-o.
Upon presenting the items to the associate, I was told all items presented for return must be in boxes.
But, wait. The items were delivered to me in shrink wrap. There were no boxes sent to me in the first place.
Didn’t matter. These didn’t come from the store, but the W—–t MARKETPLACE. Therefore, any refunds would need to wait until the MARKETPLACE received the returned goods. And besides, their label maker was down, so fergetaboutit. End of story in their minds. Next in line, please.
Standing there, I felt my Inner Karen come to life. This couldn’t be. With another Associate coming to the rescue of the first, the answer was “Sorry, Karen”. Returning home, I was on the hunt for boxes for these items. I’d try again at another store.
Driving to the W_____t 30 miles to the east, I hoped for better news. Dragging some boxes out of the trash, I made sure everything had a bar code. Off I went across the desert, trying to cool off along the way.
At the second W_____t, a sweet Associate did manage to accept the items for return. Her label maker had just been fixed. She warned me the MARKETPLACE takes awhile to process returns, so I might not see my refund for a week or so.
With Christmas shopping around the corner, be careful with online shopping. The W_____t MARKETPLACE must be a very, very dirty place, perhaps in the middle of a war zone. Don’t expect things to smell great. The fleece blanket smelled heavily of toxic chemicals, along with a covering of soot. The sheets were anything but 650 thread count. And, W_____t really doesn’t care if you are buying from a warehouse or the “MARKETPLACE”. They want your money, plan and simple. Buyer beware. Save your empty boxes. You just never know when you might need them.