Our biggest problem with Overstock.com was that every representative that Garret spoke to seemed to think that we shouldn't be compensated for this mess up because we were compensated last time. They continually kept saying they went "above and beyond last time" and one person even told us they thought they had done too much for us last time. They treated this incident as a continuation of the last screw up, when it was a completely separate order. The fact that it was the same damn rug I was trying to find is irrelevant. It is not as if overstock.com kept an eye on the availability of this rug and called us to let us know they had one in. I kept an eye on their site, I ordered it, and I stayed at home all day again waiting for a rug which turned out to not be the right one. The last customer service rep told us they definitely needed to deal with their warehouse people who were not getting the right products sent out. But overall they continually kept treating us as if this was a continuation of their last screw up. Would it have been any different had it been a different item I was ordering?
I can tell you that in similar situations with other companies, whether they sent the wrong thing or the item was broken, that they have not only replaced it, but they have been the ones to offer something to keep us as customers. Overstock.com is an online only store, their business is affected by word of mouth from customer's experiences, because they can't rely on relationships people have with employees in a brick and mortar store. And their main concern should be their customer service people, who in both incidents have made us feel like they thought sending us the wrong product was no big deal. We're not talking about a candle holder, we're talking about a huge, should be clearly labeled rug. They did not go above and beyond with the first experience as they like to say, because the only compensation that we were offered from them was to have UPS pick it up, acting as if this was generous of them, even though it was THEIR mistake. The credit that we received was wholly because we asked them what they would do for us, and e-mailed their company about the problem. And the only reason I asked for anything was because I knew if the rug ever came back in stock it was going to be at a higher price (and it was). This time we weren't even offered the pick up from our home until Garret asked about it. They continually asked G if he really thought that they should offer compensation of any kind, when they had given it before. G answered yes every time explaining that screwing up with the same issue a second time is worse than just once. Twice is ridiculous. And now it's going to cost me a whole lot more if I can hunt down this rug, since I will have to order it from the manufacturer.
So, now that I've ranted a bit, here is what I think: I know people who order from overstock.com all the time with no problem at all. However, the fact that we've ordered from them twice, both times receiving the wrong item and having bad customer service makes me think that it would have to be one hell of a deal for me to ever use them again. Sorry, overstock.com but there are other companies out there who provide similar products and services who treat their customers better. You should be appreciating my business, not making me feel in the wrong about your mistake. And it's sad, because I had planned to order other higher priced items from you (furniture, more rugs, silk window treatments) but now I will be looking elsewhere and encouraging others to do the same.
