Customer Service - or not

Stupid TigerDirect.com. Ugh.

Scott got it in my head we should get Galaxy tablets. I’m all for that. A new toy, hell yeah. So, I go out searching for the WiFi model because, well, I already pay a small fortune to Sprint every month for the phones, I don’t need to add anymore to that monthly raping.

I decide on TigerDirect because it ships same day, I had the option to bump it up to Two Day shipping for next to nothing, and, most importantly, I could use my BillMeLater. This is important. Not because I don’t have the money (well, not for both – but for one, yes) … but rather this is the ONLY form of payment I currently have access to since ALL of my cards (debit and credit) are currently unavailable since reporting them as stolen on Thursday and I haven’t received replacements yet.

So, I place the order, it goes through, woohoo!!!

I got on TigerDirect’s website late last night and it said it was pending for credit authorization. Alright, I’m not sure what exactly that means, but maybe it was a BillMeLater thing, so I let it slide. Didn’t think anything of it.

This morning I get on TigerDirect’s website to see if they had shipped yet. No, they had not. In fact, my order status was listed as “Cancelled.” No explanation, just cancelled. Worse yet, I had to find that out by going to the site, they didn’t even have the DECENCY to e-mail me to tell me this.

I went to BillMeLater’s site and the charge was listed on my account as pending, so obviously there was no problem with the BillMeLater account (which, might I add, I used successfully just a couple weeks ago). I even called BillMeLater to make sure, and she assured me everything was fine with the account.

Not that I have testicles, but you get the idea...

So, I called TigerDirect’s customer service to find out what the hell was going on. The girl was about worthless. “It says your order was cancelled.”

Well, no shit Sherlock. Tell me something I don’t know. “Can you tell me why it was cancelled?”

“No, it doesn’t say, just that it was cancelled.”

“Okay, well, what do I do to fix it?”

“You can try placing the order again.”

Are you freakin’ kidding me? Just to go through all this again? Nope, went out and bought it from another site (which, unfortunately for me, is “powered” by TigerDirect, so I’m still at their mercy).

I subsequently sent the following e-mail to TigerDirect.

"I ordered a router and two Galaxy WiFi only tablets yesterday, thrilled that I was able to find them. Even better was the fact I could have them shipped immediately and for a reasonable price.

Imagine my dismay when I logged in to check the status of my order and found it was cancelled. No reason, just cancelled. (Last night I saw it was under credit review, which made little sense to me considering I have used BillMeLater in the past with no problems. The credit is available and has been used previously. I digress.)

I called customer support to find out what was going on and how I could fix it. The girl was less-than-helpful, telling me she saw it was cancelled - well, no duh, I knew that, that's why I called. She said she didn't know why and that I could try to re-order it.

As if. As much as I have always loved TigerDirect in the past, this has put a sour taste in my mouth. My order was cancelled when there was more than enough credit on the account used to cover the cost. My order was cancelled by TigerDirect and you didn't even have the decency to e-mail me to tell me. And your customer support just told me what I already knew. Why the hell would I call if I wanted them to rehash what I knew?

Before even calling customer support, I went to BillMeLater to make sure there were no problems with the account and it showed that a $XXX purchase was made from TigerDirect - so obviously the problem is not with BillMeLater. And if it is, they neglected to tell me too, and I will write them a nasty e-mail too. I have good credit, I always pay my bills, and I find it a bit ridiculous that it is this difficult to buy a Galaxy tablet. I mean - honestly.

My going to a different site (even if it is powered by you guys - only because you have a monopoly over my ability to purchase a WiFi only Galaxy tablet at the moment) will not break you. Nor will my expression of disgust to my friends and family. But rest assured, I'm not happy.”

And this is what I get in response:

“Dear Valued Customer:

Thank you for your e-mail.

Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience that may have caused you. We value your comments and suggestions, and they will be forwarded to the proper department. We constantly strive for customer satisfaction and hope this incident will not change your opinion of our company. Again, we apologize and thank you for your time and patience.

Thank you for visiting our website. We appreciate your business. If you have further inquiries and reply to this email, please make sure to include your entire message, so we can address it appropriately.

Sincerely,
Felben
TigerDirect.com Web Response”

Uhh, too late.

Never going back to TigerDirect if I can help it. Thankyouverymuch.