My comments are in white and theirs are in green.
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02:31 4/13/2001 from me to customer.service@swords-online.com
Dear Madam/Sir:
I placed an order (#124505) on the 20th of March. The order was confirmed on the 21st of March. Payment for the order was processed on the 27th of March. Since that time, the Order Status has said "Preparing order to ship". This seems an awfully long time to prepare an order. Also, this is 14 business days since the payment went through, and 18 business days since the order was confirmed. It obviously won't arrive within the 7 to 10 business days of the shipping level I specified. So presumably I will get a certain percentage discount on my next order, which is fine, but I would like to actually have these great products from SwordsOnline that I have ordered and paid for. Is there any hope of the shipping preparations being completed soon, and my purchase sent to me?
Thank you for your attention.
-Dennis
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No response from swords-online.com
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12:29 4/25/2001 from me to web.famous@swords-online.com, cc:ed to customer.service@swords-online.com
Hello:
I just received an order that I placed some time ago. It is order number 124505, and it was originally placed on the 20th of March, 2001. I received confirmation the next day, and payment went through on March 27th. The order status showed "preparing order to ship" up until last Thursday, the 20th of April, at which time it finally shipped and I got a tracking number for UPS (1zv4v9116842766895 is the tracking number, and it will show it was received today). So, I qualify for the Web Famous Shipping Guarantee.
The reason I included the cc: to customer service is that parts of the order are missing. First of all, I had ordered a used item, which was removed from the order status after a couple of weeks. I can understand this, since used items would be on a first come, first served basis. I do expect to be credited for the cost of that item, though, since it was charged to my credit card. More disturbingly, though, I also ordered the Sword Cleaning kit, which was listed on the shipping slip that came with the order, but is nowhere to be found in the package itself. These two omissions are even more annoying, because the brokerage fee that is charged is based on a flat fee plus a percentage of the declared value of the item, which was based on all three items ordered.
I hope that I receive an answer soon. I sent an email on the 13th to which I have received no response to at all. Needless to say this was not the most satisfactory experience I have had with Swords Online.
-Dennis
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13:55 4/25/2001 from customer.service@swords-online.com to me
Your order was on temporary backorder. The delay was because one item was
out of stock, backordered or discontinued. In that event the shipping
guaranteed begins on the day your order was processed. Please let us know
how many business days after your order was processed that you received your
order and we will look into it.
Thank You,
www.swordsonline.com
00:04 4/26/2001 from me to customer.service@swords-online.com
Thank you for your prompt response.
As I mentioned in my letter, the order was processed on the 21st of March, and from that point on the order status said "Preparing Order to Ship" and nothing at all about being back ordered. So 25 business days, by my reckoning, 15 more than the 7-10 business days it was supposed to take. And only one of three items was shipped, though I was charged for all three. Will I receive a credit for the unshipped items?
> --------
14:42 4/26/2001 from customer.service@swords-online.com to me
We can issue you a credit for the item that did not arrive or you can wait
until it comes in. Please give us your order number so we can refund you
for the late shipment.
Thank you
Swordsonline.com
00:52 4/27/2001 from me to customer.service@swords-online.com
The order number is 124505, and is listed below. Also mentioned below, there were two items the I was charged for that didn't get shipped. One was from the Used Items section, and got taken off the order fairly quickly, but after it had been paid for on my credit card. It was the Round Table Dagger that was in the Used Items section. The other item was the Sword Cleaning Kit from the Extras section. I am at work and don't have the shipping manifest with me, or I would tell you how much the un-shipped items cost together.
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No response from swords-online.com
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04:19 5/15/2001 from me to customer.service@swords-online.com
Well, it has been more than two weeks since I sent the message below (included in its entirety), and I haven't received a response. To reiterate, I received an order (#124505) 15 business days later than the 7-10 business days it was supposed to take. Not only was it late, I only received one out of three items, yet was charged for all three. So, what I feel I am owed are 1) the discount promised in the "Web Famous" guarantee (15%), and 2) credit for the two items that were paid for but never shipped (approximately $US67).
All of the details are included below. Please re-read the letters.
Just so you know, I have a webpage that links to swordsonline.com, with a description in glowing terms about your products. I will be changing this page to reflect my dissatisfaction with the service I have received (or rather not received) surrounding this order.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
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11:37 5/16/2001 from customer.service@swords-online.com to me
We will credit you for the missing item and will give you 15 % off on your
next order with us. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Thank you
Swordsonline.com
00:01 5/17/2001 from me to customer.service@swords-online.com
Thank you for your prompt reply! How do I go about taking advantage of this?
-Dennis
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09:19 5/21/2001 from customer.service@swords-online.com to me
Simply put "I received my sword late and was offered a 15% discount on my
next purchase. I would like to redeem this discount." in the notes area
when you order next time.
Its that simple! Please let us know if you have any questions or comments.
Sincerely,
Customer Service, SwordsOnline
WWW.SWORDSONLINE.COM
"Cutting edge products!"TM
16:48 6/7/2001 from me to customer.service@swords-online.com
Dear Madam/Sir:
I am writing to ask you to apply a credit to my Visa card. I have just received most of an order (#125269) that I placed a short time ago. There was an item that was out of stock (pa1230, which seems to be perpetually out of stock), and a note on the order saying that my credit card was not charged for that order. The charge went through for the entire amount of the order, though. So I would like to be credited for the $37.24 I was charged for this item.
However, that is not the entire amount that needs to be credited to my Visa card. This order was supposed to have a 15% discount, the result of your "Web Famous" guarantee and an earlier order that was late (#124505). That 15% should have been taken off the items that were shipped, whose total was $98.88, making the discount $14.83 which, when added to the $37.24 for the missing item, gives a total of $52.07.
However, that is still not the entire amount that needs to be credited to my Visa card. The previous order that was late (#124505) was *also* missing two out of three items which I was still charged for, even though the items weren't shipped. The total charged was $124.05, but the cost of the item I received ($29.49) plus the cost of the shipping ($24.95) subtracted from that total gives $69.91. This plus the $52.07 from the previous paragraph gives a total of $121.68, which is the amount I would like you to credit to my Visa card as soon as possible. The card number should be in your records from the order numbers listed above, or please feel free to call me at (604)###-#### and I can give you the Visa account number on the phone.
There have been a lot of letters exchanged back and forth over this ongoing problem, which I have compiled into a webpage, which you can find by going to http://www.funhaus.org and clicking on Swords in the menu on the left. In there is a link to the actual email discussion, including this letter.
Thank you for your prompt attention.
-Dennis
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No response from swords-online.com
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04:43 6/27/2001 from me to customer.service@swords-online.com
Dear Madam/Sir:
I am writing yet again to ask that I be credited for items that I was charged for but did not receive. It seems I am perpetually writing, asking for this credit. I last sent an email on the 7th of June, 20 days ago now. I have not received the credit, and I have not received a response. One wonders how you can justify calling the email address "customer service" under such circumstances.
The credit I am owed is $US121.68. The orders this credit was caused by are #124505 and #125269. Both of them were missing items, and the second one was supposed to include a discount because of the lateness of the first (your alleged "Web Famous Guarantee"). There have been a lot of emails on this subject (mostly sent by me, as you folks don't seem to include responding to email under the mighty aegis of your alleged "customer service"), and the history of them can be found here: http://www.funhaus.org/sharpies/saga.html I suggest you read it, as it details the (rather one-sided) dialogue that has occured based on my dissatisfaction with your company.
I would like to have the credit applied to my Visa card, whose number should be in your records from the above-mentioned orders (#124505 and #125269 if you don't know what I am referring to). You can send me a check for the above amount (once again, it is $US121.68). You can even send me a sword valued at that amount. I don't care, so long as *SOMETHING* is done, and soon. And I know I am asking a lot, but I would like a response as quickly as possible, in email or on the phone (my number is 1-604-###-####), letting me know that something is being done, and what, and when I can expect it to be done. This is probably wishful thinking on my part though.
I haven't yet called the Better Business Bureau to file a complaint about swords-online.com but you should I know I am seriously considering doing so. I do have a web page with all the details of this dearth of customer service, though.
Sincerely,
Dennis
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07:55 06/27/2001 from Ben Hisoler - Business
Development SwordsOnline
Dear Mr. Monborquette,
We certainly apologize for the delay. This situation is inexcusable, and we
are very sorry about the situation. We would feel the same way you are
feeling.
We have gone through some major managerial and system changes. Many
employees are let go concerning your situation as well as others and your
matter will certainly be personally attended to.
We will be happy to charge your account today. Please let us know exactly
what items you have received so we can double check with our records so you
don't lose money out of this situation.
As soon we receive your confirmation, our accounting staff will be
researching the problem immediately to see how and what happened so we can
fix this situation. We are working very hard to update our computer
systems, handle quicker delivery times, and to help the needs of our growing
number of customers. In the future, our response times will be much quicker.
Questions or comments feel free to contact me personally at 1-877-###-####
or my direct line at (661)###-####.
Again, we sincerely apologize for the delay.
Sincerely,
Ben Hisoler, SwordsOnline
NOTE: Please REPLY to this email if you need any further questions
answered.
Personal
WWW.SWORDSONLINE.COM
"Cutting edge products!"TM
08:25 4/27/2001 from me to Ben Hisoler - Business Development SwordsOnline, cc:'d to customer.service@swords-online.com
I greatly appreciate the *very* fast response!!
The items I have received are as follows: The fencing rapier (which you don't seem to carry any more, and which I don't have an order number for). There was nothing wrong with this order.
I then placed an order that got cancelled, nothing was charged for that.
Next was Order #124505. The original order had this:
(xl348) Black Stealth Ninja Sword - $29.49
(used-uc1144) Knight's Dagger - $40.37
(pc1003) Sword Cleaning Kit - $29.24
All I received was the Black Stealth Ninja Sword. The other two were charged but not shipped (40.37 + 29.24 = 69.61). Additionally, this order took 25 business days to arrive, and I was told I would get 15% discount on my next order.
The next order was #125269 and had the following:
(pc1033) Main Gauche - $82.99
(uc1106) Chinese Dragon Push Dagger - $15.99
(pa1230) Baron Sword - $37.24
The Baron Sword wasn't shipped. There was a note saying I wouldn't be charged for it, but I was. (69.61 + 37.24 = 106.85). Also, the discount I was promised for the late order (#124505) was not applied to the order. (82.99 + 15.99 = 98.98 * .15 = 14.85) (14.85 + 106.85 = 121.70).
Again, thank you very much for getting back to me so quickly.
-Dennis
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08:37 06/27/2001 from Ben Hisoler - Business
Development SwordsOnline to me
Dear Mr. Monbourquette,
We have resolved the situation concerning a refund with the accounting
department.
You have been refunded: 121.70 You will see this on your next bank
statement. If there are any further problems concerning your account please
reply to our accounting division at refunds@swordsonline.com.
Again we certainly apologize for this situation. We are just as irate as you
are. Customers like you help our company grow and get better, especially
under our new management. We appreciate your understanding in this matter .
Thank you for choosing SwordsOnline.
Sincerely,
Ben Hisoler
Customer Service, SwordsOnline