Quality, value, service, trust - Part 2

When last I posted, it was just shortly past 1:00 and SO much has occurred since.

I was promised by one of the people at Sears that the second crew would be arriving sometime between 2:00 and 5:00, and was asked if it was alright if they arrived early. While still angry about the situation, I agreed that this would be fine...especially about the 'early' part.

Midway through the afternoon, probably around 2:30, I called the store and asked if they had an ETA on when the guys would arrive. She said that they hadn't gotten to the store, but she was calling them "right now" and would get back to me. I let that go, and waited...and waited...and waited some more.

She finally got back to me around 3:15 and said that I would be receiving a call from the second team 'momentarily'. I got a call at 4:30 saying that they just got to the store and would be coming right away. My question is, if they weren't arriving until 4:30, then how could they promise me that "someone would be here between 2:00 and 5:00"?

Apparently our ideas of 'right away' are off base. The second team called me and said that since our order was 'an add on', we would be the last one of the evening. They said that it would definitely be after 6:00, probably closer to 7:00.

I called the store back and said it was unacceptable, and the clerk said, that she would see what she could do.

A third gentleman called back, Shazam, and said that he would be out as soon as he was finished his job in East York (roughly 45 minutes away), and if the other guys arrived first, so be it, but certainly someone would be arriving this evening.

I called the store back, spoke to the manager, for the 324237th time, just to let her know what was going on and that I was livid by the whole situation. Delivery of a bed should not require this much work.

5:00 passed. 6:00 passed. Finally at 6:30 the second team arrived and went into the bedroom to attach the bed frame to the headboard. Hallelujah!

They walked into the room, realized that they would have to drill new holes, and even though they had a drill in their hands, told me that they COULD NOT drill new holes. Apparently they aren't allowed to do so, there's just one guy who could do it, so they turned around and LEFT. Yes, that's right. They left.

I called the store back, AGAIN, and told them what was going on, and the manager told me that she would put in a 'special call' to Shazam and that she would TRY to get him out tonight, but if not, would tomorrow be ok? Seriously?

Ques'que fuck?!

I told her again that the mattress was in our hallway and the boxsprings were leaning against the armoire and that we didn't have a bed tonight. At that, she said (are you sitting down for this?) "Can't you put the boxsprings on the frame and the mattress on top?"

Yes, of course we COULD, but that's not the point. It's the principle of the matter. We paid for service, and damn it, we were going to get it come hell or high water.

She sighed and said that she would call Shazam and 'see what she could do'.

No more than five minutes passed when Shazam called back and said that he would be arriving as soon as he left his job in East York.

7:15 rolled around and finally, by the grace of all things holy, Shazam walked through the door. He walked up to the bedroom and he couldn't believe all that we had been through. He asked why none of the other crews did their jobs, and honestly his guess is as good as mine.

He looked at the bedframe and said 'it's been put in backwards and you're missing the supports!' He looked in the box and found them, and said that the guys who originally put the frame together (around noon), totally screwed up and actually put the wheels on backwards as well. He looked at the shape of the frame and said that it was all askew. The top width measured 74 inches and the bottom was 76 inches. Yeah, I'd say that's askew.

Shazam and his sidekick, the boy wonder (AKA Kato), took apart the frame, put it together properly and drilled new holes in the frame and attached everything properly.

He turned to me and said 'how hard was that? Why didn't anyone do this properly the first time?' He had a few, more harsh words about Sears, but they're not quite fit for print. ;)

All in all, it was a REALLY stressful day. More stress than should be involved in a simple purchase and delivery of a mattress and boxspring.

On the last call to the manager of the store, I told her that I wanted to talk about doing something with the bill. She told me that "we'll talk about it tomorrow, after everything has been set up". I think she basically wants me to 'sleep on it' and cool off by morning. HA! She doesn't know me at all...

Believe me, I'm SO calling her in the morning...I'll let you know what happens.

So, all in all, our day and our sanity was saved...by Captain Marvel.

SHAZAM!