Current Mood : Slightly miffed
Current Image Notes : All else fails, leaf through a magazine for ideas !
So, OK, there's a nice chunk of change left in Checking from last month, and Beloved Hubby tells me to have some fun with it. Well, I already have nearly every set I'm remotely interested in from Designs by SiCK and the online community of machine embroidery design sellers at large, and Brody - yes, that's the embroidery machine's name - is doing quite well with normal thread and the supplies I already have. Some of which I haven't even opened yet ! I've run out of places to put dolls, and my crafting boxes runneth over three months ago, with yard sale season shimmering with promise on the horizon.
Sure, I could have some fun when Molly-car's back on the road - Beloved's working on her this weekend !! - but there's not a lot I want anywhere. About all I need for Brody to have a full complement of accessories is that larger hoop... I wouldn't be making bigger patterns, but I could make continuous ones without having to ‘rehoop' the fabric.
Larger hoop. Hmmm.... I soon had the part number and quotes from BrotherMall.com, a site actually run by Brody's manufacturer, and AllBrands.com, a well-respected online dealer in just about any small-engine appliance. I didn't bother with eBay, because this is something I could order new and without issues attached. So I was gonna. With BrotherMall's first-time-customer coupon, the two companies were within a few bucks of each other. So I decided to go with BrotherMall. I'd abbreviate them as ‘BM', since that's how I feel about them now, but I'm trying to be nice, without a lot of success...
Hit the requisite buttons, learned it was a bit higher due to sales tax, but that was fine. I'd have it soon ! Waited for the e-mail confirmation... which said it was on back order, but should be in around March 17th or so. And then, they'd ship it to me in three to five days. Whaaaa ? It didn't say that on the order page ! Or when I forked over the payment ! Retraced the whole transaction... nope, nowhere did it say they were out of stock.
So I called their toll-free. Yup. Outta stock, too bad. No, the only way you'll know when we're out of stock is when we tell you. Only way for you to know when they're back in stock is to call and ask. (sigh) The one time I try to be extravagant when it's not tip-related... I cancelled the order, but I was more upset about the cancel than the operator.
From there, I hit AllBrands again. Now this is more like it ! It'll be here March 9th ! I even found a $5. off code that'd make shipping free. Except... when I put the code in, the ‘Delivering March 9' became ‘We're sorry, but we are unable to estimate delivery date'. Huh ? I backed out of the site, and reworked the order. Same thing again. Did I go to the back of some queue for using a coupon ? So I called. Aaand, guess what ? They're out of stock, too ! And they have no idea when they'll get more in. Now I'm frustrated, so I ask why they have three listed on eBay, and why their site lists the hoop as shipping from their warehouse that day. Operator doesn't know. But she's showing they've been out of stock for two weeks, minimum.
I honestly have no idea why these companies seem to think it's no big deal to not tell customers when something's not in stock. Especially when the order form indicates it is ! Now I get to hope she did cancel the order and that the payment doesn't go through. And I nearly did the same thing again ! Yet both operators seemed to think it's just the way things should be - the customers don't know squat, they sit on all the info, and decide when and even if to share it.
Well, long as I was on eBay... I found another dealer and bought it from them. A bit cheaper, and they verified they had it in their hands, and could get it in the mail tomorrow. I could have done the whole transaction in 30 minutes if BrotherMall and AllBrands had just been honest or at least not so scheming with their information. Now I'll avoid both companies like the plague, and woe betide either that asks me to fill out a be-darned survey. And it took most of the morning, listening to bad hold music so I can talk to operators who really don't care. I don't really expect them to take things personally, but shrugging at me and mentally filing their nails didn't give me a rosy impression of either of ‘em.
