Consumer Woes

As a result of my pregnancy, my life has become what others may describe as "dull." So here is my dull American consumer rant of the week:

I registered at Target for all of my baby items, and for the most part, this went well. Almost every item was purchased, and Target gained hundreds of dollars in revenue thanks to me. And now, I hate them.

My loving brother sent me the Arm's Reach Mini Co-Sleeper Bassinet which I was very excited about because Henry is going to get to sleep in it right away right next to me. Unlike other items (such as the high chair which I will probably not use until June), I was eager to set it up. Good thing I did because upon opening it, I realized one of the wheels was broken beyond my repair. I called Target Guest Relations and asked them what to do, noting that there was a sense of urgency with this item as I do not know when Henry will arrive. The man I spoke to told me to return the item to the store, get a gift card for the amount of the item, and order it again. (Apparently they don't DO exchanges.) So, I hauled my pregnant ass all the way to East Wareham, did some heavy lifting to get this bassinet from the parking lot to the store (not recommended late in pregnancy) and got my gift card for $146.99. They could not refund my shipping in the store, however, so I called guest relations again who told me a $20.11 credit would be applied to my account online to cover the cost of shipping the new bassinet.

Later that evening, snuggled under the duvet with laptop at hand, I went to reorder my baby's bassinet. I was having difficulty when checking out because I could not find the $20.11 credit on my account. So, I called guest relations again where I was greeted by a girl named Alicia. Alicia could not find this so called credit, but offered to help me place the order over the phone so she could personally ensure the free shipping. All phone or online orders need to have a credit card number even if you are paying with a gift card, as a security measure if for some reason there is not enough credit on the gift card to cover the item, tax, and shipping, so I obliged and gave her my Visa information. Then I try giving her the gift card number and she cannot find it.. This is where my nightmare begins. After 63 minutes on the phone with this dingbat, she tells me that the gift card will go through after I place the order, because she cannot find it yet (whatever this means..)

I check on the order the next day, and realized the gift card has not been charged, but I did get free shipping. I then check my Visa card online, and sure enough, it was charged $146.99. Needless to say, I was furious. I talked to Alicia for 63 minutes, who ensured me I would not have to pay a dime for this item, since it was intended as a gift, and she still fucked up. So I called guest relations again to try to get someone to reverse this problem, refund my credit card, and apply the gift card to the order. I didn't think this would be hard, after all, I have worked in retail, and things like this are usually pretty simple. Boy was I wrong. This time I was greeted by a man named Sanchez. I explained my problem to him. He told me that I could not recieve a refund because my credit card had already been charged, so I should just pay for it and use the gift card for something else I need. WHAT?! At this point I am so frustrated that I don't want Target to get any more of my money. I told him this was nonsense and asked to speak to his superviser. I never spoke to his superviser, but Sanchez did and came up with a solution. He said I could refuse the item, and would get a refund to my credit card within 7-10 business days afterwards. But this would be around December 12, and Henry is due December 21, and sometimes babies come early, so I could not wait this long. His next suggestion was to order the item again with the gift card so I could get it sooner, and bring the other one to the store for a refund when I recieved it. I agreed and placed another order for the same item this time using the gift card, and was told that the shipping would be free.

What a headache I was having at this point, but hope seemed to be on the horizon. I didn't want to have to drive back to the store, but figured I would want to anyways within the next few weeks. I tried to calm myself down.

Today, I look at my bank account and notice my credit card has been charged for the shipping on my second order. So, I called guest relations for the fourth day in a row in a vain attempt to solve the matter. This time I talked to Shannon, who told me that Sanchez did not apply the free shipping promotion to my account until after the order had been placed, which is why my credit card was charged, and that I should just use the promotion on my next order. WHY DO THESE PEOPLE THINK I WANT TO KEEP BUYING THINGS ONLINE AT TARGET?!! I told her I would not be placing another order, and would like her to refund my credit card the cost of the shipping. She told me this could not be done because my credit card had not yet been charged, it just had a hold placed on it.

Wait. So Sanchez told me I couldn't get a refund because my credit card had already been charged, and Shannon told me that I couldn't get a refund because my credit card had not yet been charged?!!? How does this make sense? What other options are there? Either it has been charged, or it hasn't, and apparently you can't get a refund either way, so they just make up excuses. I asked to speak to a superviser.

Now I'm on the phone with Tamara, and after at least 30 minutes of going through this whole story, she has promised me that she will place an advanced refund on the item as soon as I give it back to UPS, and that when I recieve the item bought with the gift card, she will also make sure I recieve my refund on the shipping. She told me she put a note on my account for this to be done but where that note goes no one knows... it goes with the lost shipping promotions from the guy on the phone and the lost gift cards from Alicia...

I now will be recieving my second and third bassinets in a few weeks. Too bad I'm not having triplets! I have a funny feeling this nightmare will not end for a long time, and when it does, I will have spent enough on gas, my cell phone bill, finance charges on my credit card, and therapy that it will not even be worth it. I should have just placed a book under the broken wheel to make it level, and called it a day. I'm sure Henry wouldn't have even noticed...