You know, I started out writing something to the extent of “Five Ways to Tell a Website Sucks”, which I may do, but right now I’ll go with this.
During a recent bitter cold snap (-25 degrees) our furnace decided it was time to call it quits. We figured this out when we woke up in the morning. So I marched down to the basement to see what was what. It would turn on for about 15 seconds then shut off. Wonderful.
After calls to various HVAC services, which couldn’t get to me for two days, I decided to see what I could do. After running all the tests on the big sticker on the furnace cover, I figured out what broke.
You would think at this point it would be easy. I call various local suppliers. Apparently, the part is special order. Four days to a week. I can sense the fun just starting. I decide to see if I can find the part on the internet.
Google to the Rescue?
Anyways, I started searching the internet. The first place that shows up in Google claims to be the number 1 parts supplier. I find a part that looks like what I need but has a different number. I’ll just call them, right? I search the site. Phone number. Nope. Email address? Nope. How ‘bout the Contact Us page? Nope. Just a form to fill out. And they’ll respond as soon as possible. Back on the front page is a chat box. A chat box with an “Offline” message. 11:00 am and they’re offline? Explain to me how you get to me the “Number 1” parts supplier with no way to contact you.
Enough of that. Number 2, 3, and 4 don’t have the part. Number 5. This one has the same part number but no photo. This site has an actual phone number. An 800 number at that. A chat that is also offline. No email but another contact form. I call the phone number. Here is the message. I kid you not. “Hey, this is Joe. I ain’t home right now so leave a message.” I ain’t home? Who links an 800 number to their home answering machine? Wow!
Move on. Numbers 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 are a bust. Number 12 lists my part with a picture. They have a phone number, an email and a contact form. Three for 3. So I call. Yes, they have the part in stock. Three in fact. Order by 3 and it will ship tonight and I can have it tomorrow. As we’re talking I see on their site they are in Chicago. I ask if I can come pick the part up. Yes, If I’d like. I look at the clock. One-thirty. I write down the part # and grab the old part.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel?
I hop in the car and trek downtown. An hour and a half later, I arrive at this little non-descript building with virtually no where to park. Three doors on the building so I have to guess which one. I guess right.
I walk in. The place is old, worn with a beat up counter and shelves overflowing with parts. I go up to the parts counter and tell the guy at the counter my part number. He types it in and goes “Nope”. I say “What do you mean, nope?” He says “Don’t have that number. Where’d you get it?”
“I got it off your site”, I retort. “Not possible,” he says, “We don’t have a number like that. Are you sure you didn’t mistake someone else’s site for ours?” I need a mirror. Dolt must be written on my forehead. I tell him I called, was told they had 3 in stock, if I ordered by three I could have by tomorrow. “Well, that sounds like us. Let me check with the manager.” He goes off.
While he’s gone, I spin his keyboard and monitor around. In Google I type in the part number. Scroll down to their site and click the link. Up pops the part with the number I gave them. Go figure!
Back comes the counter guy and the manager. I show him the part on his screen. The counter guy looks confused. “How’d you get that?” he asks. Before I answer he says. “We don’t got it.”
This can’t be happening, I’m thinking. “I don’t understand. When I called you said you had three in stock.” About this time an older gentleman comes in. The manager looks at the screen. “Nope, we don’t got it. Looks like we shipped it to California.”
“All three?” I say sarcastically. By this time I’ve had enough.
The old man looks at me. “You know, in this business, it’s first come, first serve. That’s the way it is.” And off he walks.
“We have it at the warehouse and can have it here tomorrow”, the manager tells me. “I don’t understand. When I called I was told you had 3 in stock.” They can tell I am angry. I can tell they don’t care. “We do” he says,” at the warehouse.” Apparently, in stock means in stock somewhere, anywhere, just not here.
I glare at him. “Then why was I told I could come pick it up?” He rolls his eyes. “Look guy, we don’t got it. Do you want us to order from the warehouse or not?”
Really? So I can make another 3 hour round trip back down here tomorrow to be told you don’t have it. I grab my part and walk out.
Back to Square One.
Rush hour. It takes me two hours to get home. But I still have a furnace to get fixed and a house to heat. On the way I stop at the store and get two portable heaters. I’m resigning myself to the fact the furnace won’t be fixed tonight. I’m hoping the heaters will help.
Back home I search the internet some more. I go back through some of the previous sites. On site number four I find what looks like my part, but the number is wrong and it doesn’t list my furnace model.
I call the prominent phone number on the front page. Yes, that is my part. Just has this supplier’s part number. Yes, it will work in my furnace. Order by 8:00 pm and they can overnight it to me. It is a cold night.
So the next day I get my part. I have to add that I didn’t get the part ‘til 1:30 pm because the Fedex guy decided to leave on the side of the house by the garage door instead of the front door.
So part comes, furnace is fixed. House gets warm. I breathe a sigh of relief.
Moral of the story: You can’t hide poor customer service, no customer service or other business flaws with a fancy website.
(As they say, the names, or in this case the sites, were changed to protect the innocent.)
