Terrible business, and pathetic excuse for 'Customer Service'

diydee
12.09.19 5:43 AM

On 11/22/2019 I ordered the Shark DuoClean Slim Vacuum w/Self-Cleaning Brushroll and Accessories (ITEM: 678-989), which was “Today’s Special” for $199.99 and there was also a promo code for $15.00-off plastered all around the website. Added the vacuum to my cart, entered the promo code and chose 6 payments of $33.33. What a great deal, I thought! Until I click submit on my order resulting in the website removing the promo code and overcharging me. Immediately contacted Customer Service who claimed they could not apply it due to my having selected FlexPay. They stated I would have to wait a couple days to contact them for a refund, or cancel the order and place it again. They were told that is not acceptable, I was overcharged due to an issue with the website, and would not risk being charged twice by attempting to cancel the order and place it a second time.

Meanwhile, as I am trying to get that straightened out, my dad gave me his credit card to order a pair of BearPaw Phoebe Hiking Boots with EverWet (ITEM 675-392) for my birthday, and I desperately need them for the winter. So I had added the boots, size 7 Wide, in Wine since Black was sold-out, to my cart and proceeded with entering details to create an account and submit the order. Again the $15.00-off promo code was removed, but I had not checked out, so I closed and reopened the page where it was then giving me a $10.00 promo code instead. Somehow, the $15.00 promo code was available as “Spendable Kash” in addition to the $10.00-off. So the boots went from $65.98 down to $44.64, which almost made me forget about all the hassles. By the time I had finished with the order for the boots, the charge for the vacuum had already reached my bank! Precisely why I told them I would not risk attempting to cancel the order to place it again, and had I done that I would have been charged twice.

It took contacting Customer Service several times through until the next day, each time being told something different, before I was finally refunded the $15.00 I was overcharged. But I did receive the refund within a day or two. On the other hand, my dads card was authorized for the boots TWICE, once at retail and a second time at actual cost. Thankfully the retail one dropped off, even though it should NOT have been on there in the first place. The vacuum shipped on the 24th and delivered on the 26th. In person it was nowhere near as impressive and when I went to register it with Shark I was having difficulties because as far as they were concerned, the vacuum model did not exist. After going through the Shark website pulling up the accessories and replacement parts listed in the booklet that came with the vacuum it was obvious something hinky was going on! The parts were all available on the Shark website, but they required a model number to be selected and this particular model of Shark vacuum did not exist on their website, or ANYWHERE online! I found a Google cached webpage for the vacuum on the Shark website, but it was taken down just prior to HSN going on air with it. Calling Shark Customer Service was even more entertaining because they had ZERO information on this “mystery” Shark vacuum and the gentleman I spoke with was tripping over his own words trying to come up with a story. Well, I had a better story… once upon a time I bought a hinky vacuum that turned out to be a remarketed older junk model that I returned the next day. The end.

I knew better, but I wanted the vacuum returned ASAP so I gave it to my mail carrier, who scanned it on site. As of today this so-called Easy Return does not appear in my account, the tracking number does not provide any information. I had attempted to contact HSN Customer Service and all they said was “just wait”. Yeah, I do not think so, not when they use a second rate shipper like UPS Mail Innovations who I am more than familiar with. So I proceeded to do the ‘legwork’, got in touch with USPS and they located the package for me. HSN received the vacuum back 12/06/2019 and I of course am still waiting on my refund.

While dealing with that, I had received the BearPaw boots which were not exactly what I was expecting. The color was awful, it was not “Wine” but just an ugly Purple and according to the manufacturer tag attached to them, EverWet is a stain repellant and NOT anything to do with repelling water. But I did like them aside from the color, so I requested an exchange and even asked if the black would likely be in stock again. From what I was told it was not likely so I settled on exchanging them for a pair in Hickory.

Saturday I received the exchange and I have NEVER been so disgusted in my life! I open the shipping box and see a BearPaw shoebox that has a rubber band wrapped around it, the corners of the lid torn and the front smashed. It took me by surprise at first because the shipping box they were in had no damage whatsoever. I pull the shoebox out, grab out a boot and pull it from the plastic bag when it hits me. This odor that I can only describe as dirty, wet leather and chemical smell. The boot itself was untied, the tag nowhere to be found and the suede had scuff marks. It took all of a half second to realize I had been sent someone else’s return and HSN apparently sent it right back out their door without ever having even inspected them first.

First thing, early Sunday morning before HSN was open I sent them an email because the boots had in fact come back in stock in black but there were only three pairs. Waited, waited and waited some more but did not get the call I requested. Log into my account, requested a call and it said I would be called in less than thirty minutes. Waited about twenty, received a call from HSN with an automated message saying to wait while I am being transferred and immediately disconnects. Log into my account again, requested a call again. More than twenty minutes goes by, I receive a call with the automated message and again it disconnects. Now I am fit to be tied! So I call myself and initially the woman was apologetic, she had said only one exchange is typically allowed but she would transfer the order from my dads account to my account so that I could make a second exchange given the circumstances and still honor the price too. She asks if she can put me on hold, several minutes later she comes back and needs to talk to my dad for whatever reason was pulled out of thin air. My dad speaks to her, gives me the phone back and she says, “BearPaw is offering a 3-pack of socks or a hat and scarf, would you care to add any”. Very much making it sound as though one of the two would be thrown in for my troubles, and I know better. So I point out the order was on my dads card, considering she had just spoken with him, yet waited to ask me which made absolutely no sense. Then I ask, how much and she rattles off some ridiculous price that had I not been so annoyed I probably would have busted out laughing. Then she asks me if this will be on FlexPay and I was completely lost. I said no, it is an exchange. She then informs me that I am only allowed one exchange, which I have already made. Therefore these NASTY, DIRTY boots they messed up and sent me will have to be returned for a refund and an actual NEW pair ordered and charged to my dads card. Apparently ignorance is a three-letter word spelled HSN if they think they are tying up almost $90.00 of my dads money for a pair of boots costing less than $45.00 when THEY are the ones who messed up in the first place. Not to mention her trying to con me into putting another $30+ on my dads card with the supposed BearPaw offer.

How they stay in business is beyond me and frankly, I feel half of what has been pulled should be criminal! I cannot wait to get my money back for their hinky vacuum and return the gently used boots so my dad can get his money back. Kind of funny though, the vacuum was a Christmas present to myself and the boots a birthday present to me from my dad and thanks to HSN I have nothing to show for either except a lot of wasted time.

sort replies - newest | oldest

- diydee
- 12.19.19 10:26 AM
You people are unbelievable! First I order the BearPaw Phoebe Suede Boots in Wine, which typically is a reddish-purple. When I received them they were purple, not Wine but Eggplant purple. Then I exchange them for Hickory since Black was sold out and I was told likely would not come back in stock. When I received them it could not have been more obvious they were used/previously returned boots. Customer Service said I could exchange them for a Black, even though there is an “one exchange per order policy”, which they followed up with trying to swindle more money out of my father by trying to get me to add more products to the order they KNEW was charged to his card. When I refused I suddenly was not allowed an exchange anymore, and was told a second order would have to be placed. Otherwise I would have to return the first order, wait for a refund and then place another order.

So my father puts a second order on his card, tying up money on TWO pairs of boots because HSN refused to take responsibility for their mistake. Then they did not even ship the second order until the used boots were practically on their doorstep. But to really top it all off, I received the second order yesterday and AGAIN was sent used/previously returned boots!

HSN is doing this purposefully because there is absolutely no way the others could have been mistaken for new, and two out of three pairs is by no means a mistake. Letting people believe they are getting a new product and knowingly sending a used product is not only not right, it is NOT legal!
- diydee
- 12.14.19 9:29 PM
Rather than wasting time with another request here, I called Customer Service four days ago, yet again to speak to a supervisor. Who oddly answered the phone by saying, “Hi this is NAME, thank you for holding for a supervisor…” and I cannot help but wonder if it was in fact a supervisor I spoke with because in all my years I have never had one who would not identify themselves as such. But like everyone else, she went into the spiel about “only one exchange per order is allowed”. I told her HSN could send a new order, IF they wanted to but they are simply choosing not to. She then comes back with telling me that two orders had already been sent and they have not received either one back, at which point I started to go off! I said, EXCUSE ME, what do you mean by two orders were sent and you have not receive one back? She repeated herself, as I very much hoped she would, and then I pointed out how THAT was a blatant lie because I knew for a fact the initial order was not only returned to HSN but was received by HSN almost a week prior. At that point I said my piece, let her know this would be addressed in other ways and hung up.

My father being a nice guy who knew I wanted these boots insisted on going ahead and placing a second order since it was the only feasible choice he was given by HSN. It was that or return the used boots , wait for a refund and then place another order when they had already gone out of stock twice and had a waitlist once. So I went online to locate another coupon code because despite HSN claiming they would make sure he was able to purchase them at the same price they shorted him. But of course made it a point to let me know they were waiving the return shipping, as though it somehow put them out when they were quite literally doing the absolute least they could to resolve the issue.

The website states, “Orders for all in-stock merchandise are processed and shipped within 24 – 48 hours M-F”, so his order should have shipped by Friday but the status was still “Packaging”. I contacted Customer Service to ask when his order can be expected to ship since they should have shipped already and got an evasive response about orders typically being received within seven business days of being ordered. I began typing that that did not answer my question. If they are supposed to ship within 24 – 48 hours M-F, where today is Friday and they still have a status of “Packaging”, does that mean they now will not ship until Monday at the earliest? BUT before I got even halfway through typing that, Customer Service sends me a message saying they will wait around a few minutes in the event I have another question, and it had not been but maybe thirty seconds since he replied to me and I began replying back. No sooner do I get that message that almost simultaneously I get a message, which was about a half second after the last one, that said he was leaving but I had hit enter at the same time so I barely caught him. That was beyond irksome when it could not have been even sixty seconds since he had replied to my initial question. But in the end he would not give me a straight answer. Then I thought about the shipping timeline when the exchange took place when it hit me that HSN is waiting to receive the order with the used boots and is holding my dads order hostage in the meantime. They were supposed to receive them back Monday, but the tracking updated today indicating they are supposed to receive them by today. So while I am generally not a betting woman, I would be willing to bet that the status of my dads order will change to shipped real quick when the used boots deliver back to them. So as if it is not bad enough they sent the wrong product since “used” is not an available exchange option, or that they refused to replace them, but they treat us like one of us is a thief who is going to steal the used boots if they do not make sure to get them back before releasing the new ones.

All I know is my dad originally ordered the boots more than three weeks ago but because of HSN they still have not been received, and my dad was forced to tie up $90.00 on TWO pairs of boots to finally get the ONE pair Customer Service said they would send. So I was wrong because I said, “Terrible business, and pathetic excuse for ‘Customer Service'” and that is a gross understatement!

Now it just occurred to me that I spent all this time typing this when someone will likely come behind me, as they have been, and delete it. So I will just smile for the screenshot so it is not a complete waste 🙂
- diydee
- 12.10.19 4:10 AM
@hsn_ryan, I had hoped HSN would take the opportunity to rectify this and I would hear from someone today. Especially given the fact that I requested to be contacted by a manager and/or supervisor. It is too bad they are not half as concerned or as quick to resolve this as they were with removing my reply to you. But the fact remains that a new pair of BearPaw boots were paid for and HSN sent me a pair of gently used BearPaw boots. It has been two days since Customer Service was informed of and acknowledged this, as well as subsequently stating an exchange at the same price would be honored. This is what I was told I would be provided with, it is what I fully expect and I will not settle for anything other than. That said, I do expect to be contacted by a manager and/or supervisor by the end of the week.
- HSN_Ryan
- Moderator
- 12.09.19 1:41 PM
@diydee, I’m very sorry to see the trouble you’ve had with your recent orders. This is truly not the experience we want for our customers and hope that you will give us another opportunity to provide you the shopping experience you deserve.