Monday, February 25, 2008
Why it's always important to follow up
...because no one else is watching out for you!
Way back in mid-December, I returned some items that we'd ordered from the Restoration Catalog. The items were needed for our bathroom remodel, but the shipment of these items were delayed, and we didn't get them in time to use them in the bathroom. (they were the sink trap/supply kit.) We ended up buying something else, so I returned them to a Restoration Hardware store, rather than paying extra to have them shipped back to the company.
I returned 6 towels, (2 of each size, and the color didn't go quite well enough with our bathroom) one H2O Supply kit, and one P Trap Kit.
The guy at the store told me that he would send these items back to the warehouse, but warned me that it may be a few weeks before the refund/credit showed up on our credit cards statement. Because of this, I made a mental note to check our credit card statement periodically so make sure these credit were posted.
One credit (for the towels) showed up on 12/28. Not bad.
Another credit (for the P Trap Kit) posted on 1/2.
I never saw the final credit (for the H20 Supply kit) post at all.
I kept all of my receipts, and jotted down the dates that each credit was made.
Last night, as we were paying bills, I checked the credit card statement one more time. Nothing.
I figured enough time had passed, and it was time to give Restoration Hardware's customer service line a call again.
I just called them.
They agreed that the refund had never been sent, and that they still owed me $225 (plus tax) for the last item.
$225.00.
That's a lot of dough.
They are processing my request now, and say it should show up on my credit card statement within 4-5 business days.
Just another example on why it's so important to keep up with things, and follow up.
I could've easily forgotten about that return, and assumed that it was done right. That would've been a lot of money down the drain (pun somewhat intended).
Way back in mid-December, I returned some items that we'd ordered from the Restoration Catalog. The items were needed for our bathroom remodel, but the shipment of these items were delayed, and we didn't get them in time to use them in the bathroom. (they were the sink trap/supply kit.) We ended up buying something else, so I returned them to a Restoration Hardware store, rather than paying extra to have them shipped back to the company.
I returned 6 towels, (2 of each size, and the color didn't go quite well enough with our bathroom) one H2O Supply kit, and one P Trap Kit.
The guy at the store told me that he would send these items back to the warehouse, but warned me that it may be a few weeks before the refund/credit showed up on our credit cards statement. Because of this, I made a mental note to check our credit card statement periodically so make sure these credit were posted.
One credit (for the towels) showed up on 12/28. Not bad.
Another credit (for the P Trap Kit) posted on 1/2.
I never saw the final credit (for the H20 Supply kit) post at all.
I kept all of my receipts, and jotted down the dates that each credit was made.
Last night, as we were paying bills, I checked the credit card statement one more time. Nothing.
I figured enough time had passed, and it was time to give Restoration Hardware's customer service line a call again.
I just called them.
They agreed that the refund had never been sent, and that they still owed me $225 (plus tax) for the last item.
$225.00.
That's a lot of dough.
They are processing my request now, and say it should show up on my credit card statement within 4-5 business days.
Just another example on why it's so important to keep up with things, and follow up.
I could've easily forgotten about that return, and assumed that it was done right. That would've been a lot of money down the drain (pun somewhat intended).
Labels: just trina, webTrina
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Don't mess with webTrina.
Today I was on a quest.
We have pretty much everything bought for our Bathroom Remodel. Just a couple of little odds and ends left.
One thing we've been looking for is a nice, small soap basket which can also double as a towel bar for my little scrubby towel.
We've been looking for a while, but everything we've found so far have been too large.
This afternoon, I decided to go to a designer bath store here in the city. Our architects had sent us there a few months ago to look for sinks. They have a huge selection - probably one of the best in town...... and I think they know it. I was immediately turned off by the horty-torty attitudes that I experienced with their sales people last time. Basically, the drill is that you can look around the show room, take note of pieces you're interested in, write down the number by the display, make an appointment with one of the sales people, and then they will tell you the price. You aren't allowed to take photos anywhere in the store. I found the whole process rather annoying, and their arrogant sales people even more so.
As it turns out we didn't end up buying our sink from them. We're very limited for space in our bathroom, and were very specific in what we were looking for. It turns out that in their vast inventory, they simply didn't have what we were looking for. Ironically, we ended up finding exactly what we were looking for at Restoration Hardware. Admittedly, that wasn't cheap either, but it was less expensive than the sinks we saw at the store. Plus, we were able to place our order online, and didn't have to deal with any snobby sales associates.
Anyhow, I figured this crazy place would probably have a little soap basket that I was looking for. My previous neighbor who used to live in the downstairs condo had renovated the downstairs bathroom 15 years ago. He left me a file with all of his documentation, and I saw that he had bought most of his accessories from this store-which-shall-not-be-named. He had a long wire basket put in the shower/tub downstairs that we really like. We figured the same company must have made one in a smaller size as well.
So, I went this afternoon. I decided to wipe away all of my preconceived notions of this place, and try it out again. Good news: I did indeed find exactly what I was looking for! I took note of it, went to the receptionist, put in my name, then waited a few minutes for the next available sales person. She was nice enough - nicer than the last woman who helped us there, but there was still some of that "we're better than you" attitude. I actually apologized to her, because I knew this would be such a small purchase. Her response: "Well, yes, we do usually deal with much larger orders than this. After I showed her the product I was interested in, she walked me back to her desk, and she rummaged through some catalogs, found what she needed, (without showing me) took a photocopy of the page, and presented it to me. The photocopy was quite good, because it showed all of the dimensions, then she wrote down the price: $99.00. Yep, $99.00 for a small, 7" long chrome basket.
Okay, whatever. We're putting enough dough into this bathroom remodel. What's another $100? There were actually two styles that I was interested in. I wanted to get Dick's opinion first. I asked the sales associate what their return policy was (I thought perhaps I could buy one today, take it home, see what he thought, and if he didn't like it, I'd just return it.). Their return policy: 50% stocking fee. Ummmm... exsqueeze me?
Needless to say, I didn't buy it. I was planning to come home with my little photocopied paper of measurements, show them to Dick, the two of us could decide tonight, then I could call the dreadful company tomorrow to place my order.
I thanked her again for her time, and acknowledged again that I knew this was a very small order for her. Her reply, "Well, yes, but that's not your fault."
I called Dick when I got home, and he asked if we could just buy it online. This place doesn't have a web site, so I said "no"and that I'd have to call it in tomorrow. What he meant was could we find it online through another company. What a novel thought! I looked at my photocopied sheet of paper, and realized that the oh-so-clever sales associate had copied the catalog just so so that the brand of the product wasn't actually shown.
After calling my Mom, and telling her about my shopping experience, she also suggested that I just look online to find the same one. That's when I realized that the not-so-clever sales associate had included the product reference numbers on my photocopy.
goto: Google.
enter: Wire Basket Small (with the reference number)
Up comes: lots and lots of sites offering the same product for discount prices! (imagine that)
Bonus: no annoyingly snobby sales associates!
So, what did I find?
How about this place, which has it at 40% off, no sales tax, and free shipping?
They have the corner style, too!
I'll show both styles to Dick tonight. We'll decide which one to get, then place the order online.
I imagine that will be very satisfying.
Don't mess with webTrina.
She'll blog about you, and tell the world how mean and snobby you are.
We have pretty much everything bought for our Bathroom Remodel. Just a couple of little odds and ends left.
One thing we've been looking for is a nice, small soap basket which can also double as a towel bar for my little scrubby towel.
We've been looking for a while, but everything we've found so far have been too large.
This afternoon, I decided to go to a designer bath store here in the city. Our architects had sent us there a few months ago to look for sinks. They have a huge selection - probably one of the best in town...... and I think they know it. I was immediately turned off by the horty-torty attitudes that I experienced with their sales people last time. Basically, the drill is that you can look around the show room, take note of pieces you're interested in, write down the number by the display, make an appointment with one of the sales people, and then they will tell you the price. You aren't allowed to take photos anywhere in the store. I found the whole process rather annoying, and their arrogant sales people even more so.
As it turns out we didn't end up buying our sink from them. We're very limited for space in our bathroom, and were very specific in what we were looking for. It turns out that in their vast inventory, they simply didn't have what we were looking for. Ironically, we ended up finding exactly what we were looking for at Restoration Hardware. Admittedly, that wasn't cheap either, but it was less expensive than the sinks we saw at the store. Plus, we were able to place our order online, and didn't have to deal with any snobby sales associates.
Anyhow, I figured this crazy place would probably have a little soap basket that I was looking for. My previous neighbor who used to live in the downstairs condo had renovated the downstairs bathroom 15 years ago. He left me a file with all of his documentation, and I saw that he had bought most of his accessories from this store-which-shall-not-be-named. He had a long wire basket put in the shower/tub downstairs that we really like. We figured the same company must have made one in a smaller size as well.
So, I went this afternoon. I decided to wipe away all of my preconceived notions of this place, and try it out again. Good news: I did indeed find exactly what I was looking for! I took note of it, went to the receptionist, put in my name, then waited a few minutes for the next available sales person. She was nice enough - nicer than the last woman who helped us there, but there was still some of that "we're better than you" attitude. I actually apologized to her, because I knew this would be such a small purchase. Her response: "Well, yes, we do usually deal with much larger orders than this. After I showed her the product I was interested in, she walked me back to her desk, and she rummaged through some catalogs, found what she needed, (without showing me) took a photocopy of the page, and presented it to me. The photocopy was quite good, because it showed all of the dimensions, then she wrote down the price: $99.00. Yep, $99.00 for a small, 7" long chrome basket.
Okay, whatever. We're putting enough dough into this bathroom remodel. What's another $100? There were actually two styles that I was interested in. I wanted to get Dick's opinion first. I asked the sales associate what their return policy was (I thought perhaps I could buy one today, take it home, see what he thought, and if he didn't like it, I'd just return it.). Their return policy: 50% stocking fee. Ummmm... exsqueeze me?
Needless to say, I didn't buy it. I was planning to come home with my little photocopied paper of measurements, show them to Dick, the two of us could decide tonight, then I could call the dreadful company tomorrow to place my order.
I thanked her again for her time, and acknowledged again that I knew this was a very small order for her. Her reply, "Well, yes, but that's not your fault."
I called Dick when I got home, and he asked if we could just buy it online. This place doesn't have a web site, so I said "no"and that I'd have to call it in tomorrow. What he meant was could we find it online through another company. What a novel thought! I looked at my photocopied sheet of paper, and realized that the oh-so-clever sales associate had copied the catalog just so so that the brand of the product wasn't actually shown.
After calling my Mom, and telling her about my shopping experience, she also suggested that I just look online to find the same one. That's when I realized that the not-so-clever sales associate had included the product reference numbers on my photocopy.
goto: Google.
enter: Wire Basket Small (with the reference number)
Up comes: lots and lots of sites offering the same product for discount prices! (imagine that)
Bonus: no annoyingly snobby sales associates!
So, what did I find?
How about this place, which has it at 40% off, no sales tax, and free shipping?
They have the corner style, too!
I'll show both styles to Dick tonight. We'll decide which one to get, then place the order online.
I imagine that will be very satisfying.
Don't mess with webTrina.
She'll blog about you, and tell the world how mean and snobby you are.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
A Coke and a Smile
Mexican Coke at Costco
I drug Dick to Costco with me the other day, and we made a cool discovery:
Alongside all of the other Cinco de Mayo goodies were cases of "Coca Cola of Mexico made with Pure Cane Sugar".
We thought this was especially cool - who doesn't love a Coke in a bottle? I always thought it tasted better than in a can. Now I know why: they make it with real sugar, versus the corn syrup that is used here in the States.
We came home, and immediately popped the top off of a couple of bottles. Ahhhh.
'aint nothin like the real thing, baby.
It was like remembering how great a Coke was when you were a kid.
(Okay, now I sound old!)
Yesterday, Dick found this article on the web. It explains that Costco has conformed to CA and U.S. rules, such as CRV and "nutrition" labeling, so everything appears to be nice and legal.
This other article had this to say:
Some say that Coke is Coke, so whichever sweetener used doesn't matter. Others strongly disagree - they feel that the Coke hecho'ed en Mexico tastes like what Americans drank in the long long ago, back before 1985's New Coke/Coca Cola II Project Kansas debacle, back when sugar was the sweetener used by all U.S. bottlers.
Our local Taqueria sells Coke in a bottle. At least I know that when our Costco stash runs out, I can always run there for a bottle.
Labels: webTrina
Saturday, April 14, 2007
webTrina: finding bargains in Kentucky!
Tammy and I have had such a great day (already!).
Gap Clearance Center, Hebron, KY
As I've mentioned from previous years, one of our favorite activities during our girl's weekend in WGI is when we make the drive over the border of Kentucky to do some serious shopping at the Gap Clearance Center!
We were not disappointed! Some great clothes, and wonderful bargains were found!
To summarize: I bought 5 pairs of pants (2 of which are for my Mom and my Sister), 1 pair of spandex leggings (been wanted to get some of these for a while) 5 tops, and one pair of sandels.
"How Much?" you say?
You'll never believe it...
To top it off, as we were nearing the check-out counter, a nice woman approached us, offering a 20% off coupon!
"So how much was it?"
But wait... there's more!
They also threw in a free Gap CD - which I'm listening to right now, and it's really great!
So, lets summarize again...
5 pairs of pants
5 tops
1 pair of leggings
1 pair of sandles
1 music CD
6% Kentucky Sales Tax
(minus 20%)
Grand Total: $73.68.
Oh, yeah!
webTrina strikes again!
For the record, Tammy found 2 pairs of pants, 4 tops, a jacket and a bag. She paid under $50.
This is why we love coming here!
After our early afternoon shopping spree, we drove back to Dayton to our favorite little High Tea Restaurant, which we just found last year.
The food was amazing: great tea, tea sandwiches, scones, and pastries.
All for $12/person.
I'm telling you, there are some great buys here!
Afternoon High Tea in Dayton!
We're taking a quick break in our fabulous hotel room, resting up for the big night ahead.
WGI Finals is tonight!
....followed by a late night at headquarters!
Gap Clearance Center, Hebron, KY
As I've mentioned from previous years, one of our favorite activities during our girl's weekend in WGI is when we make the drive over the border of Kentucky to do some serious shopping at the Gap Clearance Center!
We were not disappointed! Some great clothes, and wonderful bargains were found!
To summarize: I bought 5 pairs of pants (2 of which are for my Mom and my Sister), 1 pair of spandex leggings (been wanted to get some of these for a while) 5 tops, and one pair of sandels.
"How Much?" you say?
You'll never believe it...
To top it off, as we were nearing the check-out counter, a nice woman approached us, offering a 20% off coupon!
"So how much was it?"
But wait... there's more!
They also threw in a free Gap CD - which I'm listening to right now, and it's really great!
So, lets summarize again...
5 pairs of pants
5 tops
1 pair of leggings
1 pair of sandles
1 music CD
6% Kentucky Sales Tax
(minus 20%)
Grand Total: $73.68.
Oh, yeah!
webTrina strikes again!
For the record, Tammy found 2 pairs of pants, 4 tops, a jacket and a bag. She paid under $50.
This is why we love coming here!
After our early afternoon shopping spree, we drove back to Dayton to our favorite little High Tea Restaurant, which we just found last year.
The food was amazing: great tea, tea sandwiches, scones, and pastries.
All for $12/person.
I'm telling you, there are some great buys here!
Afternoon High Tea in Dayton!
We're taking a quick break in our fabulous hotel room, resting up for the big night ahead.
WGI Finals is tonight!
....followed by a late night at headquarters!
Labels: bargain queen, webTrina, wgi
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
webTrina: At Your Service
Thank you for calling webTrina. How may I help you?
My friend Blane just called me.
He was in South San Francisco, looking for the Costco on South Airport Blvd. He had printed the map and directions before he left his house, but he still couldn't find it.
So, what did he do?
He called webTrina!
Our friendly customer service agents at webTrina were able to help him out! We stayed on the line with him, giving him street-by-street directions, until he reached his final destination. Once he was in the Costco parking lot, he wondered aloud where the tire service center was. We instructed him to continue to the left side of the building.
Thank you for calling webTrina. We look forward to working with you again in the near future.
My friend Blane just called me.
He was in South San Francisco, looking for the Costco on South Airport Blvd. He had printed the map and directions before he left his house, but he still couldn't find it.
So, what did he do?
He called webTrina!
Our friendly customer service agents at webTrina were able to help him out! We stayed on the line with him, giving him street-by-street directions, until he reached his final destination. Once he was in the Costco parking lot, he wondered aloud where the tire service center was. We instructed him to continue to the left side of the building.
Thank you for calling webTrina. We look forward to working with you again in the near future.
Labels: trina-isms, webTrina
Thursday, December 14, 2006
WebTrina Strikes Again!
The bacon vault has been running low, so I've been checking out the grocery adds waiting for Oscar Mayer bacon to come on sale.
The ads came on Tuesday, and lo, there it was: Oscar Mayer Bacon 2 for 1 sale at Safeway.
Dick worked from home today, and I managed to talk him into taking a break to go to the store with me so he could experience a 2 for 1 sale for himself.
We went in with 2 things in mind: Bacon and Christmas cards. (i just needed two)
First we noticed that Cinnamon Rolls were on sale for 4 @ $1.50 each. We bought 4 and saved $7.40.
We also picked up a coupon for an extra $.75 off when you buy 3.
Then we passed by the yogurt. On sale half off. I bought 5, and saved $3.00.
Dick's favorite coffee, Starbuck's Verona was on sale for $2.00 off. Alas, it wasn't 50% off, but on sale, nonetheless.
Christmas cards: we find two, along with a coupon for a free 12 pack of Coke with the purchase of 3 cards. I found another funny, generic card that I know I'll use soon, and picked up our free box of Coke.
Finally, we made our way to the Bacon section. Dick was simply amazed at the 2 for 1 savings. We picked out 8 packages of bacon for the bacon vault and saved $25.96.
We made our way to the checkout, and found we had saved a whopping $41.60, which is the equivalent of 49%.
Impressive, isn't it?
Dick was in awe and amazement as we walked back to the car.
update
Dick and I had went out to dinner that same night . We went to our local seafood joint, which was serving fresh, Dungeness Crab. Dick had a salad, I had a cup of clam chowder, we split a whole crab, and each had wine. Our dinner came to just under $45. Dick mentioned that it cost as much money as what we had saved at Safeway earlier that same day. So, we owe our thanks to Safeway for treating us to a delicious dinner!
The ads came on Tuesday, and lo, there it was: Oscar Mayer Bacon 2 for 1 sale at Safeway.
Dick worked from home today, and I managed to talk him into taking a break to go to the store with me so he could experience a 2 for 1 sale for himself.
We went in with 2 things in mind: Bacon and Christmas cards. (i just needed two)
First we noticed that Cinnamon Rolls were on sale for 4 @ $1.50 each. We bought 4 and saved $7.40.
We also picked up a coupon for an extra $.75 off when you buy 3.
Then we passed by the yogurt. On sale half off. I bought 5, and saved $3.00.
Dick's favorite coffee, Starbuck's Verona was on sale for $2.00 off. Alas, it wasn't 50% off, but on sale, nonetheless.
Christmas cards: we find two, along with a coupon for a free 12 pack of Coke with the purchase of 3 cards. I found another funny, generic card that I know I'll use soon, and picked up our free box of Coke.
Finally, we made our way to the Bacon section. Dick was simply amazed at the 2 for 1 savings. We picked out 8 packages of bacon for the bacon vault and saved $25.96.
We made our way to the checkout, and found we had saved a whopping $41.60, which is the equivalent of 49%.
Impressive, isn't it?
Dick was in awe and amazement as we walked back to the car.
update
Dick and I had went out to dinner that same night . We went to our local seafood joint, which was serving fresh, Dungeness Crab. Dick had a salad, I had a cup of clam chowder, we split a whole crab, and each had wine. Our dinner came to just under $45. Dick mentioned that it cost as much money as what we had saved at Safeway earlier that same day. So, we owe our thanks to Safeway for treating us to a delicious dinner!
Labels: trina-isms, webTrina
Saturday, August 26, 2006
WebTrina
Back in the days of the dot-com boom heyday, Dick was a huge fan of WebVan. He would rave about the fact that he could order all
his groceries online, and schedule a delivery time that accommodated his schedule.
Sadly, we all remember the demise of webvan.com.
Lucky for Dick, I moved into his house shortly afterwards.
That's when we established: WebTrina.
"You don't need WebVan! You have WebTrina!"
Because I work from home, I have the luxury of setting my own schedule. I often run errands during the day, before Dick comes home. He hardly missed WebVan at all, because now he had the luxury of having WebTrina.
And so it has been for many years now. WebTrina has a longstanding reputation of quality service and products. Dick hasn't had a disappointing experience with WebTrina yet. (Except, perhaps, the time that he insisted that I return the bacon, because he deemed it "too lean".)
Dick has told his friends about WebTrina. They are all envious, and wish that they, too, could sign up for WebTrina. Actually, some of his friends have been able to take advantage of a limited amount of WebTrina Services:
Need something from Costco? Call WebTrina!
Have a question about the best prices in town? WebTrina, at your service!
Need transportation or hotel arrangements? WebTrina is here for you!
Need a new Xbox Game delivered to your Door? WebTrina will find it for you!
Best of all, we finally registered our own domain name: WebTrina.com.
WebTrina:At Your Service
his groceries online, and schedule a delivery time that accommodated his schedule.
Sadly, we all remember the demise of webvan.com.
Lucky for Dick, I moved into his house shortly afterwards.
That's when we established: WebTrina.
"You don't need WebVan! You have WebTrina!"
Because I work from home, I have the luxury of setting my own schedule. I often run errands during the day, before Dick comes home. He hardly missed WebVan at all, because now he had the luxury of having WebTrina.
And so it has been for many years now. WebTrina has a longstanding reputation of quality service and products. Dick hasn't had a disappointing experience with WebTrina yet. (Except, perhaps, the time that he insisted that I return the bacon, because he deemed it "too lean".)
Dick has told his friends about WebTrina. They are all envious, and wish that they, too, could sign up for WebTrina. Actually, some of his friends have been able to take advantage of a limited amount of WebTrina Services:
Need something from Costco? Call WebTrina!
Have a question about the best prices in town? WebTrina, at your service!
Need transportation or hotel arrangements? WebTrina is here for you!
Need a new Xbox Game delivered to your Door? WebTrina will find it for you!
Best of all, we finally registered our own domain name: WebTrina.com.
WebTrina:At Your Service
Labels: webTrina
&
Disclaimer
The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent my employer's view in anyway --- oh right, I *am* my own employer!
;)
© Copyright 2003-2007, Trina Chow
