Did I over-react?

[Miss Chicken]

Yesterday I received the groceries that I ordered online. The total amount I paid for the groceries was $124.38 plus a $5 delivery fee.

When I checked off the groceries I found out that $19.01 worth of stuff was missing from my order. I phoned up the customer service number and was told that a bag must of been left out of my order and that he would credit the amount to my next order. I told him that I wasn't happy about this as I needed the stuff and I didn't have a spare $20 to go out and buy it. He then told me he would give me free delivery next time on top of crediting the $19.01 to my account. He said that this was all he could do.

I wasn't happy because after paying rent, buying groceries and paying bills I only had $75 left to buy bread throughout the fortnight, buy some fresh veggies next week and to go to the cinema today, so yesterday afternoon wrote a complaint on the store's Facebook page which said

I am quite annoyed at Coles online this week. $19.01 of groceries left out of my order. I have been given a credit for the items and also a credit for a free delivery. However because the items were needed (toilet paper (3 rolls), chicken breasts (2 lots) and coffee, I have to walk all the way to Woolies (my nearest store 2.5 km there and back) and as I am only a pensioner I will have to use the money I was going to use to go to the cinema to buy them. This has really ruined my day.

when I looked the morning Coles Online had answered people who wrote on the wall after me but ignored me. So I wrote another comment

Obviously Coles Online has decided to ignore what i have said in this post. As I result of this I want to ask - if, because of the mistakes Coles Online has made - not just this time but three other times though those times only one item a time was left out of my order - I decide I don't want to put in a $50 order to get the 19.01 I am owed back what can I do to get a refund? 6 items left out when I only ordered 44 items is really poor service. In my opinion it isn't good enough to just give a credit rather than a refund.

I didn't go to the cinema with my friends today because I couldn't afford to.

After this Coles Online has offered to find a way to refund the money to me.

My friend said I have over reacted because it wasn't even $20 of stuff but I believe that the store, from the beginning, should have offered me a refund or at least an chance to pick up the items from their store when the mistake was totally theirs.

Would you have insisted on a refund?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Yep, I would ask for a refund. You are entitled to what you paid for.

 

[Sector 7]

Since they gave you a credit for your next purchase AND free delivery, why didn't you just re-order the missing items and have them delivered for free? It seems to me that would solve your quandary.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Since they gave you a credit for your next purchase AND free delivery, why didn't you just re-order the missing items and have them delivered for free? It seems to me that would solve your quandary.

Because to get groceries delivered you have to put in a minimum $50 order. The website won't let you put in a smaller order than this.

 

[auntiehill]

Well, if that's the case, I would've demanded a refund from the start.

 

[Sector 7]

Since they gave you a credit for your next purchase AND free delivery, why didn't you just re-order the missing items and have them delivered for free? It seems to me that would solve your quandary.

Because to get groceries delivered you have to put in a minimum $50 order. The website won't let you put in a smaller order than this.

Oh, now I get it. In that case, I would insist on nothing less than the missing items delivered at no extra charge.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I have just looked at the Coles Online's main competitor, Woolworths Homeshop. They have a minimum order of $30 and if I am willing to have a 6 hour delivery window (instead of a 4 hour window) I can get my delivery for $3 instead of $5. I might use them from now on.

 

[Sector 7]

^Good for you, Miss Chicken! There are times when I wish we had home delivery of groceries where I live. At least Harris-Teeter sends me an e-mail circular each Wednesday morning. From there I can create my grocery list for the trip into town. Harris-Teeter has the best customer service of any grocery chain. This week I mentioned that I miss being able to get Moore's Asian Teriyaki Wing Sauce from them. The cashier handed me a form to request it. The next morning I received a call letting me know it was ordered. I had asked for 3 bottles, but the minimum order is 1/2 case (6 bottles). She asked if that was satisfactory for me and told me she would call me again when they arrived. That is good customer service!

 

[Itisnotlogical]

That's lame. I would have made a point of revealing that as soon as I got my refund I was never touching their damned website again.

 

[WillsBabe]

I have just looked at the Coles Online's main competitor, Woolworths Homeshop. They have a minimum order of $30 and if I am willing to have a 6 hour delivery window (instead of a 4 hour window) I can get my delivery for $3 instead of $5. I might use them from now on.

I think you should, and go to Coles Facebook page to inform all their other customers of where they can get a better deal!

 

[Switch]

An innocent mistake that I wouldn't have made any unnecessary fuss over. Depending on the degree of inconvenience (i.e. how necessary the items were, how much trouble it was to acquire them myself) I might've insisted that they deliver them the next day. Or I might've had no issue with them simply rolling it into the next order. With finances also being an issue, your insistence on a refund wasn't unreasonable, no.

 

[Australis]

Mmm, I'm not sure. Overall, I don't think you overreacted, but I would have tried to get them to deliver the missing groceries for free. I mean, that bag must be out there somewhere. As long as you didn't take it out on the phone guy, he's got to do things by the book, and if I'd been getting the runaround, I would have asked to talk to a supervisor.

They messed up, they needed to help their customer. People like yourself who use this service use it for a reason. This kind of behaviour is one of the reasons people get angry at the likes of Coles and Woolworths.

 

[Ghost07]

I don't think you over-reacted, either. Of course, my own reaction would have been...since you left a bag out, find it, and send it to me ASAP, for free. That wouldn't have broken the back of their company. Come to think of it, neither would a refund.

I also agree with telling everyone where they can get a better deal...

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I don't think you overreacted though you may have expected too much under the circumstances. Offering a credit and a little bit of free service is stand procedure for most businesses. Essentially, their mistake would only cost them $5. It cost you a lot more than that, obviously. If you had pressed the issue you might've gotten them to give you a full $50 order (including your $19) with free delivery.

But hey, you found a cheaper option, so might as well give that a shot. Sorry you had to miss out on the movies.

 

[TheSeeker]

Given your financial situation I would say you did not overreact. I suspect that if you had more disposable income it would not have been as big a deal for you.

I think a lot of people who have good cash flow tend to forget how every penny can count sometimes.

 

[Scout101]

Yeah, not really. I'd have just insisted that they deliver the forgotten items immediately, as they made the mistake. Offering a credit instead of a refund is a mistake, though. They didn't provide the service, you should get the money back, not a promise to give you more later.

I'd insist on delivering the promised items in the next shipment (today or tomorrow), and a discount (money off, free shipping, whatever) off the next purchase if they want you to use them again.

 

[Mr Awe]

I think your reaction was justified. Your money is your money. And, $20 is a lot to some people. The fact is, their mistake ruined your day.

Mr Awe

 

[Trekker4747]

Since they messed up and omitted the items your ordered they really should have manned up and delivered the missing items to you whether they met any minimums or not.

 

[Holdfast]

Wouldn't bother me as much (I'd have been OK with the credit and the free delivery) but we each perform our own individual cost-benefit analyses when deciding whether how much to complain so I'm not judging.

I email complained to my airline that the full video-on-demand service wasn't functional on my flight a couple of weeks ago, and that I had to settle for their broadcast selection of about 13 or 14 video channels instead. A lot of people would consider that fussing over nothing, but I got a £25 voucher out of them so for me it was worth the couple of minutes spent sending them an 5 line email about it.

We each draw our own conclusions about how much our time is worth and what is worth complaining about, which is as it should be.

 

[Trekker4747]

Wouldn't bother me as much (I'd have been OK with the credit and the free delivery) but we each perform our own individual cost-benefit analyses when deciding whether how much to complain so I'm not judging.

Well, apparently, the items she was missing were items she needed for one reason or another. (Honestly, if you wait until you are out of TP before you get more you're sort-of asking for trouble.) And, well, the store seemed more unmotivated to correct the problem.