Complaints.com

From: Message Author
Date: Saturday, 16-Dec-06 14:01:51 CST

Business Info

Hi,

 

Below is a copy of a letter I recently emailed to The Brick's VP, West regarding my on-going complaints with The Brick and its Nanaimo, B.C. store. It explains my continuing troubles with this company in detail. Please post it to your complaints.com website.

 

Many thanks in advance,

 

Lisa

 

Dear Regional Vice President, The Brick, West:

 

Re: 7 mos. and still waiting for my

sofabed to arrive!

 

I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction over the outrageous and on-going lack of professionalism, along with the grossly abysmal service that I have received from a multitude of representatives at The Brick, since purchasing a sofabed from your Nanaimo store last May: A sofabed that I have yet to receive.

 

My experience with The Brick over this matter to date has been beyond horrendous and at this point it's utterly inexcusable.

 

Here is a chronological recounting of my experience to date regarding the purchase of my sofabed from your Nanaimo store:

May 2006

*

Visited Nanaimo Brick store on Sunday, May 21, 2006, shopping for a sofabed. Found one (queen sized) that was suitable but didn't like the stock colour ("paprika"). Salesman ("Tom") showed me samples of other colours and prints that model was available in. I picked one I liked (a green colour w/ matching toss pillows), was approved for financing through your "15 month, no payments, no interest" plan, and ordered the sofabed. At the time I was told it "could take two or three weeks" to get the one I wanted in, and that Tom would call me when it was ready for delivery to my home.

*

A few days later, Tom called to advise me that my sofabed would not be ready for delivery until "late July, possibly as late as the first week of August," but that his manager ("Michael") was willing to give me a free upgrade on the mattress, at an approximate value of $200, if I were willing to wait that long for my sofabed to arrive. I agreed to wait.

June 2006

 

*

My Brick Platinum card arrived on June 22nd.

July 2006

*

On July 5th, 2006, Tom called to say "Good news!your sofabed is ready and we'd like to deliver it this Saturday, July 8th." Unfortunately, I was going out of town that weekend, so asked if it could be delivered the following day (Thurs., July 6), on Friday the 7th, or on Monday, July 10th. Tom said he would have "the lady in charge of deliveries" give me a call and I could schedule the delivery arrangements with her.

*

On Thursday, July 6th, I had my old couch hauled away to the dump, in anticipation of the imminent arrival of my new sofabed.

*

When I had not heard anything further by the afternoon of Friday, July 7th, I called the Brick's Nanaimo store and asked to speak with whoever was in charge of deliveries. The woman I spoke with said she "had no idea" why Tom had told me my sofabed was here as "it's not even in Vancouver yet and isn't due to even get there until at least August 10th." I then explained that I had already disposed of the couch I'd had, having been told that my sofabed was here and ready for immediate delivery. I further explained that I was expecting out of town guests in a matter of days, and thus wanted to know what The Brick was prepared to do to help provide me with a place for my guests to sit/sleep, given that it was the false information they'd given me that had resulted in my now being without any such furniture for myself or my guests. The woman I was speaking with said that she would have Tom call me "right away." He did not.

*

The following week I called The Brick again, asking for Tom, and was told he was working at United Furniture Warehouse that day. Subsequently, I called Tom at United and related to him what I'd been told by the Brick's "delivery lady." Tom apologized for the situation, but said that he didn't know what he could do to help me. I therefore advised him that I would be calling his manager (Michael) to take the problem up with him. I then called The Brick and left a message for Michael to please call me ASAP, after being told that he was busy with another customer, so unavailable to take my call at the time.

*

When Michael did not get back to me, I called for him again a couple more times that day until

I was finally able to speak with him. He said he did not know why Tom told me that my sofabed was here but, after some discussion, offered to have a "loaner" sofabed of the same model delivered to me within the following week for use until my own sofabed was delivered in early August. I agreed to this interim solution.

*

During this time I was also advised that Tom would no longer be my salesperson, having been replaced in my case by someone named "Kate." I recall speaking with her once during that period, and have not heard from her since.

*

When the "loaner" arrived several days later, the delivery crew said that they would likely not be able to get it into my livingroom without damaging it--and my apartment walls--as they felt it was too big to get through my entryway. They then observed that my windows are quite large and that despite my being on the second floor of my building, suggested that if I knew "a couple of really strong guys and got some really strong rope, [I] might be able to haul the sofabed up and in through one of my windows." Needless to say, I declined to try that, sent the crew on their way and called Michael once again to update him on the situation. I also reordered my sofabed in a full size, as the delivery crew had been confident they would be able to get a full-sized sofabed into my suite without too much trouble. Michael then agreed to send me a full-sized loaner to use until my own sofabed arrived, advising me that since mine would have to be reordered in the smaller size, I would now have to wait for my own to be delivered until "at least the 3rd week of September, if not sometime in early October." He also agreed, at my request, that if I would pay the $150 administrative fee on my Brick Card account on or before the end of August--something I'd originally been led to believe would be deferred for the "no payments" 15 month period of my financial agreement--he would have my purchasing agreement with them renegotiated to commence on July 24th, instead of the original May date. Fair enough. A full-sized loaner was delivered to me the following week.

August 2006

*

I made the aforementioned $150 payment to the Brick Card on August 15th. NOTE: I should add here that Michael informed me that the loaner I was using had the "upgrade" premium mattress on it, like the one that would be included in my own sofabed, but I have since discovered that the standard mattresses other furniture stores provide with their sofa are thicker and much more comfortable than the loaner one I've been using. This leads me to believe that I was not given The Brick's premium mattress at all and I am suspicious that that was an intentional effort to mislead me into thinking otherwise.

*

In the meantime, a number of discrepancies and unauthorized charges had shown up on my July bill from the Brick Card. After a very lengthy and trying call to a representative ("Fred") at the Brick Card, who was unable to explain some of the charges on my bill, as well as to "Brandon" at the Nanaimo Brick store (August 14th), the issues concerning the unauthorized charges, etc,seemed to be straightened out.

September 2006

*

On September 14th, I found myself having to call the Brick Card once again, after I noticed yet more errors on my September Brick Card monthly statement. This time I spoke with a "Chantelle," who, after putting me on hold numerous times, acknowledged that certain things on my account had been "misapplied." Accordingly, she agreed to reverse those items so that my balance due would be back to a zero balance, as it should have been to begin with.

October 2006

*

When my sofabed had still not arrived and there had been no further word about that from The Brick by late October, I once again called to ask when I could expect it to arrive and was told that it was due to arrive on or before November 8th, making it's expected arrival almost 6 mos. (23 1/2 weeks) from my original purchasing date (of the queen sized model) and some 4 months (15+ weeks) from the time that my full-sized model was ordered.

November 2006

*

Well, when I still had not heard anything from The Brick and my sofa bed had still not arrived by November 16th, I called your corporate office to take the matter up with you there. Instead I was told that I'd first have to speak with the regional manager here, Graham Higgins, about my situation and would only be able to speak to someone at your corporate office if Graham was unable to resolve my concerns here.

*

I then called Graham that same day (November 16th) and gave him the whole story. He sounded very sympathetic and expressed agreement that this matter had gone on for far too long and was simply not acceptable. He asked me to give him until early the next afternoon to find out what the hold-up was, assuring me that he would get back to me with some answers then.

*

The following day I waited at home for Graham's call. When he had not called by around 3 pm, I called the store and was told he couldn't come to the phone just then, but would be available to call me back "within a few minutes" so I left a message for him to please do so ASAP. After another wait and having still not heard back from him by 4:30, I called again, only to be put on hold 3X by the receptionist before Graham answered his line. He then asked me to hold again while he spoke with "Shana," who was "supposed to be looking into it for [him]" and put me on hold twice more while he apparently spoke with Shana. When Graham finally came back on line at 4:50 pm, he said he had no answers for me yet "as the vendor is closed until Monday." He assured me that "we're going to check with the vendor" then and that he would get back to me on Monday with some answers.

*

No call from either Graham or Shana on Monday (Nov. 20th), so I called the Brick store for him that afternoon. I was told that he was not in that day, as he was working in the Port Alberni store. I then asked to be transferred to the Port Alberni store, and subsequently spoke with Graham there. He said he would call Shana right away and get back to me shortly. He did not. That day I left a message on your corporate office's voicemail for someone to please call me. Within 24 hours I received a call from "Meaghan" at your corporate office.

*

After explaining the whole story again to Meaghan, she said that she would investigate the matter for me and get back to me, which she did. Meaghan said that while she could not offer me a discount for my troubles, she would renegotiate the terms of my purchasing agreement so that my 15 month "no payment" period would now begin effective November 21st, 2006. She then called and left a message for me saying that my sofabed was expected to be in Nanaimo within the week and that Shana would be calling me shortly to arrange for its delivery. Shana then called on November 23rd and left a message on my answering machine that my sofabed would be delivered to me on Monday, November 27th (4.5 months after it was ordered and almost 7 months since this whole saga first began!). I also spoke with Meaghan again, who said she'd call me on Tuesday, the 28th, to ensure that my sofabed had been delivered to me and that everything was okay.

*

When one of the delivery crew called me first thing Monday morning to arrange for the delivery that day, I told him that it would not be safe for them to come to exchange the sofa that day, as there are many outside stairs leading up to our building's entrance, all of which were covered in solid ice and snow at the time. He thanked me for letting him know that and said the next delivery day would be Friday, so they'd call again Friday morning and let me know what time they'd be coming that day. (I did not hear from Meaghan that week, but assumed she'd been updated and knew my sofabed hadn't been delivered yet, and why.)

December 2006

*

On Friday morning, December 1st, a delivery crew member called me at 8 am to say they would be here with my sofabed between 3 & 5 pm. I spent the day waiting and when they had still not arrived, nor called, by 5:45 pm, I called the store to find out what was going on. The woman I spoke with said that, due to the snow and ice, etc, the delivery crew was running "about a half hour late" and should be arriving shortly. When I still not heard from them by about 6:30, I called the store again and asked to have one of the drivers call me, as I had other plans for the evening. In the meantime, I cancelled a music lesson (at the last minute) that I'd had scheduled, not wanting it to be interrupted by the delivery crew when they arrived.

*

A driver called me around 7 pm, saying they'd be here to exchange the sofa "sometime between 8 and 8:30" that night. Unfortunately, I did have other plans for that night and so the driver said he'd call me at 7 am the next morning to arrange for delivery on that Saturday (Dec. 2nd). Since I was scheduled to work until 1:30 am that Saturday night and so didn't want to be awoken quite so early, I asked if he could call me a little later, even 8:30 or 9 am, to arrange for the delivery. He agreed to have a driver call me around 8:30 the following morning and said my sofabed would be delivered by no later than 3:30 that day.

*

No one called me that Saturday morning, so I finally called the store, once again, at about 11 and asked what was happening with my delivery. The receptionist said she didn't know why I hadn't heard from the delivery crew, and would have one of the drivers call me right away. No one did. I called again during the lunch hour and this time the receptionist said she would call the driver right away and that she personally would call me back to let me know what was going on within a few minutes. She didn't. In fact, no one called me at all that day, nor had my sofabed arrived by the time I left for work at 5:30.

*

Due to a temporary change in my work schedule, I was unable to call again the following week, and had decided to take the matter up with Meaghan at your corporate office, yet again, as soon as I was free to do so during regular business hours. Meanwhile, Shana left a message on my answering machine that Tuesday afternoon, December 5th, asking me to call her to arrange for the delivery of my sofa bed.

*

On Saturday morning, December 9th (some 7 1/2 months later), I received a call from a Brick delivery driver, saying they would be arriving with my sofabed between 11 and 1 pm. At long last, they showed up at around 11:30 that morning, only to inform me that they didn't know how they were going to get the loaner out of my place as they didn't bring anything to tie the mattress down with! Well, they found something that would work, took the loaner out and brought in a new sofabed for me. GUESS WHAT? WRONG SOFABED! The sofabed they delivered is NOT the colour I ordered it in, has a different rear cushion style, neither the rear nor the seat cushions sit flush (I've taken pictures) and the construction is so poor I wouldn't want it if you gave it to me!

*

After explaining to the delivery crew that it was not the sofabed I'd ordered, one of them said he would call the store immediately (from the truck) and let them know. They left (forgetting a roll of tape and a tie-down here) and I called the store right away.

*

Apparently it was Graham's (the regional manager's) day off, so I left a message for the manager on shift--who was apparently busy with another customer at the time--to please call me right away regarding an important matter. I also explained the situation to the receptionist. Yet again, no one called me back.

*

On Monday, December 11th, I left a message for Meaghan at your corporate office, explaining the latest developments in this saga, and asking her to call me back. In the meantime, I called the Brick Card people to check to see what the exact date was in July when my account was renegotiated (the first time). They couldn't tell me. All they could tell me was that on July 24th there was a "purchase" made on my account for $49.37, but they couldn't tell me what that purchase was. Beyond that, they said there was nothing further listed until November 21, 2006.

*

Meaghan called me back at 4:05 pm. I told her that I want the sofabed I ordered delivered within the next three weeks and a 65-70% discount. She said she wouldn't do that, and instead would arrange for me to get a full refund on the $150 I've already paid towards my purchase. I told her that I would want to be paid interest on that money as well, which she said The Brick would not do (talk about adding insult to injury!). Meaghan went on to advise me that she'd also call the Nanaimo store right away to have someone arrange to pick up the sofabed that's here as soon as possible: "It will be as if you'd never bought anything from us in the first place," she said. After some discussion, she agreed to have the sofabed left here until I could find one to replace it, sometime over the next 3 or 4 weeks; however, she inferred that should anything be spilled on it (red wine, for example), then I would have to purchase the couch. I told her that I most assuredly will NOT be held accountable for any such thing, given that this situation is entirely The Brick's fault to begin with!

********************

Unfortunately, as I explained to Meaghan, it will not be as if I'd never done business with you in the first place. First of all, if this sofabed is picked up right away, I won't have anything in my livingroom to sit on, since I got rid of my couch the first week of last July, after Tom had told me my sofabed was here and ready for delivery to my home. Secondly, four times now I have had to dismantle and remove the bookcase in my suite's entryway--along with pictures, books, knick-knacks, etc--so that the delivery crew could get the sofa in and/or out of my place. Thirdly, I have spent entire days waiting for delivery crews who'd said they were coming, then never showed up; waiting for my calls to be returned and/or promised updates that never came, from Brick store sale reps, managers, receptionists, agents in charge of deliveries (Shana), drivers and the regional manager himself. Fourth, I have wasted countless hours calling repeatedly, leaving messages, etc, wanting to know what was going on, and all for naught. Fifth, I have experienced nothing but grief with the Brick Card, as the statements I've received from them are invariably inaccurate, mysteriously vague as to what the items listed on the statement are--no one there has ever been able to tell me what those charges are actually for either, requiring still more calls, being put on hold, etc, trying to get things clarified and straightened out with them. Sixth, the on-going hassle and stress of this entire experience from the outset, not to mention the repeated disruptions to my day-to-day life and plans, is not something I'm apt to forget. And finally, here it is, right before Christmas, and all-of-a-sudden I'm having to start shopping for a new sofabed (and get the financing for that in place) all over again, from someone else. No, it will not be "as if [I'd] never bought anything from [you] in the first place."

 

So here's my position: If The Brick is not prepared to give me a HUGE discount on the sofabed that I ordered (hell, I should get it for free!), and have it delivered to me, well constructed, post haste, that I should be otherwise satisfactorily compensated for the 7 1/2 months of grief I've been through over this. Failing that, I will be contacting programs like CTV's "Olsen on Your Side," consumer groups, the Better Business Bureau, and so forth, as well as writing letters to both local and national newspapers and magazines, broadcasting the debacle that has been my experience with your company as widely and loudly as I can.

 

I await your prompt reply.

 

 

Lisa Lambeth

(250) 753-4571