Biddle Outdoor Center, Inc.

We have been in business in the [redacted] area for over 45 years and pride ourselves on customer satisfaction.  We went out of our way for Mr. [redacted] to accomodate him and waived delivery charges as he was needing us to pick up his chairs to have them refurbished.  This is...

a service we provide through a refurbishing company we deal with in Phoenix. He purchased this firepit on sale, then decided later after we took our time to deliver it that he did not want it. Normally in this instance, we would give him an in store credit, as there were no defects involved, just a customer changing his mind after delivery. Our return policy is clearly on the front desks in both stores.  He indicated to [redacted] that he would bring the firepit back in to our [redacted] store.  Apparently this did not happen, and [redacted] said we would pick it up. We did not charge him for the pick up either.I was out of the country for a couple of weeks and did not return until the first week of November. At that time [redacted] discussed the matter with me.  Our accounting department then needed to make sure the check had cleared, which all companies do and have the check put in for isssuance. This was done and given to me with many other checks for approval and signature. The check was mailed out, but as of today does not look like it has cleared.He was told that the refurbishing on his old patio furniture would be APPROXIMATELY 4-6 weeks. We have no control over the completion of this and it is based on how busy our supplier is.  Because he was buying the firpit too, [redacted] did not charge him a pick up and delivery fee, which is standard.He states that he called [redacted] several times.  [redacted] days off are Tuesday and Wednesday, and apparently that is when he is calling. The chairs are supposed to be ready the end of November and we will be picking them up and delivering them to him at no charge the first week of December.We have attached the original invoice and a copy of the check that was issued to him.  We have gone way out of our way in time and expense to take care of him.Sincerely,[redacted] Outdoor Center, Inc.[redacted] and [redacted]

In November 2014 we began the process of installation of a sun room on a walking deck. We were required to pay a large % of the total cost to begin the plan approval process. In the meantime, we experienced an event that caused us to remove the drywall and insulation below the walking deck and discovered mold. Between these two events, Biddle was working on plan approval and experienced some snags that caused them to recommend changes to the design that would have increased the total cost. We were able speak directly with the County staff and get verbal approval based upon our explanations. When the mold was discovered and we learned the cost of remediation and repairs, we decided to scrap the sun room and promptly notified Biddle, asking that they provide us with the costs they had incurred and refund the balance. Weeks later, after periodic prodding, we received a week old summary of our account. Without any documentation to substantiate the costs but wanting to get the refund ASAP, we requested that the refund check be written. Now....remember this was 1 week after they already knew how much they owed us. We were told that they could not issue our refund until another week went by ..... eventually, we learned that they were waiting for draws in order to refund our money that they had had for 4 months. They did, finally, issue the refund (which we picked up and took directly to the bank). BOTTOM LINE.....don't give them the % they want up front..get a clear written agreement for refund if you cancel.. stay on top of them all the time (we had to ask what the status was to learn that they were having issues with the county which were, in my estimation, due to their inability to clearly communicate),

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
The  refund has been received and deposited--however, given the number of "inaccuracies" contained within the business response and the length of time it took for them to refund my money,  I feel compelled to correct these "inaccuracies"  for the benefit of other potential customers and the Revdex.com.
1.  My complaint (see original document) does not involve the  chairs---my complaint is about a lack of response to inquiries about my refund for the firepit.  Why this is in Mrs [redacted] response to the Revdex.com is unknown.
2.  The purchase of the firepit and the refurbishment of the chairs was contingent upon the delivery of the product and the pick up and delivery of the chairs before and after refurbishment.  Delivery was not offered by the business as a free service after the purchase was made -- the purchase was contingent upon these actions--a big difference.
3.  The "no return policy" posting mentioned by Mrs. [redacted] was not seen by myself nor my wife, it is not on my receipt, and that policy was never mentioned at the time of purchase.
4.  Mrs. [redacted] states that I was to bring the firepit back to the [redacted] store but that this "apparently never happened".  This is not correct.  I offered to do this upon my first call to  [redacted] about the return/refund on Monday 10-20-14 but [redacted] offered to simply have the driver who runs between the [redacted] and [redacted] stores to pick it up on Friday Oct 24--which he did.  Mrs. [redacted] implies I delayed the return--this is not true.
5.  Mrs. [redacted] states that upon her return to the store on Nov 3, she discussed the matter with [redacted] but that accounting wanted to wait until my check to cleared the bank before issuing a refund.  My bank records show that  my purchase check cleared the week of Oct 20--almost 2 weeks prior to her return on Nov 3.  Furthermore, although her refund check shows an issue date of Nov 6 --the envelope in which it was sent to me is post marked Nov 13.  I received the refund on Nov 15.
6,  Responsiveness--I patiently waited, as [redacted] requested, until Mrs [redacted] returned on Nov 3.  [redacted] promised to call me on that date ref the refund---he did not.  I left messages on his message machine on several occasions with no return call back.  The only call initiated by [redacted] to me was after they recieved the Revdex.com complaint.
I have my refund now, and assuming that the chairs are delivered in satisfactory condition, I consider this closed.  I will state that I will never do business with this firm again and would not recommend them to anyone.
Regards,
[redacted]

We have been in business in the [redacted] area for over 45 years and pride ourselves on customer satisfaction.  We went out of our way for Mr. [redacted] to accomodate him and waived delivery charges as he was needing us to pick up his chairs to have them refurbished.  This is...

a service we provide through a refurbishing company we deal with in Phoenix. He purchased this firepit on sale, then decided later after we took our time to deliver it that he did not want it. Normally in this instance, we would give him an in store credit, as there were no defects involved, just a customer changing his mind after delivery. Our return policy is clearly on the front desks in both stores.  He indicated to [redacted] that he would bring the firepit back in to our [redacted] store.  Apparently this did not happen, and [redacted] said we would pick it up. We did not charge him for the pick up either.I was out of the country for a couple of weeks and did not return until the first week of November. At that time [redacted] discussed the matter with me.  Our accounting department then needed to make sure the check had cleared, which all companies do and have the check put in for isssuance. This was done and given to me with many other checks for approval and signature. The check was mailed out, but as of today does not look like it has cleared.He was told that the refurbishing on his old patio furniture would be APPROXIMATELY 4-6 weeks. We have no control over the completion of this and it is based on how busy our supplier is.  Because he was buying the firpit too, [redacted] did not charge him a pick up and delivery fee, which is standard.He states that he called [redacted] several times.  [redacted] days off are Tuesday and Wednesday, and apparently that is when he is calling. The chairs are supposed to be ready the end of November and we will be picking them up and delivering them to him at no charge the first week of December.We have attached the original invoice and a copy of the check that was issued to him.  We have gone way out of our way in time and expense to take care of him.Sincerely,[redacted] Outdoor Center, Inc.[redacted] and [redacted]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
The  refund has been received and deposited--however, given the number of "inaccuracies" contained within the business response and the length of time it took for them to refund my money,  I feel compelled to correct these "inaccuracies"  for the benefit of other potential customers and the Revdex.com.
1.  My complaint (see original document) does not involve the  chairs---my complaint is about a lack of response to inquiries about my refund for the firepit.  Why this is in Mrs [redacted] response to the Revdex.com is unknown.
2.  The purchase of the firepit and the refurbishment of the chairs was contingent upon the delivery of the product and the pick up and delivery of the chairs before and after refurbishment.  Delivery was not offered by the business as a free service after the purchase was made -- the purchase was contingent upon these actions--a big difference.
3.  The "no return policy" posting mentioned by Mrs. [redacted] was not seen by myself nor my wife, it is not on my receipt, and that policy was never mentioned at the time of purchase.
4.  Mrs. [redacted] states that I was to bring the firepit back to the [redacted] store but that this "apparently never happened".  This is not correct.  I offered to do this upon my first call to  [redacted] about the return/refund on Monday 10-20-14 but [redacted] offered to simply have the driver who runs between the [redacted] and [redacted] stores to pick it up on Friday Oct 24--which he did.  Mrs. [redacted] implies I delayed the return--this is not true.
5.  Mrs. [redacted] states that upon her return to the store on Nov 3, she discussed the matter with [redacted] but that accounting wanted to wait until my check to cleared the bank before issuing a refund.  My bank records show that  my purchase check cleared the week of Oct 20--almost 2 weeks prior to her return on Nov 3.  Furthermore, although her refund check shows an issue date of Nov 6 --the envelope in which it was sent to me is post marked Nov 13.  I received the refund on Nov 15.
6,  Responsiveness--I patiently waited, as [redacted] requested, until Mrs [redacted] returned on Nov 3.  [redacted] promised to call me on that date ref the refund---he did not.  I left messages on his message machine on several occasions with no return call back.  The only call initiated by [redacted] to me was after they recieved the Revdex.com complaint.
I have my refund now, and assuming that the chairs are delivered in satisfactory condition, I consider this closed.  I will state that I will never do business with this firm again and would not recommend them to anyone.

Regards,

In November 2014 we began the process of installation of a sun room on a walking deck. We were required to pay a large % of the total cost to begin the plan approval process. In the meantime, we experienced an event that caused us to remove the drywall and insulation below the walking deck and discovered mold. Between these two events, Biddle was working on plan approval and experienced some snags that caused them to recommend changes to the design that would have increased the total cost. We were able speak directly with the County staff and get verbal approval based upon our explanations. When the mold was discovered and we learned the cost of remediation and repairs, we decided to scrap the sun room and promptly notified Biddle, asking that they provide us with the costs they had incurred and refund the balance. Weeks later, after periodic prodding, we received a week old summary of our account. Without any documentation to substantiate the costs but wanting to get the refund ASAP, we requested that the refund check be written. Now....remember this was 1 week after they already knew how much they owed us. We were told that they could not issue our refund until another week went by ..... eventually, we learned that they were waiting for draws in order to refund our money that they had had for 4 months. They did, finally, issue the refund (which we picked up and took directly to the bank). BOTTOM LINE.....don't give them the % they want up front..get a clear written agreement for refund if you cancel.. stay on top of them all the time (we had to ask what the status was to learn that they were having issues with the county which were, in my estimation, due to their inability to clearly communicate),