When a
customer wants to buy a building we have different options they can use for
payment. They can purchase it outright (with cash, credit card, check, etc.),
they can elect to do our Rent-to-own program, or they can finance it using one
of 3 different finance companies. On our price tags we...
have the purchase price,
multiple finance options, and multiple rent-to-own options. We put price tags
in our buildings to help the customer know about what their monthly payments
will be, depending on which option they choose. These prices are estimated, and
while usually correct, are not written in stone. On one tag is a sheet of paper
with the building size, purchase price, a 48 month finance option, and then
rent-to-own options. About 6 months ago we signed up for a new finance option,
which is an 84 month option and is on a separate price tag.
On Wednesday
the 23rd the customer and wife looked at several buildings, we spent about 30-45 minutes looking at different styles going over the different purchase options. A little
after 6 pm they decided what they wanted, so we went to the office to do the
paperwork. I try my best to accommodate our customers, so didn’t mind staying an
extra hour and a half after our posted business hours to help them. They decided
they wanted building similar to one we had in stock, but not that exact unit,
so I ran the price through the estimator and it came up to about $55 a month (sometimes
stock buildings are marked down), so I told the customer what the monthly
payment would be, and he said that the tag in the similar building was $43 a
month. I asked, are you sure you’re not thinking of the one the next to it? I ran
back out and checked and it did say $43 (which the customer was very quick to
jump on and argue about). I apologized, and explained that the tag was probably
just wrong due to human error, since it was equal to the payment of building
beside it that cost less. However, the tag with the overall purchase price in
the building was correct (as well the rent-to-own and other financing options).
He said I should honor the $43 a month on the tag. I told him no, I’m sorry, I
would if I could, but could not do that because the difference is too much.
That’s a $12 a month difference over 84 months, 12x84=$1,008 which is more than
I would make off selling the building in the first place. As well, the price
tags in the buildings are on a piece of paper held in with a thumb tack. We
leave our buildings open and unlocked in case people want to browse after hours
or days we’re closed, so I have had people remove price tags and even switch
them in the past. I’m not saying that’s what happened here, just that it has
happened in the past so when selling a building we don’t rely solely on the
tag.
He then said
I should give him a discount for the error. Again I told him I would if I
could, but that the price of the buildings (especially that series) were not
negotiable because we already price them as low as we can. We price them that
way so we can sell them and not haggle over the price. He kept insisting that
some kind of compensation be given, then implies that it’s some kind of trick.
I explained no one was trying to get one over on him, that the price is the
price, I’m sorry that one tag in one building was incorrect, but that if he
wants to buy the building this is what the monthly payment will be. We cannot
give buildings away and stay in business. I think this illustrates pretty
clearly that it was this customer trying to pull one over on me, not the other
way around.
So they
elected to buy the building using the 84 month finance option at $55 a month.
To do the financing we have to fill out an online application using personal
information given to us by the customer (SS#, gross annual income, etc.) for
the finance company to apply for the loan. If the loan is approved, a line of
credit is opened up. Using that line of credit, we run the amount for the cost
of the building, print and sign the final papers, and at that point the
building is purchased. When he and his wife sat down to do the loan, I asked,
“do you want the loan to be in both of your names as co-signers or just one of
you”? They said “both”, so I got both their information and entered it into the
website for the finance company. Before I hit the “send/apply” button, I asked
them if they authorized me to electronically send their information via the
internet so the credit company could run their credit for the loan. At this
point they said, oh wait, she (his wife) has her credit frozen so it probably
won’t go, so just use his by itself. So I took her off as a co-signer and just sent
his application. Once an application is approved, the credit company gives a
credit limit. The loan was approved for up to $7,500, but all we needed was the
$3,285 for the building. The way the credit company has their system set up: the
estimated monthly payments will change to whatever amount the loan is approved
for, not what we asked for originally, so it estimated the payments at $128 a
month for the $7,500. That needed to be changed so that the amount was for
$3,285 and payments at $55 a month. When I hit the button to change the amount,
it instead accepted the amount of $7,500. Now keep in mind, no money is actually on the
line of credit until we run the final account numbers through our credit card
machine, so all of this is just an estimation on the computer screen.
The way the
credit company has their online system set up, I cannot simply go back in and
fix it, so I had to call them. Unfortunately for both me and the customer, the
representative I got on the phone was no help, and actually made things worse.
She could not understand that I just needed the estimated monthly amount of
payments changed from $7,500 to $3,285 on the computer screen, then kept putting
me on hold every time I asked a question, dragging things out much longer than
it had to be. Then she came back and said that the minimum loan amount had to
be $3,500. This made no sense, so I tried to explain to her that this wasn’t
right. In order to do that, I would need to give the customer $215 back on a
finance deal, which neither I nor the customer wanted to do, but I went ahead
and repeated to the customer what she suggested to do. After I explained to her
again that this didn’t make sense, and that I have never had anyone tell me
that on past deals, she puts me on hold again. Finally she comes back saying
she thinks she has it straight now, and that really it’s that the customer
needed to be approved for at least $3,500 (which they were) not the loan amount.
I asked her again, what to do on the website to fix it? She told me what to do,
which didn’t seem to work either. So while I’m trying to get this straight with
her, the customer said that this was taking too long, and apparently I didn’t
know what I was doing, to cancel the order, and they were leaving. I told them
I’m sorry this is taking so long, and that it was frustrating for all of us, but
we were almost done, I just need them to fix the estimated payments on the
website so I could print the papers out. They said no, they were leaving, and
walked out the door while I was still on the phone. We were 90% done with a
financing deal, but I cannot stop someone from walking out the door (even if
they’re in middle of a financial transaction). So the deal was left undone.
I have done
hundreds of finance and rent-to-own deals, and rarely is there ever even so
much as a glitch. But since this was a company new to us, and I had never had
this issue before, I didn’t have a quick fix, and the person that is supposed
to be there to help me fix it did not. It’s unfortunate and frustrating, but
sometimes in an automated world things like this are going to occur. The
challenge when things don’t work like they’re supposed to, is to fix it as fast
as you can. The last thing I wanted to do was sit on hold for 30 minutes,
explaining myself over and over, but it was the only option I had to try and
resolve the issue. If the finance agency
would have had a better person for their dealer support, then the problem could
have been fixed faster. It will be a decision we at Cool Sheds will make to see
if the benefit of an 84 month option is really worth dealing with a company
with dealer support that can’t seem to support the dealer when we need them.
I called the
credit company the next day and told them how disappointed I was with the representative,
and told them that the issue I had wasn’t that complex, just one I couldn’t fix
from my end, and that the representative should been able to fix the issue or
transfer me to someone who could. The person I spoke the next day understood
exactly what I was saying, knew exactly how to fix it, and was very apologetic.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t the representative I got stuck on the phone with when
the customer was with me. While speaking to the credit company, I asked, “Since
he walked out on a finance deal that was 90% done, is there anything I need to
do?” They said no, he just has a line of credit with them since he was
approved, but has no charges on it because he left.
As a
courtesy I then called the customer to let him know that he may want to close
the line of credit he opened if he wasn’t going to use it, or if wanted to use
it he could still come get a building. He said he would just close it. About 30
minutes later the customer called screaming at me that I had no right to open a
line of credit in his name, and what I was doing was fraud. I tried to explain
to him that I did not open a line of credit, he did, this is how he decided to
purchase the building, but that nothing was ever purchased. No money ever
changed hands, nothing was charged in his name, and nothing was ordered. He
kept yelling at me implying it was some kind of fraud, which I assured him it
was not. If it were, it would be a pretty bad scam since I gained absolutely
nothing, stayed an hour and half later than I had to, got yelled at and insulted,
when all I did was try to help him purchase a building. Then he started saying that
I told him I was just going to check his credit score. This is not true. I told
him, I have no way of checking your credit score, I’m not a credit agency. So
he then said I told him that it was a pre-approval process. This is also
untrue, since we don’t even have a pre-approval process. You can apply for the
loan to get the building and get turned down, or you can apply and get
accepted. I tried to explain that even if there was a way I could check his
credit, having a good credit score doesn’t mean I’m going give you a $3,300
building. How you get the building is by getting a loan with your credit, which
is what we were attempting to do.
As far as
the desired settlement:
We are not a
credit agency. We are a shed dealer offering multiple ways for you to buy a
building through a 3rd party if you so desire. I’m here to assist
you in that process, but if someone decides to get up and leave in middle of
financial transaction, it doesn’t automatically undo what’s already been done.
As far as
the price tag, no one is trying to trick anyone. It isn’t a “bait and switch”. Obviously
the wrong tag ended up in the wrong building. I apologize for the mistake, but
the mistake did not cause any harm, and was clarified before we went any
further. If it had been the actual purchase price of the building that was $12
off, I would have gladly honored it. But $12 a month for 84 months is something
different entirely. To expect me to give you a building at a financial loss
just because a tag is in the wrong the building is just crazy, and says more
about the customer then it does about the way I do my job or run my sales lot.[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.
[redacted]Is implying that myself and my wife were holding him back an extra hour after posted closing times is very funny seeing the following:1.) When we showed up no one was there and there was a note saying be back in 15 mins during posted hours.2.) He spent 20-30 mins showing another customer a shed.So in regards to his accusation about us holding him up and him trying to accommodate us that is very wrong! After almost 2 hours because of his continuous "human errors" we got up and told him we could no longer sit here and wait whilst he attempts to figure out what he did wrong. He begged us to stay and said it's almost done I need an approval number that's it but at this point with all the "human errors" I did not feel comfortable.In regards to his explanation as to the price posted wrong, again this owner is clearly having human error issues with his memory. Yes I did ask him to honor the price posted and his response was no he cannot and it was a human error and that HE HIMSELF POSTED ALL THOSE PRICES AND MADE A MISTAKE. No one switched it, it was stapled to his shed not many staples one staple clean piece of paper. Who carries an industrial stapler around with them? Seriously? I understand that he leaves his sheds open for customers to come and see when he is closed. However, if you have had problems with customer/people switching your prices why would you not put up a camera device, or a better way of showing your prices? None of the sheds had papers that were moved. He is looking to avoid the issue which is he posted (again clearly HE HIMSELF) posted the wrong price and admitted it in front of myself and my wife. Yes I did ask him to honor the price I think that's only fair that was the price we saw posted and how we based our decision. I did NOT repeatedly try to get one over on him how does that make any sense if I was moving forward to see if we got pre-approved for financing? I asked him once if he could please honor that price and he said NO! I then asked and only once if he could take something off to help get a little closer to that price, because we based our decision on his "human error". In regards to his explanation to the finance issues I offer this solution to prove he's again lying on how the events transpired please call the financing company [redacted]) ask for a copy of the audio recorded customer service call between the owner and the rep on March 23rd. This will show you and you will hear him repeatedly say he made a mistake, he pushed the wrong button, why does it show $7500 when he changed it to $3500. You will also hear him offer to pay us the difference in a business check because he can't figure out why it changed and why they can't fix it. You will also hear him [redacted] blame the rep because he was about to loose the sale. If he knew about this program he would've known that the $7500 was a credit limit not a charged amount. I also have a voicemail that I would be happy to forward where [redacted] states he does not know much about this company because he's only been using them for about a year, and he can't believe what a mess that was and he was sorry.If you are a business owner sorry only goes so far, you need to know what your prices are and if you make an error you need to stand by it, this is not the customers fault that you cannot hang a tag correctly. Also if you offer financing you should probably know the steps and approval process. There are only so many human errors that should transpire when purchasing anything, Every other business would own their errors and not push it onto the customer or attempt to push blame everywhere else. If I go to buy a car and the wrong price is posted by the dealership guess what they have to honor it. I have never had an issue like this before and you may have knocked the quality of sheds other companies around you sell sheds but at least they are upfront and more honest and not riddled with "human errors" and somehow they have the correct prices posted and monthly payments, along with proper financing. In closing from the age of 4 all the way through to an adult we are taught (most of us) that if we make a mistake we are to take responsibility for it no matter of the cost or trouble you may get into I find it rather funny that this business owner does not know this, nor was taught it. In society we have laws for this reason some criminals make human errors and guess what [redacted] they are held responsible for them, they do not get to say Oopps!
Regards,
[redacted]
As far as staying after our posted hours, I was not implying
that having late customers was holding me back, I work late almost every day. All
I was pointing out was that if everything posted on a sign is written in stone,
then I should have closed right at 6pm (like what’s posted on the door), but
since we truly try to cater to our customers, I really don’t mind staying later.
No one said that the customer switched the tags. In fact I
said that this is not what happened in this case, but it is one of the reasons we re-run the numbers and not just go solely
by what’s on the tag. I told him I must have put the wrong tag in the wrong
building and I was sorry, apparently I made a mistake and would have to chalk
it up to human error. Obviously something wasn’t right if the building sitting beside
the one they liked that costs $600 less (purchase price) has the same monthly
payment. Either way, they were told what the correct monthly payment would be
before they decided to proceed with the purchase.
As far as the online financing application, yes, I said that
I needed to go back a screen to change the estimated payment amount but I
couldn’t, and that’s why I needed help from the finance company (as previously
explained). I entered the correct numbers on the screen, then hit either
“continue or apply”. I told the representative (repeatedly) that either I hit
the wrong button, or it didn’t take the numbers that were typed in, but either
way it was showing the estimated payments for $7500 (not $3285). That needed to
be changed, or it wouldn’t be right on the printed paperwork, but was not
something I could do from my end. Since we have only used that credit company
for a short amount of time, I have not run into every possible problem or
scenario, so unfortunately don’t have a quick fix for everything. As I
explained before, it shouldn’t have been a big deal, but with the
representative not understanding the problem and keeping me on hold, there really
wasn’t a lot I could do to quickly solve the issue. When I explained it to
another representative the following day she understood immediately and
apologized.
I totally agree that there should be a simpler fix, and it
shouldn’t be that complicated, but that’s the way this finance company has
their online financing set up. Because of this, we have suspended using this
finance company. We won’t be offering an 84 month payment until they can offer
us a better system with better support. Our other finance companies have very customer/dealer
friendly systems, and knowledgeable representatives that go out of their way to
help us when we need it, so for now we will only use what is tried and tested. That
said, we want to help our customers get the building they want at a payment
that fits their budget, so we will
try new things to make that happen. But if we find it causes more problems than
solutions, we just won’t offer it anymore.
We are upfront and honest, but not
perfect. As I said at the time, I apologize that a mistake was made and the
wrong tag was put in the wrong building. I’m also sorry that customer service
couldn’t fix the financing issue more promptly, it would have made things a lot
easier.
We have confirmed with the finance
company that the customer’s account with them is closed, it was never used so nothing was ever charged to it, and that the only thing that would possibly
remain on his credit is just the original inquiry (credit check). We have explained
the situation as best we can, and since no money ever changed hands we can’t
refund or discount what was never sold. We’re very sorry that the customer
wasn’t satisfied with his experience. Our customers are normally very happy
with both the buying experience, options offered, and building that they get.
As usual, we will try our best in the future to not make any mistakes, but if
we do, we certainly beg forgiveness.
When a
customer wants to buy a building we have different options they can use for
payment. They can purchase it outright (with cash, credit card, check, etc.),
they can elect to do our Rent-to-own program, or they can finance it using one
of 3 different finance companies. On our price tags we...
have the purchase price,
multiple finance options, and multiple rent-to-own options. We put price tags
in our buildings to help the customer know about what their monthly payments
will be, depending on which option they choose. These prices are estimated, and
while usually correct, are not written in stone. On one tag is a sheet of paper
with the building size, purchase price, a 48 month finance option, and then
rent-to-own options. About 6 months ago we signed up for a new finance option,
which is an 84 month option and is on a separate price tag.
On Wednesday
the 23rd the customer and wife looked at several buildings, we spent about 30-45 minutes looking at different styles going over the different purchase options. A little
after 6 pm they decided what they wanted, so we went to the office to do the
paperwork. I try my best to accommodate our customers, so didn’t mind staying an
extra hour and a half after our posted business hours to help them. They decided
they wanted building similar to one we had in stock, but not that exact unit,
so I ran the price through the estimator and it came up to about $55 a month (sometimes
stock buildings are marked down), so I told the customer what the monthly
payment would be, and he said that the tag in the similar building was $43 a
month. I asked, are you sure you’re not thinking of the one the next to it? I ran
back out and checked and it did say $43 (which the customer was very quick to
jump on and argue about). I apologized, and explained that the tag was probably
just wrong due to human error, since it was equal to the payment of building
beside it that cost less. However, the tag with the overall purchase price in
the building was correct (as well the rent-to-own and other financing options).
He said I should honor the $43 a month on the tag. I told him no, I’m sorry, I
would if I could, but could not do that because the difference is too much.
That’s a $12 a month difference over 84 months, 12x84=$1,008 which is more than
I would make off selling the building in the first place. As well, the price
tags in the buildings are on a piece of paper held in with a thumb tack. We
leave our buildings open and unlocked in case people want to browse after hours
or days we’re closed, so I have had people remove price tags and even switch
them in the past. I’m not saying that’s what happened here, just that it has
happened in the past so when selling a building we don’t rely solely on the
tag.
He then said
I should give him a discount for the error. Again I told him I would if I
could, but that the price of the buildings (especially that series) were not
negotiable because we already price them as low as we can. We price them that
way so we can sell them and not haggle over the price. He kept insisting that
some kind of compensation be given, then implies that it’s some kind of trick.
I explained no one was trying to get one over on him, that the price is the
price, I’m sorry that one tag in one building was incorrect, but that if he
wants to buy the building this is what the monthly payment will be. We cannot
give buildings away and stay in business. I think this illustrates pretty
clearly that it was this customer trying to pull one over on me, not the other
way around.
So they
elected to buy the building using the 84 month finance option at $55 a month.
To do the financing we have to fill out an online application using personal
information given to us by the customer (SS#, gross annual income, etc.) for
the finance company to apply for the loan. If the loan is approved, a line of
credit is opened up. Using that line of credit, we run the amount for the cost
of the building, print and sign the final papers, and at that point the
building is purchased. When he and his wife sat down to do the loan, I asked,
“do you want the loan to be in both of your names as co-signers or just one of
you”? They said “both”, so I got both their information and entered it into the
website for the finance company. Before I hit the “send/apply” button, I asked
them if they authorized me to electronically send their information via the
internet so the credit company could run their credit for the loan. At this
point they said, oh wait, she (his wife) has her credit frozen so it probably
won’t go, so just use his by itself. So I took her off as a co-signer and just sent
his application. Once an application is approved, the credit company gives a
credit limit. The loan was approved for up to $7,500, but all we needed was the
$3,285 for the building. The way the credit company has their system set up: the
estimated monthly payments will change to whatever amount the loan is approved
for, not what we asked for originally, so it estimated the payments at $128 a
month for the $7,500. That needed to be changed so that the amount was for
$3,285 and payments at $55 a month. When I hit the button to change the amount,
it instead accepted the amount of $7,500. Now keep in mind, no money is actually on the
line of credit until we run the final account numbers through our credit card
machine, so all of this is just an estimation on the computer screen.
The way the
credit company has their online system set up, I cannot simply go back in and
fix it, so I had to call them. Unfortunately for both me and the customer, the
representative I got on the phone was no help, and actually made things worse.
She could not understand that I just needed the estimated monthly amount of
payments changed from $7,500 to $3,285 on the computer screen, then kept putting
me on hold every time I asked a question, dragging things out much longer than
it had to be. Then she came back and said that the minimum loan amount had to
be $3,500. This made no sense, so I tried to explain to her that this wasn’t
right. In order to do that, I would need to give the customer $215 back on a
finance deal, which neither I nor the customer wanted to do, but I went ahead
and repeated to the customer what she suggested to do. After I explained to her
again that this didn’t make sense, and that I have never had anyone tell me
that on past deals, she puts me on hold again. Finally she comes back saying
she thinks she has it straight now, and that really it’s that the customer
needed to be approved for at least $3,500 (which they were) not the loan amount.
I asked her again, what to do on the website to fix it? She told me what to do,
which didn’t seem to work either. So while I’m trying to get this straight with
her, the customer said that this was taking too long, and apparently I didn’t
know what I was doing, to cancel the order, and they were leaving. I told them
I’m sorry this is taking so long, and that it was frustrating for all of us, but
we were almost done, I just need them to fix the estimated payments on the
website so I could print the papers out. They said no, they were leaving, and
walked out the door while I was still on the phone. We were 90% done with a
financing deal, but I cannot stop someone from walking out the door (even if
they’re in middle of a financial transaction). So the deal was left undone.
I have done
hundreds of finance and rent-to-own deals, and rarely is there ever even so
much as a glitch. But since this was a company new to us, and I had never had
this issue before, I didn’t have a quick fix, and the person that is supposed
to be there to help me fix it did not. It’s unfortunate and frustrating, but
sometimes in an automated world things like this are going to occur. The
challenge when things don’t work like they’re supposed to, is to fix it as fast
as you can. The last thing I wanted to do was sit on hold for 30 minutes,
explaining myself over and over, but it was the only option I had to try and
resolve the issue. If the finance agency
would have had a better person for their dealer support, then the problem could
have been fixed faster. It will be a decision we at Cool Sheds will make to see
if the benefit of an 84 month option is really worth dealing with a company
with dealer support that can’t seem to support the dealer when we need them.
I called the
credit company the next day and told them how disappointed I was with the representative,
and told them that the issue I had wasn’t that complex, just one I couldn’t fix
from my end, and that the representative should been able to fix the issue or
transfer me to someone who could. The person I spoke the next day understood
exactly what I was saying, knew exactly how to fix it, and was very apologetic.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t the representative I got stuck on the phone with when
the customer was with me. While speaking to the credit company, I asked, “Since
he walked out on a finance deal that was 90% done, is there anything I need to
do?” They said no, he just has a line of credit with them since he was
approved, but has no charges on it because he left.
As a
courtesy I then called the customer to let him know that he may want to close
the line of credit he opened if he wasn’t going to use it, or if wanted to use
it he could still come get a building. He said he would just close it. About 30
minutes later the customer called screaming at me that I had no right to open a
line of credit in his name, and what I was doing was fraud. I tried to explain
to him that I did not open a line of credit, he did, this is how he decided to
purchase the building, but that nothing was ever purchased. No money ever
changed hands, nothing was charged in his name, and nothing was ordered. He
kept yelling at me implying it was some kind of fraud, which I assured him it
was not. If it were, it would be a pretty bad scam since I gained absolutely
nothing, stayed an hour and half later than I had to, got yelled at and insulted,
when all I did was try to help him purchase a building. Then he started saying that
I told him I was just going to check his credit score. This is not true. I told
him, I have no way of checking your credit score, I’m not a credit agency. So
he then said I told him that it was a pre-approval process. This is also
untrue, since we don’t even have a pre-approval process. You can apply for the
loan to get the building and get turned down, or you can apply and get
accepted. I tried to explain that even if there was a way I could check his
credit, having a good credit score doesn’t mean I’m going give you a $3,300
building. How you get the building is by getting a loan with your credit, which
is what we were attempting to do.
As far as
the desired settlement:
We are not a
credit agency. We are a shed dealer offering multiple ways for you to buy a
building through a 3rd party if you so desire. I’m here to assist
you in that process, but if someone decides to get up and leave in middle of
financial transaction, it doesn’t automatically undo what’s already been done.
As far as
the price tag, no one is trying to trick anyone. It isn’t a “bait and switch”. Obviously
the wrong tag ended up in the wrong building. I apologize for the mistake, but
the mistake did not cause any harm, and was clarified before we went any
further. If it had been the actual purchase price of the building that was $12
off, I would have gladly honored it. But $12 a month for 84 months is something
different entirely. To expect me to give you a building at a financial loss
just because a tag is in the wrong the building is just crazy, and says more
about the customer then it does about the way I do my job or run my sales lot.[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.
[redacted]Is implying that myself and my wife were holding him back an extra hour after posted closing times is very funny seeing the following:1.) When we showed up no one was there and there was a note saying be back in 15 mins during posted hours.2.) He spent 20-30 mins showing another customer a shed.So in regards to his accusation about us holding him up and him trying to accommodate us that is very wrong! After almost 2 hours because of his continuous "human errors" we got up and told him we could no longer sit here and wait whilst he attempts to figure out what he did wrong. He begged us to stay and said it's almost done I need an approval number that's it but at this point with all the "human errors" I did not feel comfortable.In regards to his explanation as to the price posted wrong, again this owner is clearly having human error issues with his memory. Yes I did ask him to honor the price posted and his response was no he cannot and it was a human error and that HE HIMSELF POSTED ALL THOSE PRICES AND MADE A MISTAKE. No one switched it, it was stapled to his shed not many staples one staple clean piece of paper. Who carries an industrial stapler around with them? Seriously? I understand that he leaves his sheds open for customers to come and see when he is closed. However, if you have had problems with customer/people switching your prices why would you not put up a camera device, or a better way of showing your prices? None of the sheds had papers that were moved. He is looking to avoid the issue which is he posted (again clearly HE HIMSELF) posted the wrong price and admitted it in front of myself and my wife. Yes I did ask him to honor the price I think that's only fair that was the price we saw posted and how we based our decision. I did NOT repeatedly try to get one over on him how does that make any sense if I was moving forward to see if we got pre-approved for financing? I asked him once if he could please honor that price and he said NO! I then asked and only once if he could take something off to help get a little closer to that price, because we based our decision on his "human error". In regards to his explanation to the finance issues I offer this solution to prove he's again lying on how the events transpired please call the financing company [redacted]) ask for a copy of the audio recorded customer service call between the owner and the rep on March 23rd. This will show you and you will hear him repeatedly say he made a mistake, he pushed the wrong button, why does it show $7500 when he changed it to $3500. You will also hear him offer to pay us the difference in a business check because he can't figure out why it changed and why they can't fix it. You will also hear him [redacted] blame the rep because he was about to loose the sale. If he knew about this program he would've known that the $7500 was a credit limit not a charged amount. I also have a voicemail that I would be happy to forward where [redacted] states he does not know much about this company because he's only been using them for about a year, and he can't believe what a mess that was and he was sorry.If you are a business owner sorry only goes so far, you need to know what your prices are and if you make an error you need to stand by it, this is not the customers fault that you cannot hang a tag correctly. Also if you offer financing you should probably know the steps and approval process. There are only so many human errors that should transpire when purchasing anything, Every other business would own their errors and not push it onto the customer or attempt to push blame everywhere else. If I go to buy a car and the wrong price is posted by the dealership guess what they have to honor it. I have never had an issue like this before and you may have knocked the quality of sheds other companies around you sell sheds but at least they are upfront and more honest and not riddled with "human errors" and somehow they have the correct prices posted and monthly payments, along with proper financing. In closing from the age of 4 all the way through to an adult we are taught (most of us) that if we make a mistake we are to take responsibility for it no matter of the cost or trouble you may get into I find it rather funny that this business owner does not know this, nor was taught it. In society we have laws for this reason some criminals make human errors and guess what [redacted] they are held responsible for them, they do not get to say Oopps!
Regards,
[redacted]
As far as staying after our posted hours, I was not implying
that having late customers was holding me back, I work late almost every day. All
I was pointing out was that if everything posted on a sign is written in stone,
then I should have closed right at 6pm (like what’s posted on the door), but
since we truly try to cater to our customers, I really don’t mind staying later.
No one said that the customer switched the tags. In fact I
said that this is not what happened in this case, but it is one of the reasons we re-run the numbers and not just go solely
by what’s on the tag. I told him I must have put the wrong tag in the wrong
building and I was sorry, apparently I made a mistake and would have to chalk
it up to human error. Obviously something wasn’t right if the building sitting beside
the one they liked that costs $600 less (purchase price) has the same monthly
payment. Either way, they were told what the correct monthly payment would be
before they decided to proceed with the purchase.
As far as the online financing application, yes, I said that
I needed to go back a screen to change the estimated payment amount but I
couldn’t, and that’s why I needed help from the finance company (as previously
explained). I entered the correct numbers on the screen, then hit either
“continue or apply”. I told the representative (repeatedly) that either I hit
the wrong button, or it didn’t take the numbers that were typed in, but either
way it was showing the estimated payments for $7500 (not $3285). That needed to
be changed, or it wouldn’t be right on the printed paperwork, but was not
something I could do from my end. Since we have only used that credit company
for a short amount of time, I have not run into every possible problem or
scenario, so unfortunately don’t have a quick fix for everything. As I
explained before, it shouldn’t have been a big deal, but with the
representative not understanding the problem and keeping me on hold, there really
wasn’t a lot I could do to quickly solve the issue. When I explained it to
another representative the following day she understood immediately and
apologized.
I totally agree that there should be a simpler fix, and it
shouldn’t be that complicated, but that’s the way this finance company has
their online financing set up. Because of this, we have suspended using this
finance company. We won’t be offering an 84 month payment until they can offer
us a better system with better support. Our other finance companies have very customer/dealer
friendly systems, and knowledgeable representatives that go out of their way to
help us when we need it, so for now we will only use what is tried and tested. That
said, we want to help our customers get the building they want at a payment
that fits their budget, so we will
try new things to make that happen. But if we find it causes more problems than
solutions, we just won’t offer it anymore.
We are upfront and honest, but not
perfect. As I said at the time, I apologize that a mistake was made and the
wrong tag was put in the wrong building. I’m also sorry that customer service
couldn’t fix the financing issue more promptly, it would have made things a lot
easier.
We have confirmed with the finance
company that the customer’s account with them is closed, it was never used so nothing was ever charged to it, and that the only thing that would possibly
remain on his credit is just the original inquiry (credit check). We have explained
the situation as best we can, and since no money ever changed hands we can’t
refund or discount what was never sold. We’re very sorry that the customer
wasn’t satisfied with his experience. Our customers are normally very happy
with both the buying experience, options offered, and building that they get.
As usual, we will try our best in the future to not make any mistakes, but if
we do, we certainly beg forgiveness.