IPMedia Holdings, Inc.

This email in is response to an order placed on our website, ShopWildThings for an LED Tree on June 22, 2015 for $449.99 by [redacted] (which was the name used on the order) – The person who filed Complaint #[redacted] is [redacted].  We received a call from this customer ([redacted]) on...

July 6,2015 in which he stated that the tree he received from us was damaged in shipping. We asked if the outer box that he received from [redacted] was damaged and he stated that it was. As per [redacted] Damage Claim and Insurance requirements for damaged shipments of this size, we requested that the customer retain all of the packaging of this tree, leave the tree in the box, and allow [redacted] to come and do an inspection of the tree and of the damaged outer box. Even though we had not gotten the original tree back, or gotten a confirmation from [redacted] that the tree was in fact damaged and the outer box damaged, we sent a brand new replacement tree to the customer, at no cost to him, which he agreed to. We paid $122.08 to ship this replacement tree in addition to the cost of the tree. Our hope was that [redacted] would make us whole at the end of it and that meanwhile we would be providing excellent customer service.  [redacted] made attempts to contact the customer to come and inspect the original tree, and he refused to make himself available as per their requirements in order to process a damaged shipment claim. [redacted] also attempted to deliver the replacement tree and the customer refused the shipment stating that it was broken as well. The replacement tree has just come back to ShopWildThings and we are forced to pay for the return shipping on this replacement tree. Meanwhile, the customer took the originally delivered tree apart and altered it by "fixing it", "sticking it in the ground" and "painting it", according to his phone statements to us. This was the tree that we asked him to please keep in the original packaging so that [redacted] could come and process a claim on the damage to it.We have confirmed with [redacted] all of the delivery times, attempts, and inspection attempts of the original tree and also the delivery attempts and final refusal of the replacement tree. We have also looked into this customer’s order history with our company. We have found that on more than one occasion this customer has placed orders and subsequently called shouting at us, making monetary demands on our Customer Service staff. For example, an order was placed with us on Sunday March 8 of this year. The order shipped on Tuesday March 10th. The customer called (shouting at our customer service staff) trying to get us to give him money stating that we delayed his order for weeks, even though it shipped quickly.  At this point it is our determination that the verbal abuse of our Customer Service staff and the many, many calls that were have placed to us are an attempt to defraud our company by emotionally wearing us down. He called on July 16th no less than 20 times yelling and demanding a full refund, a free tree, claiming that we charged him for two trees, that he just wanted a second tree at a discount because we sent him a broken tree, the we owed him a discount, and the list goes on. The story changed with every conversation with our staff.  In shipping alone, we are out for the replacement tree in shipping to him and it's return to us in the amount of over $200.00. At this point we are unable to get any sort of reimbursement for the replacement tree shipping and it's return because [redacted] was unable to inspect the original tree packaging and it's contents and the customer's refusal of the replacement package is not their responsibility. Since he has altered the original tree, we are unable to accept it as a return, and [redacted] is unable to come and inspect it as it came to him as per their requirements for damaged claims. We made every attempt to rectify this situation with this customer. Our long history of excellent customer service, honesty and integrity are very important for us to uphold as a company. We will always go the extra mile and take a loss in order to satisfy and exceed customer expectations. According to the Revdex.com Complaint that the customer filed (in addition to his statement of the problems), his Desired Settlement is:“fix the broken branch (I will send a branch back for repair) and give me some money back because I have already fixed the tree”. Our company will not be able to fix the broken branch, as we do not have those capabilities here. We are not the manufacturer of the tree, which is an LED plug-in electrical item. We attempted to replace the tree, which is the safest solution as we are not electricians. Further, we do not feel that we owe him any additional compensation or discounts, as we sent an intact tree and it was damaged in transit by [redacted]. Again, we followed [redacted] guidelines regarding shipments damaged in transit so that we might be reimbursed at some point for the replacement tree and shipping.  We shipped a well-packaged tree, as we have done for thousands of other customers. We do not understand why he wants to 1) send back the broken branch for us to repair it if he also wants 2) money back from us because he has already fixed the tree. These two ideas are contradictory. In any case, we did not send a broken tree and again, attempted to follow [redacted] guidelines for insurance claims while also sending a replacement tree BEFORE having a [redacted] resolution, initially trusting the customer’s original complaint and his agreement to our sending a replacement tree so as not to hold up the installation of his project. At the point of which it was obvious that we would be unable to come to an agreement with [redacted] (after about 15-17 phones calls on that day alone), I did ask that he discontinue his repeated abusive contact to us. After I requested this, he called and emailed an additional 3+ times threatening to file complaints like this one in order to get money from us. His shouting (it was impossible to verbally respond to him, as he would not stop yelling) was disruptive to business and extremely upsetting to every member of our staff who are trained to be compassionate problem solvers. Four people here (including myself) handled his lengthy and abusive phone calls on July 16th alone. It is my duty as an owner of this company to protect our employees and provide a safe and pleasant working environment for them. If you have any questions about my response to this complaint, it would be my pleasure to speak with anyone at Revdex.com. Thank you for taking complaints seriously in order to protect consumers. It is my hope that the same concern and care extends to merchants. With Best Regards,[redacted]Vice-President

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.
Regards,
[redacted]