Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2016/02/22) */ First of all let's make it clear, the customer disputed this case to their credit card company and the credit card company ruled in our favor because we did everything correctly! The customer's credit card was refunded in the amount of 4, on OctThis figure reflects the original charge less shipping fees to and back and restock fees in accordance with our policies On Septthe customer called us and placed an order for a fireplaceThis was a verbal order and we instructed the customer that we would immediately send her an email for her to review the items and to accept our terms and conditionsThe email included an attached sales receipt detailing all the product numbers, descriptions, sizes and weightsWe told her that we do not proceed with the order process until we get documentation back from our customers stating that everything is correct and they agree to our terms and conditions( this is what we have been doing for years per instructions from our credit card processing service) Five days went by without receiving an email back from the customer stating acceptance of product and our terms and conditionsSo, on Sept8th we called the customer to see if she had any questions about the product and terms and conditionsWe reminded her that we will not proceed without an email verification of the order and acceptance of our terms and conditionsShe informed us that she still wanted the products and would send us an emailLater that same day we did receive an email from the card holder stating "Thank you! Yes, I agree with your terms and conditionsAny questions please call my cell" On Sept17th the customer was sent an email from us stating that her order had shippedOn Sept.22nd The customer sent us an email stating that when our delivery truck showed up, her builder refused the order because, according to the builder, the fireplace was too big for the project On Oct2nd we received the products backUpon inspection we noticed everything arrived to us in satisfactory condition and all was accounted forWe then credited the customer's card the difference of paid amount less shipping fees and restock fees The customer states that the product was not as describedThis could not be further from the truth In reality the products that were shipped matched everything that the cardholder orderedEvery product we sell has its own web pageEvery webpage has every bit of information available for our customers to previewSpecs, Diagrams even the installation manuals that come with the productsThis customer found us online and picked this product from our website(Obviously, we are in Minnesota she is in NY) It is obvious that the customer's husband had nothing to do with the planning or purchasing of a new fireplace for their homeHe left it all up to his wifeThis is not our faultIt is apparent that he should have been involved from the beginningIt is not our policy to make sure that a spouse agrees with a sales transactionWe go to great lengths to make sure that our customers know exactly what they are getting This order was over one thousand poundsDelivered across the country! The customer knew and agreed to our shipping policies are restock fees should they refuse or return the product Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2016/02/27) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Lakeland Home & Stove/Fireplacepro.com's response is very insulting and not totally accurateI ("the customer's husband") was aware of my wife [redacted] 's shopping for a fireplace and the steps she was taking all along as we were doing this project together Since the company's reply does not indicate who wrote their reply, it's possible the person who wrote the reply had nothing to do with the sale, and is not aware of all the facts and all that happenedWho wrote the reply? The company's comment about my leaving the shopping and buying "all up to my wife", implying she was incompetent and it was her fault, not the company's fault, is an outrageous insult to my wife, and a total lack of professional customer service If the company is questioning why I'm writing this complaint instead of [redacted] , it's because we were both involved in this, it's our joint project and money, and [redacted] is recuperating from breast cancer surgery so I'm trying to alleviate the stress this is causing her by doing the writing She has kept me informed of the situation from the beginning, so I'm aware of the detailsI mentioned her medical condition to the company in a previous email, and I'm surprised at their lack of sensitivity There was lack of customer support by the company when they didn't make sure the product was the correct size, dimensions, weight, etc., when [redacted] was describing the needs for this project And the company did not make sure she was fully aware of the extremely high re-stocking fee and shipping costs should the product need to be returned, and those risks involved in the sale The company claims free shipping, but obviously not when a customer receives the wrong product and needs to return itThese items, policies and risks were not adequately covered by Dean during the sale When the company requested [redacted] agree to their policies, it included a phone call to her while she was actually in the bank setting up the funds to pay for this product and she was under pressure from the company for an answer so the fireplace could get shipped Is she was fully aware of the risks of the sale, such as the risk of losing over $3000, she wouldn't have agreed to the purchase These risks should have been reviewed with her thoroughly, by taking time, away from her being pre-occupied at the bank, such as at home with written details available to go through with her by phone She thought she was doing the right thing by cooperating with the company, under pressure to make the transactionBut, as it turns out, the company just wanted to close the sale because, no matter what happened, the company would profit with a large sum of money Regarding the bank's involvement and what they agreed to, it's still being disputed by [redacted] , but, as is typical with big banks, they, too, would rather have an issue resolved as quickly as possible, and still have money/interest coming to their bank from the transaction The bank isn't aware or doesn't care about all the issues involvedHowever, if this had happened to one of the bank's executives, I doubt the bank would have relinquished dealing with it so quickly and the resolution would have been very different We don't understand why Lakeland Home & Stove/Fireplacepro.com is so lacking in customer support in resolving this issue, rather than placing all the blame and insulting the customerOther companies would at least make an offer to resolve this for good relations and maintain a good company image We'd like to know what the actual shipping costs were, and the actual restocking cost Since Fireplacepro.com hasn't shared any of these details with us, (as an example, I called Dean myself to get some answers but he refused to give me answers), [redacted] called the shipping company to ask what the shipping costs wereThe rep put her on hold to consult with someone else, and came back to say they're not supposed to tell her what the costs were Which indicates Fireplacepro.com doesn't want customers to know the costs because they make money on the shipping costs chargesProbably hundreds of dollars, or possibly $or more And how can a large re-stocking fee be justified when the product was never accepted, not opened, and was returned still totally wrapped and untouched? The product could simply be, and probably has been, shipped to another customer as isThat's about $charged to us right there Some of the comments made by the company are redundant, inaccurate, or don't have anything to do with this complaint, such as "Every webpage has every bit of information available for our customers to previewSpecs, Diagrams even the installation manuals that come with the products." These details were not all included during the saleAnd the product wasn't opened, so we don't know what came with it We are being truthful, we are stating exactly what we experiencedTo say otherwise is another insultWhen we said the product wasn't as described, we meant that we were sold the wrong product for our needs [redacted] described our needs to Dean, and he oversold her with a product that ultimately didn't fit her descriptionIt was way off It's possible Dean and others at the company are not being truthful with their co-workers about how he/they handled the saleThis is obvious because they have a dissatisfied customerDean and the company mishandled the sale The company stated: "This customer found us online and picked this product from our website." That's one of the problems with dealing with this company! They need fully explain the risks involved with an online/phone sale for the customers' sake, to make sure everything goes right with the sale The bottom-line: we're still out over $and we received nothing for it Fireplacepro.com: it's difficult for us to resolve this because you are located so far away and you are taking advantage of us because of this If we were closer, we could meet to discuss it, and possibly resolve this amicablyBut we're not giving upThis involves $3000, not $ We ask that you specify the actual shipping and re-stocking costs and offer some kind of resolution, a dollar amount which can be refunded to us for us to consider, so we don't have to continue fighting with youBut, as I said, we're not giving upWe'll go other routes if needed Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2016/02/29) */ Again, every bit of information regarding the fireplace models are on our websiteAll installation manuals are available to view prior to purchasing a product from usAll weights and sizes are given to our customers for there approval before we process any order Mrs [redacted] read our terms and conditions and agreed to them in writing by stating " I agree with your terms and conditions" There is nothing more we could have done other than go to the building site and measure everything and ask for the spouses approvalThis is not what we doNor do we imply that Mr [redacted] is disappointed in his wife's decisionWe understand thatHowever, it is apparent that he should have been more involved in the purchasing of such a large and expensive fireplace We made no profit from this transactionThe restock fees are what we get charged by the manufacturer plus shipping costs to and from his location(over Pounds!) We can explain all this to Mr [redacted] however we can not make him understand We wish [redacted] a speedy recovery We have considered this case closed
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2016/02/22) */ First of all let's make it clear, the customer disputed this case to their credit card company and the credit card company ruled in our favor because we did everything correctly! The customer's credit card was refunded in the amount of 4, on OctThis figure reflects the original charge less shipping fees to and back and restock fees in accordance with our policies On Septthe customer called us and placed an order for a fireplaceThis was a verbal order and we instructed the customer that we would immediately send her an email for her to review the items and to accept our terms and conditionsThe email included an attached sales receipt detailing all the product numbers, descriptions, sizes and weightsWe told her that we do not proceed with the order process until we get documentation back from our customers stating that everything is correct and they agree to our terms and conditions( this is what we have been doing for years per instructions from our credit card processing service) Five days went by without receiving an email back from the customer stating acceptance of product and our terms and conditionsSo, on Sept8th we called the customer to see if she had any questions about the product and terms and conditionsWe reminded her that we will not proceed without an email verification of the order and acceptance of our terms and conditionsShe informed us that she still wanted the products and would send us an emailLater that same day we did receive an email from the card holder stating "Thank you! Yes, I agree with your terms and conditionsAny questions please call my cell" On Sept17th the customer was sent an email from us stating that her order had shippedOn Sept.22nd The customer sent us an email stating that when our delivery truck showed up, her builder refused the order because, according to the builder, the fireplace was too big for the project On Oct2nd we received the products backUpon inspection we noticed everything arrived to us in satisfactory condition and all was accounted forWe then credited the customer's card the difference of paid amount less shipping fees and restock fees The customer states that the product was not as describedThis could not be further from the truth In reality the products that were shipped matched everything that the cardholder orderedEvery product we sell has its own web pageEvery webpage has every bit of information available for our customers to previewSpecs, Diagrams even the installation manuals that come with the productsThis customer found us online and picked this product from our website(Obviously, we are in Minnesota she is in NY) It is obvious that the customer's husband had nothing to do with the planning or purchasing of a new fireplace for their homeHe left it all up to his wifeThis is not our faultIt is apparent that he should have been involved from the beginningIt is not our policy to make sure that a spouse agrees with a sales transactionWe go to great lengths to make sure that our customers know exactly what they are getting This order was over one thousand poundsDelivered across the country! The customer knew and agreed to our shipping policies are restock fees should they refuse or return the product Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2016/02/27) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Lakeland Home & Stove/Fireplacepro.com's response is very insulting and not totally accurateI ("the customer's husband") was aware of my wife [redacted] 's shopping for a fireplace and the steps she was taking all along as we were doing this project together Since the company's reply does not indicate who wrote their reply, it's possible the person who wrote the reply had nothing to do with the sale, and is not aware of all the facts and all that happenedWho wrote the reply? The company's comment about my leaving the shopping and buying "all up to my wife", implying she was incompetent and it was her fault, not the company's fault, is an outrageous insult to my wife, and a total lack of professional customer service If the company is questioning why I'm writing this complaint instead of [redacted] , it's because we were both involved in this, it's our joint project and money, and [redacted] is recuperating from breast cancer surgery so I'm trying to alleviate the stress this is causing her by doing the writing She has kept me informed of the situation from the beginning, so I'm aware of the detailsI mentioned her medical condition to the company in a previous email, and I'm surprised at their lack of sensitivity There was lack of customer support by the company when they didn't make sure the product was the correct size, dimensions, weight, etc., when [redacted] was describing the needs for this project And the company did not make sure she was fully aware of the extremely high re-stocking fee and shipping costs should the product need to be returned, and those risks involved in the sale The company claims free shipping, but obviously not when a customer receives the wrong product and needs to return itThese items, policies and risks were not adequately covered by Dean during the sale When the company requested [redacted] agree to their policies, it included a phone call to her while she was actually in the bank setting up the funds to pay for this product and she was under pressure from the company for an answer so the fireplace could get shipped Is she was fully aware of the risks of the sale, such as the risk of losing over $3000, she wouldn't have agreed to the purchase These risks should have been reviewed with her thoroughly, by taking time, away from her being pre-occupied at the bank, such as at home with written details available to go through with her by phone She thought she was doing the right thing by cooperating with the company, under pressure to make the transactionBut, as it turns out, the company just wanted to close the sale because, no matter what happened, the company would profit with a large sum of money Regarding the bank's involvement and what they agreed to, it's still being disputed by [redacted] , but, as is typical with big banks, they, too, would rather have an issue resolved as quickly as possible, and still have money/interest coming to their bank from the transaction The bank isn't aware or doesn't care about all the issues involvedHowever, if this had happened to one of the bank's executives, I doubt the bank would have relinquished dealing with it so quickly and the resolution would have been very different We don't understand why Lakeland Home & Stove/Fireplacepro.com is so lacking in customer support in resolving this issue, rather than placing all the blame and insulting the customerOther companies would at least make an offer to resolve this for good relations and maintain a good company image We'd like to know what the actual shipping costs were, and the actual restocking cost Since Fireplacepro.com hasn't shared any of these details with us, (as an example, I called Dean myself to get some answers but he refused to give me answers), [redacted] called the shipping company to ask what the shipping costs wereThe rep put her on hold to consult with someone else, and came back to say they're not supposed to tell her what the costs were Which indicates Fireplacepro.com doesn't want customers to know the costs because they make money on the shipping costs chargesProbably hundreds of dollars, or possibly $or more And how can a large re-stocking fee be justified when the product was never accepted, not opened, and was returned still totally wrapped and untouched? The product could simply be, and probably has been, shipped to another customer as isThat's about $charged to us right there Some of the comments made by the company are redundant, inaccurate, or don't have anything to do with this complaint, such as "Every webpage has every bit of information available for our customers to previewSpecs, Diagrams even the installation manuals that come with the products." These details were not all included during the saleAnd the product wasn't opened, so we don't know what came with it We are being truthful, we are stating exactly what we experiencedTo say otherwise is another insultWhen we said the product wasn't as described, we meant that we were sold the wrong product for our needs [redacted] described our needs to Dean, and he oversold her with a product that ultimately didn't fit her descriptionIt was way off It's possible Dean and others at the company are not being truthful with their co-workers about how he/they handled the saleThis is obvious because they have a dissatisfied customerDean and the company mishandled the sale The company stated: "This customer found us online and picked this product from our website." That's one of the problems with dealing with this company! They need fully explain the risks involved with an online/phone sale for the customers' sake, to make sure everything goes right with the sale The bottom-line: we're still out over $and we received nothing for it Fireplacepro.com: it's difficult for us to resolve this because you are located so far away and you are taking advantage of us because of this If we were closer, we could meet to discuss it, and possibly resolve this amicablyBut we're not giving upThis involves $3000, not $ We ask that you specify the actual shipping and re-stocking costs and offer some kind of resolution, a dollar amount which can be refunded to us for us to consider, so we don't have to continue fighting with youBut, as I said, we're not giving upWe'll go other routes if needed Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2016/02/29) */ Again, every bit of information regarding the fireplace models are on our websiteAll installation manuals are available to view prior to purchasing a product from usAll weights and sizes are given to our customers for there approval before we process any order Mrs [redacted] read our terms and conditions and agreed to them in writing by stating " I agree with your terms and conditions" There is nothing more we could have done other than go to the building site and measure everything and ask for the spouses approvalThis is not what we doNor do we imply that Mr [redacted] is disappointed in his wife's decisionWe understand thatHowever, it is apparent that he should have been more involved in the purchasing of such a large and expensive fireplace We made no profit from this transactionThe restock fees are what we get charged by the manufacturer plus shipping costs to and from his location(over Pounds!) We can explain all this to Mr [redacted] however we can not make him understand We wish [redacted] a speedy recovery We have considered this case closed