Security Snobs

We are very sorry to the customer received a product missing parts required for installation We have a minimum of people who handle the item at the product level, including a dedicated QA team but unfortunately sometimes a mistake can be made that is not caught Sometimes an item that is bundled by the manufacturer we are not used to checking for, until we run into an issue As soon as the customer contacted us about the issue we overnighted the missing pieces to the customer Unfortunately, as the customer stated, we do not reimburse auxiliary costs related to installation of the lock We understand the customers’ frustration, but as SS was not the company installing the lock, and has no control over this cost, a policy of reimbursing the cost (even in situations like this) would be hard to control It would be similar to if you bought a lock from the hardware store (or amazon) and then paid a 3rd party to install it but it was missing a piece, the hardware store would not refund the 3rd party first service call costs We did however suggest the customer get an exact breakdown from the locksmith as to how the fees were calculated (for their own possible benefit)As most locksmiths run on a policy of a service call fee + the fee for whatever the services they provide are If a locksmith comes out but is unable or no longer needed to provide a service normally the service see is only what applies, to which $seems extremely high (the average service call is around $as of last year) Our greatest apologies the customer received a product not up to our quality standards, and that we made this mistake by not catching it before it went out the door We tried to rectify the issue as fast as we were able to

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: Mistakenly, I believed that the deadbolts we ordered from Security Snobs would be complete and not defective They admit their error, but their only remedy was to overnight the parts missing from each deadbolt The expense they incurred was minimal Without taking each deadbolt apart and comparing all of the parts with the instructions included, I had no way of knowing they were defective Nor did our contractor take them apart before beginning the installation process Like me, he did not expect that each deadbolt would have a missing part His costs were high because three men worked on the process due to a urgent situation requiring that all deadbolts be replaced with the new ones in a very short period of time We incurred an expense of well over $as a direct result of the ineptitude of Security Snobs They acknowledge their error, but are unwilling to reimburse us for the out-of-pocket expense they caused They say they can’t be responsible for third party expenses They told me that had they done the install, they would have done what was necessary to get it right, at their expense I live over miles from them, so that wasn’t an option Had they done it for someone in their area, they would have had to pay staff to do the same thing I had to pay my contractor to do Yet, they refuse to reimburse me I can understand their policy, but that doesn’t make it right They continue to state that retailers are not responsible for third party expenses I believe, however, that under the circumstances, it is grossly unfair for me to have incurred a substantial expense due to their ineptitude and negligence Sincerely, [redacted] And [redacted] ***

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:
The pieces were bent beyond being able to be used and they should be replacedI understand that you have a theory that I broke them but it's just your opinionIf you are unwilling to do the right thing and replace them I intend to file a claim with Visa for the $of my $order that was damagedI can see from other customers experience that there is a history of blaming the customer firstSo again replacement of the parts is the only solution I'm willing to accept. Sincerely,*** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me
Sincerely,
*** ***

To immediately address customers concerns: No authorizations or charges currently exist on the customers card. No refunds are needed as they were never charged (and customer never purchased anything). All pre-authorizations were voided automatically by the processor the instant
they went through, so there is nothing for us to release. Some bank debit cards may not show voids for 1-days, but the bank can advise on exact timelines. Credit cards should never show a pre-authorization on a statementCustomer attempted to place multiple orders with us. Each time his credit card company returned various address mis-match errors (sometimes just zipcode or street address, sometimes both). We require both to match what the credit card company has on file. We use authorize.net, one of the largest gateways available, and they process huge numbers of transactions daily. We take in many orders each day without issue. With credit card address validation authorize.net sends the customers address information to the bank and the bank simply returns a code if it matches or not. We cannot see what the bank has, and told the customer this. The bank is the one returning that the address did not match. We confirmed by phone with the customer what he thought the billing address was, and confirmed that was what authorize.net had submitted. Only the bank can tell the customer why they believe it does not match what they have.We are very sorry for the trouble the customer went through, we tried helping the customer on the phone and did a way call with his credit card company, but there was nothing we could doHis bank continued to return that the address did not match.We also confirmed with authorize.net no order was double-attempted

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:
Both of these items were damaged when I received them and I feel both should be replacedI paid $for each lock and the $part was damaged and should be replacedI feel rather than replace the broken pieces the business feels it is easier to blame the customer for damaging themIn total I spent $with this business for dead bolts and a door know and they refuse to do the right thing on parts that cost $each at retail priceMy dispute is $of my $order and I feel they should either replace both parts or refund $20.Sincerely,*** ***

Customer thought the clips on a cover was bent on his lock. He tried to un-bend the clips but broke the clip off. He proceeded to do the same with the second lock he ordered. These pieces are cast, and cannot be bent. The customer may have thought the pieces were bent
based on how they look, but should be used as-is, unfortunately he did not contact us before attempting to unbend the second
The piece in question can be simply be held in place with glue, and we let the customer know this solution. The customer did not want to do thisDue to the customer’s confusion over how the piece worked we offered to replace one broken piece free of charge and cover shipping costs but if the customer wanted both replaced we asked the customer to cover the cost of the second.
Given the claim by the customer that not only one, but on both of his deadbolts they were defective we found this very odd. We checked the rest of our stock but could not find any with a bent piece. We have sold a large volume of these deadbolts, but proceeded to confirm with both Abloy USA and Abloy Canada (who sell even larger volumes) and they had not heard of that piece ever being bentThis is how we reached the conclusion the pieces were non-defective but rather a confusion over how the parts worked
We are happy to continue to offer the customer one free replacement and free shipping of that replacement

Hello [redacted],
In your initial email to us on 2016-05-21 you stated "Could you please send 2 Dead Bolt Hole Covers? The ones in my order were bent and the prongs broke off when I tried to straighten them. Thanks".  Our position is what you thought was bent was actually the way the pieces are designed.  This is based on not only the hundred we have sold, checking the rest of our stock levels, but also with both North American distribution points which have not had a 'bent' thumbturn hole cover.  It was your attempt to straighten them that broke them. They can be used with a dab of glue behind the face of the piece without issue. We are willing to replace one at no cost but you will have to share some of the responsibility by paying for one of them if you want both replaced.

Dear [redacted], We have responded to you on multiple different mediums you have contacted us on about this issue.  Each time fully explaining the fees and trying to address your complaints.  We even tried to ask what you thought was unfair or wanted more details on in the email chain, but...

never heard back from you.  High Security locks are not off the shelf items, they are assembled to order.  Locks we get back must be rekeyed with new keys cut before being sent out to a new customer.    You say “I was not made aware of their return fees when I ordered”, however you were directly informed of these fees during checkout.   We require you to agree to the return policy, you must check the box next to the link direct to it.  That link specifically takes you to the return policy page which has in large font the fees you mention. We explained in email that we could avoid most of the fees by exchanging it for another lock as we can re-use most of the components in that situation. We already refunded the amount we specified in the RMA to your card, so the dispute amount is not correct.  No additional mount would be refunded however per the numerous methods we have responded to you. We work hard to avoid customers buying the wrong product, we put the exact specifications for each of the dimensions of the padlocks online.  Had you talked to us by phone, chat, or email for pre-sales we could have advised that lock was likely too large for your application as well. We sorry you feel these fees are unfair (and that you feel you should not have had to pay return shipping).  These costs are real costs we incur with our products, and we do what we can to help customers avoid having to return items.  In addition, normally with sizing issues, we can exchange the product for on that is the correct size with minimal costs.  In this situation you were not interested in that option.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
Although Security Snobs prides themselves in providing the best high-end locks available, and being the “go-to” experts in regard to security devices, when they make mistakes they resort to comparing themselves to large-scale retailers such as Costco or Amazon.  Based on their self-proclaimed expertise, we ordered almost $1,900 worth of products from them.   We fully expected them to work, yet they were defective in that all of the deadbolts were missing parts.
They state that they have 3 people who handle each item at the product level, including a dedicated quality assurance team.  I would guess that neither Costco nor Amazon provides such attention to each item they sell.  Accordingly, any customer of Security Snobs should expect their purchased products to arrive in perfect condition and ready to be installed. 
They readily admit their error, and apologize profusely, but their mistake cost us over $400.  I had hoped that they would step up and do the “right” thing, but no, they treat us like a customer of any large mail-order or warehouse company, rather than the specialized high-end provider they allege to be.
They reject the notion of their negligence.  According to Merriam-Webster the simple definition of negligence is:
“failure to take the care that a responsible person usually takes : lack of normal care or attention.”
Based on their stated quality assurance process, I believe that they were negligent in processing our order.
My advice to potential customers is to have Security Snobs actually install any locks purchased from them.  If you live outside of their service areas, however, you will be proceeding at your own risk for any labor costs that you may incur from third-party providers as a result of their negligence.  
Sincerely,[redacted] And [redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: it is not acceptable to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

We are very sorry to the customer received a product missing parts required for installation.  We have a minimum of 3 people who handle the item at the product level, including a dedicated QA team but unfortunately sometimes a mistake can be made that is not caught.   Sometimes an...

item that is bundled by the manufacturer we are not used to checking for, until we run into an issue.  
As soon as the customer contacted us about the issue we overnighted the missing pieces to the customer.
Unfortunately, as the customer stated, we do not reimburse auxiliary costs related to installation of the lock.  We understand the customers’ frustration, but as SS was not the company installing the lock, and has no control over this cost, a policy of reimbursing the cost (even in situations like this) would be hard to control.
It would be similar to if you bought a lock from the hardware store (or amazon) and then paid a 3rd party to install it but it was missing a piece, the hardware store would not refund the 3rd party first service call costs.
We did however suggest the customer get an exact breakdown from the locksmith as to how the fees were calculated (for their own possible benefit). As most locksmiths run on a policy of a service call fee + the fee for whatever the services they provide are.  If a locksmith comes out but is unable or no longer needed to provide a service normally the service see is only what applies, to which $486 seems extremely high (the average service call is around $65 as of last year).
Our greatest apologies the customer received a product not up to our quality standards, and that we made this mistake by not catching it before it went out the door.  We tried to rectify the issue as fast as we were able to.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Mistakenly, I believed that the deadbolts we ordered from Security Snobs would be complete and not defective.  They admit their error, but their only remedy was to overnight the parts missing from each deadbolt.  The expense they incurred was minimal.
Without taking each deadbolt apart and comparing all of the parts with the instructions included, I had no way of knowing they were defective.  Nor did our contractor take them apart before beginning the installation process.  Like me, he did not expect that each deadbolt would have a missing part.  His costs were high because three men worked on the process due to a urgent situation requiring that all deadbolts be replaced with the new ones in a very short period of time.
We incurred an expense of well over $400 as a direct result of the ineptitude of Security Snobs.  They acknowledge their error, but are unwilling to reimburse us for the out-of-pocket expense they caused.  They say they can’t be responsible for third party expenses.   They told me that had they done the install, they would have done what was necessary to get it right, at their expense.  I live over 1200 miles from them, so that wasn’t an option.  Had they done it for someone in their area, they would have had to pay staff to do the same thing I had to pay my contractor to do.   Yet, they refuse to reimburse me.
I can understand their policy, but that doesn’t make it right.  They continue to state that retailers are not responsible for third party expenses.   I believe, however, that under the circumstances, it is grossly unfair for me to have incurred a substantial expense due to their ineptitude and negligence.
Sincerely,[redacted] And [redacted]

Customers expectation of receiving what they ordered is clearly correct. We understand the customer had paid for 3 simultaneous installers due his unique constraints costing quite a bit more than the normal $40-50 service call for the area.  There is nothing to say another customer may not have an installation situation that is even more than the 10x multiplier.
Retailers do not cover third party costs, if an item that is purchased from a retailer is missing a part they would offer to return or replace. This is true even of retailers like Amazon or Costco which have great customer service.  They would not cover 3rd party costs.
We have spoken with the customer in depth outside of the Revdex.com and unfortunately do not believe a resolution can be reached.  The customer has certainly a fair opinion and his point is well understood.
We do reject the notion of negligence (or incompetence), we work extremely hard to make sure every order goes out from our facility complete and correct.  We have a dedicated QA group who inspects each item before shipping.   Unfortunately, mistakes can happen, and a part we previously did not check for was missing.  We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to the customer.
e tried to handle the product issues the customer ran into as fast as possible and I am sorry we were not able to satisfactorily meet their needs.