[I just sent this email to service@support.ca. Everyone was nice enough on the phone, but the ordering process itself seems broken and was frustrating enough to drive me away for good.]
Hello,
I placed an order on futureshop.ca on Sunday, Feb 1 (order #
xxxxxxxx). It was for a xxxxxxxxx for my nephew’s birthday. It was in
stock, and I paid an extra $10 or so for express shipping, which I was
told meant the package would arrive on Wednesday, February 4. Perfect!
Instead, however, I got an email a day after the promised delivery
date (February 5), saying that my credit card could not be charged. I
called in immediately, and was told that the problem was likely due to
my using a MasterCard debit card.
Why was there no indication at checkout that such cards are not
accepted? Why was this card happily accepted when I placed my order?
Why did it take 4 business days to figure this out and get back to me
on a rush order? Good questions, all.
I gave the operator a new non-debit Visa card number, and was told
that the order would go through ASAP, but definitely ‘by the weekend’.
As of today (Monday February 9), however, I still hadn’t had any word
of the order, so I called back. I spoke to a rep named D, who
was very friendly, polite and understanding, but had only bad news to
relay: the order still hadn’t cleared. I was told that Future Shop had
tried to call my bank (twice) on Saturday, but had found it closed.
Why didn’t Future Shop call my bank on Thursday after receiving my new
credit card info? or on Friday, or on Monday after finding it closed
on a Saturday? More good questions!
I asked D whether I could at least be charged the non-express
shipping rate, since the package had been delayed more than a week
through no fault of mine, and was told, (after being put on hold for a
few minutes while the matter was escalated), that I could be offered
at most a $2.50 credit on my [$70] order.
I was promised that the order would go through either today or
‘definitely’ by tomorrow. Well, it didn’t go through today (as of
8:30pm eastern time). And since I had already seen two promised
delivery deadlines slide past, and since I was apparently back to
square one after 8 days of trying to get you all to accept my money, I
canceled my order, and placed one with Sears.ca (noting the irony of
turning from the ‘Future Shop’ to a 19th-century mail-order catalog
company).
I appreciate that Future Shop is worried about credit card fraud, but
if my experience is any indication, your processes are driving away a
lot of legitimate business into the bargain.
Very sincerely,
[Former customer]
