Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  09/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I placed an order for one (1) Deeco ************************* 47" Steel Fire Pit on 9/22. It was listed on the website for sale at $578 with a 10 percent discount and free shipping. I received a confirmation email and text from the seller informing me that the item would be shipping the following week. Four days later I received another text informing me that my order was cancelled. The seller stated that my order was only her second order and upon further research, she discovered that shipping costs would total $324 and she could not afford to sell the item at the listed price plus the 10 discount. As of today's date, the item is relisted on her website at $775. I offered to split the difference of the $200 price increase in order to correct the situation. Seller declined. I have yet to see a charge or a refund on my credit card.

  Business response

  10/09/2023

  The complaintant is correct in her details of our interaction.  Realizing my pricing error, I immediately made changes to the discount I offer and increased prices on products where appropriate. I offer Free Shipping and cannot know the exact shipping cost of every product to every customer in the US.  I also immediately cancelled her order and never received payment for the product.  I doubt the charge is still outstanding (almost 2 weeks since cancelling the order), but if it is, she will need to contact her credit card company directly.   

   I apologized that I was unable to negotiate with her when she requested we split the $200 price increase difference. Her response was to write a negative review on my website and contact the BBB.   If she still desires the product, there are many options for her to purchase it elsewhere online. 

  Customer response

  10/09/2023

   
  Complaint: 20665386
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I do not believe the business has at any point offered a solution that would benefit anyone other than herself. I believe it is customary for a business to admit fault and make the customer whole. I bought an item in good faith and I expect the item to be delivered in good faith. The business should absorb the cost of any mistake, not the consumer.  I feel it is highly unethical to cancel orders that don't meet arbitrary profit margin goals. I offered a mutually beneficial solution whereby we would split the additional $200 she wanted to make off the deal.  She declined that option.  It is inconceivable that a person would open a business that offers free shipping and then say they did not know what shipping would cost. I did not set the terms for free shipping plus 10% off.  These were business decisions on her part and now the business decision needs to be that she will eat the cost of her mistake.  Again, I did not set the terms of this purchase.  I did not fail to meet my obligation as a consumer in any way.  In fact, i reasonably tried to meet in the middle on her error.  She, however, failed to provide the item that I paid for in good faith because in hindsight she figured out that shipping costs too much.  And now it appears that she is trying to say that because the charge should have fallen off my credit card by now, that it is as though the whole thing never happened and I should just move on and purchase the item somewhere else.  I bought it from her at the price she set.  What she is suggesting benefits her only because she doesn't have to sell the item at what she deems as a loss, but it results in a loss to me because the item is several hundred dollars more at all other retailers. 
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

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