Longchamp : A Harrowing Experience

25 November 2012
I bought 2 deals from a flash sales website. Dealmates is its name. These were 2 Longchamp Le Pliage medium tote bags with long handle. One was black and the other was to be duck blue. I paid RM634.00 for both of my purchases.

I was very excited and I waited eagerly for my bag.

Though bought at the same time, I received 2 certificates. One for the black bag, and another for the duck blue bag. Both were sent via email after payment was made. Delivery for my bags was to be from 14 to 20 December 2012.

One of the certificates

28 November 2012
I received a phone call from the company. I was told not to worry, and that they only wanted to confirm with me the details of my purchase.

17 December 2012
My package arrived. But there was only 1 bag. The black one. But where was the other one?

Nevermind, I told myself. There were a few days more. They had till 20 December 2012 to deliver after all.

19 December 2012
I could not help myself.  I called Customer Service. I quoted my certificate number, and she put me on hold while she checked. I was then told that my bag would be delivered within the week.

On 20 December 2012, no bag arrived. At the end of the week, 22 December 2012, no bag arrived either.

24 December 2012
My second call to Customer Service was made. I was merely told by the lady that she would check with logistics. She promised she would be despatch my item immediately. Bullshit.

02 January 2013
I called the third time. I was told that stock would only arrive in mid-January, and that delivery would only be made after that.

OMG! Why would they sell something that they did not have in stock? Weren't they MISLEADING consumers to think that they had in stock everything that they advertised?

I resolved to wat till mid-January before I took further action.

08 January 2013
The more I thought about it, the angrier I felt. So I called Customer Service. This time, I was told that I did not need to worry. They would deliver me item if available, or else they would refund.

"How would I know whether you have instructed the refund?" I demanded.

"I'll check and call you back," he replied.

He never called me back.

On the same day, I went to Dealmates' Facebook page and was aghast at the numerous complaints there. Apparently, so many people had bought deals but had not received their items! So many people in the same boat as I was. Reading all those comments on Facebook made me angry, so I jumped in the bandwagon and wrote my complaint on the wall as well.

An excerpt from the Facebook page ...

Generally, people complaint that Customer Service was difficult to get through over the phone, and that emails did not get replied. To be fair, I was able to get through 4 times over the past 2 weeks. Perhaps I should thank my lucky stars. 

09 January 2013
I emailed kalaivani@dealmates.com, as suggested on Facebook. I received no reply.

That morning, I registered an account with the Tribunal for Consumer Claims Malaysia.

At around noon, I called Customer Service again. One girl answered. I provided my certificate number.

"What is your concern?" she asked.

"I did not receive my bag. How come you don't know that?" I asked sarcastically. 

She said she needed to check and call me back.

"I don't believe you. Yesterday someone said he would call me back but never did." 

Well, she did call me about 15 minutes later.

"Which one haven't you receive?"

"Why do you people keep asking me that? 1 certificate for 1 item. I have not received the item for the certificate number which I told you earlier!"

"Ok," she replied. She was about to hang up ... thinking that she had settled it for me.

"Wait, wait,wait," I said. "What happened to my bag? What is the status? I want to know where is it?" I demanded. 

Again she said she would call me back after checking.

"YOU PLEASE CALL ME BACK, THANK YOU!!" By then I'd raised my voice.

10 minutes later, she called back. My item was out of stock. They had in stock bilberry, black or orange. Did I want to swap my duck blue for any one of those? I picked bilberry.

"When will I expect it?" I asked.

Today, she replied.

Bullshit, I thought. It was already 1 p.m. ... If they were to despatch it there and then, I'd never get it on the same day. Really, Dealmates seems to think that their customers are 3-year-olds.

Do you want to collect it yourself?

Damn you. Do you know where I am now?

10 January 2013
At about 11.40 a.m., I called again. This time, I was merely requesting for my tracking number. This guy whom I dealt with was the one who promised to call me back about the refund but never did. I recognised his name.

"We haven't updated the tracking number ... I need to check with logistics and poslaju and then I'll call you back," he said. 

"Have they sent my item?"

"Yes, they have."

"YOU MAKE SURE YOU CALL ME BACK, THANK YOU," I said firmly. After all, he led me on the other day. 

Well, he did not call back. But on the same day, he did email me with a tracking number : EMY339291537

I then tried to track the parcel at the PosLaju website. And it was invalid.

So I emailed him back, and told him to check.

He emailed me back to say that Logistics had it sent out today and I will receive it tomorrow or latest by Monday. If so, then why was the tracking number invalid?

My reply to the email :

the fact remains that at 6.56 p.m. today on 10 january 2013, the tracking number is invalid. therefore, it remains uncertain whether your logistics department has really despatched the item as claimed. 

too many times have you claimed to have sent the item by a certain time, and i have been disappointed many times.

i will wait till monday. then trust me to take further action.

thank you.

11 January 2013
I tried to track my parcel and again result came back invalid.

I also wrote my report, in which I detailed evidences of my purchase, descriptions of my interaction with Customer Service, emails, and excerpts from the Facebook page.

I was ready to file it with e-tribunal by Monday if I had not received my bag.

At about 5.00 p.m., my bag finally arrived by poslaju. The tracking number was in fact EM339291537MY. It was misquoted by Customer Service. Goodness, how could they mess up such a simple task?

I opened the package, and found that my bag was in the WRONG size. It was a large one in bilberry. I had wanted a medium one. Again Customer Service had MISLEAD me to think that the bag was the same size. She had said that "we only have black, bilberry, orange left". There was NO MENTION at all of the size. NOTHING was mentioned of its strap as well. I purchased one with long handle, and got instead the short handle, which I did not like at all. By right, if I did not ask, I think that Dealmates has that OBLIGATION or at least a COURTESY to inform me that the bag was of a different size, and the strap was of a different length. This one just kept mum.

The bag which was so difficult to claim ..... 

I want to return the bag and ask for a refund, but I FEAR that Dealmates will drag it on and on, and I will end up having NO BAG and NO REFUND.

****

I had bought from many online vendors, but never had I experienced such frustration.
1) Dealmates takes customers for granted. Nevermind, just let them wait for their item. If they had BOTHERED to inform me that my item was out of stock and then give me the option of refund or provide a date when I can expect to receive my item, then perhaps I would not be so MAD.

2) Dealmates does not value its customers, and completely disregard their feelings. There are many angry customers out there, awaiting the statuses for their purchase. Many have problems reaching the Customer Service officers by phone because the lines always seemed engaged. Customers then send emails, but they don't get replied. They just leave their customers to wait in vain. When customers post on their Facebook page, all they get is an auto-reply. Something akin to "please call customer service and email so and so ..." Otherwise, they are ignored like it's the most natural thing in the world. How sad it is.

3) The customer service officers MISLEAD customers all the time. 3 times I was told I would receive my bag at a certain time, but all untrue. I was misled to think that I was swapping the bag with one of the same size and same strap length.

4) Dealmates thinks their customers are stupid. Much as I would love to, I would be a fool to believe the customer service officer who told me that I would receive my bag on the same day when she had not even despatched it at 1.00 p.m.

This experience with Dealmates was harrowing, and completely undeserving. I think had I not pursued the matter aggressively this week, I would still be left to wonder when I would get my bag.

Given that it was not in the size that I wanted, and not having the strap length that I wanted, I am still considering to file for a claim with the consumers' tribunal, Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism. After all, my report is already written, and just like my friend said, I have nothing to lose.

I write this because I want to share my experience with the world. I write this because I want to warn all potential consumers of what they may have to go through in case they make future purchases. As for me, I have unsuscribed from Dealmates' mailing list, and I NEVER WANT TO BUY ANYTHING FROM THEM EVER AGAIN.