Do I have to pay this???

[Porridge]

Advice needed, oh wise PSers

At the start of November I bought a gift for my fiance from a company in New York. I ordered and paid for it over the phone. I asked for regular shipping, but when I received my invoice, it said I was charged for FedEx 2-day shipping, at an extra cost of $19.50. I decided to just accept it to make sure the gift got there on time for our anniversary.
The gift did not arrive two days later. I contacted the company about this. They told me that FedEx confirmed delivery of order to them, and there was nothing further they could do, that they had no control over FedEx. It turned out it was delivered to the wrong apartment, and finally reached my fiance three days later. The wrong apartment number was on the address label. (Thank god for honest neighbours!!) I left it go without a fuss.

Today, I received an e-mail from the company saying that they had accidentally not charged my credit card the extra $19.50 for the shipping. They said they will now have to charge me the extra, "because the amount we charged you has to match the amount of the order for the bookkeeper". They asked me to check the information, to confirm their mistake and that they will process the payment. They said they "will be happy to give you a $20 discount valid towards any of your next Giftybox purchase to apologize for the inconvenience."

I am outraged by this. Their customer service was appalling when they effectively lost my order. I didn''t ask for 2 day shipping at a cost of $19.50 in the first place!!

I feel like contacting them and telling them that if I find they have charged my credit card, they will be hearing from my lawyers. I certainly don''t want a $20 discount, as I don''t ever want to deal with them again!

Do I have to pay for their mistake? This may sound petty over $19.50, but I''m a poor student, and besides, it''s the principle!

 

[strmrdr]

tell them no and that you will contest it if they try it.
Then watch your credit card bill and if they do charge it contest it with your credit card company.
Do not say anything else to them but no.
If you say anything remotely like you owe it then that just gives them ammo to contest you contesting it.

 

[cbs102]

have you contacted the customer service about the wrong address , the wrong shipping method ect??? if so, what did they say.

i would expect them to at least eat the cost of shipping because it was THEIR mistake... that is good customer service.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 12/9/2008 12:39:17 PM
Author: strmrdr
tell them no and that you will contest it if they try it.

Then watch your credit card bill and if they do charge it contest it with your credit card company.

Do not say anything else to them but no.

If you say anything remotely like you owe it then that just gives them ammo to contest you contesting it.

Agreed. If you said that you didn''t ask for it ever, and keep at that you can do a charge back with your CC company if need be.

 

[Porridge]

Yes I complained that it was delivered to the wrong address. They only said there''s nothing they could have done, and that FedEx is an independent company. I presume they gave FedEx the wrong apartment number, seeing as that''s what was on the box, but we got it in the end so I let it go.

I think it''s time to get harsh with these guys! I think it''s so cheeky of them to try to charge me for this.

I''ll let you know when I''ve composed a reply.

Thanks for the input!

 

[bee*]

I''d definitely do what Storm suggested. That''s ridiculous that they''re coming to you now saying that they didn''t put through the charge. I hope that you get a reply soon!

 

[cbs102]

Being that you provided them with the right address and ground shipping... and they provided Fed Ex with the WRONG address and the WRONG shipping method----it is their fault..... and they obviously have a relationship with Fed Ex being that they shipped your product with them.... I would call them and i would fight tooth and nail to make sure that you do not get charged... that is unacceptable.

 

[julesbeth]

HA! They are ridiculous! I would def. try to get a hold of them and NOT pay this.

What happened to customer service? Seriously.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

No. I would tell them that if you are charged for the 2 day shipping, you will have your CC company dispute it, and report them to the BBB for fraudulant charges. It''s their problem, not yours...don''t eat the cost.

 

[Octavia]

Agreed. I don't often order stuff online but I know there's someplace I've ordered from a few times (I can't remember for sure who it is, but I think it's the Williams-Sonoma companies) and they routinely upgrade the standard ground shipping to 2-day -- but they don't charge me any extra for it, as long as I chose the ground option. If they did, I'd dispute it the moment I saw the charge. It's at their discretion to give you more than what you pay for, but you shouldn't be forced to pay for more than what you contracted to pay when you submitted the order. The fact that they sent it to the wrong place is a whole other issue...

 

[Porridge]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I really hate bad service!!

So I sent them this e-mail:

"I can only hope this is some kind of joke, as I am sure you remember how disappointing my experience has been with your company. Given that you added 2-day shipping to my bill without me asking for it, and that it was delivered to the wrong address, without any offer of rectification from yourselves, I am surprised you feel you can ask for money at this point.

I do not authorize you to charge the credit card for any amount.

I do not expect to hear anything further on this matter. "

And I haven''t! FI says he''s really proud of me. I guess usually I''m a little too laid back

He says it''s the harshest he''s ever seen me!

Well as I said...bad service

 

[julesbeth]

Woohoo! Great Email!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Ditto - you are totally in the right here, and I can''t believe they would even try to charge you!

 

[Diamond*Dana]

Good for you! There is no way that I would have paid that...I am glad that you stuck to your guns!