Wake Me Up When September Ends

(I am browsing the Internet, looking to buy some merchandise for a musical group I like. The group in question is from another country, which can cause some issues with buying items —  the shipping can take longer and some things can be more expensive — but it’s worth the wait. I am looking into a company that sells the merchandise I’m looking for, and to my happiness, there’s a sale on a package that includes multiple items and posters. It’s still a bit expensive, but I decide to treat myself since it’s a really good deal compared to other sites I’ve seen. I check out the company a bit more and the reviews reflect good service, so I finalize my order and pay. I do this knowing that it will take some time to ship, but I don’t mind waiting. It is September when I place my order. Fast forward to October; I haven’t received any notification from the company other than the initial “We’ve received your order” email. I decide to contact their chat line to hopefully get an update.)

Me: *in the chat* “Hi! I was wondering if I could get an update on my order?” *gives order information* “I placed the order in September and I understand there will be a wait, but I was hoping it would ship soon.”

(I don’t get a reply until a few hours later.)

Chat: “We have your order. Due to the high demand for this particular item, it may take a little longer to ship, but it should still ship soon. We will send an email when it ships.”

(I am happy with this, and I thank them and close the chat. I don’t think about it for a little while until it’s almost November. Around this time I hear that there has been a postal strike in my province, which will undoubtedly cause issues with upcoming Christmas shopping. I am unaware if the strike has been happening longer than I’ve known about it, so I think that could be the reason my order hasn’t shipped. I feel bad now and figure that it will take longer to get here, so I wait until late November for an email. When I still don’t get anything, I decide to contact them through their direct email.)

Me: “Hi there! I was wondering if I could ask about the status of my order.” *gives information* “I talked to someone in your chat line in October and was told it would ship soon, but I haven’t received any emails yet. I am also aware there is a postal strike in my province; I understand that it is probably causing you delays and it may take a while to be delivered, but I placed my order in September and thought it would have shipped by now. Please let me know if there are any issues or if there is other information you need. Thank you!”

(I try to be polite as possible and, given the circumstances of the strike, I’m not frustrated or mad at all. I know what it’s like to work retail around the holidays and I don’t want to be a “problem customer” or anything like that. I don’t hear anything back until a few weeks later, now in December. I figure there’s no way my order will arrive any time soon, so I’m starting to get a bit annoyed. They send me an email.)

Email: “The item that you ordered is very popular and is currently on back order. We will ship it as soon as we can. If you are no longer interested in the item, please let us know if you want to cancel your package.”

(This is where I make my final mistake: I decide I still want my order and opt to wait. However, once Christmas has passed, I lose my cool and contact them again.)

Me: *gives order information AGAIN* “It is now after Christmas and I am still waiting for [order] to ship. I completely understand with the holidays and the strike that things will be delayed and I don’t mind waiting while things are sorted out. I placed my order in September, and it is now past Christmas, and the last thing I was told was it would ship ASAP in November. If you can email me and let me know the status of my order, it would be greatly appreciated.”

(Surprisingly, I get a reply a few days later, which is quicker than expected.)

Email: “We are having trouble figuring out the problem with your order. What we can do now is give you a refund or replace your order and get a new one sent out to you. Please let us know what you would like to do.”

(I immediately told them to refund my money, as my patience had run out. I still don’t know what “problem” there was with my order, but now I’m thinking I may have been scammed out of almost $60. I’m still waiting on the refund presently. Talk about a pain in the a**.)