Stuck with Sticks

Have you ever tried to order something online, and the web site was so hard to work with you wondered how they ever sold anything? That's happened to me more than once, most recently with Guitar Center. I'd be mad if they hadn't messed up in my favor.

My first order with them, I went through the steps of finding the products I wanted, adding them to my "cart", and then going through the checkout process. I always hate checkout because that's where you have to put in all your personal information, which I hate doing online. I got to the next to the last step, where you choose a payment option... and there weren't any! I had no way to complete my order. I tried the whole thing again, and the same thing happened.

A lot of the time, when things don't go my way, I just let it go. Other times, I get stubborn and want to make things come out right. I can't predict which way I'll go. This was one of the times I wanted to stick it out until the end. So I created a new account, with a different email address (I have lots of addresses), and for some reason, this time it worked. How frustrating is that?

I've since received all but one of the items from that order at the beginning of July. When I look at the order status online, it says that item was cancelled. But I never cancelled it.

That's all just backstory for what has me writing this post. This morning when Connie went out to get the paper she found a box on our porch. From Guitar Center. "Cool," I thought. "My latest order has finally been fulfilled."

That's another thing about me. When someone messes up, and it's not from ill intent, I'm usually willing to give them another chance. Despite the frustrations of that first order, I went and ordered some more stuff. We're talking just little things.

It was a box about the size of a laptop case, but weighed hardly anything. I opened it up, and it was filled with packing material. At the bottom though, under all the packing material, I found something. Two pairs of drumsticks.

It always irritates me when a company ships something small in a big box. What a waste. What really got me about this, though, was that I didn't order any drumsticks!

I called the number on the packing slip, and navigated through their voicemail, and when I finally spoke to a human, he revealed that the number I called wasn't for Guitar Center, it was for a different company that shares the same order fulfilment service. I had to call another number. I called that number, and navigated through their voicemail, and when I finally spoke to a human, he said that they had moved their warehouse, and a lot of orders were messed up, where they shipped the wrong stuff, and I could just keep the drumsticks. My order was still in the computer waiting to be filled. I asked about the splash cymbal from my first order, and he said it wasn't cancelled, it was on backorder, it just looked cancelled because the warehouse system was messed up.

So after all that, I have two pairs of drumsticks I don't have to pay for, and all the stuff I did order is still on its way, eventually. It's hard to get mad about that, even if it is frustrating.

The funny thing about drumsticks is, I never use them, but I always bring a pair with me to drum circles and drum classes. Because people are always borrowing them from me. I only have hand drums, but the guys who have drums with drumsticks borrow mine when they break theirs, or forget to bring them, or need one to tighten the strings on their djembe. So now I have two more pairs I can bring with me. Maybe I should start giving them away. Is this a sign?


Posted by Dave    Blog Tag: Chatter