
Leslie of Genoa, NY on Dec. 15, 2010
JC Penney sent me an advertisement over the Internet before the Thanksgiving Black Friday Sale. They advertised items on sale with free shipping. When I attempted to get through to place an order, I was connected with a recording, advising that I should call back on Tuesday, after cyber-Monday, because all operators were busy and sale prices would be given.
When I attempted to place an order on Tuesday for a $1500 order, the Customer Service clerk was at a disadvantage as she said her computer was not working well and my husband assisted me with giving her the correct item numbers as she could not view what we were talking about. We were very patient throughout what became a lengthy process. We were told that the shipment might take up to fourteen days to receive. When I did not receive the items, I called them this past Friday, and have spent at least six hours trying to find out what happened to my order.
What I found out was that it was never placed. They tried to tell me that they had attempted to put it through Visa but when I called Visa, they have no record of them having done that. They did not leave me a message, send an email or snail mail to alert me to any problem. Since this past weekend, I have been told many things about my order and that they would expedite it and that I would have the merchandise I ordered. The shipment consists of drapery treatments and bed sets for the front rooms of our new home. This will be our first Christmas here and JC Penney appears set to destroy our holidays.
I am looking at our 10" Christmas tree standing in front of bare windows. I had ordered Energy saving Drapery for our windows as we now live in the "snowbelt" of upstate New York in a beautiful, 170-year-old home. It is much colder than we'd hoped, without the drapery treatment and bedding sets. JC Penney advertised items which were not available when I attempted to order them. I was told to make a choice of another color while I was on the phone, which I reluctantly agreed to do as the sale weekend was then over. However, during this week, I have spoken to their Customer Service Associates who have advised me that these items are not only available in the store, they are not "discontinued/closed out as I had initially been advised when placing my order, but new shipments of these standard drapes and bedding are expected to be in stock in the near future.
This information has since been discounted by a "supervisor" out of Grand Rapids who disputed what I was told by "Dorsal". I had initially wanted to order the Valencia bedding set with matching window treatments for three windows, the Berkshire bedding set with two matching window treatments Supreme Antique Satin drapery panels for three windows in Cranberry with Imperial Valences in same color and brand along with matching tiebacks for each in same. I also wanted the Antique Satin drapery panels in Warm Copper with Imperial Valences and tiebacks to match for each, all of the above five windows in the 95" length drapery panels.
I was told that the Valencia and Warm Copper were not available and so I made second best choices for Adrienne and Soft Gold. Instead, the order appears to reflect a "Midnight Purple" color drapery as well as a "Gwen" window treatment for one window, I'm told. I do not want these items. I would have had to return them if they had been shipped. It is my feeling since JC Penney has inconvenienced me and cost me a good deal of money in having used at least six hours of minutes trying to resolve this issue, the least they could do would be to locate the times which they advertised as being on sale and which I had called to order and have those items shipped to me.
This matter has gone beyond ridiculous. There are so many layers of clerks between "corporate" and the consumer, no one cares about resolving this matter or helping a customer spend $1500 in an American store. Is it any wonder why so many American institutions have gone under and why the American economy has gone down the drain, when an American who has the money, cannot even spend the money on merchandise, but instead is ripped off and abused as a customer who has conducted good business, patiently, in good faith? I see false advertising on the Internet as a red flag in this whole matter. I see a corporation who could care less about the American Consumer, holidays or not.
I'd like to know how this manner of conducting business and ripping people off along with ruining the holidays for decent people is acceptable. I want the items which were advertised on the Internet. If and when those items sold out, they should have been marked so, on the corporate website. They were not. They hold a carrot out to the consumer, then have them choose second best, as they move the nicer items through the store, while telling the Internet shopper that those items are "discontinued and closed out". I have been lied to and I have been swindled. I do not want our first Christmas in our new home to be ruined because of Corporate Greed.
My heating expense will be 30% higher than it might have been. I have used six hours of phone minutes trying to straighten out this matter. I sit here having exhausted the protocol as given by JC Penney. I was promised three business days ago, that this issue would be straightened out by corporate offices within 48 hours. I did not even get a phone call and when I did reach someone, I spoke to three people, all of whom were rude and unhelpful. I only succeeded in using up another hour of my minutes while they gave me no advice other than ask me if I wanted them to ship me merchandise which I never ordered and do not want! This shouldn't happen to people.
Please let me know if you can help me. JC Penney should not be allowed to conduct business this way and rip people off. Bah Humbug to them! This was not a store issue but it was not a catalog issue either. This was merchandise that was falsely advertised on the Internet and there should be some consumer protection for those of us who shop online and expect not to be ripped off.