Lights Out: How Not To Do Holiday Business
I received an email on Jan. 6 from a woman who is livid due to a recent holiday season go-round with Lamps Plus, the largest specialty lighting retail chain in the U.S.
The woman, Amber Brady, received the following email on Dec. 16, 2010 from Lamps Plus:
Hello Amber Brady:
We have been informed that the items listed below from your recent order have been delayed in shipping.
An estimated ship date has been provided and we will keep you updated by e-mail if there are any changes to that date.
We apologize for any inconvenience this delay may cause. While we try our best to have all products listed for sale available in our warehouse or through our vendors at the time an order is placed, this is not always possible due to product demand or other factors beyond our control.
Please contact us with any questions you might have and thank you again for shopping with us. Well, it turns out that Brady ordered a large purple and yellow lava lamp and the estimated ship date is Jan. 24!!!!!! A month after Christmas!!!!
Brady fired back at Lamps Plus with the following email:
I am sending this e-mail in response to your latest delay order update and to cancel my order. I am completely appalled by Lamps Plus lack of customer service and irresponsible business practices. As I have stated in a previous email (dated Dec. 10), the lamp, which I ordered online almost two months ago, was a Christmas gift. Your website did not (and still doesn’t) indicate that the item was back ordered at the time of my order in fact portraying the item as being in stock.
I have never dealt with a company that portrays items as in stock on their website then offers several dates of supposed arrival misleading consumers week by week!
I have received five emails from Lamps Plus, not one phone call. It is now Jan. 6, Christmas has come and gone! Your fifth email offering yet another estimated ship date of Jan. 24th blames your vendor for the untimely delivery and claims that this was out of your control? I put my confidence as a consumer in Lamps Plus, not your vendor and hold you accountable for your irresponsible business practices and horrible customer service as should you! Lamps Plus’ website should reflect whether an item is in stock or not.
As previously stated, I would like to cancel my order. I expect any and all costs associated with this order to be refunded to me in full.
