I bought a bookcase and bed from a furniture store. I took the bed home immediately but had to wait a day to pick up the bookcase. When I went in it still hadn’t arrived so I cancelled the bookcase and got my money back. I also went onto their Facebook page and left an unfavourable review. The store agreed to refund me but replied to my review on their Facebook site: “Are you still bitter that your girlfriend didn’t get the job we interviewed her for?” I was shocked. What should I do?
This is utterly unacceptable. Appalling. You must find out who the New Zealand owner or manager of the retail firm is and complain directly to that person. The Companies Office should be able to help you with this. The owner should then go onto the Facebook site and publicly apologise for the comments. If it was actually the owner who made the comments, that person should apologise on their Facebook site. If I were the owner I would be refunding you the cost of the bed also, although there is no legal obligation to do so. Should you get nowhere and not get an apology I would take the issue to the media. Try Fair Go and Campbell Live first. If they don’t want it, try the New Zealand Herald or your local suburban newspaper. I know disputes like this get heated but not only has this retailer shown appalling customer relations it has also breached the privacy of your girlfriend.
I recently purchased 4kg of protein powder online and was sent stock that had a “best before” date just two months away. I am no super weightlifter so there is no way I would consume this within two months. The supplier has told me to send it back at my cost and they will either refund me or replace it minus $10 freight. What are the rules for “best before” dates? Shouldn’t the company cover freight costs in these circumstances?
I think the supplier is being unreasonable in demanding that you pay the freight. The supplier should have realised that you were buying a significantly large quantity and that in normal circumstances it would not be fully consumed before the “best before” date. But this is not an entirely black and white case. It is not illegal to sell goods beyond their “best by” date. And it could be argued that there’s an element of “buyer beware” about it. Given you were ordering a large quantity you might have enquired on ordering what the “best before” date was. Tell the supplier you don’t think you should have to pay the freight, but if they don’t budge put it down to experience and go with it. After all, the supplier is under no obligation to replace the goods.
Remember, “best before” dates are purely about food quality. The food can be consumed after that date but it may have lost some of its nutritional value. Of course, that’s not much good if you’re trying to build yourself up.
I’d find another supplier!
