Just in case anyone is still following these onlinements, here’s what happened to me. It’s a long story but might help for future interactions.
I ordered 7 cases (would have been 84 rolls) and instead received 7 of the 3 packs (21 rolls) . When I inquired with customer service via email, I too got a generic response back telling me it was a typographical error and a link to their terms and service. No acknowledgement on their part of the price per roll difference that it caused and that I just overpaid by about 4 times more than I originally planned.
After 3 more responses back and forth explaining that I wasn’t going to pay over $50 for the amount of paper towels I received (making them $2.50 a roll!), and that their terms and service for typographical errors states that Staples will either contact you or cancel your order (neither of which happened), she initiated a return on the product. She told me that someone would be out to pick them back up, starting NEXT week, within 1-5 business days anywhere between 9-5. I asked for a smaller timeframe, since I’m not home during an entire week, and she stated I could drive them to a Staples myself if I didn’t want to wait. The closest Staples to me is 16 miles away.
At this point, I called customer service directly. That representative was just as unhelpful. She said that if I wasn’t home, to just leave them outside my house for the whole timeframe. And that if someone stole them, I wouldn’t be responsible and I could just call back and they would refund me right away. But that I would have to watch and if the delivery driver got it instead, then I would have to wait 10 business days for a refund..?!? She refused to help any further.
I just didn’t know what to do at this point. I called my “local” Staples and asked the manager there if he had any advice. He agreed that it seemed absolutely ridiculous to tell a customer to just leave it on the porch the whole time. Plus it’s a beacon for thieves to onlinee to your home if you have packages just sitting there the whole time. He advised to call back and speak to a supervisor. I hate doing that, but I did.
The supervisor I got on the phone was very nice and did try to offer a solution. While she wouldn’t give me a price per roll adjustment for the 21 I did receive, she did give me a 50% refund and then a $20 Staples courtesy credit . At this point, I was OK with that as it made the price per roll actually cheaper than what I originally thought I was getting and I wouldn’t have to deal with the return mess. But the hassle to get to that resolution was ridiculous! I also now have to deal with spending my $20 back at Staples.
I deal shop a lot. I know that errors happen on websites all the time. But usually, a onlinepany just cancels the order and you never receive anything. But for Staples to not say anything about the error, send customers whatever amount they wanted to, act like you tried to scam them and make you jump through hoops to resolve it was just terrible. I definitely will not be trying to purchase things from Staples again, even at a “deal” price.
