This review is long, but may save you lots of stress...
From…read morenow on I will read the reviews and heed their warning. I don't usually give or read any reviews because these can be vindictive and customers can be tough. I usually feel that if you're kind to others, this will result in positive relationships. This is an exception and lesson learned. If you decide that I'm just another nasty Karen; you're welcome to FAFO. But you can't say you haven't been warned.
I bought 5 ton of alfalfa and eight gates. No discount for a big purchase. OK, prices are good, so that's fair. I got a lecture that times were hard for businesses, free of charge. I paid their price for delivery and elevator.
I told an employee I had a pretty quirky place in Joyce and worried about a big truck getting around. He assured me that they always made it work. (Insert cheery smile)
When the delivery came, they could not drive the truck to my barn because of the incline so we had to make another plan. OK. Delivery guy made sure to let me know he was not pleased with the situation, and I had put him in a bad spot, causing unnecessary delay. "I don't have time for this," he repeatedly mentioned. I tried to assure him that my farm had not been designed to cause him any personal grief. Relationships are important to me, so I tried to be friendly and grateful for their help, smiling and thanking them. Most of the hay did not make it in the loft which is hard for me.
The same day I got the delivery, a sale circular came out offering all gates 10% off. I called the store and asked for a 10% refund since the sale was so close to the date of purchase (seven days) and since the number of gates was substantial (8). I was definitely not happy after talking with two ladies telling me I could not have the discount and that I was pretty crazy for asking. I got more lectures about how hard it is for local companies. I told both ladies that I do believe that small businesses do have it tough, but that local loyalty between business and customer should be mutual. Owner refused to help in any way, and was unavailable through two conversations.
I drove the gates back and asked to return them and purchase them back at the sale price. The "manager" (same guy who delivered the hay) told me that I had been berating his employees and calling them names. I was appalled. I was definitely not happy with the situation, but I did not call anyone names or insult anyone during my phone conversations. He was very angry and public about all this. Since it was "right there in the notes" it confirmed that I had been abusive, he announced to the entire store.
He also told me they would never again deliver to my farm because I had made him back down an incline, forcing him and his employee into a dangerous situation. He continued to let me know that if I ever dared to purchase something from them, I would have to haul it myself. I argued that I had made him do nothing. I reminded him that we had agreed to change where most of the hay was stored. He seemed unable to refute that point, so he moved onto more disagreeable information.
They would only allow a refund, and I would have to come later, gates included, when the owner was around. Furthermore, I was informed, that the owner also owns a transport business and can't be waiting around to hand out gobs of money to scoundrels like me.
In a follow-up phone call from Kaitlyn, working manager, I was informed that I am blacklisted from ever purchasing anything from them again. (Notes are, you know, right there for the proof of my molesting character.) She was also not willing to have a conversation about the name-calling or anything else. Since I didn't call anyone names, I understand how it is hard to decide which names they were. From the other experiences noted here multiple times, it looks like the "you suck" attitude comes from the owner and trickles down to the service behavior of the employees. It's probably not worth more time or interest to deal with these guys which is, I surmise, what they're banking on. They're definitely not depending on customer satisfaction or good community relations to keep their business running. This is the Gospel truth. You can know this because "It's right here in my notes." If I did decide to call a name, I would chose "bully".
