Extremely disappointing experience and a complete waste of our time…read more
Before leaving, we specifically asked whether the item was available. We were told yes, asked for the address, and clearly stated that we were on our way. The seller responded with a thumbs-up, acknowledging our message.
After driving at least an hour to get there, we arrived only to be told that the item had already been sold.
What made the situation considerably worse was the way it was handled when I explained that we had told them we were coming. Instead of simply acknowledging the mistake, she immediately challenged what I was saying, repeatedly asking who had messaged her and which conversation was ours. She handed me her phone and told me to find the messages because she had so many people contacting her.
It genuinely came across as though I was being accused of making up the fact that we had told her we were on our way. I had to pull out my wife's phone and prove the conversation happened. Sure enough, there it was: we said we were on our way, and they responded with a thumbs-up.
That was probably the biggest red flag of the entire experience. If you're communicating with so many potential customers that you cannot keep track of who you've told to come to your business, that is not the customer's responsibility. And challenging a customer until they have to produce their phone and prove what was said--only to discover that the customer was telling the truth--is an incredibly poor way to handle the situation.
Even after confirming the messages, the response remained very apathetic: "We don't hold anything for anybody." There was initially very little concern that we had just spent an hour driving there based on their confirmation.
If nothing is ever held, that needs to be communicated BEFORE telling someone to come. Simply saying, "You can come, but we cannot hold it and it may sell before you arrive," would have prevented this entire situation.
Only after several minutes of back-and-forth were we told they might be able to get another one in approximately two hours or possibly another day. We left our phone number after being told they would follow up. They never did. No call, no voicemail, nothing.
Going back during the workweek would mean at least a three-hour round trip in heavy traffic, which is exactly why we confirmed availability before making the trip.
The problem wasn't simply that an item sold. It was the entire sequence: confirming availability, acknowledging that we were coming, selling it anyway without warning us, challenging whether we had even said we were coming until we proved it, showing little concern once proven wrong, offering alternatives we didn't come for, and then failing to provide the follow-up they promised.
Based on this experience, I would not recommend purchasing from this business. Their own actions demonstrated how little consideration was given to our time as customers. If you're making any significant drive to purchase something from them, understand that being told an item is available and receiving acknowledgment that you're on your way apparently does not mean it will actually be there when you arrive.
I would take my business somewhere that communicates clearly, follows through on what they say, and respects the customer's time.
