How not to run your business

In late February of this year, I ordered my wife a new Cartier watch from Jomashop out of Brooklyn NY. It was a gray-market seller and a good savings off buying from the Cartier store locally. It arrived in a few days after the order and didn't work very well. It would run for a few days, then stop. Run another couple days and stop. The watch was new, but defective. I asked them to exchange it for a new one and they refused, said I had to send it back for repair. O.K., I understand how that works and did so (at a cost of $ 60 to ship insured). They received it a few days later and sent out one email that it would take longer than anticipated.

Over the next couple of months I would send them emails on status and they did not reply. I called them and waited 40 minutes to get to a customer service rep and he said 'Its taking longer than expected, we need two more weeks". Fine, I wait two more weeks and send more emails, no reply. A month after 'a few more weeks' I again went through the 40 minute wait on the phone line and the same rep I had before said "I will check into it and get back to you in 24 hours". I told him that if its not repaired, then let's get a new watch out to me instead, could even be a different brand, I would take a credit towards another watch.

A week has gone by and no reply. From late February to mid-June, they have not performed so I did a Chargeback on my Citi Card for the watch today. I hate to do that, but they won't resolve the issue and failed at keeping the communication going. They are very much not going to like that chargeback, they are a huge pain for a Merchant.

One thing I have learned in my mail order business is that is the retailer must keep the communication channels open, never lie, and most people understand that sometimes there are delays. As long as they are kept truthfully up-to-date then they will be patient, as I was willing to be. I fail to see how anyone can run their business that sloppily when its not really all that hard to do it right.