Hello,
I’d like to share an experience I had with the online tool retailer INTERNATIONALTOOL.COM. I placed an order via the internet on Friday, April 25 for a $220 impact driver and then promptly received two e-mails thanking me and letting me know that the order was received. Thinking that the order was on its way already I went about my business.
A few days later I began to have problems with my credit card. Materials that I ordered for a job were being held (read that as not shipped on time) because the credit card was refused and calls to customer service confirmed that my credit card was the problem. Hmmmm, I pay my bills on time and monitor my balance so what could be the problem?
Checking my card balance later that night I found that it was over the credit limit by more than a thousand dollars. Checking the transactions revealed that INTERNATIONALTOOL.COM charged my account on April 28 for $1732.00. I bought a $220 tool on the 25th (which was backordered I found out while investigating my credit card problem, no thanks to them) and had a charge from them for $1732 three days later.
When I called customer service, they found the charge and acknowledged that it was placed by a person in California (I live in New Jersey) and that my account would be credited. Fine, that’s what I hoped they would say. When I asked what they’d like to do to make up the fact that my materials were delayed (and may impact my job schedule), I spent thirty minutes of my work day on my cell-phone (@ $.65 a minute for the phone and $35/hr for me), and my wife was denied buying groceries they said that they’d credited the amount and seemed like I should be grateful for that. When I got miffed and raised my voice they hung up on me.
Talking to the customer service people at INTERNATIONALTOOL.COM the next day because the credit hadn’t gone through yet, I asked if they could at least overnight the impact driver to me because of the problems they caused and because I didn’t know it was backordered when I ordered it or five days later when it hadn’t shipped yet. They offered to split the cost of overnighting it to me which I find extremely unsatisfactory.
The moral of the story is that INTERNATIONALTOOL.COM bungled my transaction, were not very secure with my secure information, failed to appropriately disclose the backordered status of my order, and were extremely ununwilling to compensate me for my time, incurred costs and inconveniences when the problem was brought to their attention.
Replies
Maybe you should email them, with a link to this story..........
Nothing revives the past so completely as a smell.
that truly sucks, and they must not care about customer service worth a damn.
I'd cancel the order and go else where.
Did you call your credit card company and let them know what the problem was, might be good to give them a heads up so they can note it and if you do not get the credit from the company they can help you out....
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, Professional build the Titanic.
I called the credit card company and they are not going to charge fees for the overlimit situation or for the charged amount. I've been e-mailing my story to friends who I hope will pass it on.
Any company can take your order and send you some stuff but when they excel at correcting their mistakes and understanding the problems they created then they stand out. To me, INTERNATIONALTOOL.COM has been exposed as another internet outfit just trying to generate a few bucks but not interested in being a legitimate tools retailer. Being in business for myself now I understand more clearly how important a reliable vendor can be.
DeWalt should find out about this stuff.
Bart
Hi b-man,
First off let me say that the service that you received truly SUCKS.
But... I've got to correct you on one point where you wrote that the company was "not interested in being a legitimate tools retailer". I have purchased thousands of dollars worth of tools from them over the years, and have been to their showroom in Fort Lauderdale, Florida several times. It is a true professional tradesman's tool store. They do not cater to the DIY crowd and have an excelent selection.
That said, I agree that the true test of a company is not how they handle the easy stuff, but how they deal with problems.
Dennis
I guess it was a tough situation. Nobody is perfect. I too have dealt with International Tool on many occassions and have been more than satisfied with them. I had a situation happen where customer service was involved, and I was treated professionally and with courtesy not to mention that the problem was solved almost at once. When I worked retail, I saw things happen like this once in a while. Its the nature of the business, it happens, especially when you do any form of large volume. Even the big guns like Home Depot & Lowes have their share of mishaps. Does it stink? Yep. We all handle things differently. Tho I didn't have the type problem you did, but did pay for merchandise (From another business, not International Tool) and never got it, I always thought if you didn't get help from customer service, you ask to talk to the higher ups or an owner. My not getting an answer from the customer service people usually will have me go to the top of the rung if I have to.
I am always polite, but stern. I've learned that it doesn't pay to raise your voice, yelling and screaming, it only makes the matter more difficult to deal with, on both sides. There were times when I worked retail, that I wanted to hang up on a person too, because they wouldn't let you get a word in edgewise or there was no making them happy, no matter what you tried to do for them to correct a situation, they continued to be irate. You said you are a business man. What do you do? I ask because it seems in all your years of what ever it is you do or have done in the business world, you never had one problem. If that is true, then you are the extreme exception! Like I said, its a tough situation that you went thru, but I can only speak good of International Tool, because they have done more than good by me over the years. This is why I will continue to do business with them. Good Luck-
Edited 5/2/2003 6:55:55 PM ET by Skip
Edited 5/2/2003 6:57:18 PM ET by Skip
Be sure to have the credit card company cancel the credit card with the stolen number and have the card reissued. This they should do for free. Thieves sometimes write those numbers down so getting your good name disassociated from the card is a good idea. As a safety measure, and just to keep the card companies on their toes, I get new cards issued every year or two.
Sorry you had such bad luck. Mistakes happen but this one is so bad that I, or anyone within earshot, will not be doing any business with this company. I can be accepting of minor errors but not handling financial information securely is, IMHO, the kiss of death. There are too many good, well known and reliable companies out there to tolerate such sloppiness and internal graft.
Splitting the shipping cost is the final kicker. They should half the cost of the tool, eat the shipping and, if they really want to express remorse for so grievous a fault, hand deliver the tool with flowers, candy and gift certificates on the side.
Actually, I do construction on the side and fly airplanes for a major airline for a career although I'm trying to build the business into a career opportunity so I can ditch the airlines. Being an airline pilot, I know the value of customer service and the value of bending over backwards for irate customers. Whether they're saving money all year to take a dream vacation or to remodel their homes, customers deserve the best I can give them. I don't purport to be perfect but I admit my mistakes and do whatever it takes to make good on the situation. My passengers appreciate it and it makes things easier in the long run. INTERNATIONALTOOL.COM could have easily handled this better but they chose not to. I spoke to higher-ups and it got me nowhere. In fact, the customer service supervisor admitted openly it was their fault yet stonewalled me when I suggested remediation.
Regards,
Bart
hmmm.............. major airline & customer service .............heh heh heh
Where could I send MY bill?
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Barry E
The very first thing to do in a situation like this is to call the card company and check out all charges, cancelling or challenging the questionable ones.
I bought from International a couple times a few years ago when I found them to be the cheapest online/catalouge supplier.
Then I had a tool go bad and called them about replacement/repair. The guy just laughed at me. He made it clear that they were only there to sell tools at the lowesst price possibnle. If I wanted service I would have to go to my local factory recommended service center. Then I asked about just getting a part from them so i could fix it myself( I had the tool apart, the parts list and schematic in front of me and could have fixed it in less time than packaging it up to ship out) but he laughed again, said "wE doin't do parts, Man" and hung up.
I reasoned from that that I didn't want to try any morte with them. I called my service center and they sent out the parts the next day.
coastal tools in connecticut does a much better job of supplying and serviceing.
Excellence is its own reward!
I'll second the opinion on Coastal Tools. I bought a laser level from them a month or 2 ago. The case was cracked. They sent a new case out free of charge. It took 3 days.
I never met a tool I didn't like!
I wrote to International Tool (easy to do, it's in my favorite places list) asking if this was true or close to true.
Got this response.
Dear Mr. Joe,Most of it is true. We did err in charging his card for another order. There is another side to the story told by my staff, but getting into that would not do us any good. The bottom line is we did not do as we said we would. We are human and we did make an error. I have responded to the gentleman that we would like him to give us another opportunity, and to entice him to do so, I have extended a $20 credit good towards any purchase. We pride ourselves in our service, and hope that we can learn from this experience.Sincerely,Dean barnett, PresidentInternational Tool Corporation
I"ve seen so many tales of woe here on Breaktime, and one of the first questions is always "What's the other side of the story?"
Joe H
Other side of the story? I admitted that I raised my voice and it was in response to the first cust svc rep's attitude that an account credit was all I should expect or be entitled to. Her attitude and lack of understanding as to the extent of the inconvenvience I experienced was spellbounding.
I did cancel my credit card immediately because INTERNATIONALTOOL.COM did not know at the time of my first call if it was their fault or credit card fraud. I now have to wait up to ten days for new cards (my wife and I) and our account is locked up with the over-limit situation. This was a personal credit card I used. What would be your response if this happened to your commercial account and you were locked out for over a week?
I received the twenty dollar offer this morning and apologies from their president. To say there's another side of the story though is laughable.
Thanks for the heads up on Coastal Tools.
Regards,
Bart
B-man, it's so refreshing to see you are a forgiving type of individual. I see the president of International Tool tried to extend an olive branch, and you're laughing in his face. That sets you up well as a future business owner. It's obvious that nothing would make you happy. What would you like them to do, give the order to you for free? I doubt that would satisfy you either. The world we live in isn't perfect. Either are people. Mistakes do happen, and will happen till the day we're all gone.
I really hope in the future, that when you make mistakes <and i'm sure you will>, That the parties involved are as gracious in how you're dealt with as you have been in this matter. Ahhh what a fine society we live in...........
Edited 5/3/2003 3:59:30 PM ET by Skip
I think you missed the point. When the problem was discovered profound apologies should have been offered and assurances made that things would be made right. The customers number and a convenient time should have been taken down so the company service department , or equivalent, could call back.
Then the rep should have researched the problem to making sure he knew the facts and taken the whole thing, on bended knee if he was the cause, to the boss. The boss could then reasonably decide how to handle the situation knowing that what was done would reflect on the company.
Then the company rep would call back with another apology and some sort of choices as to what the customer might accept as fair. From what I understand the credit card error, a big deal in my book, is a given so the company must give ground if it wants to look good. You act as if misappropriation of money, the damaging of a customers reputation and the possible threatening of their financial status is no big thing. This is about as big an issue as a company can deal with. no one wants to deal with, much less hand credit card numbers over to, a company that cannot be trusted.
If the boss doesn't care the company deserves all the bad press that can be heaped upon them. Companies with poor customer service and bad security deserve to go out of business. If the boss gave a hoot this situation could have been turner into a bonus with the customer posting about how well the situation was handled. Instead a belated offer of $20 on the next purchase, as if a company that can't handle a simple credit card transaction securely would get another order, was made after the situation was bungled. This presidential intervention looks far too much like an afterthought forced my the possibility of bad press. They don't appear to regret the error itself. The idea of loosing business motivated this very weak, and late, gesture.
This is a competitive business and a poor reputation for security and service is likely to bring down the firm. There are many companies who work hard at security and customer service. Better to pay an extra dollar or two and be sure your credit card number is safe and you can get someone with a civil disposition on the line.
Skip
What 4Lorn1 said,
Its not the mistake that was made that is the problem, its the way they handled it after it was brought to their attention.
Yes we all make mistakes and if we give a damn about the customer we do whatever it takes to make it good, Whatever it takes!
Doug
It's been nothing short of pure interest to see how people react to situations. A wrong business decision, and you're ready to have the place shut down. I really and truly hope that none of you, from this point on, make a bad decision at your jobs, or in your travels. You all are pretty vicious and cut throat in your words, not giving any slack to someone who messed up. Just remember whats been said, because what goes around......comes around. And look out, somebody that is the victim of your mistake or bad judgement call could throw you to the wolves too.
There's some truth to what you say but there is also plenty of reason to believe that this is an outfit that has sloppy business practices and a sloppier customer service department.
I don't want to se them shut down, beter that they should improve them selves.
In the meantime, it's good that there are other places to shop and get better service. You got a good reason why I should expose myself to the worst ofthe lot when I have a choice?.
Excellence is its own reward!
And I would expect that all of us here would do as we suggest Iternational do when WE make a mistake.
Excepting, of course, those that never do make mistakes. :-)
Ken Hill
It's been nothing short of pure interest to see how people react to situations. A wrong business decision, and you're ready to have the place shut down.
From my perspective it was not "a wrong business decision" , It was a series of bad decisions or as some might say , a comedey of errors.
Lord knows I make plenty of screw -ups, but everyone of them I correct in some manner . And some of those corrections cost me dearly in time, money or ego.
I guess what I am saying is that mistakes are a part of every business (not really sure if credit card security lapses are acceptable though). Correcting those mistakes should also be a part of every good business.
In a former business I was in when we did a good screw-up , we went to the customer and said we screwed up , what can we do to make it right with you? And then we did that and usually a lot more. That customer was usually amazed that a business really gave a damm. They were our customer for life, and usally refered others, all cause we screwed up
Here take this to the other work.
More thumbs up for Coastal Tools. I ordered a nailer from them and it was delivered the next day for the basic shipping cost (because I am in MA and they are in CT). Had a nice email discussion with them and they threw in a pack of nails for free. Friendly, fast, inexpensive. Will do business with them again.
Coastal Tools gets a big thumbs up from me too. They always go out of there way to ensure that their customers are completely satisfied. I will continue to give them my hard earned money. I never purchased from International and after hearing this story I never will.
"One measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions"
Sorry to hear you've had such a difficult time. I had a (very) minor problem, comparatively speaking, with them. I occasionally get email offers from them, amongst other tool purveyors. Normally, I don't see anything that catches my interest, however, they offered a sander that I had been looking for, at a really good price, so I jumped on it.
I got a confirmation on the order and after about ten days, I hadn't received it and decided to call to see if I could get a tracking number. The representative could not find my order, had no history of it, and her only response was that it was a sold out item, so when the order was processed, it was probably already sold out so they cancelled it. When I asked why the order had been taken if the item was sold out, she could not answer me, nor when I asked why I had not been emailed telling me that the item was sold out and they would not be able to fulfill my order.
The attitude I received was indifferent, if not somewhat disrespectful. If I had been met with at least a little bit of courtesy and a minor apology for the foul up, I wouldn't have cared about it, but I received neither. Nor did the person on the phone seem particularly interested in checking into it to find out what had happened. Instead, what I experienced was the equivalent to a big "Whatever..."
I have not had any reason to have any more dealings with them since then, but I would have some concerns if I did. The ONLY reason that I didn't pursue the situation any further is because I was never charged. I strongly suspect that my order was either lost, or simply discarded when my order was processed and the item was found to be sold out. Either way, it's not a good way to do business or how to treat your customers. A little simple courtesy will go a very long way with me, and I suspect with most people, however, there is a time when a little courtesy won't fix the problem. Your situation has definitely passed that point.
I hope everything works out for you.
That's the kind of attitude I was talking about and someone else here reported. It's a customer service kind of thing.
It is exactly opposite of what you hear when you call Coastal Tools. They are eager and friendly about making sure that you are served and pleased with the service.
comparing it to eating out - International is a burger joint with cheap meat and a growly ordertaker who has a twenty percent chance of messing up your order. Coastal is the real meal place with tableclothes and a waitress who shows up at you elbow at just the right time withthe right food and a smile on..
Excellence is its own reward!
Yup, Coastal's the real thing. They're local for me. For tools, I drive right by the orange box that opened up across the street from them. They sell real stuff, they know what it is, and they don't screw around.
Pete
You guys must have had better luck than me with Coastal. I tried them twice and the second time was a disaster, thats why I went to International Tool. Ive spent thousands with them (International) and have had the kindest most friendly service one can imagine. Plus their knowlege was (at least for me) superb! If I wasnt sure of something, they guided me in the right direciton, and if they didnt stock something, I was hooked up by them with a company (even a competitor) that did. That to me is great service, especially when they were willing to pass me on elsewhere without hesitation. Looks like someone had a bad day and bman was the unfortunate victim.
Anybody have any experience with Northwest Power Tools? They have some great prices but I don't know about their customer service.
I generally shop for the best deal I can find and then go with Amazon's Tool Crib. They beat my best deal by 10% of the difference and so far I've been very happy with their customer service. Oh yea, free shipping on orders over $25 is a nice perk too.Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
There always two sides to every story. Stories are never one sided.... You did say you raised your voice. No matter who is on the other end, if someone is getting testy why listen. You probably should have been more level-headed when you called. If someone called me and raised their voice id hang up too. Do you want someone calling you to yell and b1tch you out? I didnt think so....
Yes its fustrating, but getting irrate to a person who probably doesnt know a tilesaw from a mitersaw isnt going to fix your situation. One can simply cancel an order and then talk with your CC company about charges.