Last week I got a call from a local DirecTV sales company. They offered me the DirecTV HD Tivo at $299, but a $50 rebate for activating the DVR and a $50 Visa Gift Card. With the going price of this thing, wow, what a deal. So I signed up for that and added an SD receiver for my bedroom.
So they billed my credit card. I hired an installer to run the extra coax and phone line. I cancelled my Dish Network. I took a day off work for the installation.
Then yesterday the installer shows up with a NON-Tivo HD Receiver and a NON-Tivo SD receiver. No Tivo at all. I refused the installation and sent the guy away. I immediately called the salesperson who sold me the setup.
They suddenly didn't even know there WAS such a thing as an HD Tivo. "We don't carry anything like that. They don't even make one." Needless to say, I was PISSED.
So after a long conversation where I educated them that there WAS an HD Tivo and reminding them that I repeatedly gave them the model number of the HD Tivo when I was placing my order, they finally relented and admited that there WAS an HD Tivo, but it was going to cost me a lot more.
So... I very sternly, but politely asserted the following:
"I have made additional investments of both money and time based on what I was sold AND you have already billed me. Legally that puts everything in my favor. I am willing to accept that your salesperson commited a blunder, not a lie. However, I am not going to pay for that blunder. YOU ARE.
Therefore, there is only one solution I will accept-- You will fulfill the original order you sold me, at the price I've already paid, in a timely manner. Period. If you propose any other solution, I will use every avenue available to me, including insisting that DirecTV pull your contract, contacting the Better Business Bureau, and using the courts to get what I originally was sold.
However, that's NOT what I want. What I want is to be watching and recording HDTV tonight, happy with my new system. And that's what I paid for. So my hope is that your company will choose to honor the original order you sold to me."
So folks... what's your take on this? I feel that I'm making a sound and reasonable argument. But I know that some of you ARE the resellers and installers affected by this sort of thing. So I'm interested in everyone's perspective. I invite you to comment, and I pledge not to argue against the points you make. I really do want your straightforward opinions.
Thanks,
Dale
So they billed my credit card. I hired an installer to run the extra coax and phone line. I cancelled my Dish Network. I took a day off work for the installation.
Then yesterday the installer shows up with a NON-Tivo HD Receiver and a NON-Tivo SD receiver. No Tivo at all. I refused the installation and sent the guy away. I immediately called the salesperson who sold me the setup.
They suddenly didn't even know there WAS such a thing as an HD Tivo. "We don't carry anything like that. They don't even make one." Needless to say, I was PISSED.
So after a long conversation where I educated them that there WAS an HD Tivo and reminding them that I repeatedly gave them the model number of the HD Tivo when I was placing my order, they finally relented and admited that there WAS an HD Tivo, but it was going to cost me a lot more.
So... I very sternly, but politely asserted the following:
"I have made additional investments of both money and time based on what I was sold AND you have already billed me. Legally that puts everything in my favor. I am willing to accept that your salesperson commited a blunder, not a lie. However, I am not going to pay for that blunder. YOU ARE.
Therefore, there is only one solution I will accept-- You will fulfill the original order you sold me, at the price I've already paid, in a timely manner. Period. If you propose any other solution, I will use every avenue available to me, including insisting that DirecTV pull your contract, contacting the Better Business Bureau, and using the courts to get what I originally was sold.
However, that's NOT what I want. What I want is to be watching and recording HDTV tonight, happy with my new system. And that's what I paid for. So my hope is that your company will choose to honor the original order you sold to me."
So folks... what's your take on this? I feel that I'm making a sound and reasonable argument. But I know that some of you ARE the resellers and installers affected by this sort of thing. So I'm interested in everyone's perspective. I invite you to comment, and I pledge not to argue against the points you make. I really do want your straightforward opinions.
Thanks,
Dale