The "New" CircuitCity.com Ships Shoddily-Wrapped TV Mount Missing Half Its Parts
The new CircuitCity.com is already disappointing customers, this time by shipping a half-complete TV mount that looks like it was wrapped by an over-caffeinated octopus. Unsurprisingly, our anonymous tipster had to slog his way through two customer service departments before extracting a promise to ship out the missing parts. Why can't CircuitCity.com just ship him a new mount? Apparently, they have to first botch the parts shipment. Our tipster decided this wasn't worth his time, and instead ordered a second mount. Circuit City promises to refund his money once they receive back the defective mount...
Our tipster writes:
Being a fan of Circuit City before it went under, I was excited to learn that a website bearing the company name was going to be coming back up. I was hoping they would carry over the same service I had gotten from them for the 10 years I shopped at CCity prior to the closing. I just finished redoing my basement and found a great deal on a TV mount at circuitcity.com so i decided to give it a try. They advertise same day shipping on items and quick delivery, can you ask for more?I ordered my item on May 25th, package was shipped May 26th, not the same day, but the order was placed at 2 p.m. so mayyyyybe it needs to be done earlier in the day for same day shipping. According to UPS Tracking the item had an "origin scan" done at 11:12 PM on the 26th, the day after it was ordered (that's 33 hours). I received the item today, May 29th and was a bit confused about the box it came in. It just looked like someone had wrapped cardboard around the product and taped it until it stuck. A little put off by the box, I opened it to find that there was no box from the manufacturer. They had simply wrapped cardboard around the mount and taped it shut.
Immediately I thought, having worked in retail, some items just don't have boxes, this must be how it came. As I unload the "box" I start pulling things out and realize, the mount is missing half the pieces. It is advertised to come with a stud finder, and the hardware needed to hang it, and well... an actual mount for a TV. The main part that attaches to the wall was in the "box", along with one of the brackets for the TV and half a pack of screws, a destroyed manual and some random Data CD, which I'm sure is just a digital version of the Instruction Manual.
Annoyed, I called the infamous 1-800-THECITY, which lead me to long conversations with a computer that never really seemed to stop talking. Finally when I got a hold of a person, they basically told me I was to call a second "parts" number and the person would ship me the rest of the parts for the mount. Being an experienced Retail Sales Manager, I understand when the more people get involved with a problem, the more problems it causes in the long run. So I asked her if we could just skip that step, and let me just return the mount so they can send me a brand new one. She then explained to me that if I talked to them and they end up sending me the wrong pieces, or not enough pieces, I am to call 1800THECITY again, and they will do a return for me. I clearly stated that I wasn't going to wait another week for parts, just to get the hardware and have to send everything back to them because I didn't get the pieces I needed. She finally gave in and agreed, but then told me I would have to pay for a second mount, and they would return my money for the first one when they received the package. Furious and just wanting to get off the phone, I agreed.
So currently I am out 200 bucks for both the mounts. The woman on the phone told me it would be shipped out today, just like they advertise on their website, so I am interested to see if that actually happens. Also if a "new" mount will actually be in a box, and if it is, why would they ship me the half put together one, and if they can do it with a mount, they can do it with a TV. It's funny how the kids at my local Circuit City worked extremely hard to make me happy for 10 years and I was sad to see them go. Just one experience like this makes all of that work go away, and I am now on the "I Hate CCity" bandwagon.
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Comments:
Wow. That is just UNREAL.
Perhaps it was an openbox for the liquidaton that no one properly marked missing parts? Having worked in a dot com warehouse when amazon lost ther contract with a major "kids toy store" we would get stuff in from amazon that it was ver aparent that the amazon counterpart dident care what he tossed in the box, and one time it was clearly missing parts to it, but no sticker stating such, so very easy to see it and think the box has everything in it, and things like this to happen when a order picker picked his order.
Two hundred bucks? For two TV mounts?
You absolutely should not be paying a hundred bucks for a TV mount. Go to monoprice.com. I got a tilting mount for a 52" flat panel, which looks like what the OP bought (based on the photos). It was $23.50.
(Guess I'm the second to say this)
I've bought several mounts from [www.monoprice.com]
They're well packed, well and made....
@Richard A Irwin Jr: That, or it got damaged in shipping and the shipper did a crappy job of piecing it back together?
It may have happened at the delivery processing center. I worked for FedEx Ground putting packages on trucks during college. The system separate packages using a scanners and conveyer belts; pretty neat system. Anyway, I have seen boxes ripped open by being caught on or under the conveyer belt. We were supposed to tape up the package and to make sure everything was in there. You probably got someone who didn't much care for their job.
"I was hoping they would carry over the same service I had gotten from them for the 10 years I shopped at CCity prior to the closing."
...be careful what you wish for.
I wonder if the box was shipped, and was damanged in the shipping process (UPS/USPS) machine snagging the box and "beating" it up - and someone in UPS/USPS tried to "fix" the box with all the tape.
I do all kinds of business with the Systemax brand of companies (tiger direct, Global, Systemax, now CompUSA, and now CircuitCity.com) - and I have NOTHING but good things to say about them.
I once had a PC which did not work out of the box, and I called & they walked me through finding the power connector between the powerbox & motherboard was loose so when I plugged it in, it started to work - as I was about to say thank you and hang up, the support guy STOPPED me and said "what is that noise" - which something I did not even notice, but the fan was "clicking" as one of the blades was a little mis-shapped. He ended up sending me a new fan to replace it.
As I would expect most support to not go the extra steps in FINDING someone that was wrong that I was not even complaining about, but again - nothing but good words for this company.
I'm sorry, but anyone who publicly says this:
"Being a fan of Circuit City before it went under, I was excited to learn that a website bearing the company name was going to be coming back up."
deserves to be screwed over.
This looks like a re-pack job from UPS. Note that the box is taped extensively and that the shipping label is taped back on probably from the original box. When a box gets trashed inside the UPS system, they will re-pack and try to get it back together as much as they can. Then it goes on its merry way. I have had a few of these re-packs show up over the years. Circuit City sucks but I don't think the box went out of their shipping department this way. I'd ask the shipper to re-send a new one and get a call tag out for this package. Let them deal with UPS.
I bought from the new circuit city because there was no sales tax like there would be if I ordered from their other alias tiger direct or compusa, since there are stores in my state. I ordered a USB HD tuner, and it looked like it had been used, but since it worked, I kept it, since it was easier than exchanging it.
I like Systemax OK, I would rather shop their store though, I have had a few issues with their shipping.
@slickdealer: I wouldn't say deserves, that would only be if they were actively screwing over others. On the other hand, there has to be a good response to that part of the story, but it escapes me. Maybe I'm too nice.
@AustinTXProgrammer:
Yeah, maybe 'deserves' is too severe. Let me rephrase that by saying it is ironic justice. Is that better? =]
In my opinion, it would be the equivalent to someone who loves Monster's Digital Video Cables and how 'great the HD quality is compared to other brands' getting a defective cable and complaining.
If I ever received a package that looked like that, I would have refused delivery and contacted the shipper immediately.
@nightshade74: After spending $50 a piece for a pair of freestanding monitor stands that allowed for screen rotation, I discovered monoprice has some really solid monitor mounts that clamp to the edge of your desk for $20 a pop. Used it on my wife's monitor and it's actually fantastic quality.
haha...why am i not surprised?
@slickdealer: I'm by no means a fan of Circuit City, but I never have problems with their merch. The only issue I ever had with them was with their retail staff who were too busy counting ceiling tiles to assist customers.
Circuitcity.com is Tiger direct. Tiger Direct is also Compusa.com ..... Tiger direct sucks for shipping. I have only ever purchased anything from them I could put my hands on in the warehouse store and then there are a lot of packages that are ripped b/c they applied that white webbing to tight
Exactly, why did you even accpt delivery? or was it driver released and left at your door. i would of opened it infront of the driver if it looked like that.
so it looks like these are 100 on the circuit city website which is way to much. monoprice has a similar model for 25 and a stud finder will run about 20.
Great, the new Suckit City is worse than the old one. That's so refreshing to hear. Talk about inspiring consumer confidence.
@nytmare: I know what you mean. I cant stand it when people say "Im sorry, but...." before they say something. Pet peeve. My friends girlfriend used to say it before just about anything that came out of her mouth. Made me mental.
Tiger Direct has a horrible rep with every aspect of their business. I would only buy things from their physical stores, and tehy don't have many of those.
So Circuit City's business practices are so bad that they go out of business. Then they fire the website back up and say "hey, go ahead and order from us!" You do it, and get screwed. You should have seen it coming. There is a reason they went out of business.
@Preyfar:
I never had that problem with the one here. I always got good service and when I turned down extended warranties, they just said, "Okay" and didn't bug me about it.
But isn't another company doing the website now?
@nytmare:
I'm sorry, but you're an idiot.
It's a figure of speech which is commonly used in our culture. There are hundreds of examples of phrases and idioms that are used that don't make sense when, and aren't meant to be, taken literally. So if you don't like it, then sorry*, move along.
*not sorry here either.
You know, it DOES kinda look like the work of an over-caffeinated octopus
I hate being a "blame the OP" person, but in this case, WHY would you order something from a bankrupt store's OLD WEBSITE. There is a common sense factor involved there...
May 25th was a holiday so that is why it didn't ship out. No mystery on that part.
If this guy had ten years of good experiences with CC, his expectations can't be very high. Finally the truth seems to have nipped him in the butt...
@Klay: Agreed. I did a stint as a loader at UPS right after college, and it looks like that box was caught in a jam on a belt. The standard procedure in these circumstances is to wrap it up in a sh*t-load of packing tape and send it on. This tended to happen more to boxes that were much larger than the item inside them. Using an appropriately-sized box and lots of packing material (newspaper, peanuts, etc) goes a long way in preventing this. Honestly, a good rule of thumb when preparing a package is to pack it in such a way that you'd feel comfortable throwing it across the room or down a flight of stairs.
@slickdealer: Well, I just stopped reading when I got to that point. A fan of Circuit City, and now you're writing to consumerist? I just don't find that to be believable in the least.
@ludwigk: So a person must hate every big-box business in existence in order to be legitimately screwed over?
Got it.
I am offended by your comment, I think it is really unfair to Octopeds!
@Jack Doyle: And there is a reason you're supposed to read all the comments before throwing in your own two cents. That way you'd have seen that the website doing business as circuitcity.com has nothing at all to do with the failed company called Circuit City.
It seems obvious that UPS, not Circuit City, caused this problem. Look at the shipping label, it was cut off the original box and taped on to this one. Certainly looks like a problem that occurred in transit. This could happen to any reseller.
I bet that the "parts" department that is referred to is the manufacturer. Resellers don't keep spare parts for items, the best they can usually do is offer a complete exchange. I own 2 articulating mounts from this same company (they are great mounts BTW) and their instructions say if any parts are missing please contact the manufacturer, do not return to reseller. Clearly I think those instructions are meant for manufacturer oversights in shortages, not this kind of loss in transit but nonetheless it conveys that the resellers don't have a supply of spare parts to ship.
Carey, I assure you that the way you received your package from UPS is not the way it left our shipping facility. Circuitcity.com was purchased by Systemax. We have been in business for over 20 years and we strive for excellent customer service. Please contact me directly or email me and I will assist in crediting you back for the return ASAP. I will do whatever it takes to regain your trust in CircuitCity.com. Best Regards Giraldo Sanchez giraldo.sanchez@syx.com Inbound Sales Manager CircutCity.com CompUSA.com TigerDirect.com 800.955.1888 x2949
For those commenting on the monoprice $23 dollar bracket... you get what you pay for.
Like an idiot - I fell for the $23 dollar monoprice bracket too.
I have this Vuepoint mount on another TV. There's no comparison... It's way better...
The monoprice is made of thin metal. The Vuepoint is at least twice as thick and much stronger.
The monoprice looks like it was painted with a can of spray paint and scraches easily.. The Vuepoint is power coated and much more scratch resistant as a result.
The Monoprice tilt mechanism is a pain to set and it's a more permanent set. The Vuepoint is a much higher quality mechanism. Not only can it be set much easier, it also will tilt on the fly and the tv stays in the position you push it to - even after many uses. No readjusting the tension or fooling around with the mount behind the tv every time you want to tilt.
I'm a civil engineer and this is just another example of people on the web spouting of information that they just have no clue about.
If you want a cheep bracket to mount your expensive LCD to the wall - get the Monoprice. If you want a quality TV mount - the Vuepoint is a much wiser choice. I paid $99.99 at walmart for mine.
I'm sure Circuit City would rectify this persons issue, as in no buisness - including mine - humans can make mistakes. The real question is: When a mistake is made - what is done to rectify it?
As a former UPS package handler (unloading), I can say that it looks like the shipper (UPS) damaged the package by throwing it or dropping it. We used to gather up all the damaged packages and tape them up with clear tape after we were done unloading. We did rather fast so things could easily fall out of the box. CC should contact the shipper to see what happened.
Sorry for the bad experience you had. I totally feel for you. Just a quick FYI for everyone making comments. I had nothing but good experiences with Circuit City.com while it was still in business as part of Circuit City. But I just wanted to clarify something.
Post Bankruptcy; Circuit City.com is actually owned and operated by another company, Systemax. Same company that owns Tiger Direct, and I believe (Post-Bankruptcy) CompUSA. So in reality, its not the old company who cared enough to provide good customer service in order to protect their brand equity. However I feel whatever it took for Systemax to buy/operate CircuitCity.com, it will become a failed investment if they ruin whatever brand equity Circuit City had before.
On another note. I just received an APC Home Theatre Power Conditioner from Circuit City.com even though I try my best to avoid anything related to Tiger Direct. I did get my order in one piece, and well packaged, but I was skeptical from the start and relieved to receive my order without any issues. If it wasn’t for the smokin deal I got, probably wouldn’t have touched the site. My suggestion is to use American Express for any purchases with companies like this, in case you have any issues, you have some good customer service to help back you up.
Good Luck
That box looks like ups beat it to death.