This is the e-mail exchange I had today with West Elm Customer Service. We bought a bed frame and headboard from them. Read below about how I will never ever use them again.My original e-mail -
I wanted to write to tell you how unhappy I am with my experience ordering furniture from you.
We ordered a bed frame and headboard. The bed frame arrived and was not finished. By "not finished" I mean that holes were either not drilled or were off by 1/2 inch making the bed impossible to assemble. I contacted customer service and Amanda #2440 was very helpful and made me happy again. She arranged for another bed frame to be delivered and for the trouble she refunded 15% of my order. I was happy.
We received the new frame and I called to have you arrange to have the bad one picked up by UPS. They only picked up one of the two boxes. I then had to call again and have you send UPS out again.
Last weekend we were supposed to receive the headboard and had been given a timeframe at which it would be delivered. Then we received a call telling us that something had happened with the truck and delivery would be rescheduled. It was rescheduled for 9 to 11 a.m. today.
Our doorbell rang at 6:30 this morning! The driver said they had tried to call us. I replied that we turn our phones off while we're asleep.
What's more, the box the headboard is packaged in is completely destroyed. (Every box I have received from you is either completely destroyed upon delivery or just holding on) It looks like it has been repaired previously. The headboard appears to be in okay condition but I am not removing it until my camera battery can charge and I can take a picture of the box's condition at delivery in case there is damage. I am wondering now if waking someone up to deliver in the dark is a good way to get them to accept damaged merchandise.
As I said, I am very disappointed with your company in all aspects, except for operator #2440.
William V.
Their reply -
William,
west elm strives to offer quality merchandise and service to our customers. When it is brought to our attention that we have not met our customers' expectations, it is disheartening to us. We appreciate the time you took to share your experience with us. We will forward your concerns to the appropriate department. If the Head Board has damage, please contact our furniture team at 800-621-4097 and we will be happy to arrange the pick up and replacement. Again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. If we may be of any further assistance, please contact us.
Regards,
Kristina Hunter
west elm
Customer Service
My reply -
West Elm Customer Service,
Your reply to my e-mail is a cookie cutter response full of standard phrasing designed to placate. Unfortunately, it has had the opposite effect. It is as though you only skimmed my e-mail; an e-mail that contained concerns which bothered me enough to write to you at 6:40 in the morning. Do you cut and paste from a list of phrases?
And your reply has a finality to it. You apologize for not meeting the "customer's expectations" while never directly mentioning the fact that your shipper woke me up this morning from a dead sleep at 6:30 (a morning that, coincidentally, I had arranged for my children to stay with their grandparents so that my wife and I could sleep in.) And you don't address why they did it. You are going to "forward my concerns" but don't indicate that you are actually going to look into it and get back to me.
Let me reiterate that the generality of your reply has removed all doubt as to whether I will use your company again; I won't and regret my purchase. I plan to share this e-mail exchange and the details of my purchase experience on the internet in every way possible to insure that others do not make the same mistake.
Customer Service Representative Amanda, #2440, should be commended for delivering excellent customer service, which is apparently in short supply in your company.
Congratulations,
William V.
Hey, [KEITH'S FRIEND #1], I read your [BLOG ENTRY]. It [saddens/depresses] me to hear that you're having so much [trouble/pain/frustration] with those [asses/craphounds] who insist on form-lettering their responses. just so you know, [KEITH'S FRIEND #1], I would never do [that].
ReplyDeleteYou can rest easy knowing that Mr. and Mrs. Greenstein will NEVER purchase anything from West Elm. No matter how cute their furniture looks, I will remember your story. They have certainly lost our business.
ReplyDeleteThen my job here is done. Incidentally, I think West Elm is a front for Williams Sonoma. Some of the shipping paperwork says "W. Sonoma" on it and Paula caught them answering the phone and correcting themselves. I guess Williams Sonoma didn't want to sully their name with the kind of merchandise and service they are willing to offer under a pseudonym.
ReplyDeleteI purchased the snow leopard towels from West Elm. The bath towel was $24.00 and the hand towels were 15.00 each. I've never paid that much for a towel before. After a few washes they started un-ravelling. I just let it slide because I love them sooo much. Then the bath towels started falling apart. It's now six months later and the towels need to be thrown out - although I rarely used them except for "display" Before tossing them i called customer service to see if they could replace them as they are still in their catalog and they were soooo expensive. They told me they have a 30 day return policy and there's NOTHING they can do for me. NOTHING!! You mean to say in this economy they are willing to loose me over a few towels. (I'm a bit of a shop-a-holic and have spent a fair amount of money at WE). so anyway, I wrote them an email - we'll see what they say. If they don't do anything - I will never shop there - or at PB, PBTeen, WilliamSonoma, etc. It's mostly over priced and under-quality for the most part anyway. I can put up with some of that if they would STAND behind their products
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I purchased a entertainment center from them 10 days ago. After opening the packaging and laying out its many large pieces I find that there is no hardware to put it together. I have contacted the store I bought it at, as well as their corporate help lines and they have continued to tell one lie to cover the last one. I told them to get me a set of screws out of the inventory at the store and they refused, as it keeps them from selling that unit. My reply was that they will have trouble selling anything if this is the way they treat customers, hence this blog entry.
ReplyDeleteWilliam V., I wish I had come across your posting sooner. Long story made short, my fiance and I received horrific service from West Elm too. When we first called customer service, my fiance was transferred three times over 45 minutes. The first (and coincidentally, last person in the series of transfers) "Tammy" promised to resolve our issue and call us back within 24 hours. She did neither. When he called again after the 24 hour window, he spoke to "Linda." He told her about our problem and her response was "You can't imagine how busy we are here. I have a stack of papers in front of me and I haven't eaten dinner yet." Our issue is still unresolved. Needless to say, we will never patron West Elm or Williams Sonoma again and join in your crusade.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I did a google search for West Elm reviews. Thank you for taking the time to post this for the rest of us. We were considering purchasing items from WE, but certainly will NOT after reading this. Job well done!
ReplyDeleteI was excited about West Elm because their stuff looked cute on the website, but when my product arrived, it had brown stains on it. Disgusting! I emailed West Elm customer service a photo of the product and they responded with a generic message with instructions on how to return my item, no offer for a discount or even expedited shipping on the replacement. On top of that, another item in that same order just never showed up. I never got an email or anything, one day I just saw a credit from West Elm on my credit card statement for the amount of that product, so I had to assume I wasn't going to receive it. I'm pretty easygoing, and it's pretty hard to really upset me (I've even been totally fine with Comcast), but West Elm customer service has managed to do just that. I'm telling anyone who listens not to buy from them. Worst customer service/product quality I've ever dealt with!
ReplyDeleteI just deleted a comment from "Anonymous" who didn't agree with my review and called me some names. It would still be up here except for the fact that you don't have the courage to call me names while using your own. That's pretty cowardly.
ReplyDeleteMy husband ordered a bedside table from West Elm well over a month ago and it still has not arrived despite numerous hour long calls to the company, trips to the store, etc. They blamed us for not scheduling delivery and told us falsely that it would be delivered multiple times, and meanwhile have had our money the entire time. Extremely frustrated with west elm. worst customer service ever encountered.
ReplyDeleteI am shocked to find out that this blog was posted in 2007 and the company is still in business! I ordered a rug over the summer and called CS to inquire about it because after 2 weeks I had not received a shipping notification. I was informed that the rug was on back order. After 2 months and numerous updates to the expected shipping date I finally cancelled the order. In Oct 2014 I ordered 3 shams and a duvet cover. The shams arrived about 1 month later. Over the next 2 months my card was charged for the duvet and immediately refunded 2 different times. A few days ago I received an email informing me that the duvet was no longer available and I would not be receiving it. When I inquired about returning the shams I was told that they were a final sale item and could not be returned. I could agree with that if they could have fulfilled my complete order. What am I going to do with 3 shams and no duvet?? The shams are totally worthless to me now. This company is a joke. I hope they are content with the $60 they scammed out of me. That is the last dime they will ever see of my money. CS said they have "policies and procedures" and can not return final sale items. I think they also have an obligation to supply items they sell on their website. Has anyone ever noticed how many items have a future availability date? I will never purchase from them again!!
ReplyDeleteI just deleted another comment from someone too cowardly to use their name, but more than willing to sling accusations.
ReplyDeleteThis person accused me [you people] of buying cheap stuff and then complaining that they don't get good service. The headboard I bought was over $1000. Not cheap by my standards.
Anyway, comments from anonymous people won't live long here.
I was on the phone for two and a half hours with west elm "customer service" yesterday trying to resolve an issue, and was given the runaround and hung up on multiple times. When I refused to talk to the "customer service" associate any further and demanded to speak with a manager, I was told to go to hell. I emailed a complaint, and this is the ridiculous response that I got:
ReplyDelete"Hello Mr. [me],
Thank you for contacting west elm regarding order [x].
Please know not all of our calls are recorded. We can only go by the notes of the order if there are any. From what you stated, it does not state anything where one of our associates stated to Go to Hell. The only thing that states what happened is that you were argumentative and agitated. I do understand where you are coming from if you could not get what you wanted.
However, please know we are not trained to be mean to our customers. None of us are. If you feel you were being treated in a mean way, I do apologize.
I hope this information is helpful. Thank you for being a valued customer and for allowing me to assist in resolving this matter to your complete satisfaction."
Wow. Seriously? I was told to "go to hell" (which, shocker, the person who said it forgot to type it into their notes!), but it was because I was argumentative and agitated, and that was because I didn't get what I wanted??? I didn't even have a chance to get that far for someone to say that I couldn't get what I wanted! Incidentally, the person who responded to my complaint, Philip Adona, also works at a bouncer at a nightclub in Las Vegas. Seriously, you have part-timers answering customer complaints? West Elm is a farce.
I just posted this on FB.
ReplyDeleteI am writing this on behalf of my mother, because she has spent hours on the phone with West Elm and does not have time to keep dealing with this. She owns and runs 2 separate businesses and has wasted too many precious hours dealing with this. In the past 2 months she has been charged a total of 11 times ($888.83 x 9 = $9,777.13) for a dresser that she never received and that they claim is out of stock.
She ordered the dresser on sale, scheduled a delivery date and took an entire day off work (she owns a preschool, so this involved paying a substitute $360). After waiting all day, it never arrived and when she called to find out what happened they told her it was damaged during shipping and was undeliverable. Why did she have to call to find this out? Why wasn’t she notified? While on the phone with them, the West Elm representative told her, the dresser was discontinued and they could not send her a replacement.
The next week while running errands and trying to buy groceries her card was declined because West Elm had charged her another 4 times for the dresser instead of refunding her. She spent 2.5 hours on the phone with them that day while the disorganized company first claimed they could not refund her because the item was in transit. She asked how it could be in transit when it is discontinued; the West Elm rep was confused and couldn’t answer the question. Finally they agreed to refund the 5 charges, and it would take them 7-10 business days to process the refund.
Last weekend she was charged 2 MORE TIMES for this dresser that does not exist, she spent another few hours on the phone with them, where the only response she got was “sorry” and told it would take another 7-10 business days to process the refunds.
Today one of the charges was refunded, but they told her she would need to return the merchandise before she gets the rest of the refund. WHAT MERCHANDISE? SHE NEVER RECEIVED THE MERCHANDISE; THEY DON’T EVEN SELL THE MERCHANDISE. Oh, and because West Elm is truly awful she has been CHARGED the $888.83 TWO MORE TIMES since Monday.
Not once during this entire experience has West Elm offered any kind of compensation for her troubles. All she ever hears is “sorry” and then nothing really happens. She has been a loyal customer for the past decade, after this ordeal there is no way she or I will be shopping at West Elm again.
To Summarize
$888.83 x 11 = $9,777.13
penalty fees from her bank because West Elm cleaned out her checking account
and one substitute teacher $360.00
Avoid them. I bought the jardine outdoor furniture and it has literally fallen into pieces by rot, even though it is "weatherproof". They try to sell you on being "green" and buying this to feel good about the environment. I instead have no positive feelings about this company.
ReplyDeleteThey will never see my money again.
I am so upset to see all of these comments! Why didn't I look before I ordered?? I have been having the worst time with West Elm too. I ordered a bed over the phone from the store in Huntington NY. The sales lady told me that since the bed was on sale the coupon I had would not work. I believed her and ordered it over the phone. Well, I then looked on line and the coupon did work! So I called the store back. They told me they could not adjust the price on a previous order because that is 'company policy' but I could reorder it at the discounted price and then cancel the original order. I placed the new order and then was told I had to cancel the order not with them but with the customer support number. Well that call took over an hour as I was repeatedly transferred and left on hold. I was then told the order was cancelled but they could not 100% guarantee it wouldn't end up being processed because their shipping department works so fast. Seriously?? They recommended I call back to confirm cancellation. I called back for 3 straight days and was told same information. I felt confident the order was cancelled. I received an email to schedule delivery so I called and scheduled it for today. I received a confirmation email and realized it was a delivery for the original order! Argh!! I called West Elm yet again. I was on the phone with them for 90 minutes! 90 minutes!! End result, the delivery for today 'should be cancelled', but if they show up, you should probably refuse delivery" Really? I was told my other order at the lower price is being processed so they should also be scheduling delivery soon. I asked if they could just change the order number on this delivery so that I can accept the furniture but I was told no because then I would have to pay the higher price. I cannot believe what a complete waste of time this has been. I am sure their delivery people will not be happy. Looking forward to them coming back with the same item in a few days. If its not broken when they get here, they will probably junk it as they assemble it. I keep thinking that at least the bed will come and I will be happy, but after reading these reviews, I am worrying that my customer service nightmare is only just beginning. I will keep you posted....
ReplyDeleteI should mention the staff at the Huntington NY store could not be nicer and more helpful. Unfortunately, that was the only positive experience so far.
DeleteI was looking for reviews as I saw some cute towels online. Thanks for saving me the trouble. I am so sorry about your experiences but appreciate your sharing.
ReplyDeleteI was about to buy an online only, white glove delivery only entertainment center, "Modern Media Set-Large", before looking up reviews online. It seemed odd that West Elm doesn't allow customer comments on their website. I guess I know why. I honestly couldn't find any positive reviews of their delivery service. It is all negative. Although I really liked the style and dimensions of the item, I can't bring myself to place an order and take my chances. Thanks for posting all of your experiences. I'm going to continue my search for the perfect media console elsewhere. You all most likely just saved me $2400.00 and a lot of time and aggravation. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteJust ordered a duet and four shams from West Elm and low and behold it arrives with a brown stain (marker I think) on the duet. Of coarse these are final sale items so they most likely won't accept a return. I thought I could trust west elm to send quality bedding regardless if it is final sale or not. Never making this mistake again!! Also bought a quilt from them about a year ago (was in perfect arriving condition) and it has already started to unravel. It's only been a year and paid around 200 for it. Never doing business with them again.
ReplyDeleteOnly wish I had read this sooner! We used West Elm to register for (thankfully only a few) gifts for our wedding. Towels we had selected in a specific color scheme to match our house were purchased by a guest and shipped to us. They were the wrong color. I spoke to a very nice customer service representative, who told me I could return them and the correct color would be shipped. When the replacements arrived, they were another set of the WRONG color. I called back and was told that a new set of correct color would be shipped. They have yet to arrive and that was several weeks ago. When I spoke to another customer service rep, she was confused as to what my complaint was because my registry said the correct color had been shipped. Very frustrating! Other items were discontinued or back ordered as well, so I would definitely dissuade other brides from choosing WEst Elm for a registry.
ReplyDeleteWe have purchased many items from West Elm online over time: Leon sofa; Reeve coffee table; Belgian Flax Linen sheet set; Belgian Flax Linen duvet cover; Mid-Century media console. Everything has arrived in beautiful shape and all continue to be in great condition years later (well, the sheets have a little more of a lived-in look, but they are holding up really well!). It is terrible that so many people have had such awful experiences. I do however notice that most of their items are made in China, which does give me pause for the prices they are charging and potential quality issues.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to shipping, I know that they use UPS for deliveries. Unfortunately that is the most financially feasible option for large items, and UPS has a lot of issues when it comes to the condition their boxes arrive in. My brother and sister-in-law both work at UPS and have told me horror stories about how packages are treated- disgruntled employees will even treat boxes that say "fragile" worse! A couple of years ago a UPS driver was caught on surveillance repeatedly kicking a box to his truck that contained incredibly valuable and fragile items. Anyhow, that info was meant to recognize that West Elm isn't totally responsible for how boxes arrive. Of course could use a different shipper, but that would make shipping for the customer incredible expensive. Shopping in-store seems like the best option, but unfortunately that can't work for everyone.
I hope that over time the company will learn they need to have better customer service and quality control so their customers won't have to deal with such bad service and negative experiences.
Hey Marie - we just ordered the Leon sofa and it hasn't arrived yet. How do you like it? It says the cushions are loose, and I'm wondering if they slide all over the place or lose their shape [to the OP: sorry about your bad experience w/ WE and I hope that our isn't so terrible]
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ReplyDelete