Let me start off this blahg by saying something positive. I own an Epson Stylus NX515 wireless printer. 
It hasn’t given me a lick of problems. I owned a previous Epson printer before this and I liked that printer too. The only reason I upgraded to the NX515 was for the convenience of wireless printing and the fact that this printer was on sale for half the retail price. I am giving these accolades to this printer because I’m impressed with the quality of Epson products thus far. I haven’t had cause to call their technical support and having been a troubleshooter of Hewlett Packard printers, I can tell you that if a model is good then there won’t be many support calls. There’s the positive for today. Pleasantries are now set aside.
For those of you who read my blahg from two weeks ago “SHAME ON YOU TOSHIBA, EXCEPT AL…MAYBE” then you are aware that I was left hanging by Toshiba in regards to my Blu-Ray Player BDX2155KC. The last conversation I detailed in that blahg was with a Case Manager named “Al” who promised to send me an upgrade of a BDX2300 and that I am to return the defective BDX2155KC in the BDX2300 box with an affixed return label that he would email to me. That conversation was on April 27th.
Jump ahead to May 8th. At around 6pm Al from Toshiba calls me. He’s inquiring about the return label that was to be sent me by email and whether I had received it. I had not. It’s been a week and a half since our last conversation and there had been no follow-up calls or emails. He does not mention anything about the replacement BDX2300. I ask him if he received my fax of the receipt showing that my BDX2155KC was purchased on December 26th, 2011 and should still be in warranty. Al is not sure if he has received that fax. He will check his documents and will call me back. NOTE: THIS IS THE LAST TIME I HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH AL…MORE TO FOLLOW.
On May 15th, I received an automated email from Toshiba directing me to a website to print off my return label. The return label will only be available to me for 30 days. I check out the link and it is a printable return label for UPS. Clearly, I’m to print this off and attach it to a box and call UPS for pick up. Again, it is an automated email and there is no mention of the BDX2300. The original instructions from Al were that I was to attach the return label to the box of the BDX2300 and return it with the BDX2155KC inside. I have a return label and no box and no BDX2300.
The following is a timeline of what has happened since receiving the return label by email on May 15th:
May 16th, 6:15pm: I speak to Victor, a front line agent and provide my case number. I recognize the voice. This is the same Victor who was rude to me before when we spoke on April 27th and told me that he only troubleshoots issues for customers from the United States. He does not say that this time. He was either lying last time or he’s been transferred. I don’t get into that with him. I explain that my last conversation with Case Manager Al on April 27th leaves me waiting for the BDX2300. When I receive the BDX2300 I will remove it and place the BDX2155KC in the box, attach the return label, and will ship it back to Toshiba. I also explain I have the return label now but I’m still waiting on the BDX2300. Victor tells me that Toshiba’s policy is that I must return the BDX2155KC first before they can ship me the replacement BDX2300. I tell Victor that I was told by Al that the BDX2300 was to come first and then I would ship back the BDX2155KC. I am placed on hold at 6:21.
6:24pm: Victor is back. He tells me there is no record in Al’s notes or my file that I was told the replacement BDX2300 would be sent to me first. I tell him that I made notes and that’s what I was told by Al. Back on hold at 6:27 while he consults someone.
6:36pm: Back with Victor again. Explains that the policy has recently changed and they want the defective unit back first. I am adamant that I will not return the BDX2155KC first. That will leave me without a Blu-Ray player and at the mercy of Toshiba trying to get anything from them. Given their track record of not returning phone calls would I honestly trust that they would return me a Blu-Ray player? Victor is insistent on the new policy. I am insistent as well. I demand to speak to a Supervisor. Victor doesn’t want to get me a Supervisor and says I will be told the same thing by the Supervisor. I demand to be transferred to a Case Manager. Victor tells me that because it’s already 6:40pm, he cannot transfer me to the Case Manager department because everyone in that department has left for the day. Their hours are only 8 to 5. Funny, the last time I talked to Al, on May 8th, it was near 6pm. I accept my fate and agree to call back the next day during the appropriate hours.
New day. It’s now May 17th. Here’s what transpired:
9:15am: I speak with a pleasant female named Bless (I asked for the spelling). I explained what Al told me about receiving the BDX2300 and then returning the BDX2155KC. I also tell her what Victor told me about returning the BDX2155KC first before I can receive the BDX2300. She is very sympathetic and says it was obvious that I was told something different by Case Manager Al. She places me on hold to see if she can reach Al. I’m on hold at 9:22.
9:25am: Back with Bless. Al is on the telephone with another customer and he will call me back within the day. I provide my cell phone number in case they cannot reach me on my house phone. I do have a life and have to go out of the house sometimes. Bless assures me that Al will call me back “within the day” (her words). I’m off the call at 9:27. Al does not call me back within the day. No one from Toshiba calls me back. Surprise!
Day 3 this week. It’s now May 18th. Still no call from Al. Here we go again:
11:20am: New agent, Chris. I explain to him that I’ve been calling for two days for Al. I want to speak to Al. I’m placed on hold at 11:22.
11:26am: Chris comes back and cites the recently changed policy. He insists that I have to return the BDX2155KC first. I insist on speaking to Al. I don’t want to go through this again with another front line agent. Placed on hold at 11:28.
11:30am: I get Karl. I’ve spoken to this person before but this time he says he’s a Supervisor. Last time he was a front line agent. They get promoted or transferred a lot at Toshiba. Karl is not clear what “Mr. Al Cameron” told me as it is not in the notes. This is the first time that I’m given Al’s last name. Karl says the policy has changed but because I tell him something different was told to me by Al then I will have to clarify this with Al. That’s what I’ve been trying to do! I am placed on hold at 11:36 while Karl tries to transfer me to Al.
11:40am: Karl comes back and says Al is currently not available as he’s dealing with some other issues. He promises me that Al will call me back. I don’t press it but I’m not hopeful for the callback. O Al, Where Art Thou?
11:58am: Someone named Mike from Toshiba calls me back. He says he is a Case Manager and he’s going to handle my case because Al is on holidays. I tell him that he needs to get his story straight because I’ve now been told by three different people, three different stories about the whereabouts of Al. It’s the Friday of a long weekend and maybe Al has left early. I don’t ask this but I’m suspicious. Mike takes the hardline and spouts policy and says I have to return the BDX2155KC first. He also says there are no notes from Al saying he will send the BDX2300 to me first and then the BDX2155KC will be returned. I am defiant. I make it clear that Toshiba has terrible customer service and that it has now been six weeks since I started calling and this issue is unresolved. I tell him that I don’t trust that I will get the BDX2300 because Toshiba has lied to me about callbacks and the whereabouts of Al so I’m not budging. I also told him I’ve been told more than once the BDX2155KC was out of warranty when it clearly is not and that at one point, I was told they had already replaced the unit when they have not. Mike says there is a record of the replacement but that it was sent to another customer. Some cases got mixed up and that’s why I was told the BDX2155KC was already replaced. I am livid. It is clear that nothing good will come of this. I offer up a concession. I promise to return the BDX2155KC first but I want Toshiba to send me an empty box first with a tracking number for the empty box. When I receive the empty box then I’ll attach the return label and send back the BDX2155KC. I will expect a callback when they have received the BDX2155KC with a tracking number for the replacement BDX2300. Mike agrees. He also offers to provide a full one year warranty on the replacement rather than transferring the remaining balance of the warranty over from the BDX2155KC. He also provides me with this direct phone number and extension. I’m off the call at 12:06.
6:45pm: Mike calls me back. I thought Case Manager’s only worked until 5? Hmmm!? Anyway, Mike tells me the empty box has been shipped and provides me with a tracking number for the box. He explains that there will be a return label inside and that I’m to box up the BDX2155KC with the manual and remote and return it to Toshiba.
On Tuesday, May 22nd, UPS delivers me an empty box. Monday was a holiday so it came on Tuesday. I package up the BDX2155KC for return and slap on the return label that was included. I take it to the UPS store on Wednesday May 23rd to have it shipped out. It’s a good thing Toshiba is paying the shipping costs on this or I’d have forgotten the whole thing and just kept the defective BDX2155KC. The man at the UPS store is pleasant and I joke with him. I tell him I have special instructions for the delivery. “Find the President of Toshiba and ram it down his throat.” The UPS store man doesn’t know whether to laugh but he does. That’s the last I see of the BDX2155KC.
I was going to end this blahg with the line “this story yet to be concluded” but something happened yesterday that I think is worth mentioning. I’ve been going on and on about this poor experience with Toshiba and their terrible Customer Service. I want to now relate to you how Customer Service should work.
Yesterday, in my many errands, I went to the local Walmart to purchase some liquid chlorine to shock my above ground pool for the season. I picked up two jugs and because I hadn’t grabbed a cart, I was leaning the jugs against my shirt front. I was wearing a plain navy blue t-shirt and I noticed that there was now a pink ring along the front of the shirt. One of the bottles of liquid chlorine had leaked and discolored my shirt. I put back the leaky bottle and grabbed another one. I wanted to report this but couldn’t find a Walmart representative. I grabbed a cart and placed the two jugs inside while I went to the men’s department to buy a new shirt. I found another plain navy blue shirt for $7 and headed off to the cashier. I mentioned to the cashier about the leaky bottle and that someone should check on that. I showed her the discolored ring on my shirt. She told me I should report this to Customer Service because they would probably reimburse me for the shirt I just bought.
I went to the Walmart Customer Service and explained the situation and the Cashier had suggested I should receive a refund for my new shirt. The lady at Customer Service said she’d have to check it with the Day Manager. She paged the Day Manager and a couple minutes later a nice gentleman came over and heard my story. He said he would authorize the reimbursement and furthermore they would give me a $20 gift card for my troubles. I said this wasn’t necessary but he put his arm around me and said it was necessary because he wanted me to be a happy customer. Boy was I surprised! People can say many disparaging things about Walmart but their Customer Service is a model of how to take care of the customer. Toshiba take note!
Oh, by the way, I changed into the new shirt and it fit perfectly. Unfortunately I wore it when I emptied the contents of the bottles of liquid chlorine into my pool. Some of the chlorine splashed onto my new shirt and I now have serveral pink dots on my new navy blue shirt. Oh well, it was free and I have a gift card and can by a two or three more. Lesson learned.
Tags: False Ducks, Scott Henderson, Toshiba