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Sorry this happened to you and I don't mean to sound harsh but it is the customer's responsibility to read and understand the rules before ordering They clearly stated the rules and should not have to give you the set if your order dropped below the threshold just as it does on qualifying for free shipping.
__________________ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12
I guess it's hard to know sphere to draw the line. I own my own business and kind of see it from a PTI view point. I certainly wouldn't sign an agreement without reading all points. If PTI allowed the $11.00 exception, what about $15.00?, well then what about $18.00? Where does it stop? A rule is a rule. Speed limit says 55 not 66. (11 miles over) I'll get a ticket and the cop points to the sign and I say "I didn't see the sign" - ill still get a ticket.
Emotionally, there is no expectation to understand this, but practically it can be understood. Doesn't mean one has to be happy, but life will go on. As the old song goes, "I can be happy if I have a mind to".
I guess it's hard to know sphere to draw the line. I own my own business and kind of see it from a PTI view point. I certainly wouldn't sign an agreement without reading all points. If PTI allowed the $11.00 exception, what about $15.00?, well then what about $18.00? Where does it stop? A rule is a rule. Speed limit says 55 not 66. (11 miles over) I'll get a ticket and the cop points to the sign and I say "I didn't see the sign" - ill still get a ticket.
Emotionally, there is no expectation to understand this, but practically it can be understood. Doesn't mean one has to be happy, but life will go on. As the old song goes, "I can be happy if I have a mind to".
However this isn't a speeding ticket and the customer offered a reasonable solution. They offered to pay the difference in return for the points and set. That is reasonable and good PR as well as customer service.
And the "rule" was mentioned once in a blog post not on the shopping site itself. Bad form.
Sorry this happened to you and I don't mean to sound harsh but it is the customer's responsibility to read and understand the rules before ordering They clearly stated the rules and should not have to give you the set if your order dropped below the threshold just as it does on qualifying for free shipping.
I agree with you to a point. I read the rules...five times Nicole posted them on her blog. The problem here is that they added a rule last minute and only noted it one time...and separate and apart from the rules they had been quoting for months. That's the problem. In my eyes, that does not constitute having been clearly stated.
If they would have listed the last minute rule as clearly as they list the rule for free shipping...there never would have been a problem.
Again...it's not so much the fact I didn't get the promotional stamp set, it's how they treat customer service issues. They delete any sort of negative experience from their forum, no matter how polite it's stated...and they cease email communications with customers. By the looks of this tread, I'm not the first to have such an experience.
I guess it's hard to know sphere to draw the line. I own my own business and kind of see it from a PTI view point. I certainly wouldn't sign an agreement without reading all points. If PTI allowed the $11.00 exception, what about $15.00?, well then what about $18.00? Where does it stop? A rule is a rule. Speed limit says 55 not 66. (11 miles over) I'll get a ticket and the cop points to the sign and I say "I didn't see the sign" - ill still get a ticket.
Emotionally, there is no expectation to understand this, but practically it can be understood. Doesn't mean one has to be happy, but life will go on. As the old song goes, "I can be happy if I have a mind to".
I agree with you...a rule is a rule. I love rules. Rules keep order, however they're only good when everyone knows what they are and where to find them.
The problem here is Nicole didn't list all the rules in one place...the consumer was expected to read every single word of every post to catch any new rules...even rules that were listed only one time, while the main rules were listed five times.
In my opinion, it wouldn't have mattered if it was $11 or $15 or $18 difference...if the situation was the same (Reward Points were used) then the whole matter could have been easily resolved and reversed. For goodness sakes, they'd have more money in their pocket!
As far as your speeding analogy...that's not always true. Just because you exceed the speed limit there may be a valid reason (think emergency) and each individual "speeding" traffic stop is assessed on an individual basis. If that speed limit sign you point to is "new" or "obstructed" in some manner...there's a good chance you'll pull away from that traffic stop with a warning to do better next time. How do I know this? Ask me what my day job is? :?
Sorry this happened to you and I don't mean to sound harsh but it is the customer's responsibility to read and understand the rules before ordering They clearly stated the rules and should not have to give you the set if your order dropped below the threshold just as it does on qualifying for free shipping.
The rules were on the BLOG, not in the store. If I were shopping at Macy's I would not expect that terms and conditions of any promotion would be on a completely different website from the store itself.
The rules were on the BLOG, not in the store. If I were shopping at Macy's I would not expect that terms and conditions of any promotion would be on a completely different website from the store itself.
I have stayed away from PTI because of all the negative things I have read. If it was one or two times, no problem, stuff happens. Deleting comments, from your website is childish unless such comments were filled with contempt, bad language, etc. That is not how you handle problems when you run a business unless you're 10 years old. How hard would it have been to tell a loyal customer that a rule was printed in there and maybe, in the future, they could do a better job next time of stating the rules a little clearer. Then as a great customer service act, take the customer up on their offer of taking back the points as a one time good gesture.
I order from a lot of different companies because of positive responses/recommendations from people on this site. In reading all of the comments above one major thing still remains.
***Bad Customer Service is still Bad Customer Service!*** Do you really want to spend your money with a store/retailer who handles complaints in this way?
Who would PTI (or any retailer) be if it did not have customers? Most jobs are customer service based in some way or another, even police officers who give tickets.
Hmmm...that kind of cold treatment would definitely hurt after all the $$$ spent...we feel loyalty should amount to something and in the old days it did!
But really no matter what you offered to fix it, they were not obligated to accept your fix. Just being logical here, but if the rule is spend $100 and receive a free gift, I would automatically assume they meant $100 bottom line, after any discounts.
And like others have said "if they let you do that then where do they draw the line?"
But really no matter what you offered to fix it, they were not obligated to accept your fix. Just being logical here, but if the rule is spend $100 and receive a free gift, I would automatically assume they meant $100 bottom line, after any discounts.
Depends on whether you consider reward dollars to fall under "discount."
See, the option to use reward dollars is listed under payment options. It's logical, in that case, to assume that a purchase using that payment option is like any other. That is-- $100 is $100, whether all paid by CC, paid by CC and gift certificate, or paid by CC, gift certificate, and reward dollars.
That said, I do believe that yes, PTI treats the reward dollars as a discount rather than a payment. For instance, to get free shipping with $70, it has to be after reward dollars are applied.
However, THAT isn't clear on the website, either. If you click on the free shipping icon, it just says "We currently offer FREE shipping for those customers who purchase $70 or more and reside within the continental United States (excluding Alaska)." Doesn't say after reward dollars are applied.
Instead, that "rule" actually appears on the "rewards" page that is accessed by the customer service drop down menu and it is listed as an "exception": "If you use reward points and your order falls below the FREE shipping threshold, shipping will be added to your order."
Not exactly intuitive or the model of clarity.
And you draw the line with any person who says "but I DID read the rules and then you changed them and you put them on the blog at the last minute rather than in the store and I DID buy over $100 of merchandise!" and then suck up the cost of your sloppiness and you vow to be more clear the next time. Or you buy a better shopping cart program (because I think that's where their limitation turns out to be, at least with the shipping-after-points).
I usually stay away from PTI as I have experienced their poor customer service and downright disdain when I posted a question on the forum. I had emailed the company and never got a response. After my post I got an email huffily asking "did you expect a personal reply?". Uh, yes I did. That post had vanished.
I confess to purchasing again despite my vow to never buy from PTI again....but I held my nose and pressed "complete order" because they unfortunately have one of a kind dies.....but now I vow anew....NEVER MORE. Their service is ridiculous.
Compare that to Gina K.......360 degrees different. Her company is truly wonderful and very accommodating.
Just saying that good customer service would have noticed the reward dollars took this item away. More than one store I deal with has pointed out something similar with my order and given me the option to proceed or change things. I don't know PTI's volume but they need to take better care of their customers in situations like these. Can't be that difficult to manually review all orders using reward dollars.
Just saying that good customer service would have noticed the reward dollars took this item away. More than one store I deal with has pointed out something similar with my order and given me the option to proceed or change things. I don't know PTI's volume but they need to take better care of their customers in situations like these. Can't be that difficult to manually review all orders using reward dollars.
There's actually a box on the PTI check out page for Reward Points. If you wish to use the Reward Points on the current order, you check the box. If you don't, you leave it unchecked.
This would be the perfect place to say something like, "If you're taking advantage of any give-a-way/promotion, total payment AFTER Reward Points must be $100 or more. Payment AFTER Reward Points must be $70 to receive free shipping." Easy Peasy. I actually suggested that on my PTI forum post...that was deleted.
Like you would expect, PTI has rules...but they just don't put them in logical places and they are not clear. Simple adjustments could correct those issues, however...their customer service is another issue.
Depends on whether you consider reward dollars to fall under "discount."
See, the option to use reward dollars is listed under payment options. It's logical, in that case, to assume that a purchase using that payment option is like any other. That is-- $100 is $100, whether all paid by CC, paid by CC and gift certificate, or paid by CC, gift certificate, and reward dollars.
That said, I do believe that yes, PTI treats the reward dollars as a discount rather than a payment. For instance, to get free shipping with $70, it has to be after reward dollars are applied.
However, THAT isn't clear on the website, either. If you click on the free shipping icon, it just says "We currently offer FREE shipping for those customers who purchase $70 or more and reside within the continental United States (excluding Alaska)." Doesn't say after reward dollars are applied.
Instead, that "rule" actually appears on the "rewards" page that is accessed by the customer service drop down menu and it is listed as an "exception": "If you use reward points and your order falls below the FREE shipping threshold, shipping will be added to your order."
Not exactly intuitive or the model of clarity.
And you draw the line with any person who says "but I DID read the rules and then you changed them and you put them on the blog at the last minute rather than in the store and I DID buy over $100 of merchandise!" and then suck up the cost of your sloppiness and you vow to be more clear the next time. Or you buy a better shopping cart program (because I think that's where their limitation turns out to be, at least with the shipping-after-points).
I see your point completely. The rules should have been clearly posted.
I suggested in my PTI forum post (that was deleted) that if promotional items were available for placement in shopping carts, the rules could be listed there, "clear" and available for all to see, rather than tucked away in a one liner on a long blog post. They could have promotional sets listed just like they do for the Anniversary Sets. .
I totally agree that would have been a great thing for them to do. It is a shame that they are not willing to hear your input and would delete your post. That kind of behavior really turns me off.
__________________ "For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack" ~Rudyard Kipling my gallery
Ok....first a deep breath....I need to get this out before I explode.
It seems PTI still hasn't figured out the proper way to run their customer service department. After finding this thread this morning...many of you won't be surprised.
I have been a loyal customer for years and have spent thousands of dollars on their products. I even persevered thru the Great Email Delete a couple years ago...I got over the months-delayed Anniversary Stamp Set(s)...I lived thru the bad ink snafu (altho' I refuse to order a single "new" ink pad because they refused to credit/exchange for their "bad/old" ink pads)...I got used to the idea of no longer having a free storage box with the stamp sets...and I waited patiently for delayed shipments. Today, however, I have had my fill!
I placed an order during their "Stamp-a-faire" event on August 24th, 2013. Nicole posted about the event on her blog several times and promoted a free stamp set, "Reasons to Smile." This stamp set would be available to any customer who placed a $100 order on the 24th between the hours of 7:00am and 11:30pm. There wasn't a link to place this free stamp set in your cart when it came time to order...it was to be magically included with your order.
I placed my order for $104...and decided to take advantage of my earned Reward Points (11)...so my total payment was $93. Imagine my surprise when the free "Reasons to Smile" set wasn't included in my order.
I immediately contacted Customer Service/Jennifer...and was told my order dropped below $100 when I accepted the $11 credit for my Reward Points. What!? Jennifer continued to insist the rules were "clear"...all orders must total $100 AFTER any Reward Points. Say what?! Where was that rule? I asked if I could submit $11 and have them restore my 11 points and send the stamp set to me. Absolutely not...no exceptions. Huh? We emailed back and forth a few times that day...until she suddenly stopped. No more communication. As you know, there is no phone number to call...this is what we call a Dead End.
So, I popped over to their forum. I politely posted my issue there. Several people came forward and supported my complaint over the past couple of weeks. Some incredible folks even offered to send me their Reasons to Smile promotional set. How nice was that? I declined their offers...in hopes PTI would do the right thing. How silly was that logic?
Rick (forum moderator) commented on my thread and said the rules were "clear"...and I should have been aware of the $100 minimum AFTER Reward Points. Perhaps it was me, but I felt his tone was very condescending and rude.
Since I had Rick's attention...I re-submitted my offer to send $11 in exchange for the stamp set and for my 11 Reward Points to be re-instated. What did I hear, you ask? Crickets. Nothing.
I decided to do some research on how I could have missed the "$100 minimum AFTER Reward Points" if the rules were so "clear"...as per Jennifer and Rick. I went back to Nicole's blog (where I learned of the promotional give-a-way in the first place). Nicole had 4 separate blog posts dealing with the promotion...in those 4 posts, there were 5 paragraphs/sections solely dedicated to the rules for obtaining the free stamp set...in each of those sections, the rules were the same: Order $100 worth of product on the 24th between the hours of 7:00am and 11:30pm. No mention whatsoever of the important "$100 minimum AFTER Reward Points." Huh? How is that possible? There was a single mention of this most important rule in the FAQ section at the bottom of a lengthy post far away from the paragraph describing the promotions rules.
HOW IN THE WORLD CAN JENNIFER AND RICK DECLARE THAT SINGLE MENTION AS "CLEAR"...?
HOW IN THE WORLD CAN THEY NOT FIX THIS SIMPLE ISSUE BY ACCEPTING MY OFFER IN ORDER TO KEEP A LOYAL CUSTOMER?
This brings me to today...and my frustration. I posted the above findings (politely, of course) on their forum yesterday. Two people commented and agreed with my position. Today...the entire thread is gone! So...I started a new thread and posted a small comment basically asking where the thread had gone...it was up for less than an hour...GONE!
This is how they deal with customer service issues? They stop responding to emails and they delete any potentially negative comments from their forum.
I feel like the door was slammed in my face. I love PTI products (I haven't had any trouble with them, other than the ink pads)...but their customer service has ruined my experience. I will probably go thru PTI withdrawals, because I have been purchasing their products forever. Deleting both of my threads today was the final straw! The company will continue without me...in fact, they probably won't even know I'm not ordering anymore.
I came here to post my complaint in hopes others will be advised. I'm pretty sure not even the long arm of Rick can delete this forum post.
Ok...I feel better. I got it out of my system...I've told of my experience...and I've let anyone who reads this know that PTI customer service is still broken. Order at your own risk.
Tina
This thread was brought to my attention today because of it appearing I was associated with it (someone emailed me to ask if I was back with PTI). Could you please change your post to reflect that it was not me who sent you that email? I have not been with PTI since March 2012; your email very likely came from Julie, one of the owners. I think she handles most of the customer service emails. Thanks!
__________________ ~ Jennifer Ellefson Created From Paper, a paper crafting blog
This thread was brought to my attention today because of it appearing I was associated with it (someone emailed me to ask if I was back with PTI). Could you please change your post to reflect that it was not me who sent you that email? I have not been with PTI since March 2012; your email very likely came from Julie, one of the owners. I think she handles most of the customer service emails. Thanks!
Jennifer,
My sincerest apologies. I double-checked my email from PTI Customer Service and, in fact, it was a "Julie" who had responded to my email, and not a "Jennifer." If I knew how to edit my original post, I would correct the error....?
I did not know Julie was an owner...so now I'm even more perplexed and disappointed with her response to my particular situation. :(
I have said it before, they have some amazing items but the customer service and horror stories that I hear keep me from ordering. It's a shame. Maybe we can all hope that someone will buy them out???
