It’s sunny, it’s pretty mild, and today I declare to the world Costco has won. They sold us what feels like a fast-fashion freezer, stood firm on a 90-day return policy for an appliance that catastrophically broke in under a year, damaging the floor to boot, and frankly, we just don’t have the energy to continue to hold on in their gaslighting whirlpool.
We had the return authorization from Hisense who had declared it non-repairable; not only did the claims person never acknowledge it, it seems, this morning, she’s talked them out of it. All of this back and forth has surely cost more than a refund would have. Now we are to supposed to hold onto it indefinitely while someone may or may not arrange an “inspection” of it. So far this woman in “Claims” hasn’t done a single thing to move the issue further, she’s only created circles in circles in circles.
And it’s really reshaped my thoughts on Costco.
Costco used to be the safe option, the one you went with because you knew it would be OK, whatever it was. From vacations to cars to food to clothing to…appliances.
Well, definitely not the appliances.
In a way, it brings to mind Target and how easily the image of corporate responsibility, of customer satisfaction, can vanish into the wind. One moment it’s a go-to store; the next, shopping there leaves you with a little bit of ick, or you avoid it entirely.
The stores themselves may still be fine, it’s probably good to note that this was an online purchase and Costco online has a slew of issues, mostly related to the shipping and the condition in which products arrive. We’ve had multiple open bottles of Tums; multiple open cases of almond milk. Once the almond milk actually exploded, leaking liquid everywhere.
Boxes arrive battered and bruised, regularly. And you pay for shipping on top of the membership, but maybe that fee doesn’t include “handling?”
So they’ve won, we have another freezer from Abt on the way anyway, and if Abt had carried this model, we would have bought it there in the first place. And the reviews on Costco say as much, person after person, brand after brand, all with the frustration of something that went wrong while Costco didn’t care.
I assumed I knew Costco and didn’t know the people. I absolutely assumed wrong.
It’s already been a full week with this nonsense, the creation of issues where none existed, the roughening of a smoothed road. My dad was ready to abandon the fight before I was, as we had a return authorization code. That should mean something, right?
Right?
Only words, it seems. It feels like that is all that is left in this horrific timeline, endless friction to scrape the money out of us, a grater that doesn’t much care if it hits bone.
This lesson was expensive, monetarily and in morale, because I thought Costco was one of the “good” guys.
Are there “good guys?”
Maybe it’s time to pack away those notions. Maybe it’s time to accept that there is nothing else, only money. No company deserves our loyalty in this day and age.
Anyway, that’s it for me on this Wednesday, I hope you have a wonderful, friction-free day.
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