10/06/06

Denied Service

by jennylynn73

I've gotten burned by florists making "substitutions;" from 2 different florists the recipient got an inferior product that was absolutely nothing like what I'd ordered. This time when I ordered a gourmet gift basket I indicated "no substitutions." Mr. Dean called me soon after I'd submitted the order online but I was in a meeting & couldn't take the call- so he called back 5 times within one minute (2:45pm) then finally left a message. When I was able to call back an hour later, (3:35pm) he was gone for the day but I was told there were several items that they didn't have in stock for which he'd have to purchase substitutes. I explained why I had indicated no subs & I would simply like to approve any subs first. She said I would have to call back in the a.m. & talk to Pat. I called & was treated to an interesting conversation with Mr. Dean. Affecting a rather patronizing tone, he told me he'd been in the business 20 years, his many regular customers trusted him & never questioned his product; he'd done work for this famous person and that sports team & they loved him- & that I should go elsewhere. I told him I'd had bad experiences before & simply wanted to know what items would be substituted. He went on to insist that he didn't know until he got to the "gourmet store" & that I didn't know or trust him so again I should probably go to someone else. He barely gave me a chance to talk, but honestly I was left speechless -I have never dealt with such an ego before. I asked for a refund & he said I had not been charged. I told him I was looking at my acct & yes I had. He said he'd never given a customer's money back before. I told him he was being obnoxious. Obviously Patrick Dean is used to customers who don't question & that is fine- but if you have a question or want a little more control over your order, don't go to this guy. His ego can't take it.

• Pros: I don't know- I was not given a chance to see the product.
• Cons: The owner would rather lose money than take the extra step to accomodate a cautious customer and build trust.