Recently, I launched a best and worst consumer experience feature on Unlocking The Power of Your Money.
I think looking weekly at these experiences helps us learn from our successes and mistakes.
Here are my most and least successful consumer transactions for this week:
My best consumer experience: Spending a $25 gift card
When I was at Ace Hardware recently, I signed up to listen to a presentation by Evans Glass for new windows. An incentive was a $25 gift card.
This week the gift card arrived in the mail. I spent it on a long-handled garden tool to pull dandelions.
My worst consumer experience: Problems with camcorder batteries
Several weeks ago I went to Batteries Plus to check out two batteries for my camcorder. The sales associate said my camcorder remote had a short because it drained two new batteries. He said I’d need to order a new remote.
This turned out to not be correct. Later, I was able to get the remote to work by pointing it more directly at the sensor on the front of the camera.
I also asked the sales associate about my five-hour battery. It wasn’t holding a charge as well as it should. He suggested I leave the battery, and he’d test it.
Not feeling hopeful, I decided to buy a new two-hour battery for $85. A $5 rebate was available.
When I returned home, I found the sales associate had forgotten to give me the rebate slip. I called, and another sales associate said I could stop by and pick it up. I asked to have the rebate slip mailed to me. The sales associate was hesitant, but he finally agreed.
About a week later, I received the rebate information. A few days later, I mailed it in. This week, I received my rebate envelope back with a big black X across the address and a note that said: “This offer closed.”
Meanwhile, Batteries Plus had called me about my five-hour battery. The sales associate said it only had 80 percent of capacity left. He said that meant it wasn’t any good, and he’d recycle it for me. I said 80 percent sounded to me like it was still usable. I’d come and pick it up.
This week I went back to Batteries Plus to buy a new battery for my watch and to pick up my five-hour battery.
I started by telling the sales associate I was disappointed about not being given the rebate slip when I was in the store. I told him it was a factor in my decision to buy the battery. The sales associate shrugged off my complaint.
Two sales associates look for my battery. They couldn’t find it. They had gotten rid of it, even though I wanted it back.
One of the associates said my battery capacity was actually 80 percent of 80 percent, which is 64 percent. That’s not what I was told in the phone call.
The manager decided not to charge me for my watch battery since I’d had so many problems. While that was nice, I was still disappointed about not getting my rebate and my battery back.
