I stopped in to D&G about a week ago to order some plants and 400 pounds of composted garden soil, and have the order delivered.
Despite seeing delivery trucks being loaded in front of the nursery, the clerk said they don’t deliver, but maybe as a favor by the manager. (Strike one.) I spoke to him, who told me they would deliver on the next Friday for a fee, but no sooner because they were very busy. I happily accepted his offer.
I asked the salesperson to show me the composted garden soil, and she brought me instead to indoor potting soil, then rocky fill soil. When I reminded her that I was looking for composted garden soil, she said they had none. To our immediate left I spied several thousand pounds Miracle Grow garden soil just sitting there. I pointed it out, and she said, “Oh, yeah, we have it.” (Strike two.)
I asked for shade-growing plants, she brought me to what she claimed were them. Naively, I bought several Ajuga’s, later discovered to grow in full sun or partial shade at best. (Strike three.)
I gave my address and credit card info, and left instructions to deliver the soil and plants in front of the garage in the back of the house. I said that my door was in the back, not in the front, on the second floor apartment. My address also says, “Second floor”.
Well, Friday came and went without a delivery. (Strike four). Saturday morning, I called at around 11:00. First, I was put on hold and disconnected. (Strike five). I called again. Then I was put on hold and disconnected again. (Strike six). Finally I called a third time and got the manager in charge of the delivery, and asked him what had happened the day before.
“We couldn’t get to you on Friday”, is all he said. No explanation, no apology. OK, I replied (not mentioning that he could have had the courtesy to call to let me know), how about today? “Maybe we’ll get to you today after we have lunch,” was his reply. (Strike seven). “Maybe? Or for sure?” I asked. “OK,” he said, “Maybe.” I pressed: So I’ll see you this afternoon sometime? “Sure,” he said.
Well, a PART of the delivery arrived later, on the FRONT sidewalk. (Strikes eight and nine). Some plants were missing. I called, was put on hold again, and disconnected again. (Strike ten). Called a fifth time. Got the manager, and told him part of the order was missing, and that the 400 pounds of soil was left on the front sidewalk. He said he knew the plants were missing, that he USED THEM ON ANOTHER JOB and that he didn’t have to explain anything to me (I never asked him to)! (Strikes eleven and twelve). He MIGHT get them to me in another week or two! (Strike thirteen).
I finally (until now I spoken to everyone civilly despite not being spoken to that way) said that he did indeed owe me an explanation, as I had purchased the plants, had waited for them, and if I had simply taken them home myself he wouldn’t have been able to sell them to someone else afterwards. He repeated that he didn’t have to explain anything. (Strike fourteen).
Then he said he tried to call unsuccessfully. I looked at the receipt and the number was written down wrong by the salesperson. (Strike fifteen). (But the manager clearly didn’t remember that he had spoken to me only hours before and he never mentioned having an incomplete order. Strike sixteen.) He also said the delivery person tried to ring my buzzer for a full 20 minutes. I told him that I was home the entire day waiting for the delivery so that was not possible, unless he rang downstairs instead of the second floor. He indicated that he didn’t care. (Strike seventeen.)
I told reminded him that I had just spent nearly $400.00 at his store and that I was unlikely to continue shopping there if I was treated so rudely, and he repeated that he didn’t care. (Strike eighteen.)
If you wish to be treated with a minimum of competence or simple decency, don’t shop at D&G.
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