Posts Tagged ‘shopping online’
Good Boots
Good boots have become a priority for me outdoors on our property. If boots never wore out, I would be set, but the heavy use I subject them to tends to damage a boot’s ability to perform as desired. Waterproof features rarely hold up against repeated exposure to abuse and aftermarket sprays to reclaim the protection hold up even less. If the sole doesn’t separate from the upper then constant flexing will crack and tear across the width, just behind the toes.
Since I am stepping in and out of my boots frequently throughout the day, I usually avoid laces. My previous favorites were an insulated (for winter) and a non-insulated (summer) mid-height slip-on from North Face. They no longer make the version I love, which I bought twice online in the past, so I decided to start over from scratch and search for a replacement.
Shopping for a different kind of boot made me nervous about getting a good fit if I order online. Searching by images, several times the boots that caught my eye were made by Georgia Boots. I checked for a retailer that carried them and up popped Tractor Supply, my new favorite farm store.
Unfortunately, my store in Prescott, WI didn’t stock the slip-on I was hoping to check out. The only boots they had that closely matched what I was looking for were lace-ups. Two things led me toward my latest prized pair. I found something in my size marked down on the Clearance shelf and the top two lace catches were hook-type. (An added bonus was being able to have steel toe protection.)
Long ago I figured out a method to avoid always tying laces on boots with hooks. I get them snugged up and knot the laces, then simply unhook the top two catches without untying the knots when I step out of the boots. The next time I put on my boots, I simply reverse the procedure by stepping into the boot and twisting the already-tied laces over the upper hooks. Bing. Bang. Boom.
In picking my new Georgia Boots, I was hoping my old hook-loop lace securing technique would still prove functional. The gamble paid off. My quick-release laces are working grand. It broke my heart to so quickly subject my new boots to the worst mud of the season, but they have performed magnificently from the start.
They no longer look like new but my Georgia Boots are a wonderful replacement for my old cracked favorites from North Face.
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Customer Serviced
It was my mistake. The website was precise in clarifying the quantity was “1 bracket” and I knew I needed two, so I ordered two. When my package arrived, the box revealed it was “One kit.”
I didn’t need to order two.
These weren’t cheap. Despite my preference to simply ignore the whole dilemma and have it fade away as if it never happened, I figured my time was easily worth recouping the otherwise wasted money.
There was no information about returns included in the package and the emailed receipt was incredibly oversimplified and devoid of any helpful detail. I pulled up the site online. While I was hunting for links hinting about support or customer service, an invitation to chat materialized in the lower right-hand corner of the window.
I always prefer chat sessions over waiting in the queue after navigating a phone maze to speak to a customer representative. The chat window launched with a well-labeled “automated response” offering me an opportunity to see the latest sale promotions.
Discounting that opening gambit, I typed out my initial query asking how to proceed with a return.
A notice appeared indicating there was one person in queue. No problem for me. The chat window was off to the side and I was simultaneously multitasking on actual work.
After a reasonable wait, a second “automated response” popped up asking for my email which would allow them to contact me at the next opportunity. I willingly complied.
Minutes passed. Eventually, many minutes passed. I watched my email and that notice indicating “one person in queue” for any hint of activity.
In hope of priming the pump again, I typed into the chat window asking if communication would move exclusively to email.
Do you know that scene in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” where principal Ed Rooney is at the front door and finally hears the taped dialogue start over again? That was my experience when it was confirmed for me that I was talking to a bot.
The chat window responded to my latest question with an opportunity to see the latest sale promotions.
After a pause, a second “automated response” popped up asking for my email which would allow them to contact me at the next opportunity.
Later in the evening, I spotted a new message in my email from the company. Subject line: “Hot Exclusive Prices That Won’t Last Till 2021!”
I’m pretty sure they have me right where they want me, and it has nothing to do with providing information on returns.
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Relative Something 