What was evident to me is that the company did not have the lift in stock. They ordered the lift from Invacare to be delivered from my home. I have known that many times when you order from a catalog, they are middle men and do not actually carry stock. I was irritated in that I could not track the package and then it was not delivered by UPS as Medical Department Store. So what I have written below is altered for good reason.
Buyer beware is so true. I thought I had been bit in the pocketbook by the mighty Amazon. I buy a lot from them and use their links liberally in my blog. Usually it is a book, If they had not given me the refund, I would have linked outside of Amazon for books. I also do a newsletter.
 |
| Me and my trusty friend Frank |
Medical Department Store charged me $166.32 for shipping and restocking fees on a medical lift. You can't beat city hall. Plus, I have liked the opportunity to purchase items that are not easily found. It is handy to have items delivered I've never had to return an item before with Amazon. I didn't know how Amazon would have refunded.
I ordered another item, and Amazon said my payment method did not work. I have been using a credit card that has worked well and I use for purchases with Amazon along with a direct debit to my checking account. It has just been so expensive with getting what my sister needs. Paranoia creeps into my thinking. It worked for several other purchases. I pay the card off every month to avoid finance charges.
I ordered the lift on November 9th and it was expected on November 22nd. I thought it had been delivered. I go out to the garage where I was keeping items for my sister's use. I discover the item I thought was the lift are the bedrails I ordered from Walmart. The bedrails I reported to Walmart were not delivered and they sent me another set. I will contact Walmart and pay for the second set. It will probably be cheaper than paying all the freight.
It turns out the bedrails were not needed. I had to get a hospital bed and it was cheaper than what it would have been on Amazon. They delivered the bed and set it up. They commiserated with me about my problem with the lift not being delivered plus gave some me some information for future use. I'll hold onto one set of the bedrails in case my sister gets to move to a regular bed. The other set I have newly purchased. I will donate to Happy Hour Service Center.
Getting my sister home was hectic and I am still chasing my tail. Each night I have had trouble sleeping. I need to assist her about 1 am each night which leads to not being able to fall back asleep. Add to that leg cramps and I have lost about ten pounds the past three days.
On Amazon, I had gotten the message that the lift was supposed to be delivered by November 22nd by UPS. So I combed the Medical Department Store link and found the company Averitt Delivery. I googled their website and put the tracking number in. It revealed it had been delivered November 28th. So I called them. I thought I might be able to pick the lift up. The customer service agent said they could not deliver the lift because they did not have my phone number. It had been returned to the company.
When I discovered I did not have the lift, I felt panicked. Then I thought there will be a solution which turned out to be paying $140 for medical transport. That morning I woke up and had not heard from Amazon or Medical Department Store. There were no contact phone numbers. I thought I will loose my money. But a lift was needed regardless of how it turned out.
But I decided to purchase a medical lift from Walmart online. I knew I needed one soon. I paid for expedited delivery. It should be here on Tuesday. I did not order from Amazon. I could have the same problem. Amazon wants you to pay for Amazon Prime to get free shipping.
I got a refund of $322.68.
This is the reason I was charged the $166.32.
This is a freight item. Item is a signature required product. Freight carrier attempted to get ahold of you with the number you provided at check out. They have your phone number on file. Order was returned due to they were not able to get a hold of you to arrange delivery for signature required. Unfortunately due to this you will be responsible for shipping fees and restocking fee per return policy on Amazon. As for us, we were only notified on Nov 30th for the first time that you did not receive your product. In first email you stated that Averitt didn't have your phone number when indeed they had 2 numbers and "one was incorrect and the other was not answered".
I have a cellphone with a bill. I have so many irons on the fire it will take me awhile to search for the call. I need to fill out forms from Social Security and my sister's job disability forms. I'm just glad Averitt told me it was returned to the manufacturer. Otherwise, they may not have given me anything back.
There are bigger losses in this world. For one, my sister having a stroke is a huge loss. Everything is relative. Medical Department Store did take a loss in delivery. I felt the fact they never delivered should have been on them. I don't know if I would purchase an item they sold. But I definitely will not now.
When I ordered another lift, I could not contact Amazon or Medical Department Store except for waiting for their email reply. With so many reports that it had been delivered, I did not know if I would get my money or a lift. Hence, I ordered another one from Walmart. You can contact them.
These are the company's associated with Medical Department Store. I am glad they gave a list. I can put them on a dartboard. At least I got some money back. It did give me a lot more respect for Walmart. I have disliked the behemoth because I did not want it to become too big of a monopoly. I've had the same feeling about Amazon and book sales. Things are what they are.
www. wheelchairauthority. com
www. medicaldepartmentstore. com
www. woundsupplyonline. com
www .ebikedirect. com
www. homemobilityaids. com
www. edpumps. com
www. ewheelchairccushion. com
www. portableoxygenstore. com
Save 5% on your next order on our websites
Use the Discount code "GIFT" on your next order
Medical Department Store
752 Commerce Drive
Suite 8
Venice FL 34292
Nothing ever seems to go smoothly, especially when you need it. Some sellers through amazon are rather shifty too. At least with Walmart it is always through walmart and not some private or other company. So you usually only have to deal with them.
ReplyDeleteI was also being cheap. I should have purchased from the Zon and paid shipping. I like the idea of doing business with the little guy. But I probably picked the least expensive. Live and learn, I usually don't have that to happen. I rarely return items. I only returned the lift because it never came and I had to give up hope on it.
DeleteIt is all relative.
ReplyDeleteSucks about the lift though. If only you'd known sooner.
True, it is all relative. I now know so many of those companies are catalog companies who only buy when they get an order and that is what happened. The fact my sister had a stroke is probably behind most of my irritation. I've got to cool it.
DeleteYou are such an awesome sister! I can't imagine either of my sisters going through all of that for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm very disappointed in Amazon's attitude, but I'm happy things worked out for you with Walmart. I'm not a big fan of Walmart either but in our small town it's pretty much all we've got.
Hopefully you'll be able to get everything installed easily and your sister's homecoming will go smoothly.
It really wasn't Amazon, it was one of their sellers. Amazon ruled in my favor in the end which is good business sense. I spend a great deal with Amazon.
DeleteYour sisters probably would step up. I did not want to do all this. However, there is no alternative. At this point, my sister has no income until her disability begins. Even then, medical bills will eat that up for awhile. I've got an elderly cat who is thrilled with the new roommate.
Sounds all too complex for my fragile mind. I've gotten many books, CD's, and DVD's from Amazon, but no really big expensive purchases. I've though about it, but on larger items with which I'm not overly familiar I like to see it at a store and have direct contact even if they do have to deliver it later--at least I feel like I can go back to the store in person if there is a problem.
ReplyDeleteThere is great convenience in ordering online and having something delivered, but when there are complications then it can be a mess. My daughter orders a lot of baby stuff like her diapers to be delivered and I guess that works well for her. I've been considering having certain grocery items and other things for the house delivered through Amazon, but you're right about the scary monopolistic nature of it all. Soon Amazon could rule the world of merchandising and that would be a sad day for not only the mom and pop enterprises, but also the large corporations like Sears which are already closing down stores. If we want to save jobs in our country we have to think about all those folks as well. Competition keeps the market healthy.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Convenience is the best part of Amazon. However, I learned much of medical equipment is about the same price at local suppliers. I could have saved myself a lot of grief.
DeleteThe monopolies bother me too.