Holy Customer Service Batman, this one's a doozy!

Skippy SH13 · May 25, 2017

I had the fantastic pleasure of buying a $20 set of "metal detecting" earbud headphones, only to have them go bad the 2nd time they were used. I posted a review, to which the manufacturer told me I should contact them, but left NO contact information (which has now been fixed).

My experience with Treasure State Prospecting was SO bad, I thought I'd post about it here, to help people not have the same experience.

Basically, after having a product fail, and a company tell me they have 100% satisfaction guaranteed, but to contact them for a replacement (and provide NO contact information), it looked very much like a company who was just responding to a 1-star Amazon review with lipservice.

But this is where it got good. And when I say Good. I mean GUUD. LOL

I responded that I spent 30 minutes looking (mostly on Amazon.com, since there's no guarantee a "manufacturer" on Amazon is the same as in other places), and could not find the contact info.

They responded with two things posted on Amazon (now deleted by them).

First,
Treasure State Prospecting says:

I'm sorry you don't know how to use a computer. Do you know what a google is....?

And second:
Treasure State Prospecting says:

We can't fix stupid......

I couldn't believe those showed up in my e-mail. You want to talk about FANSTASTIC customer relationship building? These folks NAILED IT. *cracks up*

I'm actually going to use this example in classes up here at work on what NOT to do in customer interactions. When I post negative reviews, I'm always open to changing my opinion. Suppliers/Sellers get a mulligan. But when a company compounds failures upon failures, they deserve 1-star ratings.

Here's the whole content if you want to get a laugh, because ultimately, that's what it's worth. It's just absurd that a company would tell someone they're stupid for not knowing an Amazon.com presence is the same as a website. Silly even.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3C9F...entID=MxL4FXPRYPZ8ZP&store=aht#MxL4FXPRYPZ8ZP

Hope they learned something from this, because I sure did. I'll never buy from them again.

--The saga continues--
OH MY GOSH... While typing this up, they responded to me, and actually insinuated I was FABRICATING the posts. *rolls in laughter* I posted screencaptures...

This might be a thread worth watching on Amazon.com...
It could be excellent. It's like I need to buy some popcorn to see how they're going to dig a deeper hole. MOVIE TIME!

Skippy

EDIT: The resolution has taken place. I got an e-mail from the account manager, who apologized and asked for more information. I shared with them the e-mails I received, which showed the comments posted. The explanation and choice of resolution was nicely handled.

I think, they recovered from this. Once I get the refund, I'll delete my comments, and note that the 100% satisfaction guarantee was valid in my original post. Since they are ALSO sending another set of headphones, I'll do a second review/addendum to the first, and adjust accordingly the number of stars...

The whole thing was surreal... Thanks for those who helped me out, offered assistance or guidance, or just moral support with happy thoughts my way. I appreciate it all.

Cheers,

Skippy

FROM THE ACCOUNT MANAGER:
Thank you for these comments, once they are deleted, we can not recover them.

I have reprimanded and removed access from the person involved. They were not an employee, but still had access to our account. They are going through a hard time in life, and used our account to lash out.

You should receive the refund shortly, it has already been processed on our end. We will also send you a replacement set of earbuds, and a multi-tool for you trouble.

Again, I am deeply sorry

Sincerely;
AJ Koenes

SeabeeRon · May 25, 2017

Found a FB for Treasure State Prospecting...
https://www.facebook.com/treasurestateprospecting/

Also found this...
http://treasurestateprospecting.com

Darktower007 · May 25, 2017

That sucks! BBB complaint time!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Skippy SH13 · May 25, 2017

SeabeeRon said:
Found a FB for Treasure State Prospecting...
https://www.facebook.com/treasurestateprospecting/

Also found this...
http://treasurestateprospecting.com

Oh, we've got it all figured out who they are. That's for dang sure.

If they'd started with, "oops sorry! here's how you can contact us" after I searched all over Amazon for it, I'd have removed the second comments all together. Seriously. I would have. I LIKE good customer service. I'd have also come back and reviewed the company based on the new product they sent. Instead, the review stands with the lousy experience I got.

The reasons are simple:

Telling me I don't know how to use a computer, do "a google," and calling me stupid, followed up by accusations I FABRICATED those comments, means they deserve EVERY BIT of the review, even if I COULD have assumed the companies were the same. They earned this one.

Skippy

BottleCapKing · May 25, 2017

Googol is a number. "google" is not.

Skippy SH13 · May 25, 2017

Darktower007 said:
That sucks! BBB complaint time!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nah. Calling BBB doesn't do jack for Amazon buyers. The review will be exactly what they earned.

The first thing I do when I look at a product is look for the negative reviews and read them. I know other folks do, too. Someone's going to get some serious drama reading that.

Good grief.

I also discovered, to my horror, that the Seller and the "manufacturer" are exactly the same entity. They have the same phone number! This means they could have directly contacted me, but chose, instead to post insults online.

Yep. They earned it. Every bit of it. Thank goodness for the ability to provide real reviews. When customers have a voice, manufacturers/sellers can LEARN from their mistakes.

I have a limit, that I don't get pushed past... I'm curious if they'll ever try to make good on this, or if they'll just wave me off. Seriously. I'd probably just delete the whole thing if they refunded me. So silly.

Skippy

Skippy SH13 · May 25, 2017

BottleCapKing said:
Googol is a number. "google" is not.

Oooh! AWESOME! This I did not know. I shall stand corrected, and give you credit! Woot!

new addition: EDIT: I STAND CORRECTED BEFORE ALL! I totally messed this one up. Thanks to BCK, I now know that the word is "googol" and was invented by a 9-year old. AWESOME. I shall leave this up, as a testament to the world of my own inadequacies. We can all be wrong.

CJayC · May 25, 2017

First thing's first… the BBB is a sham; they'll literally SELL their ratings to any business willing to pay for it.

Now for the actual issue…

Skippy, this product, while sold by that company, is actually shipped out and inventoried by Amazon. When there are issues with products like this, you need to contact Amazon, NOT the company who sells it. In most cases, you'll be setup with an RMA (return merchandise authorization) and will be asked to ship the item back to Amazon. When the tracking updates and shows it's been scanned in by U(S)PS, your refund will begin to process.

The only time you'd be tasked with contacting the seller directly is if they were also in charge of shipping the merch as well.

EDIT:

I just looked over the main product page. Two things:

That item is NOT sold by "Treasure State Prospecting." It's sold by "Truly Superior Products:"

Secondly, if you click that seller link, you'll be taken to their page where a contact number has been listed.

So if you're going back and forth with Treasure State, you might not be talking to the right seller at all.

EDIT 2:

I see based on your review comments you've already figured this out. So never mind about that. :P

Regardless, you want to contact Amazon and not the seller.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Skippy SH13 · May 25, 2017

CJayC said:
First thing's first… the BBB is a sham; they'll literally SELL their ratings to any business willing to pay for it.

Now for the actual issue…

Skippy, this product, while sold by that company, is actually shipped out and inventoried by Amazon. When there are issues with products like this, you need to contact Amazon, NOT the company who sells it. In most cases, you'll be setup with an RMA (return merchandise authorization) and will be asked to ship the item back to Amazon. When the tracking updates and shows it's been scanned in by U(S)PS, your refund will begin to process.

The only time you'd be tasked with contacting the seller directly is if they were also in charge of shipping the merch as well.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Nah. That only works if you're in the "window" of opportunity to get a refund. Which I wasn't. I typically don't bother with refunds, but I do review virtually everything I buy on Amazon.com. I think it helps other buyers. I don't like it when sellers sell garbage products, and then refund buyers without it ever being known. Makes it hard to know what is good and what isn't.

But you're right, in that I cannot contact the seller in this case, which means the manufacturer (who happens to also be the seller) cannot be contacted. At least not as the fulfiller of the transaction. Which made it interesting when the seller asked me to contact them.

It comes down to this...I posted an honest review of the product, then got responded that I should contact the manufacturer, but was provided no instructions, and then after getting frustrated, their customer response team proceeded to insult me, several times, and follow up to being called out on it, by insinuating I was making up the post content.

That's a classic Bad experience.

The final bit to the chapter, though is that I followed the instructions to contact the seller, and that 100% satisfaction is guaranteed. We'll see if they make good on it. If they do I'll pull the added content, and alter the review that they made good on their 100% guarantee promise. If they don't then that "guarantee" is worthless. We'll see how they handle it.

Personally, I give it a 10% shot that they'll actually honor what they're posting. My belief that they're a company that cares about their integrity is strongly hindered by the insults.

Either way, I still don't recommend the product to anyone. ESPECIALLY, since they're not "metal detecting" earbuds. They're just earbuds with a 1/4" adapter included! LOL

I ordered them based on solid reviews. Wish I hadn't. Hence, why I added the review.

Skippy

Skippy SH13 · May 25, 2017

CJayC said:
EDIT:

I just looked over the main product page. Two things:

That item is NOT sold by "Treasure State Prospecting." It's sold by "Truly Superior Products:"

Secondly, if you click that seller link, you'll be taken to their page where a contact number has been listed.

So if you're going back and forth with Treasure State, you might not be talking to the right seller at all.

EDIT 2:

I see based on your review comments you've already figured this out. So never mind about that. :P

Regardless, you want to contact Amazon and not the seller.

Yep, you saw it.

Treasure State Prospectors and the Seller are one in the same.

Amazon won't give a refund. I cannot even contact them about the product, since it's past April 27. There's not even a contact button available.

Ain't worried though. I was just reviewing the product. If they want to tout a 100% guarantee, they either need to honor it, or quit saying they have one...

Skippy

CJayC · May 25, 2017

Skippy SH13 said:
Yep, you saw it. Treasure State Prospectors and the Seller are one in the same.

Amazon won't give a refund. I cannot even contact them about the product, since it's past April 27. There's not even a contact button available.

Ain't worried though. I was just reviewing the product. If they want to tout a 100% guarantee, they either need to honor it, or quit saying they have one...

Skippy

When did you receive the item? Because if that's what April 27th is, you sill have time to get a refund.

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Bagelbites · May 25, 2017

Great job, Skippy, in outting them and using screenshots. I just posted in that thread as if I were a potential customer, although I am not. Maybe they'll get a wake-up call.

Skippy SH13 · May 25, 2017

Bagelbites said:
Great job, Skippy, in outting them and using screenshots. I just posted in that thread as if I were a potential customer, although I am not. Maybe they'll get a wake-up call.

AHHH That was YOU!

Yep... shortly after you posted, I got a message from the company. They've now apologized, but interestingly, they told me that to get a refund I'd need to pull my content down. I politely explained that I will adjust my content after the satisfaction guarantee is met.

Looks like you did well, Bagelbites. If I get a refund, you'll have to let me know which of my products you'd like to have (if you don't already have metal detector tip protectors). I'm happy to send you a set, free of charge. You can see them on ebay search "tip protectors free shipping" and you'll see my four offerings at $8... you can just choose one and let me know by PM with your address. Heck, just send it now, I'll get them shipped out regardless of whether or not they refund. Thanks for helping out.

Means a lot.

remmy · May 25, 2017

Skippy SH13 said:
AHHH That was YOU!

Yep... shortly after you posted, I got a message from the company. They've now apologized, but interestingly, they told me that to get a refund I'd need to pull my content down. I politely explained that I will adjust my content after the satisfaction guarantee is met.

Looks like you did well, Bagelbites. If I get a refund, you'll have to let me know which of my products you'd like to have (if you don't already have metal detector tip protectors). I'm happy to send you a set, free of charge. You can see them on ebay search "tip protectors free shipping" and you'll see my four offerings at $8... you can just choose one and let me know by PM with your address. Heck, just send it now, I'll get them shipped out regardless of whether or not they refund. Thanks for helping out.

Means a lot.

Actually I put the first(I think) "why was it deleted" post

Skippy SH13 · May 25, 2017

CJayC said:
When did you receive the item? Because if that's what April 27th is, you sill have time to get a refund.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

April 27th was the FINAL date. I ordered way before that. I simply do all my Amazon.com reviews every couple of months. As I indicated, I wasn't looking for a response from the company, I was only posting a review.

BUT... when they responded and basically told me to contact them without giving info... it was annoying, which I posted as well, and then got a series of insults from it. And on and on...

We'll see what happens, next.

Skippy SH13 · May 25, 2017

The resolution has taken place. I got an e-mail from the account manager, who apologized and asked for more information. I shared with them the e-mails I received, which showed the comments posted. The explanation and choice of resolution was nicely handled.

I think, they recovered from this. Once I get the refund, I'll delete my comments, and note that the 100% satisfaction guarantee was valid in my original post. Since they are ALSO sending another set of headphones, I'll do a second review/addendum to the first, and adjust accordingly the number of stars...

The whole thing was surreal... Thanks for those who helped me out, offered assistance or guidance, or just moral support with happy thoughts my way. I appreciate it all.

Cheers,

Skippy

FROM THE ACCOUNT MANAGER:
Thank you for these comments, once they are deleted, we can not recover them.

I have reprimanded and removed access from the person involved. They were not an employee, but still had access to our account. They are going through a hard time in life, and used our account to lash out.

You should receive the refund shortly, it has already been processed on our end. We will also send you a replacement set of earbuds, and a multi-tool for you trouble.

Again, I am deeply sorry

Sincerely;
AJ Koenes

CJayC · May 25, 2017

Skippy SH13 said:
April 27th was the FINAL date. I ordered way before that. I simply do all my Amazon.com reviews every couple of months. As I indicated, I wasn't looking for a response from the company, I was only posting a review.

BUT... when they responded and basically told me to contact them without giving info... it was annoying, which I posted as well, and then got a series of insults from it. And on and on...

We'll see what happens, next.

Now I understand. I was under the impression that you had tried to deal with them first, and THEN did the review that they finally responded to. I'm sorry you went through that. If you have any issues with Amazon-related orders in the future, please reach out to me, and I'll offer as much insight as I can. While I can't take direct action anymore, I can still help you out with the proper actions to take and such.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Skippy SH13 · May 25, 2017

remmy said:
Actually I put the first(I think) "why was it deleted" post

Then you can have a set, too!

Just shoot me a PM with your address, and choice of detector tips. Happy to send you a set. I appreciate the support you were willing to give, unrequested. You're awesome.

Cheers!

Skippy

Bagelbites · May 25, 2017

Skippy SH13 said:
AHHH That was YOU!

Yep... shortly after you posted, I got a message from the company. They've now apologized, but interestingly, they told me that to get a refund I'd need to pull my content down. I politely explained that I will adjust my content after the satisfaction guarantee is met.

Looks like you did well, Bagelbites. If I get a refund, you'll have to let me know which of my products you'd like to have (if you don't already have metal detector tip protectors). I'm happy to send you a set, free of charge. You can see them on ebay search "tip protectors free shipping" and you'll see my four offerings at $8... you can just choose one and let me know by PM with your address. Heck, just send it now, I'll get them shipped out regardless of whether or not they refund. Thanks for helping out.

Means a lot.

Awesome! My comment was the one that indicated that I was in the market for some products and came across this company, but they are now blacklisted.

Skippy SH13 · May 25, 2017

CJayC said:
Now I understand. I was under the impression that you had tried to deal with them first, and THEN did the review that they finally responded to. I'm sorry you went through that. If you have any issues with Amazon-related orders in the future, please reach out to me, and I'll offer as much insight as I can. While I can't take direct action anymore, I can still help you out with the proper actions to take and such.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Oh that's right, you've got "in" connections. Not that I've EVER had any problems with Amazon. They're always fantastic. 100% satisfied customer, with their services, anyway.

Holy Customer Service Batman, this one's a doozy!

Skippy SH13

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