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lack of recognition and respect for clients? It was beyond her comprehension.
She was on the verge of suing the company because of their inability to
respect their obligations but she figured that she didn't really have the time to
pursue a lawsuit. She shopped online in the first place because she didn't have
time. But she had to resolve this matter once and for all. She decided to take
a day off from the horror story and the next day, armed with a voice recorder,
she called the three companies involved in this mess and recorded the phone
conversations which she planned to use in her lawsuit.
At SED, upon obtaining the representative's name and informing her that the
telephone conversation was being recorded, the rep promptly dropped the
phone. Caroline called back and asked the rep if she actually dropped the phone
on her, a customer, in the middle of the conversation and the rep shamelessly
lied, saying that the line was cut off. Caroline insisted on speaking to the direc-
tor of the agency who came to the phone and rudely informed her that her
case was too complicated for them because their drivers reported arriving for
the delivery with no one present. He so much as called Caroline a liar and neu-
rotic who took pleasure in harassing people, before dropping the phone on her.
She was speechless. It took her a few minutes to get herself together before
her call to Sogep, the second company involved in this soap opera of incompe-
tence. She was immediately asked to stop calling them as they had no busi-
ness with her anymore. Caroline thought this must be a joke and realized that
she was wasting her time so she called La Redoute.
At La Redoute, she refused to drop the phone until she was put in touch with
the Director of Client Services, whose name she promptly noted after inform-
ing her that she was recording their conversation. She recounted her nightmare
story, told her what she thought about them and their incompetence, negli-
gence and dysfunctional structure and further informed her that if she didn't
receive her refund within 48 hours, she would sue La Redoute and would
implicate her in the lawsuit. The “director” promptly retrieved her file and duly
informed Caroline that it indicated that the delivery for the sofa was made
twice and there was no one at Caroline's residence to receive the sofa. Again
Caroline couldn't believe her ears - this story was becoming more incredulous.
She had concluded that they were unprofessional but she hadn't thought that
they would resort to lying. She realized that she has underestimated them.
Caroline confirmed that this was a blatant lie and “Madam Director” indicated
that she would investigate the matter and ensure that Caroline received her
refund within two weeks - which according to her was an enormous step as
she had to fit the request in their “quick response” program. Caroline's deci-
sion was made - if she didn't receive her full refund by the specified time, she
would take them to court. In the meantime, she still had to find a solution to
her aching back, which was getting worse.
Two weeks later - and exactly seven weeks after making her online purchase -
she obtained her refund in the form of a cheque (she had paid by credit card)
accompanied by a toneless unapologetic letter signed by a so-called “Director of
Client Relations. She threw the letter in the trash and decided to put this horri-
ble experience behind her but, first, she warned everyone around her from fam-
ily to friends and colleagues to avoid La Redoute like a plague. But La Redoute
wouldn't have it. The following week she received a package with numerous
reduction coupons to shop from the store. The following week another pack arrived
and the week after it was a letter informing her that she had a “gift” reserved
for her which would be immediately dispatched upon her next purchase. A few
days later she began to receive emails from La Redoute nearly every day, with
offers for discounts, free shipping and all manners of desperado sales moves to
get her to shop with them. Were these guys nuts? What kind of company was
