Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Feeling the Amazon Burn

I am a pretty experienced online shopper and a pretty loyal Amazon aficionado. I love typing in exactly what I want and have it pop right up within seconds. I can comparison shop, I can have it shipped in two days with Amazon Prime, and I am usually very happy.

This is until my last purchase and thanks to one of Amazon's secondary suppliers. We all know to read the fine print, but gosh, really do read it. I bought a toaster recently, thinking nothing of clicking on the purchase button.

It was being supplied by an outside supplier--not being shipped directly from Amazon fulfillment. It was a toaster. I've bought many toasters in my life. Never had any problem. However, this fancy, semi-expensive toaster was a problem from the word go.

It burned every piece of toast. Even on level one, it burnt the toast like it was a flaming marshmallow over the open campfire. Never once did it "pop" up before I had to press the cancel button to save our home from a kitchen blaze.

I notified the seller. I could return it, sure. I only had to pay to ship it back, then pay a 15 percent restocking fee and pay the seller back the "free" shipping that it had been sent to me with. All of a sudden, my $60 dollar toaster was costing me about $33.00 once I returned it, and I ended up with no toaster!

Friends, returns to Target, Williams Sonoma and Crate and Barrel are free. Buyer beware.

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