DeepDiscount.com's Price Match...don't hold your breath
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Stock Exchange I'm sorry to say that my long-time lover affair with DeepDiscount.com has come to an abrupt end. I've always been a fan of their low prices and free shipping, but even better is their price match. If you find it cheaper anywhere, they'll match it. Well, that's what I thought anyway. But they took so long to respond that the DVD deal I asked them to match had finished, and with it, my price match.
I suspect the first question you have is the obvious one - "Why not just buy what you want at the place you found it cheaper?" Well, there are several good reasons for this. One, you may not have done business with this company before and either have trust issues or worry about promptness of shipping. Two, you may want to order several DVDs and would rather do it in one place than over several sites (this also helps with combined shipping costs). My reason was just as simple...I found the stellar deal at BestBuy.com and I'm no fan of Best Buy. I would rather have given DeepDiscount my business.
Flight of the Conchords - The Complete First Season
The DVD in question was the first season of Flight Of The Conchords, an excellent series that was on offer for less than half price at Best Buy, around $10. I contacted DeepDiscount's PRICE MATCH hotline and sent them the information they requested on November 26th. Then I waited. Two days later I got a reply. Not what I was hoping for, they wanted a hyper-link to the specific page on BestBuy.com so they could verify that I wasn't pulling a fast one.
I immediately sent back the information, urging them to please hurry because the deal was due to end (and also if they couldn't match it in time, I would bite the bullet and buy it from BB...of course, I didn't mention that part in the reply, which I probably should have done).
I played the waiting game again. I waited, and waited. On December 5th, after hearing nothing, I sent another note to DeepDiscount. And today, I finally got my reply...it was not good news. DeepDiscount had waited so long to do the price match that the offer at Best Buy was over. And thus, their price match was no longer necessary.
So, what have I learned from this? Well, I'll never bother with DeepDiscount's Price Match because the system is just way too slow and cumbersome. I will also buy a product when I see it on a super sale, because now I'm out of pocket and out of time to find a better deal. Alas, my holidays will be spent without the mighty Conchords. If you do plan to get a price match from any store on line, don't count on getting a prompt reply. You may be better off just snapping up the better deal while you can.
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So one experience results in a never, ever decision?
There are so many other places to shop that treat people with respect and have excellent customer service. Why stay with people that treat you horribly?
I got food poisoning at a Red Lobster, I refuse to eat there again. I got treated like complete crap at bestpricecameras.com, I won't buy from them again. There are obviously some exceptions, I mayb give DD's price match another try, but to be honest I don't see why I should?
...and it brings to mind the old saying: "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."
So, yes, sometimes "never, ever" is not only warranted, but necessary and wise. When a company reneges on a promise central to their appeal, "Fool me once..."
...even assuming they weren't gaming you to keep from having to match a price, now not only won't you be buying as readily from DeepDiscount, the same can be said for your readers!
Your experience encapsulates a lesson the Word of Mouth Marketing Association should be spreading and isn't: retailers, particularly online retailers, must treat every customer and every transaction like it will be the next hot topic in the blogosphere...because sometimes it will be!
I've bought many DVDs from them, and although I've known some bad rumors about them on online forums (like sometimes people got repackaged items,) I've never had any trouble with them.
Regarding the Price Match policy though, yes you're right, it's been no secret that DeepDiscount is horrible at responding emails. and that's why whenever I deal with them, I call them instead, and trust me, they have wonderful representatives that always help me resolve problems.
Having said that, DeepDiscount's price match policy is only work through emails, so you always have to wait at least a week to get any respond. And, here's why I don't think their price match is worth it: they matched to their competitor's selling price Plus tax and shipping, so that means they'll only match to (in your case) the BestBuy.com price plus tax and shipping that applys to you, so in the end (from what I've researched) DeepDiscount still have the best price, most of the time. If not, I usually just turn to Amazon.
There's always a trade-off in the price vs. customer service spectrum. It's hardly surprising that in DeepDiscount's case, they have great prices and not-so-great customer response time. You just have to be smart on when to use a company with these attributes and when to go elsewhere. This is called common sense.
Getting offended over a minor incident such as this one is not only absurd, but hurtful to oneself as a smart consumer. Plus, common sense says after 3 or 4 days go by and you've already unsuccessfully exchanged multiple e-mails with the party in question to no avail, just go buy it from the other source!
This is hardly one to cry over, and even less one over which to stop doing business with a company. If you get this offended over minor problems such as this one, it's a surprise you and your readers find any businesses that meet your lofty expectations.
In other words, to say it simply but impolitely, get a life.
Hey, just an FYI... the SAME thing happened to me, they responded AFTER the sale ended and gave me a different price. I called and complained and they fixed it and gave me the correct price. It may have helped that I had sent a screen shot of the amazon.com page and included that in my original email. They didn't ask to see it again as proof or anything when I called, but they may have pulled that up when we were talking on the phone. I think because I had ordered from them in the past several times they just gave me the benefit of the doubt. I know it's a pain, but if you call and speak with someone, they have much better customer service than via email.