In this episode, a Haggler intervention and then a pair of updates about previous columns. There is a lot of ground to cover and consumer justice to dispense. Q. In August of last year, I purchased three bean bag chairs for my kids from PBTeen, Pottery Barn’s teen-targeted store. In March, I realized that one of the inserts had burst, because when I unzipped the cover, thousands of those little white foam beads scattered all over the place. I called PBTeen’s customer service and spoke with a representative, who said I needed to send a photo of the defective insert to an email address. After hearing nothing for a couple of months, I called again. A different rep said that PBTeen doesn’t make those inserts anymore. I asked for a refund, but she said that wasn’t possible. I asked to speak to her supervisor, but she refused to put me through and then hung up. I called back and spoke to yet another rep and was told that, actually, PBTeen does still make those inserts, and I’d be sent one within 10 days.
That was weeks ago. The last rep I spoke with said that all of PBTeen’s customer service reps work from home and therefore no supervisors are available to assist customers. I’ve tried looking for corporate info from PBTeen or its parent, Williams-Sonoma, but I haven’t been able to reach anyone who can help. Maybe you can prompt this large public company to act.William HauptmanSan Diego, Calif.A. Let’s break with tradition and start the answer with the end of this tale. The same day the Haggler contacted the director of public relations for Pottery Barn, the company called Mr. Hauptman. “They are overnighting me a replacement for the bean bag insert,” he wrote. “In addition, they are going to send me a gift card for $150. They wanted me to tell them how much to give me, which I thought was strange, so I just told them whatever they would like to do is fine.”The Haggler has since done a bit of research on Pottery Barn and its publicly traded parent company, Williams-Sonoma.
(Wave to the crowd, Laura J. Alber, C.E.O.). Pottery Barn, the Haggler learned, provokes a lot of angry muttering from customers. Consumer Affairs has posted hundreds of very detailed complaints about the company, many of them describing pretty lousy service from phone representatives.The head of Pottery Barn’s public relations department, Kimberly Terry, told the Haggler via email that Mr. Hauptman’s experience was “certainly not up to the standard of service we strive to provide.” She also said that while some of the company’s phone reps worked from home, they all had the ability to forward issues to a supervisor.The logistics of selling sofas, chairs and thousands of other items are surely a challenge. Finding phone representatives who know how to interact with consumers, and perhaps placate the irritated ones, seems like the easy part. And it’s not as though Pottery Barn doesn’t know what good customer service looks like. The happy end to Mr. Hauptman’s case proves this company can deliver, and fast, when it is motivated.
The first concerns the Premier Cru wine case. You may recall that since the store, in Berkeley, Calif., went bankrupt, victims of what the authorities call a “wine Ponzi scheme” have had trouble getting chargebacks from their credit cards. (The store closed owing $45 million in orders to roughly 4,500 people.) American Express has cited a 540-day limit on claims — even though there is nothing about a 540-day limit in any user agreement.The Haggler found a legal expert who could opine on this question: Do these customers have a legal claim to a refund from American Express? Yes, said Adam Levitin, a professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, citing a Truth in Lending statute, though only for those who live in California or 100 miles from the store. A few days after the column ran, however, he changed his mind.Now he thinks everyone seeking a chargeback from American Express has a “very strong” claim, no matter where they live. On his blog, Credit Slips, he explains his rationale, which is 2,400 words long and far too complex to delve into here.
But the same catch he mentioned last time still applies: American Express can force customers into arbitration, and once there, the legal nuances might not apply. As the professor put it, “Arbitrators can completely disregard the law under the Federal Arbitration Act.”That’s a problem far too large for the Haggler. So time for update No. 2.On Sept. 28, two law firms filed a class-action lawsuit against Payless Car Rental and its parent company, Avis Budget. The plaintiffs’ lawyers claim that Payless customers were charged for fuel, insurance and roadside assistance, even after declining the add-ons. None of this will surprise regular readers of this column, which, in recent months, has given Payless a recurring role in this space — a bit like a guest star in a sitcom who catches on and keeps turning up.Wait, that analogy stinks. Payless won this recurring role by incensing customers, not entertaining them. Some plaintiffs, according to the New Jersey lawyers who brought the case, were charged as much as $185 for fuel, even after bringing the car back with a full tank of gas.
When these and other renters complained, they were told to call a Payless number and open a ticket with the help desk. But here’s the thing about Payless’s help desk: It doesn’t help. The lawyers say Payless representatives routinely sent a perfunctory message saying, in effect, Tough luck: You owe the money. The Haggler asked a public relations representative at Avis Budget, which owns Payless — and is led by Larry D. De Shon, its C.E.O. — to say anything about the lawsuit. The company declined to comment.Edit ArticleHow to Fill a Bean Bag Chair Widely popular in college dorms and family rooms, bean bag chairs are infinitely adjustable. They're available over the internet in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and fabrics. Filling (or refilling) them can be difficult though, so follow these steps, then take a rest in your new chair! Inspect the delivered package for damage. Inspect carefully your flat bean bag chair, checking for any signs of rips and holes in the fabric.
Have a friend assist you in filling your chair. Sit in the chair. Add more filler if you'd like a stiffer chair. Relax and enjoy the best furniture that has come into your life for a long time. Show more unanswered questions Some prefer bean bag chairs to be about half filled for more of a "sink-in" feeling while others prefer it to be almost filled to the top. Bean bag chairs may be purchased unfilled, allowing customization in the amount of filling to get exactly the feeling you want. Try to get a bean bag chair with quality stitching and a durable material such as leather. You want to make an investment in a product that will last and provide years of comfort. You can order additional filling. The most common type of filling is polystyrene, the technical term for Styrofoam which is also used to make Styrofoam coolers. The filling used in bean bag chairs is polystyrene that has been ground up into tiny Styrofoam pellets to provide a light and comfortable filling.
Polystyrene gives you exactly the right comfortable feel. Polystyrene is also inexpensive and lasts. The chair conforms to an imprint of your body, which makes them so comfortable. You can also pound and shape the chair into any position you desire, and the reground polystyrene pellets will hold this shape. Purchase a bean bag chair with a zipper on the bottom to add more filling throughout the lifetime of your chair. Over time the filling inside the bean bag chair becomes compressed through frequent use. The zipper allows you to add filling when required, vastly increasing the lifetime usefulness of your chair. Review testimonials that previous customers have left, to have a more confident and rewarding purchase. Shop around for a bean bag chair. Research to find out the options available as there are several online retailers providing quality products. If you decide to fill your bean bag chair with reground polystyrene make sure to purchase enough filling that you will have some extra left over when complete.