On Thursday, both my wife and I (we've both ordered online from them and signed up for their e-mail) got a message:
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She tries again. This time, she gets a page saying the coupon can only be printed once. So I try from my e-mail. Oops! Looks like it logged the IP and neither of us can print it. You'll note that nowhere in the e-mail does it say "One per customer unless two customers use the same computer, in which case it's one per two customers" or "You'd better be damned ready to print this when you click it."
This is a dumb way to do coupons, but I've seen it before. Sorta. What I've seen before is tied to the e-mail address, so if you click on a coupon at work, you can't print it at home. Normally, you e-mail them about it, tell them what happened, and they send you a new one, as long as you've not done this before.
So I write them an e-mail, telling them there was a printer error, and that it's a bit annoying that this appears to be tied to an IP address so that multiple users with a common computer (eg, at a workplace or school) can't print coupons. I also mention that we weren't planning any purchases there until we saw the coupon, but definitely won't be buying anything this weekend knowing that there's a good offer that we were excluded from.
I get the following obvious form e-mail:
Wow. I tell you that there was a problem, and that I'd be making a purchase if I had the coupon but won't otherwise, and you just blow me off like that? You can't, on one occasion, send me a replacement so that I will buy something?Dear [Anarky's full name, making it really clear that this is a cut-and-paste job]:
Thank you for contacting Toys R Us. I apologize that you were not able to print out your coupon. I also apologize that once an attempt has been made to print the coupon that nothing else can be done. I apologize that we also do not send out replacement coupons.
Sincerely,
Paul J. Schaefer
Toys R Us Corporate Guest Relations
This is the same company that recently changed their return policy so that absolutely nothing can be returned without a receipt. Even TRU exclusives. Hell, Target has a policy that sounds strict on paper, but even they will make exceptions occasionally.
My mom also had to call me, just before Christmas, on the verge of tears (honestly), from a TRU in Vegas because she was asking about an item in their circular and the assistant manager literally called her a liar. (She is pretty easily offended, but, still, that's beyond the pale.) She asked me to look it up online so she knew exactly where to point it out to the douchebag who had told her off, and I still ended up having to talk to the moron and tell him what their sale was, and that I hoped it made him feel good to upset an old woman. Even when he knew he was wrong, he didn't apologize to either of us. Again, assistant manager.
Between their prices and this, I honestly wonder how they can't know why they lose customers right and left. I found my Joe Command set, so I have no reason to go for quite some time (probably when they have another half-price sale on Wii games and I've finished all the ones I have). Especially now, with the economy in the crapper and their business especially far down, they ought to be trying to actually have good service to set them apart from the discount stores that can undercut them so easily.
