Circuit City Gives Me a $24.00 Credit!

Yesterday evening I orderer a mini tripod from Circuit City's web site. I wouldn't have paid for it with my credit card if I was unable to pick it up from their Point Loma store. After verifying that the Point Loma store had this tripod in their inventory, I completed the transaction. Then I started my email client (Mozilla Thunderbird) and opened the confirmation email that Circuit City sent.

I printed this confirmation and then proceeded to the Point Loma store and gave it to a clerk working at the cash register. I showed him my California Drivers License (Picture ID) and my MasterCard which I used to make the purchase. The clerk processed all this information from his side and then he asked me to wait until someone brought the tripod to the check out counter.

Fortunately, I was in no hurry, and I spent about fifteen minutes looking at all the cool electronics throughout the store. I returned to the counter thinking that they would have had plenty of time to locate the tripod and was told that they didn't have one in stock. The clerk began to tell me all the options that I could choose from; i.e. get it from a different store, have it shipped to my home address, or get a refund. When he had finished, I said that he was forgetting something. The perplexed look on his face made me mention the option that he had not included beforehand, that I would be issued a $24.00 credit

The clerk became obstinate and questioned my reasoning for demanding the credit for something that he had no control of. He said that since they didn't have the tripod in their inventory they could not be held responsible to issue a credit. I responded to this by saying that I had their web site verify that the Point Loma store had the tripod before I gave them my credit card information, which I did in good faith. I also reminded the clerk of Circuit City's online guarantee, "If we don't have your order ready for you within 24 minutes of your confirmation email, a $24.00 gift card's yours."

The clerk responded by reiterating that they were not responsible to issue a credit since they did not have the item in the store. I could see that I wasn't going to get satisfaction from the clerk, so I asked him to please get the manager of the store to the counter so I could talk to him about it. Upon hearing this, the clerk turned his back to me and began to walk away. After he had taken a few steps, he made a halfway turn without actually facing me and said, "So you're going to be that way about it?"

This gesture of disrespect lit my fuse and as the clerk continued walking away from me, I said in a loud voice so that everyone in the vicinity could hear, "You're damn right I want to speak to the manager since you insist upon dicking me around!" There weren't any customers within earshot of what I said but the manger and a handful of clerks heard me and they all had looks of utter shock upon their collective faces as if to say, "Why are you using such foul language? Are you some sort of uncivilized ruffian?"

Once I was face to face with the manager I apologized for using the epithet and then I told him why I felt justified in asking for the credit. He quickly agreed and authorized another clerk to issue the credit, but he didn't offer me an apology for his employee's mistake, nor did the clerk in question, who stood in the background ever offer me an apology.

My outrage was quickly checked by the knowledge that I would receive the credit and I returned to my normally non-confrontational self. The clerk who was helping now was courteous and very competent. After he gave me the credit he arranged to have the tripod shipped to my home address free of charge. He gave me all the paper work and apologized for any inconvenience that this may have caused me.

I thanked him for his help and said "Good night" to him.