Kmart

Full review
K-mart online wants your money but does not care at all about your satisfaction. I live near Daly City (near South San Francisco, CA) where the local K-mart recently went under. It was no surprise as the store was filthy, products were poorly stocked and it was very difficult to get any real customer service. It didn't help them that there are two Target stores within one mile that were bright, clean and had better prices.

With K-mart's financial problems I figured that perhaps it was the brick and mortar that the was problem. I thought perhaps the now defunct store was an anomaly that did not represent the retailer as a whole. That perhaps being an e-retailer would afford them more focus on the customer and getting it right. Unfortunately that is not the case.

On Wednesday, September 29th I noticed that Kmart.com had the Game Boy Advanced SP-Cobalt on sale for $49.99. I thought it a great price but waited for another 24 hours to see if it was a mistake. The price didn't change and I placed my order for two units. The online basket indicated they were in-stock and would ship shortly. The transaction went smoothly and was completed successfully.

Then a few days later I received the following email:

"Dear Thomas:

Thank you for shopping at Kmart, your business is important to us. We regret to inform you that we are unable to complete your order 17496XXXX-XXX. The following item(s) is unavailable at this time and has been cancelled from your order.

Item: 941591
Description: Game Boy Advanced SP-Cobalt
Quantity: 2 @ $ 49.99

Your satisfaction is very important to us. Please allow one of our Sales Consultants the opportunity to suggest an alternative product from our site that will meet your needs. For assistance, please reply to this email or call our Kmart.com Customer Service Department at 1-866-24-Kmart Opt. 4.

Once again, please accept our apologies for this inconvenience."

Note that they attempt to emphasize that my satisfaction is important TWICE and provide what appears to be a humble apology. Note that the website indicated it was in stock and ready to ship during the entire check out process but now this email says to the contrary. So I write the following back:

"Dear Customer Support:
If you wish to make me happy...you will substitute (2) other Gameboy Advanced SP units at the same price and ship them immediately. The order showed as confirmed...it needs to be completed."

Their response?

"Dear Thomas,

Thank you for contacting Customer Support at www.kmart.com.

I am very sorry, but we will be unable to accommodate your stated
desire.

I apologize for the difficulty."

Note there was no real attempt to make the customer happy at all. In order to do a good retail business and STAY in business it is important to help the customer if the retailer puts up the wrong price, has mismarked if something is in stock or makes some other error. I spend close to $3000K a year with online retailers and for the most part have received excellent service. With K-mart there is no such dedication to the customer. My recommendation? Take your business elsewhere and let their online retailing go the way of their stores...AWAY.