No stove, consumer gets $$ back

Each week, the Guardian Angel column highlights complaints sent in by you, the consumer, and provides solutions or directs you to the appropriate resource. Problem: Dr Chandra Sinanan-Mahabir, from San Fernando, said she needed to replace her stove as the oven never worked properly and decided to buy a new one from Courts, High Street, San Fernando, specifically for the oven.

Dr Sinanan-Mahabir said: “The sales clerk was very helpful and very courteous. On conclusion of my purchase of approximately $6,500 on December 13, 2013, I was asked for my contact numbers, which I gave (house and cell), but emphasised that I was leaving the country on December 16 and that my housekeeper would be handling the delivery and so her cell number was noted. 

“On December 19, I received a call in the USA from the driver of the delivery van telling me he is about to deliver the stove. I indicated to him I was abroad and that it was my housekeeper’s number he ought to be calling. “Before I could give him her number, in case he did not have it, he replied that it was only two numbers he was given and he hung up! 

“I immediately called Trinidad, and told my housekeeper to contact Courts. She was told he was on his way to Tabaquite and after that, back to the warehouse. She spoke to the supervisor at Courts, who promised to speak with the warehouse supervisor.” Dr Sinanan-Mahabir said her housekeeper visited the store from December 20 to 24, trying to get the stove delivered before Christmas, as the only reason for the new stove was to do the Christmas baking. 

She said when she returned to T&T, she visited the store to find out what went wrong. “I was told that all the stoves were sold out and my purchased item was no longer available! I could  either wait till the end of January for new stock or get my money back. “Of course, I opted to retrieve my money and will continue purchasing abroad, as I have always done, except for a cooker.”

Solution: Unicomer, the parent company of Courts, was contacted about Dr Sinanan-Mahabir’s complaint and said it was being investigated by the company’s customer experience manager. Additionally, the Guardian Angel was told that customer service representatives are responsible for making sure that the item selected by the customer is in stock before completing the sale and if the item falls below a certain level it should not be sold.

Even as you’re encouraged to take the appropriate routes for addressing your complaints, the Guardian Angel is here to assist you. You can send the Guardian Angel an e-mail about your problem and what steps you took to deal with the matter. The Guardian Angel looks forward to hearing from you and bringing some relief to your problems. E-mail her at [email protected]

Please include your name, address and telephone number as we’ll need them to follow up with you. Unfortunately, owing to the volume of e-mails and limited space, it is impossible to address every complaint, no matter how worthy, or acknowledge receipt of every e-mail.