It all started when the dreaded Target Style refused to say what time the ol' Missoni line would be released online. They did little teasers like 'bright and early in the morning' and 'you can sleep for a couple more hours', but refused to specifically state a time--likely because they knew that mayhem was about to overtake their site. Nevertheless that was the beginning of the end. Around 3:15am I checked the site and got on with ease. Like a fool I thought, 'hmmmm they must have planned because this is relatively seamless'. Famous last words. Cut to scene and there I was in the middle of checkout: the beloved throw, an iPhone cover and one other item I can't remember due to PTSD when the damn site crashed. Really Target? REALLY??
These words now evoke feelings of terror.
For the next 3 hours I attempted to get back into the site just to access my cart and check out with 3 measly items, but oh no. That would have been asking too much. During this time I also waited on hold for an hour for a customer service rep who could pull up my transaction and check me out. Nada! When I finally got through she did, indeed, pull up my online shopping cart...but refused to assist me in the checkout process stating I had to wait until the site came back up. Excuse me lady, but that's like other people butting in front of me in line, isn't it? Meanwhile everyone and their mother was attempting to access the site and some of them apparently were able to do so because when I got back in at, oh, 7am the damn throw--the one thing I really wanted--was SOLD OUT. Even better? Ol' girl on the phone had given me a 'reference number' for when I would, inevitably, call back again to complain that the contents of my cart had been pilfered out from under me while I entered the security code from the back of my card during CHECKOUT as the site crashed. That's how close I was!! By the way...that reference number showed what had been in my cart when the site crashed. And would always hold that screen shot according to her.
Isn't that special?
They knew this was happening to thousands of people, but rather than honoring those of us who had waited our turn and made legit transactions they just ripped our merchandise out of our carts and let others run off into cyberspace with it...kind of just like the in-store experience so many people had. They would politely put something in their cart, leaving other things for other customers, when the crazy eBayers and soccer moms would roll up, attempt to steal the goods, and run off into the men's fitting room to 'decide what they really wanted' aka ALL OF IT even if it wasn't in their size.
By mid-day I was down from a raging fire to a smolder so took my crazy looking hair out to the car and zipped over to a local Target to survey the damage. Zippo on the clothing due to the antics described in yesterday's post. Everything had been pillaged by 8:05am leaving nothing except a few pairs of shoes. One of those pairs happened to be knit flats in a size a little too big for my niece, but she'll grow into them. Examine the evidence:
Cute, right?
Why do I feel like throwing them against the wall?
By mid-afternoon I had made two transactions for two iPhone covers...finally one of those transactions went through. Here's hoping the goods show up and the order doesn't get cancelled. Maybe they'll accidentally send me the throw they owe me. Yeah, right.
I'm sure you're thinking 'oh get over it' and all I can say to you is, I will, but until I do you can talk to the hand. Because if I had been standing in-store with 3 items and the register went down while I was in the process of waiting for my credit card transaction to go through no one would have been able to steal my stuff off the register. Right? Herein lies my real issue. Pushers, shovers and store hoarders aside, the web experience was dismal. And people who waited up all night, essentially waited for nothing. And Target couldn't give a flying you know what. THAT'S MY PROBLEM. Why couldn't that customer service rep have checked me out?? Why could she look at my cart online, see the contents and refuse to check me out. I mean she used a polite tone and asked her supervisor and everything...but at the end of the day left me to swing in the wind.
Well swing this!! *insert the bird* (I bet sponsors are just lining up right now *cough*). The experience killed the desire for the line, which is really sad. And now I want to heave those little shoes into outer space, but won't because I know my niece will love them. And I almost got scratched getting them. And I still want that stupid throw because I heard they are really nice. Ugh!!
Consolation: today I found a very cool facebook page called Locked out of Missoni for Target - FAIR Trade Here. People are listing items they are going to return or would be willing to trade for other items...and some of them will actually sell items to you at a reasonable price + shipping. A wonderfully kind woman messaged me and may have a throw for me. I'll keep you updated. The ironic thing is this page has brought together, at least at this stage, fair and reasonable people who are not making things easy for the eBayers wanting to gouge. I highly suggest heading over and 'liking' their page--if you'd still like something and your local store is sold out, someone there might have your item. Target's customer service could learn a thing or two from the admins running the page. And those ill-mannered shoppers could also stand to take a lesson from the way patrons are trading/selling goods amongst each other. Word
