Day 35: Customer Experience

Today, we were good consumers and had a shopping experience at Metro, the big box German chain that is akin to Costco in the US. On our agenda of items was a patio set for our balcony, but we were there to peruse the shelves and pick up some other odds and ends for our home. As we walked in the door, we saw a huge "Reklama" or advertisement for a table grill.

Feeling inspired, we went to the shelf of grills and took a look. (I have to mention that the "онлайн клубъ" or online club was not part of the in-store advertising scheme). A thirty dollar table grill to use on our new patio set seemed like a grand idea. We scooped up a grill and went to buy some things for a proper grill party.

After waiting in line, purchasing our loot, and exiting the store, I stopped to read through the receipt. Oh, no! We were charged 8,000 Tenge (or $50) for the grill. I took a deep breath, braced myself for another communicative test of language skills, prepared myself to not get my money back, and marched back into the store with receipt and boxed table grill in hand.

The two women who helped us return the item and credit the amount to our credit card were polite and easy to communicate with. There were no questions about getting our money back, but they did take away the grill. I explained that I was at the store today to buy the grill and I wanted it. The two ladies held onto the grill and repeated that I would get my money back in 7-8 days as a credit on the card.

Remarkable was that the customer service was great. At some point, the women we were working with found someone to explain to us that we needed to sign up online for the item in order to buy it in one or two weeks. Insistent and incredulous, we headed back inside thinking that we could find the grill again and insist on the correct price.

I located a young man shelving in the house section of the store and took him to the set of grills with me. He scanned it and the item came up once again with the higher price. He shrugged his shoulders and explained that he was tired of discrepancies in prices from morning to evening. We would have to come back another day - until the item is corrected in the system, no one can buy it for the indicated price on the shelf.

A bit disappointed, we got back in the car and drove away thinking that the store defeated us. Only today did I find the advertisement and this special online club (yes, I've joined!). 

And what did our adventure in consumption teach us? Perhaps only that fools like us really didn't need a grill for our patio anyway.