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Eco-Friendly Family
alchris
member
goodmama saga, part 2
alchris
member
Unfortunately DH and I managed to get through just June tonight.
July
will have to wait until tomorrow. FYI, I have made a couple small
changes to the text in part 1, including a C&P that you'll see here
again. And I'll edit this a bit more as well. I'm not trying to
persuade anybody of anything with this middle section -- you'll see a
lot more in the next part, unfortunately.
June 11 Heather replied offering a 10% refund.
June 11 I sent Heather an e-mail on which I copied Suzanne (the owner), Jessica (the production manager and former customer service rep), and Becky (who coordinates all of the shipping and repairs), hoping that someone else would step in. I once again stated that these diapers were not usable because they did not fit around my daughter?s thighs, that the 10% refund was not advertised, and furthermore the 10% was only for those customers who apparently wanted to keep their diapers because the low snaps weren?t affecting function for them. Also, I restated that I barely missed the cutoff date for the SYOF1 recall because I wanted to give all the diapers a chance to work for us and we have a large goodmama rotation to go through, and most of my faulty diapers were not part of the recall anyway so I didn?t think the date should apply.
I suggested we begin with discussing the non-SYOF1 diapers with low snaps, which I asked to return for a full refund. Customers who had purely cosmetic issues had been receiving full refunds in the two months since our communication had begun, and my diapers had a functional problem. Many of these diapers had been used less than 3 times, if at all.
I also mentioned that I was having issues with the neck of a dress I bought a few weeks earlier. I had been waiting to mention it because the diapers were my priority. I did however wish to exchange the dress for something of the same value.
June 13 Heather replied that she has spoken with Suzanne. She said I could send back the nine diapers for a 30% refund. I could also return the dress for a full refund. She included return shipping information.
June 13 I replied to Heather, Suzanne, Jessica, and Becky that this offer was completely unreasonable and that goodmama was clearly trying to take advantage of me by making such a suggestion. I was not about to return the diapers for a 30% refund and be out 70% with nothing to show for it. I explained that I had been very reasonable, obviously too reasonable, and that I had neither discussed this matter on any public message board. I was a good, loyal customer, and I had never done anything but praise goodmama and recommend them in the year-plus since I had started using them. I mentioned that just three weeks prior, my daughter was on the home page of their website. I did not believe that she had spoken to Suzanne because I did not think Suzanne treated her customers this way.
I hated to return them, but, as Heather had acknowledged two months earlier, the low snaps could not be fixed without leaving holes, so I had no choice. The diapers in question were fabrics that I really loved and that I worked hard to get. I repeated that I had never heard of the 10% refund for SYOF1 diapers that someone chose to keep, and I still did not know why Heather continued to cite the SYOF1 recall policy when most of my faulty diapers weren?t part of the specific recall. (The recall text had been removed from the goodmama blog, but I found a copy of it online, and indeed it mentioned nothing about non-SYOF1 diapers nor about 10% if a customer chose to keep a diaper with low snaps.)
At this point, I had 13 diapers with low snaps problems that I couldn?t use and which had been barely been used, if at all. They were sold to me as first quality diapers and I paid first quality prices. I expected a full refund for those I returned as they were faulty and unusable, and a 30% refund for the four I would be keeping though they were unusable as well. Obviously I preferred a full refund for all, however, as that was the only way to make this situation right.
I was still using a large number of other goodmamas, and I used to love putting them on my daughter. As of this e-mail, however, I knew I no longer would be able to enjoy them. I stated that if the situation was not rectified, I would go public and contact the Better Business Bureau.
June 13 Jessica replied that there had been a misunderstanding and asked me to let them fix it and that she would reply to me again in the morning.
June 14 I replied to Jessica that I hoped there had been a misunderstanding because, after a month of the runaround, I was fed up before Heather?s insulting offer on the 13th. I described my patronage of goodmama, going back 16 months to how I searched out my first diaper to how I stuck it out through all of the company?s growing pains to my frequent referrals of their diapers. After all of that, to be treated like this hurt. I told Jessica that I had no choice but to start selling the other diapers I had because I could no longer look at them. It hurt me to write that because I never thought I?d say that. I felt like I had wasted countless hours and money on a company for which I no longer respected. While it shouldn?t matter how many goodmamas I owned, the fact that I had so many made it that much more pathetic.
I told her that at this time I didn?t think that simply honoring my initial request was sufficient. It would be too little, too late. For the price of goodmamas, one should expect immaculate customer service. Many other WAHMs charge less money but offer guarantees at the expense of their bottom line because their product reputations matter. I told Jessica that at this point I felt betrayed by the company.
June 14 Jessica replied that she was terribly sorry for all I?d gone through. She promised they were going to make things right by me. She appreciated that I had sent her my complaints so that they knew about it. She thanked me for not giving up on them.
June 15 Heather replied that she typed the wrong thing and that she meant I could return 9 for a full refund or get a 30% refund if I wanted to keep them.
June 15 I replied to Jessica rather than Heather as Jessica seemed invested in helping me resolve this matter. While I was happy that part of my original offer was met by Heather, after all the e-mails, runarounds, and unreasonable offers, the final result was an offer that was still less than my initial request. I suggested that they refund the money as promised, and that if they would allow it to rectify the situation, I would make sure any diapers they let me keep went to families who could use them. While at that moment I wished to be done with goodmamas forever, I still held a glimmer of hope that goodmama could salvage their image with me.
I asked Jessica to
review the e-mails Heather and I had sent.
I reiterated that while at one time I would have accepted the offer to
be done with it, my emotions had run high over the previous few days given
Heather?s now-flippant responses. I couldn't look at my diapers without feeling betrayed, let alone use them right now.
June 15 Jessica replied that she was truly sorry and that she would talk to Suzanne and get her involved. She said she truly hoped that they could offer a resolution whereby I could use the diapers again and associate them with positive feelings.
June 15 I thanked Jessica very much for the offer to speak with Suzanne about the possibility of going above and beyond my request for full refunds. (I had read between the lines that I would at least be offered a full refund on all of the diapers.) I explained more about where my emotions were coming from, especially as it pertained to these specific prints, and I thanked her for caring about her company.
June 16 Suzanne wrote to me and said she was sorry for the situation. She offered to accept the low snap diapers back so that they would be out of circulation as they were not a good representation of the goodmama product. She offered to take back all 14 diapers and give me $600 in store gift certificate. Therefore, I could ?not only replace the diapers, but also enjoy picking and choosing as different fun prints and products come up, and provide extra compensation you can apply toward more new and perfect diapers above and beyond the 14 faulty ones.? She also asked me that if we were able to resolve this, that I be discreet about the matter.
June 16 I replied to Suzanne thanking her and commending Jessica for her sincere correspondence from the previous few days. I told her I appreciated her offer for a $600 gift certificate, but I preferred a refund of $600 instead. I gave four reasons for preferring a refund to a gift certificate. First, all that Heather and I had discussed were refunds, and indeed Heather had already offered a full refund for all but 4 of them. Also, I had spent over $600 at the store between March and May, so I felt I had used more than the equivalent of the gift certificate since I acquired these faulty diapers and had begun communication about them. Third, many of the prints that I was returning were ones I had to trade for and were rare collectors? items, which is why I had sought them originally. Although I loved these prints, I already had many goodmamas and I wasn?t wanting any more right now from a quantity standpoint. Fourth, I wanted to move on from this saga, as I was completely exhausted and had spent countless hours in communication on this matter, and a refund was the best way to do that and to look ahead.
I told her I would be discreet in the matter. I appreciated her involvement and although I had not decided how to proceed, I was reassured by her commitment to her company.
June 17 Suzanne replied that she appreciated my sentiments, but she would not meet my request as she is a small business and that?s the best she can do.
June 17 I asked Suzanne to please accept the fact that I spent over $600 in her store in March and May and to think of that as having used the gift certificate. Heather had never mentioned gift certificates in her e-mails, only refunds. Other customers had been getting refunds for less significant issues yet this functional issue was brushed aside. This was especially upsetting because I had given the diapers a sincere chance to work for us, and because I had been getting the runaround for so long from Heather.
June 23 Suzanne wrote, ?I am sorry you are not able to accept my offer. I wish you all the best in the future.?
June 23 To Suzanne, Jessica, and Heather, I wrote, ?I will accept the full refund that Heather offered on all but four of the diapers on 6/15. I understood from Jessica that refunding the remaining four wouldn't be a problem, as they all have irreparable low snaps. This wasn't specifically stated, but that's what I understood as she was apologetic about the lack of a reasonable conclusion. I knew she would be contacting you to see if anything else could be offered due to the unprofessional way I've been treated. However, I understand that you are not willing to offer more than that. I will still accept a full refund ($40 each as has been discussed) on all but four of them, and while I would prefer a full refund on the remaining four as well, I will accept 30% back for keeping those four (as 30% was your offer, so $12 each) along with repairing the shallow snaps as needed on those four. This is too bad as it means they will stay in circulation, which I know you didn't want. I have not gone to the Better Business Bureau or to any public online forum but that would be my next step.?
More to come tomorrow, I hope. Thanks so much for your amazing support.
Pregnant with #1 with PCOS and LPD, success with mostly naturopathic treatments
Our Thanksgiving Day baby 11/22/07
Pregnant with #2 with LPD, uterine polyp/hysteroscopy, DOR (AMH = 0.17), 2 c/ps
Our early Christmas present 12/9/10
Our Thanksgiving Day baby 11/22/07
Pregnant with #2 with LPD, uterine polyp/hysteroscopy, DOR (AMH = 0.17), 2 c/ps
Our early Christmas present 12/9/10
This discussion has been closed.
Re: goodmama saga, part 2
Don't even waste your breath. They're not worth it.
Thanks for the sweet support though.
Our Thanksgiving Day baby 11/22/07
Pregnant with #2 with LPD, uterine polyp/hysteroscopy, DOR (AMH = 0.17), 2 c/ps
Our early Christmas present 12/9/10
Well, it wasn't really my offer, but since Suzanne cut off communication I felt I had no choice but to accept the other offer and be done with it....
Our Thanksgiving Day baby 11/22/07
Pregnant with #2 with LPD, uterine polyp/hysteroscopy, DOR (AMH = 0.17), 2 c/ps
Our early Christmas present 12/9/10
Oh no!
But yeah, that would make this a LOT easier. 
Our Thanksgiving Day baby 11/22/07
Pregnant with #2 with LPD, uterine polyp/hysteroscopy, DOR (AMH = 0.17), 2 c/ps
Our early Christmas present 12/9/10
No worries- never know until you try! I really hope you find some resolution soon... sorry you're going thru this
Not excited baited breath - just recognizing the tension hanging in the air surrounding this subject.
I am very very sorry you're going through this. What a catty drama mess of which they're going to suffer... I am sure of it.
I used to own a very successful event planning business and people love to sue over frivolous crap so I could understand their hardball methods if they had a leg to stand on but...they clearly don't. I mean this is like Target saying "Just because of who you are, we won't honor your return even though we sold you a dysfunctional/broken item."
Try to relinquish control over this situation - Do what you can, make the moves you plan to make, and then hand it over to the universe after you've reached your limit - your integrity, honor, and dignity are valuable commodities that shouldn't be for sale to the most frustrating bidder.
BIG HUGS
Bored at work and reading this board.
Couple of things
1. If you really are getting a lawyer involved, I think it foolish to have this entire timeline out there on the internet. Your lawyer will want you to take this done asap, but the damage is done.
2. I don't think you'll get a full refund if that is not their policy.
3. I think your real goal is to share you dissatisfaction with their customer service (and that's ok) but you are opening yourself up to libel issues with these posts.
4. $600 on DIAPERS?
Its obvious that GM provided you less than stellar customer service (by a mile), but when I read through your timeline, a few points stuck out to me.
If the problem diapers were ones that you bought in Dec-Feb, why did it take you until April to contact them w/ a product complaint? I would think if you were having problems w/ these diapers you would've contacted customer service alot sooner than that.
And when they asked for pictures of the faulty diapers, why did it take you another month to provide that information?
Please don't take this the wrong way because I'm not at all saying that any of this is your fault. But I do think if you're going to pursue this (especially legally) you'd better be ready to give exceptionally good answers to questions like this. 'Cause they're bound to come up.
wow, just wow.
and mike - considering most people spend $2,000 on disposables for each child, $600 on cloth diapers which can be resold or used for subsequent children does not seem like that much. i can't speak to the legal issues that you bring up.
I also think you need to downplay how much you used the faulty diapers. You stated that they've been used 0-3 times. Well, those diapers you used 3 times could pose a problem for your case. 'Cause if you were able to use those diapers more than once, it could be argued that they couldn't have been that faulty.
(Once again, I am NOT taking you to task on this. I've just been in a similar customer service dispute once before and the more heated the situation gets - especially when legal action comes into play - the more you need to be prepared to defend your case. And these are some minor points I could see getting thrown back at ya.)
oh yes, you are correct, I just never dropped $600 at one time or at one place on diapers!
yup. this.
I think you are making your case weaker and not stronger with your timeline, truthfully.
also, I would keep your feelings out of it. "I was hurt" is a very weak argument in a situation like this.
It sounds like you knew of the March 30 deadline--did you? I can't figure out why you kept diapers that you say you knew weren't functional to keep trying out, when they said they had to be returned by March 30. This isn't about what their customer service policy should or shouldn't be, but it's about the fact that they did say that the diapers should be returned by March 30 and you kept them longer, and got mad when they wouldn't give you a refund satisfactory to you after the afore said date. It doesn't make sense to me. It sucks you're out of money, it sucks their return policy sucks compared to other diaper companies, but you had these diapers in December...you should have known by March if you had problems with them (and you did, you said you were just giving them more time). It sounds like legally you have no leg to stand on.
Sorry--just putting my POV out there.
11 months
what about all the other diapers that she had issues with that weren't included in the recall? what should she have done there?
honestly, if someone sells you something that doesn't work, you should be able to return it, no questions asked. if you buy a brand new stove and it doesn't work, you would go to the manufacturer and get them to fix it, even if you were past the store's return policy. same thing here. she paid for a diaper and since the snaps were too low to make the diaper function, she should be able to return it.
Yes, if you buy something and it doesn't work you should be able to return it. But I don't think you legally have a leg to stand on if you buy a product, admit to using it MULTIPLE TIMES and then try to return it as faulty. By your logic, I should be able to return the computer I purchased 5 years ago that is a total clunker now. I mean, its not functioning as well as it did when I first bought it so return policy be damned. Dell should take this one back and give me a full refund.
How do you stay in business under that logic? Eventually every product declines in functionality and w/ no return deadline you could claim product failure at any point in the product's life cycle. That would be financial suicide for most businesses.
I hope the poster gets some resolution she can live with. I really do. But she needs to be careful when she lays out her timeline, for her own benefit. And arguing that stores shouldn't have deadlines on returns does nothing to help her case because its not a financially realistic option for most businesses. And its NOT the reality for this particular business. They have a return deadine. She needs to work w/in those parameters or have a very good reason for why she didn't.
honestly, if someone sells you something that doesn't work, you should be able to return it, no questions asked.
The only store/manufacturer I know of with a policy close to that is L.L. Bean.
Most businesses would go under with a policy like that. I think a timeframe for returns/defects is fair.
Ok, your example of the computer is not the same as mine. The computer was working perfectly when you first bought it, right? She basically got a second or even third quality diaper (since it affects function, not just cosmetic) but she paid the price of a first quality diaper, expecting that was what she was getting. This was also a known issue for other customers as well - it's not a decline in functionality, it was never functioning properly.
In terms of return deadlines, yes most stores have them. And most businesses need them so they can stay in business. But there are businesses that excel in this area - such as cottonbabies - who guarantees their diapers for a year. Your velcro starts out great, then gets crappy over the year and they will replace the whole diaper for free for you. Another non-diaper store with great customer service is Nordstrom's. There is no deadline on returns there and it doesn't matter how many times something has been worn/used, they will take it back and exchange or give you store credit. I've seen this done by them for items 5 years old.
Yes, I understand this is not the norm for most retail businesses, but these diapers should never have been sent out in the first place. And she should have been offered a full refund as other customers with only cosmetic issues were offered.
I feel like at some point I would have either taken the full refund on 9 or the $600 in store credit. You could always buy $600 worth of diapers and then turn around and sell them and be out a little bit of $$ but still come ahead since you said that's more than you had paid for the original faulty diapers.
I understand you are emotionally invested and you took lots of time to find the right fabric, so it's a sucky situation all around.
I'll be curious to read Part 3.
Ditto this. When I read that I thought, oh good! I can't believe you didn't take that offer. Seems like you're letting your emotions get in the way too much. That seems quite fair to me.
diapers as collector's items???
LOL
I just reread the OP and I think that's crazy. You know your baby shits in them, right?
you don't love your kid if they don't shiit in goodmamas.
First, Mike_Hunt - please go away. We are a (mostly) nice board, and don't need you interrupting our balance. Notice I said "please".
Second - she already stated she didn't want to use GM's anymore, so why would she accept a store credit? That she could only use on GM's? Am I the only one that makes sense to?
MKF
yes, but if you bought a table from somewhere, kept it in a box for a month or so, and then decided you didn't want it, it would be perfectly reasonable for the store to offer a credit only. Even if you don't want/need anything else in the store.
I don't understand why you would expect so much above and beyond for an independent store?
I think you're missing the point - your table example is not accurate as the table was not damaged, right? What if one or all of the legs were damaged to where the table couldn't stand up right? Would you want a store credit or a refund? If the product was not right in the first place, then you should be able to return it. It's not like she changed her mind about the diapers - they were functionally not working which is the issue.
I'm not missing the point... I've returned things before that were defective and been told I could exchange it for the same item (if used) or for store credit (if new). If Target- a huge company- can say that you only get store credit for a defective item, I don't understand why an independent company should take a bigger hit. Goodmama offered her MORE than what she paid for the diapers in store credit. That's above and beyond in my opinion.
Why would anyone expect more than a full refund, especially for a product that was used? ?And if the product is faulty, why expect a full refund *and* get to keep the product? ?I think they're being generous in offering to let you return the product for a refund.