Open letter to Costco (I actually sent this as a real email):
Good afternoon Costco Administration,
I’m writing to you in the hopes that you could inform your organization about how the Costco Concierge service may be frustrating your customers and potentially cause harm to your brand. Feel free to forward this email to any relevant parties in your organization.
I have been a Costco member since 2004 and have been buying electronics (as well as many other goods) because of their promise to provide a concierge service and a 2-year warranty.
I haven’t had an issue with any of my electronics. They tend to work until they are obsolete. This, until my 28″ LED Acer Monitor (VG280K) gave out after 1 year. I use this monitor for my work-from-home setup, so it’s pretty critical.
I turned it on and saw colorful vertical bars, like you would see with a dropped laptop. The problem is, we are talking about a stationary monitor. I’m not sure what happened. Maybe someone threw something on my desk and the vibration caused the issue? Manufacturing issue? Not sure. I’ve never had a computer monitor die before and had no reason to believe this would happen.
So I took the monitor to my local Costco. I was told that they couldn’t return it after 90 days but was given a card with the contact information for their “concierge service”. Very reasonable. Okay.
This morning I had the day off so I called the concierge service. I was told to do some tests. Next step, I’m transferred to “Acer”. This is the first hand-off.
“Jason” with a thick Indian accent assures me that he will definitely fix the issue and apologizes for the issue. We ran through the same story that I already told Costco concierge services about the monitor. He has an answer! Call 800-999-4409. Can he help me with anything else? I say, “You said you would fix the issue. But you did not.” He’s sorry. We are at the 2nd hand-off and the third contact.
I call the number. “Captial Data Services” in Lansing Michigan. Oh. There are three people that work at this third-party. Lola, Charlotte and Mark. I’m not having a great feeling. I hit 1 for Lola. Please leave a message. Called back and tried Charlotte and Mark too. Please leave a message. This whole process is meant to wear you down. UGH. I kept calling and finally got Mark.
Mark assures me that he is going to help! How? He has another phone number! 866-695-2237. Welcome to Acer! I called the number. They want to know if I’d like to buy something. Further down the menu is an option for service. Okay. Someone answers. He is my fourth person. I explained the situation again. He asks slyly…(I can tell by his tone what is happening next), “When did you buy this monitor?” I told him August, 2020. He says, “Oooh sorrrrrrry. It’s out of warranty. We cover it for one year.” But I have an ace up my sleeve. I have Costco’s guarantee of a 2 year warranty!
“No. Acer has a one year warranty. There’s nothing on record for a two year warranty. It’s been one year, I’m sorry.” I go on to tell him that all electronics at Costco have a two-year warranty. He says, “No, I’m sorry.” I ask if I can escalate and he declines. I’m so frustrated and know this process is meant to wear me down. It’s working.
I called Costco’s concierge service again. From my experience, It’s obvious that at this point I am just repeating the loop of failure. I’m now talking to the fifth person. She apologizes.
She tries to contact “Acer” (a third-party call center in India). She is given a phone number. After 20 minutes of waiting, she reaches a call-center agent who says, “the serial number does not match.” I read back the serial number. “The number is too long.” I tell her, there’s also an “SNID” number. That number is too short. The Costco concierge woman goes in circles with this. She finally tells me I can call Costco concierge back at a later time. This is the end. Nothing achieved.
Conclusion: From my perspective, and pardon my language, Costco Concierge service is COMPLETE BULLSHIT and Acer will run you in circles through a series of third-party call centers. I will not buy anything from Acer again and I’m starting to really resent Costco for the false promise of service. Instead of an actual service, Costco Concierge service appears to be a short checklist of tests (read from a script), followed by a pass-off to a manufacturer. Not good.
Maybe I had a rare experience? I’m not so sure. On another occasion, I ordered a dishwasher from Costco, which was shipped by a third-party. The dishwasher arrived smashed. I waited several weeks for another model, which also arrived smashed. I ended up canceling the order and going with a local company named ABC Warehouse, which delivered without issue.
It is my belief that the loose-network of third-rate, third-party services is damaging Costco’s reputation, frustrating your customers and costing Costco business. I could be wrong but in the meantime, I’m having better luck with BJs Warehouse with parking, customer service and product availability issues. These are things that actually matter to regular people like me.
Sincerely,
Anonymous