The Gate

We have a staircase that has wrought iron and the banisters sort of open out at the ends. I wanted it baby proofed in time for Bella's party so we went to Right Start in Rice Village (they are awesome!) and bought what is called a configure gate. This is a gate that can stretch all the way across the opening, arch around the base of the stairs and connect to the walls on either side. It was easy to put together but it turns out it was about 4 inches too short. No worries, the gate company makes an 8" extension. HAH. As if life would be that simple. We go back to Right Start but they don't carry it. I search around online and find that the best price is on BabyAge.com. So we order it and wait. And wait. And wait. And wait.

We call BabyAge customer service and it turns out that they use a service provided by the post office that autocorrects people's addresses. So even though I entered "Court", their system flipped it to "Lane." They refuse to fix their records, because the United States Post Office is the the grand poopah of all things address related so even though I can SEE THE SIGN ON MY STREET AND IT SAYS CT they don't believe me.

I embark on what I thought would be a most arduous task. I actually called the United States Postal Service. They were wonderful! I couldn't believe it when within just two transfers I was speaking with a real live person and she helped me! She called CenterPoint (oddly, Centerpoint is in charge of naming streets in Eagle Springs) and she checked with the county (to verify the sign really says CT) and it only took her a week to come back and agree with me, Why yes, you are right, you do live on a court and not a lane. I could have told her this, as my house is built on the end of the street and if it were a lane and not a court then I would have a road running through my family room. Truthfully, I was amazed that a government agency could move so fast. So, this will help us going forward with getting our packages. (Which is important because I have a bit of an eBay habit!)

But what of the gate we had already ordered? Well, the Friday before the party we get a call from UPS. Evidently they are confused because our address in their system says Lane instead of Court at the end. Sigh. We tell them it should be Court and they say OK, we'll bring your gate tomorrow. Saturday - no gate. Monday, no gate. We wait all week. Finally on Thursday we see a package at the door. We get excited. Only to find that it is literally MANGLED. I mean the box is bowed into a curve, it has a huge hole in it and the gate part inside is bent and broken and almost split in two (these are metal rods!)

You would think, that given the circumstances BabyAge customer service would replace the gate extension, maybe even overnight it for free. Double HAH. They told us too bad, if we weren't happy we could take it up with UPS. After numerous calls to them they finally grudgingly agree to refund our money. That was two weeks ago. We have had to call, and call, and call. Today, I get an email from them:

Dear Shaun Fisher A return has been recieved from order # 722235 placed on 8/7/2008 RA#:RA10944R2AC0 The following items have been received ------------------------------------------------- G80-8 Kidco Kidco Configure Gate Optional Extension Gate - 8 Inches -- Condition of the Product -- Damaged : No Open Box : No Missing Parts : No ------------------------------------------------- Your Return Process has now been completed, and we will notify you by Email the processing results Return Department Babyage.com *Please note this e-mail was sent from an address that cannot accept incoming emails

What??? No damage? No Open Box, are you kidding me???? So because they file it as just a return, they don't refund the $7.95 I paid for shipping! I can't believe this company! So if you are shopping on the net I highly recommend NOT buying anything from BabyAge. They may be cheaper but I wish I had paid a bit more and gone with a company that had any semblance of true customer service.

I told them that I would blog about how awful this experience has been. And I have readership, I am a woman of influence and power, not to be reckoned with! OK, so maybe not, but I would hate anyone else to have to go through this. And Another Thing. They misspelled "Received" in their letter to me! I-before-E-except-after-C ! Triple HAH. I am SO getting my $7.95 back. $7.95 could buy important nutrition for my children, like bread, a gallon of milk and a largish handful of chocolate covered pretzels from the bulk bin...

Meanwhile, I ordered the part from another vendor last Tuesday. I paid for Two-Day delivery but is didn't show up today. I just called the carrier and they said it got sent to Waco by mistake. They said I can contact HappyMothers.com for a refund of the shipping costs. Oh my. I'd better scoot off to bed before I have some sort of mental breakdown. At this rate Bella will be coming down the stairs in her wedding gown by the time I get the gate up.