Off target - a bad e-shopping experience

One of the things that I love about the Internet is how it enables shopping. Not only do I loathe the mall experience (an occasion visit to the nice strip malls are more my style) but now that gas prices are so high, e-shopping is relatively convenient and usually more economical way to do business.

Up-to-date inventory records are key, everyone should know, to a successful e-commerce site. When Internet shopping was fairly new (at least to me about five years ago), I shopped two major apparel catalogs on line. One company could tell me inventory availability instaneously; another couldn't. Guess which one I ordered from? It didn't take too long for the inventory functionality to be included on nearly every major company's site.

So...I was really surprised at the problems I encountered during an e-commerce experience with a major mass discounter. I won't say its name but let's say the experience was, well, off target of a great one.

It started wonderfully. I was trying to get some early Christmas shopping done when I happened to think of a younger friend who was getting married next year. I wondered if she had registered anywhere. She hadn't registered at any major department stores but I easily found her at the bridal registry of a discount store site. I had wanted to order fine china or even casual china so that she would receive a long-lasting gift. My options were limited to the practical (e.g., an electrical griddle) and not so long lasting (candles) so I opted for the practical. I chose two gifts: both were listed as being available.

In the ensuing weeks, I received numerous emails from the store. My items, it seemed, could not be shipped on time ("on time" as being specified by the store-the wedding date was months away) and my approval was needed to delay the shipping. I approved at least once. Then, I became irritated by the continuing stream of emails, asking over and over again if the store could yet again delay the shipping of my product. It would try, I was promised, to ship the items even if I didn't issue my e-approval. How hard I wondered?

At some point, I felt that I was playing an inventory game and, well, I was ready to take my order and go home -- not sure what the rules were and whether getting the items was considered winning or losing.

Finally, I got THE notice that one of the items on my order had been cancelled (a month or so after I placed the order for this supposedly available item) because I had not issued my approval. Of course the order failure was my fault. I did wonder though about the other item in the shipment -- surely this item would ship on time. I checked the bridal registry that had started me on this seemingly endless e-shopping journey and I noted that the item in question was listed as having been purchased for the bridal couple. Ah, success for me, I thought.

The next day, I received a notice that the second item could not be shipped because, again, I had not authorized yet another delay.

I visited the bridal registry and found that the item I had hoped to order (well the one I DID order) was not fulfilled and was, yes, again, available for shipment.

I'm still not sure what happened but I'm taking my e-dollars elsewhere.