I’m still frustrated with Buy.com and the experience I had, but I’m obligated to update since you should know everything. I received several calls and emails from buy.com. Here is the deal according to them.
Ooma Phone. They told me that I waited too long to pay after the auction ended (less than 72 hours I might add) and they “ran out.” I guess it means that it’s my fault. C’est La vie, I found an Ooma cheaper on Amazon.com actually. I ordered it and it already shipped. Awesome.
Gift Certificate. The gentleman who called and left me a voicemail assured me that it was a glitch and that my $20 gift certificate was applied. Fair enough.
Bottom Line
This all comes down to the customer experience. In the end things worked out for me as I received $20 off a $50 order. The problem is that Buy.com had to scramble to make it all better and once you factor in the time/cost of having customer service people get involved on a bad electronic transaction, there is no way they could turn a profit on my sale and frankly, I’m not planning on ordering more from them in the future.
Keep this in mind when you first get signs of trouble with your clients. It may cost you a lot more than you want and it may just drive them away anyhow.
photo credit: Hey, That’s the Wrong Way Sign via photopin (license)