I've spent the last month or two obsessing about down comforters. Surprising? No. I am fairly often consumed with learning all I can about a particular thing, researching until I am splitting hairs. Often this will result in a purchase.
I decided that having a smaller comforter for the sofa could save a decent amount on our oil bill. I can leave the downstairs thermostat on 60 and keep warm while writing or reading. Or that is the idea anyway. Never mind how lovely it feels to be all snuggled up under a giant cozy marshmallow. I am virtuously focused on saving energy and money.
I've been shopping locally—and supporting the local economy—yet not quite finding the fluff level I seek. On a recommendation I decided to order a comforter from The Company Store to compare quality. They had some good sale prices. A banner across the top of their website announced a promotion code for 15% off + free shipping. Pretty much everyone is offering discounts and free shipping. Retailers are really hustling this year. They want your cash before the after xmas sales. But when I tried to check out online, The Company Store applied the discount, but not the free shipping. An outrageous $18.95 they think I will pay. Not I. My grandmother didn't raise any suckers.
After several frustrated tries—which included coming back to find my cart empty—I called to place the order. The first guy I spoke to told me it was only meant to be a free shipping upgrade—meaning faster delivery, But not, in fact, actual free shipping. You are kidding, right? I am very polite, no edge to my voice. I ask him to give my order free shipping because that is what it says on the site. Right then he should have apologized and made the adjustment to my order. Did he? No. He protested that the free shipping was from the previous promotion, not this one. Really? How does that make any difference to me? If it says free shipping I should have free shipping. I should not be wasting my time pushing my point. He persisted in denying me free shipping. When I didn't budge he grudgingly passed me on to customer service.
Does our nice customer service guy apologize and give me free shipping? Noooooo. With a more authoritative voice he also tries to tell me that the free shipping offer clearly stated on the site was from the previous promotion, not this one. By this time I have clicked on the asterisk several times to read the fine print . (Is there ever an offer that doesn't have an asterisk?) My order clearly and easily qualifies for free shipping with no loopholes for them to weasel out with. We go another round with a stalemate.
In the next round I read him not just part of the fine print, but ALL of it. Carefully and distinctly. Yet again he insists that what I am reading applied to a previous offer, not the current one, which is a typo. I do not give up easily. That is pretty obvious by now. Again I read him the entire fine print with firm insistence in my voice, but no hostility. I add that if he cannot help me then I would like to be transferred to someone who can. Now there is a long pause. A pause so silent that I wondered if he was still there. Finally he speaks and informs me somewhat defensively that HE has the authority to honor what it says in writing and give me free shipping. Whew. There was a definite edge to his voice. An edge he maintains for the duration of our transaction. At long last my order is placed and I am DONE.
The comforter came all the way across the country and arrived very promptly. Did I love it? Was it worth all hassle? Well, to be fair it is a lovely shade of purple. By a small margin the color is nicer than even my LLBean purple flannel sheets. Is it fluffy and lovely? No. Not at all. The fabric is very thick, heavier than any of my sheets. A comforter shell does not need to be thick to keep the feathers in. It just needs to be a good tight weave. This fabric is mediocre at best. Also, all their comforters are "oversize", which would be nice feature were it not for the fact that The Company Store makes the only comforter covers that will fit.
Needless to say, I will not be making any future purchases from The Company Store. I will not suffer the hassle of returning it. Since I ordered a twin size, it will be perfectly fine for one of the monkeys. It will keep them warm without being too precious to lay in their path of destruction. And they both love purple.
In the next round I read him not just part of the fine print, but ALL of it. Carefully and distinctly. Yet again he insists that what I am reading applied to a previous offer, not the current one, which is a typo. I do not give up easily. That is pretty obvious by now. Again I read him the entire fine print with firm insistence in my voice, but no hostility. I add that if he cannot help me then I would like to be transferred to someone who can. Now there is a long pause. A pause so silent that I wondered if he was still there. Finally he speaks and informs me somewhat defensively that HE has the authority to honor what it says in writing and give me free shipping. Whew. There was a definite edge to his voice. An edge he maintains for the duration of our transaction. At long last my order is placed and I am DONE.
The comforter came all the way across the country and arrived very promptly. Did I love it? Was it worth all hassle? Well, to be fair it is a lovely shade of purple. By a small margin the color is nicer than even my LLBean purple flannel sheets. Is it fluffy and lovely? No. Not at all. The fabric is very thick, heavier than any of my sheets. A comforter shell does not need to be thick to keep the feathers in. It just needs to be a good tight weave. This fabric is mediocre at best. Also, all their comforters are "oversize", which would be nice feature were it not for the fact that The Company Store makes the only comforter covers that will fit.
Needless to say, I will not be making any future purchases from The Company Store. I will not suffer the hassle of returning it. Since I ordered a twin size, it will be perfectly fine for one of the monkeys. It will keep them warm without being too precious to lay in their path of destruction. And they both love purple.
Leo has had this comforter on his bed for several years now. He loves it. So it was well worth the hassle. And ps. An oversized comforter is just that much fluffier in a regular size comforter cover. Win-win.
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