Calendars, Merrill..... Urgh!!!!

[Chef Endora]

The only acceptable solution to me is for them to pay for me to ship the wrong crap back and/or refund my money, or, within a resonable amount of time (say 60 days) send me the corrected calendar.
This is totally unacceptable. I mean, honestly (and I am holding back), what kind of IDIOT did it take to make this mistake??? At this point, folks, keep in mind that it has cost Merrill nothing - but has cost each of us that bought the product and paid their shippng prices for it.
We should call them daily until we get the response that we want. If that doesn't work, contact your credit card company (if you used credit/debit) and let them know. When Merrill starts getting charge-backs, they will be a lot quicker about the response.
Also - I agree with whomever above said this - 'they are working with HO'???? HO didn't pay for the crap, I did!

Good point.

Does anyone have the phone number for Merrill handy? I plan to call tomorrow.

 

[ljeffries]

Phone Numbers:
1.800.876.5004 Customer Service
320.529.3274 24-hour Fax

I just send a scathing e-mail. Also folks, they need to address this faster than they are. They TOOK our money well in advance of sending the product. Mail fraud comes to mind also....At this point, we hold the cards, not them. Don't let Merrill tell you what they will do for you, you tell them what you EXPECT for them to do.

 

[Chef Endora]

Thank you Lamar.

Oh, and I'm not sure exactly when mine arrived, but if it beyond the 30 days they better not give me grief.

I looked at one, and thought it was nice and accepted it. They PAY someone to proof read so I don't believe I should have to examine every date on the calendar to make sure it is correct.

 

[Chef Endora]

Not to hijack, but for occasions such as this, shouldn't there be an mood option such as
p***ed :grumpyr disgruntled or something?

 

[ljeffries]

My update:
Merrill Customer Service (or lack thereof) - I demanded a refund, and they told me that was not the way they wanted to handle the problem. I was then told that they were working with HO on a solution (even though HO was not part of the problem).
Point being - there should be an e-mail this week regarding this. At this point, the resolution is a sticker. I told Merrill that was not acceptable to me. They are sending a call tag, picking up their crap, and refunding my money.

If you do not want the stickers, you will have to call Merrill and DEMAND a refund. They should be asking us what we would like rather than telling us what they will do.

 

[merego]

I sent an e-mail but not gotten a response, I will call tomorrow. All mine are wrong. I agree if it is something we proofread or type ( business cards) then they are not at fault. I am guilty of that, did not catch I typed my phone number in wrong, accepted it was my error. HOWEVER... I did not see or proof the calendars nor did I look at them when they first arrived. I glanced through them but knew what they looked like b/c I saw them at conference. I am going to demand a refund also!!

 

[chefsteph07]

My update:
Merrill Customer Service (or lack thereof) - I demanded a refund, and they told me that was not the way they wanted to handle the problem. I was then told that they were working with HO on a solution (even though HO was not part of the problem).
Point being - there should be an e-mail this week regarding this. At this point, the resolution is a sticker. I told Merrill that was not acceptable to me. They are sending a call tag, picking up their crap, and refunding my money.

If you do not want the stickers, you will have to call Merrill and DEMAND a refund. They should be asking us what we would like rather than telling us what they will do.

Of course they don't want to give a refund..and be out all their profit???
They are so unprofessional I can't stand it.

 

[Kitchen2u]

My update:
Merrill Customer Service (or lack thereof) - I demanded a refund, and they told me that was not the way they wanted to handle the problem. I was then told that they were working with HO on a solution (even though HO was not part of the problem).
Point being - there should be an e-mail this week regarding this. At this point, the resolution is a sticker. I told Merrill that was not acceptable to me. They are sending a call tag, picking up their crap, and refunding my money.

If you do not want the stickers, you will have to call Merrill and DEMAND a refund. They should be asking us what we would like rather than telling us what they will do.

I sure hope you demanded your shipping charges too...it wasn't your fault and you shouldn't be charged shipping for something that wasn't right (provided you ordered them and got them shipped to you).

 

[GourmetGirl]

We called today (3 of us bought together and split) and were told to leave our name and number and they would get back to us as they were still coming up with a resolution. How much longer do they need? I am sure we were not the 1st to contact them; it's just once we get wind word spreads much faster! They should have not waited until all consultants called, they should have addressed this the very first time they heard about the issue!

 

[cwinter474]

Still waiting here... no call back, no email... nothing.

Will call again tomorrow

 

[Jenni]

I ordered Calenders that have not arrive.....I am worried them are going to send me calenders with stickers on them! That is not going to work for me
Anyone else in my boat???

 

[etteluap70PC]

Not to hijack, but for occasions such as this, shouldn't there be an mood option such as
p***ed :grumpyr disgruntled or something?

I have been requeting a "frustrated" mood for a long time...


Our group ordered a bunch of calendars together. They havenot arrived yet. I sure hope they do NOT have a sticker! Noit cool and definetly not professional.

When I screw up on an order I make it right for my customers even if it costs me. Merill is a huge company. For what they charge they can afford to correct this one mistake!

 

[merego]

I spoke with a nice lady at Merrill who knew why I was calling when I said I was with PC. She told me they were working on a solution, when I mentioned the stickers, she told me that was not the resolution for sure and they are still deciding what to do. HMMMM.. why are we all being told different things? I decided not to demand a refund. I can deal with a sticker and make the best of it.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Did you get the email? I pretty much expected this.

Dear Pampered Chef® Consultant:

In July, we launched The Pampered Chef® 2009 Wall Calendars at National Conference. We regret to inform you that the calendars contain a printing error. In the month of November the calendar includes two 'Nov. 3' dates.

Our records indicate that you have purchased these calendars. We know how excited you are to use these calendars as a valuable marketing tool to keep your name in front of customers throughout the year, and would like to offer you the following options to resolve this situation:

1.) We have designed a sheet of "2" stickers to place over the incorrect "3". Because we know this is a disappointment, we have also designed a full-color sheet of event stickers. These stickers can be used on the calendars to mark birthdays, holidays and other special events throughout the year. You can view an image of these stickers on the PDF file attached to this e-mail. We will automatically mail you a sheet of stickers for each calendar you purchased by the week of October 27th, 2008. Include a sheet of stickers each time you share a calendar. We hope your hosts and customers will use these stickers throughout the year. We know that this error may have caused some inconvenience which we apologize for. As a token of our regret you will receive a 10% discount on your next Merrill order that is placed by November 30th, 2008. Enter promotion code 714112 to take advantage of this discount.

2.) If this solution is not acceptable to you, please call Merrill Customer Service by October 6th at 1–800–876–5004. We will issue a call tag to pick up the calendars at our expense and issue you a prompt refund. Because of the popularity of the calendars, our present inventory has been depleted.

We are currently accepting pre-orders for updated calendars that will ship for arrival by November 7th, 2008. If you wish to order calendars, you must place the order by October 15th, 2008. This reprint of calendars will not contain the error and therefore stickers will not be included.

We hope that you will give us another opportunity to better serve you.

Sincerely,

Merrill Corporation

 

[babywings76]

And what about those who have already distributed some calendars? Do you call the people and say, "I'm sorry I need to take that back..." !!!

 

[chefsteph07]

Well, I think that Merrill has done all they can or will do...if you aren't happy with the sticker solution, send em back. They can't do anything about the ones that have already gone out by consultants.

 

[vwpamperedchef]

I think the way it was handled is disgraceful. I mean it didn't bother them until many of us complained. Its "their way or the highway" meaning stickers to conceal the problem, or sending them back for a refund with no "correct" calendars to purchase. I have already given a few away---and I do like them. But I feel if we didn't call them on their mistake, we'd still have no email from them regarding the situation.

I surely won't be using Merrill in the future and I hope PC knows how many of us feel.

 

[pamperedlinda]

For those of you who are upset about this resolution, how would you have wanted them to fix the problem? (I'm not berating you, just curious.) In all honesty, I think they have offered 2 acceptable solutions:

1) Here's a fix and a discount
2) Here's a refund and we'll pay to pick them up

Neither one is fun, but they did acknowledge the problem. They are printing new ones, so if you are unhappy, send these back and order the corrected ones - it's a wash (I would probably try and get them to give you a discount on s/h).

Now, I am NOT a Merrill fan by any means, but if we want logo merchandise we HAVE to deal with them (or ebay ).

 

[chefjeanine]

For those of you who are upset about this resolution, how would you have wanted them to fix the problem? (I'm not berating you, just curious.) In all honesty, I think they have offered 2 acceptable solutions:

1) Here's a fix and a discount
2) Here's a refund and we'll pay to pick them up

Neither one is fun, but they did acknowledge the problem. They are printing new ones, so if you are unhappy, send these back and order the corrected ones - it's a wash (I would probably try and get them to give you a discount on s/h).

Now, I am NOT a Merrill fan by any means, but if we want logo merchandise we HAVE to deal with them (or ebay ).

They should replace them at no charge.

 

[BethCooks4U]

I feel that they did what they could. I have seen plenty of professional items with typos and worse in them. Have you ever picked up a newspaper or magazine and not found a mistake? Let's give them a break. They have given us a chance to make it work (stickers) - our customers won't really care about that mistake, I am quite sure - the calendars are beautiful ...and they were less than $2 each (if bought at conference they were $1.40 including tax)!! If the stickers don't appease you, they have given you the option of having them shipped back at their expense - sure you don't have the calendar then but it's your choice.

...I just wish that I had waited to place the $150 order for pens. The 10% off would have been nice on that order (and no they won't credit me even though they aren't delivered yet - I asked).

 

[esavvymom]

...I just wish that I had waited to place the $150 order for pens. The 10% off would have been nice on that order (and no they won't credit me even though they aren't delivered yet - I asked).

I was thinking the same thing. Oh well. Hopefully, next year- they'll be more careful with the editing to avoid this problem.

 

[chefsteph07]

I agree, they acknowleged the problem, gave a few options to resolve, and that's going to be the end of it. At least on their end.

Take the stickers, place them on the calendar, clip out stickers to customers for those you have already sent them to and mail them to those customers and advise them of the situation and be done.

For myself, I will not be ordering from them in the future. I can do without what they have, or get some other things cheaper.

 

[DebbieJ]

They should replace them at no charge.

Isn't that what is happening? You can have them pick up the incorrect ones for a refund and then reorder correct ones at a 10% discount.

Am I not reading that correctly?

 

[Hathery]

No, you can't re-order them if you return them because they said they can't manufacture any more this year than they already have.

 

[chefann]

No, you can't re-order them if you return them because they said they can't manufacture any more this year than they already have.

Yes, you can reorder the calendars.

We are currently accepting pre-orders for updated calendars that will ship for arrival by November 7th, 2008. If you wish to order calendars, you must place the order by October 15th, 2008. This reprint of calendars will not contain the error and therefore stickers will not be included.

I just wonder if they'll pro-rate refunds for consultants who already gave away some of the calendars already.

 

[chef131doreen]

I already gave out about 18 of my 50 calenders . I know who printed these anyway . I called and the are going to get back to me too.

I just had a thought the Monday should be a 2 so what if we use it to our advantage . Tell guests if they BOOK the Monday that has the wrong date You will give them 2 extra host gifts ( under 10.00 or what ever ) Or who ever brings 2 friends gets a gift or anyone tht brings 2 outside orders gets a gift GET IT
Ok I don't make good flyers but who ever does go for it maybe we ca double our sales for that date

 

[chefjeanine]

Isn't that what is happening? You can have them pick up the incorrect ones for a refund and then reorder correct ones at a 10% discount.

Am I not reading that correctly?

I did not order any so it was just my 2-cents. I think they should send you the correct calendars in the amount that you originally ordered with a postage sticker to send the bad ones back.

 

[chef131doreen]

I agree but who knows

 

[Ginger428]

I already gave out about 18 of my 50 calenders . I know who printed these anyway . I called and the are going to get back to me too.

I just had a thought the Monday should be a 2 so what if we use it to our advantage . Tell guests if they BOOK the Monday that has the wrong date You will give them 2 extra host gifts ( under 10.00 or what ever ) Or who ever brings 2 friends gets a gift or anyone tht brings 2 outside orders gets a gift GET IT
Ok I don't make good flyers but who ever does go for it maybe we ca double our sales for that date

This is a GREAT idea!! I love it!! Lets see if anyone with more talent than myself can make up a flyer.....

 

[colegrovet]

Merrill has a solution... I don't like it..

"In July, we launched The Pampered Chef® 2009 Wall Calendars at National Conference. We regret to inform you that the calendars contain a printing error. In the month of November the calendar includes two 'Nov. 3' dates.



Our records indicate that you have purchased these calendars. We know how excited you are to use these calendars as a valuable marketing tool to keep your name in front of customers throughout the year, and would like to offer you the following options to resolve this situation:



1.) We have designed a sheet of "2" stickers to place over the incorrect "3". Because we know this is a disappointment, we have also designed a full-color sheet of event stickers. These stickers can be used on the calendars to mark birthdays, holidays and other special events throughout the year. You can view an image of these stickers on the PDF file attached to this e-mail. We will automatically mail you a sheet of stickers for each calendar you purchased by the week of October 27th, 2008. Include a sheet of stickers each time you share a calendar. We hope your hosts and customers will use these stickers throughout the year. We know that this error may have caused some inconvenience which we apologize for. As a token of our regret you will receive a 10% discount on your next Merrill order that is placed by November 30th, 2008. Enter promotion code xxyyzz00 to take advantage of this discount.



2.) If this solution is not acceptable to you, please call Merrill Customer Service by October 6th at 1–800–876–5004. We will issue a call tag to pick up the calendars at our expense and issue you a prompt refund. Because of the popularity of the calendars, our present inventory has been depleted.



We are currently accepting pre-orders for updated calendars that will ship for arrival by November 7th, 2008. If you wish to order calendars, you must place the order by October 15th, 2008. This reprint of calendars will not contain the error and therefore stickers will not be included. "

 

[Addie4TLC]

I already gave out about 18 of my 50 calenders . I know who printed these anyway . I called and the are going to get back to me too.

I just had a thought the Monday should be a 2 so what if we use it to our advantage . Tell guests if they BOOK the Monday that has the wrong date You will give them 2 extra host gifts ( under 10.00 or what ever ) Or who ever brings 2 friends gets a gift or anyone tht brings 2 outside orders gets a gift GET IT
Ok I don't make good flyers but who ever does go for it maybe we ca double our sales for that date

You can do something like "where's Waldo?" LOL Say there is an error in the calendar and if they find it and book that month they will get a gift for every show they have hosted from now until then! (since it's toward the end of the year.)

 

[chef131doreen]

That's a great idea too where's Waldo If they find it and book a show anytime that month they get a gift of xx what ever you decided .........

 

[Addie4TLC]

So what ever happened with this? Did people get their stickers?? I didn't order any the first time, but I'm curious to know if I get on their list now what they will send me.

 

[heat123]

I made sure to call them, so they knew that I was keeping them and to send out the stickers, as they did not call or email back to confirm what the end result was like they said they were.

 

[pamperedlinda]

I had to call them too Heather - they never did call me back either.
They are lucky we are a 'kept' audience - imagine if PC handled their customer service like that - they wouldn't need us b/c people wouldn't want the product. I sure hope a new vendor is announced at Leadership.

 

[christinaspc]

Just take a fine tip sharpie and write a 2 it works just fine. I did that and it really doesn't look bad at all.

 

[Humble Beginnings]

You can do something like "where's Waldo?" LOL Say there is an error in the calendar and if they find it and book that month they will get a gift for every show they have hosted from now until then! (since it's toward the end of the year.)

This is a great idea, I love how you turned lemons into lemonade ( I think that's the saying) Either way it's a great idea!!

 

[gingertannery]

Great job.. coming up with cleaver ideas to use this mistake to your benefit. Thank you so much for the positive comments. I'm sure the company feels bad. Sure it is a mistake.. but not the end of the world.. Especially if you make that lemonaid!! "where's Waldo" is priceless and I will use that. Cute..cute!!

 

[Addie4TLC]

Glad you liked my idea. Now if I order them and they don't have the mistake I can't use it myself. LOL

 

[vwpamperedchef]

I never received any stickers. I just used a sharpie and wrote 2 over it.

 

[Addie4TLC]

Hasn't it been over two weeks now?! If some of you have already mailed out your calendars, how long do they expect you'll wait to send them out. Really bad customer service.

 

[pamperedlinda]

According to the email I received it will be by the end of the month:

We will automatically mail you a sheet of stickers for each calendar you purchased by the week of October 27th, 2008.

What I don't like though is that I have to use my complimentary 10% discount by the end of Nov. Why are they putting such a short time-frame on it?

As a token of our regret you will receive a 10% discount on your next Merrill order that is placed by November 30th, 2008.

 

[BethCooks4U]

According to the email I received it will be by the end of the month:

We will automatically mail you a sheet of stickers for each calendar you purchased by the week of October 27th, 2008.

What I don't like though is that I have to use my complimentary 10% discount by the end of Nov. Why are they putting such a short time-frame on it?

As a token of our regret you will receive a 10% discount on your next Merrill order that is placed by November 30th, 2008.

I asked again about the stickers and in an email I received today, they said they will be shipped by the week of October 27th. They also said the following:

The proof of the PDF was approved by your corporate office immediately prior to the email that was sent out. The approved stickers were directly queued to production. However, this is peak season for calendars and stickers and the production time is conservative based on this. We absolutely want to send the stickers out as quickly as they are available, but we also want to avoid any further issues in quality and accuracy so that you can distribute your calendars as promptly as possible.

We will certainly send the stickers out at the earliest possible date.

I personally still don't understand why it is taking this long to get them to us. This is going to cost a lot of extra in postage to get the stickers to those we have already given out calendars to.

And, I too agree that the 10% discount is too limiting. I spent over $150 at Merrill for pens JUST before they announced that discount and their response was basically no you can't use it for that because you bought it before the date we decided - yeah, less than a week. I have no plans to spend anything with Merrill any more this year so the discount doesn't do me any good.

 

[chefjeanine]

I have no plans to spend anything with Merrill any more this year . . .

Can't imagine why not. . .

 

[alatour]

I asked again about the stickers and in an email I received today, they said they will be shipped by the week of October 27th. They also said the following:
I personally still don't understand why it is taking this long to get them to us. This is going to cost a lot of extra in postage to get the stickers to those we have already given out calendars to.

And, I too agree that the 10% discount is too limiting. I spent over $150 at Merrill for pens JUST before they announced that discount and their response was basically no you can't use it for that because you bought it before the date we decided - yeah, less than a week. I have no plans to spend anything with Merrill any more this year so the discount doesn't do me any good.

Yeah. Chances are the discount is going to do nothing for me as well. I'm thinking toward Christmas right now, not stocking up on non-essential logo stuff.

 

[cwinter474]

Has anyone recieved their "stickers" yet?

wondering when they will ship and how they look in person

Carol

 

[colegrovet]

I have not gotten mine yet... per their email they would have them mailed out by the 27th. I'm calling on the 27th if I have not gotten them... and the 28th... etc...

 

[esavvymom]

Did anyone who placed a catalog order in Sept-Oct get their order yet? I ordered one pack when they were taking pre-orders. Just curious if they've come out yet. I know they must have the order, since I got the email about the stickers.

 

[alatour]

I haven't received the stickers yet. Hopefully they will come in this week.

 

[heat123]

I Hope soo too!