Harvey Norman Games Sale Goes Awry As Customers Bemoan Unfulfilled Orders


When Harvey Norman staged a 50 per cent off games sale last month, it attracted lots of buyers keen for a bargain. However, not everyone is happy with the outcome: some shoppers are reporting extended delays in receiving their games, along with poor and conflicting information from customer service.

Picture by Chris Hyde/Getty Images

One Lifehacker reader contacted us with a detailed account of what went wrong for him. He ordered Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 for the PlayStation Vita on March 28, and received an order confirmation the same day. On March 29, he was told there had been a delay in fulfilling the order, but told it would be ready within five days. On April 12, he lodged a query about the order’s status, and was told in a brief one-line message “we are trying our bet [sic] to have your order completed next week”. The reader queried why Harvey Norman thought this was an appropriate response or timeframe, and was told the retailer was still awaiting stock. A subsequent message on April 15 said the game would ship “this week”. Then on Tuesday this week, he was told:

Hi sorry about the delay in order we are still waiting shipment of your game in from supplier

None of this suggests an organisation with a good handle on either stock control or answering customer queries.

There’s a thread at Whirlpool where many shoppers recount similar experiences, though it’s also worth noting that plenty of people have received their games. Regardless, a sale shouldn’t be an excuse for shoddy customer treatment. It’s an area where Harvey Norman needs to be particularly careful, given its often shaky reputation for in-store service and founder Gerry Harvey’s wildly-oscillating view of online retailing.

Had your own experience (good or bad) with the games sale? Share it in the comments.

Republished from Lifehacker


The Cheapest NBN 1000 Plans

Looking to bump up your internet connection and save a few bucks? Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Kotaku, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Comments


55 responses to “Harvey Norman Games Sale Goes Awry As Customers Bemoan Unfulfilled Orders”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *