After a number of years of occasional purchases from Ace Industrial Supply-Ace Tools Inc. telemarketers we began to receive rude, aggressive foul mouthed sales calls when screened by my wife.
In 07 I retired telling each salesman as they called to take me off their list. I tried unsuccessfully to reach customer service but you can't get through to any one.
I received a call late evening in July 09 saying I was 1 of 50 honored customers selected to receive a free milwaukee 7 1/4" worm drive saw. I expressed thanks but said I really didn't need it since I was no longer in business. After refusing my request I was told they would send a variety of saw blades I did not want or need but when they arrived if i didn't want them to just send them back but no matter what the saw was mine to keep. He gave me the good ol' boy "I'll even toss in a few playboy calendars and face shield." I finished with "I don't need the blades. If they come I'll send them back."
Two weeks later I received a delivery failure notice from UPS. After years of orders going to my shipping address they sent it to my P.O. box. Never wanting the order to begin with I told UPS to send it back. I got a call that night from "Randy, hey how ya doin' we need to get your package to you."
I insisted I didn't want it, just let it go back. He insisted it was mine anyway, and I could pay for the blades later. I told him I was financially strapped, retired, and couldn't use them. I still hadn't seen or heard the invoice price. He verified my shipping address insisted they were mine to keep or send back but they would be delivered. I insisted I would send them (the blades)back. He left his # and said any problems to let him know.
Upon arrival the invoice listed each item with a 0 unit/extended price, then showed a package price of $498.00.I sent the blades back immediately due to their stated policy of returning merchandise within 30 days of delivery. It cost me $18.00
Two weeks later while out of town attending a funeral, our phone began to ring 8-12 times per day from a "private caller"When it was answered by the house sitter he was harassed, and verbally abused without the caller identifying themselves or their company, only that it was a matter of a past due account.
Upon returning I found 2 past due invoices in the mail. I got on the phone and called the company trying various numbers till I got through to Customer Service. I was livid at this point after driving 18 hrs. from a funeral of one more ol' Marine gone. The rep "Doug" was pretty patient with this ol jar heads rantings about misleading sales practices, deceit, continued calls after insisting to be dropped from the customer list, rude sales calls, etc. Yet only after revealing my terminal health condition and succumbing to a PTSD rage did he agree to sned UPS to pick up the unwanted saw with them paying the shipping, and removing me from their customer base.
Fifteen minutes later I received a call from "Randy" explaining to me with a firm insistence that I had been sold a package deal. I continued to remind him at full enraged volume that I had never wanted any of it and it was all going back. He insisted that I was still libal for the charges because I had accepted delivery and said "Go ahead and send it." He left off the "I'll just send it back."
I've tried unsuccessfully all morning to get through to anyone at Ace Industrial Supply, but did receive a call from"John" in shipping wanting to confirm my shipping address so he could send the blades back. I made it clear that I had a saw, etc. to ship back to them and if UPS didn't arrive today I would be delivering the package personally to their offices. He said he would cancel the shipment and apologized for his companies treatment of an "honored customer". Assuring me that I could get customer service to help.
Just got a call from someone claiming to be the son of the owner "Richard" who claims I talked to his father about ordering sawz all blades and a bunch of other stuff and they wanted to send it out. I tried to explain that I had no recolection of this but was anxious to talk to his father to straighten out my problem with this order and their shitty attitude. He called me a liar and hung up on me. From all the other postings these guys will continue till I personally deliver the package. What do I have to loose?
I have posted this grievance on every website possible, the Ca. attorney generals office, BBB, company president Tim Stearns, vice president Richard Benton, and customer service director Greg Anderson. They will know Marine Corp Creed.