Wild Birds Unlimited Online Shopping.........AAACCCHHHH!!!!

[CathyA]

My sweet son bought me a Wild Birds Unlimited gift certificate at christmas. He knows how much I love their retail shops......they have so many wonderful things for wildlife, books, CDs, fountains, windchimes, etc.
Well, I found out that you can't spend the certificate on any of the retail stores........only online. And all they have online is feed and hardware. I tried to get them to let me spend it in a store, and they said no.
So today I bit the bullet and ordered some birdfood I didn't need, and discovered that its the VERY WORST online ordering site anywhere!! It doesn't give you info, if you did something wrong, it just stops. It says your total is different from what it says at the end, it charges tax, then takes it away, or it says after you've sent your order "Your tax may be applied after ordering." HUH???

Then I tried calling someone and spent quite awhile trying to get to a human.........who finally got on with a thick accent and didn't know why I was having trouble.

The total for one small item was about $14, with almost $8 shipping. Then I decided to order something little, to bring it up to $25 (my gift card), and I ordered a couple little thin things you put on your windows to keep birds from running into them.......and just that put the shipping up to $13.80. HUH??

I wasn't going to pay that much in shipping for little paper things, so I deleted it and then tried to send my order in. It said I had gone over by $.25, so I filled out the VISA info.......then it froze and wouldn't go anywhere. I had to cancel the order and start all over.

How in the hell can places like this stay alive? Don't EVER buy anyone a gift card for Wild Birds Unlimited, except if you can buy one from the retail store, and you've made sure you can use it there.
So frustrating!! I still have several dollars left on the giftcard (even though it says I used it all up ) but I'm going to sacrifice it.
Plus..........after it said I needed 25 more cents and I gave my credit card number...........my final total only shows around $22. I swear, if some bill shows up on my VISA, I'm going to explode! :devil:

[KayLR]

good grief

[rosarugosa]

How annoying! I love my local WBU retail store too, so it's good to know to avoid online/gift cards.

[artist]

I've never had trouble redeaming a gift card at WBU retail stores. Something is wrong at your local store.

[Miss Cellane]

I'd try calling and canceling the order. Their website specifically states that the gift cards can't be used online, only in their stores.

Something is really messed up. I'd take the card into a store and talk with someone there.

[CathyA]

I wrote something here, but it must have been during the time the site was having trouble, 'cause its not here anymore. What I wrote was, someone from the management of the online site must have seen my complaint here and sent me a message from here! She said to tell her all about my problems. So I did, and she's going to try to make the online ordering easier. As a gesture of good faith, she sent me several bird food items from the store....which was very nice of her. She sounded very sincere about fixing the online site.

Artist.........did you buy the gift card from a store? Supposedly, if my DS had bought a gift card from a store, I could have used it there. But since he ordered it online, I could only use it online. I still have about $5 left on the gift card, but its just not worth the hassle, plus, if I found something little on the online site, the shipping would cost more than the item.

So I went to a local WBU store here, and bought this really neat sculpture of mushrooms, made out of "parasite wood", and I'm saying that that's what DS got me for my birthday.
But from now on, if he buys me a gift card, it will be from an actual retail store.

[Mrs-M]

What a lovely gift, Cathy. :)

I always think of you and Florence (this time of year), as I wait the arrival of our feathered-friends. Can't wait to hear them singing again and watch them.