Poor company policies and customer service; Item good.As it turns out, the same product is available on Amazon from the same manufacturer at half the price. I was a loyal customer at the Bed Bath & Beyond stores from the 1990's until their recent closure and this is the first order that I placed with the company on-line. I ordered a Box Spring Cover; Jersey Knit & Stretchy Wrap Around; 4 Sides; Queen; Navy Blue at a total cost of $40.56 which included $6.99 S&H and tax. I had seen what I thought was a similar item on multiple sites including Amazon, Walmart, etc. for $16.99 + $6.99 S&H for a total of $23.98. These sites indicated that the product was from Mrs. Awesome in California but BB&B didn't list the manufacturer. As I was uncertain of the quality of the low priced item, I went to BB&B on-line store as it was a name that I had been familiar with and trusted for over 30 years and ordered the item at significantly higher price thinking that it had to be an item of superior quality. Needless to say, I was quite disappointed to learn upon receipt that it was the same Mrs. Awesome product at almost double the price. When I spoke with Marvin R., a customer service representative of BB&B, he informed me that he could "price match" if I joined a BB&B club for an annual subscription fee of $19.99, that I could return the item via their preferred carrier, UPS, at a charge of $19.99, or return via a shipper of my choice. None of these options were satisfactory on a $40+ item but I proposed that if the item were the same as those advertised, then my expected fair resolution would be a "price match" without joining the annual "club". I also stated that if the item that I purchased from BB&B on-line was superior to the ones advertised on Amazon, etc., then I wished to be informed of such and I would consider the issue resolved. If it was the identical item, then I expected $16.58 refunded. Marvin R. mentioned during the conversation and in a subsequent follow-up e-mail that he understood my point of view which he called "valid" but that company policies prevented him from issuing a credit. He then requested that I send links to the sites documenting the lower prices which I did. Follow-up e-mails by other customer service representatives were overly "sweet" and reiterated that they understood and could see my points which they called valid but that there was nothing that they could do. The e-mails continued even after I explained that I had expended too much time and effort for a small amount of money and not to contact me again as I would not be purchasing any further items from Bed Bath & Beyond or Overstock.com given their company policies. Another follow-up e-mail from a different customer representative followed. It appears that customer service representatives have difficulty comprehending and are simply reading from scripts. The customer service is a waste of time as they simply send a script without understanding what you have said. Please note that the product from Mrs. Awesome is satisfactory and that the issue is with BB&B policies and customer service. Also, note that this is an entirely different company with different policies from the "brick and mortar stores" whose sales personnel would have resolved the issue in minutes. In the event that management disagrees with any statements presented here, I have retained all of the e-mails received and sent for documentation.
