At the end of our visit to the Expo in
February Dolores and I returned to Puerto Vallarta confident that we had had
accomplished everything we had planned.
We purchased a new suite of master bedroom furniture (5 items), and at a
different supplier had ordered several items of new veranda furniture; all to be delivered to
our home in PV. Also while we were in Tonala,
Dolores had ordered a complete new place setting and complimentary accessories
for Essence of Cuisine. All down
payments of 50% cash were made and then began the wait for further notifications from
the suppliers.
After approximately 5 weeks we became
nervous when some of the other attendees said they already had their orders, so
it was time to initiate contact ourselves.
Really not unexpected; however, somewhat frustrating? The telephone call to the bedroom furniture supplier uncovered the fact that the furniture was ready for shipping and only waiting our final payment before shipping. They provided the Bank and account number and we made the remainder amount deposit and notified the supplier who then requested a copy of the receipt. “But you have the money in the account??” <<<<”Yes; however, we need receipt to show it was you.” OK, OK. The following day the shipper called to inform us that they would be at our condo at 8:00AM the next morning and the cost of shipping was $xxxx.xx pesos). It all arrived and in perfect condition. We could only wonder if it would still be in Guadalajara if we hadn´t initiated the call. Hmmm.
Now the real frustration (fun?) begins with the
veranda vendor. They also requested that we pay the balance of the money into
their account…we asked them if they wanted a copy of the receipt of payment and
they couldn´t understand the question.
With the money in the account, why would they need a receipt?...Gotcha! However, they weren’t able to tell us the
shipping cost – only an estimate. They
sent us 3 Banks/accounts to choose from. Naturally we chose the nearest. After waiting in the “hi-speed” customer line
(no one else) for 25 minutes Dolores was informed that the account didn´t
exist. At a different bank in El Centro
the transaction was completed while I patiently circled a 10 block route 4
times in the car (no parking). Returning home Dolores sent an email confirming the
transaction.
Our order consisted of 1) a special design table 120 cm in diameter, 2) 4 matching chairs, 3) a cushion for each chair made of
sunbrella cloth, solid rust color; 4)
a large deck chair with 2 cushions
made from a solid sunbrella cloth (rust);
5) 7 yards of the same material (multi-stripped
to recover our existing chaise lounge; and 6) 2 planter/shelve stands; and 7) a
15 foot, foldable hanging umbrella with
a heavy marble base. We had made a
special trip to the Expo on the second day to select the material for the above
cushions since they had somehow forgotten to bring sample selections as to what
was available. Forewarned?
The following day they notified us that everything
would arrive except for the 4 cushions and the 7 yards of material. This would follow in an additional 2 days. When the shipment arrived, we received the
table, 4 chairs that matched only in base material color, not design; the
cushions (in a multi-stripped material instead of solid) that were supposedly delayed ; the
roll of 7 yards of multi-stripped material (same as chairs), also supposedly delayed;
the 2 planter/shelve stands; the large deck chair with the 2 cushions in royal blue, not rust color; and OOP´s no
15 foot foldable umbrella with marble stand.
Further check of the table showed it was 90 cm, not 120 cm. A somewhat frustrated email to the supplier confirmed
their mistake and they agreed and said they would make all the corrections and
not charge us any additional shipping cost (nice, huh); however it would take a
couple more weeks (what else). In two
weeks the new 120 cm table arrived; the
new cushions for the large deck chair (off color but close enough); and
the 15 foot foldable umbrella with…wait
a minute where´s the marble stand??? Another
frustrated email by Dolores - it arrived this PM (3 days later) while we were
swimming. In the middle of all this the
dishes and accessories from the Tonala vendor arrived – with only one piece of
an accessory broken that a dose of white magic glue fixed.
Whoa! Dolores had also
ordered 5 Objets d'Art for the new furniture. It arrived today on schedule… 3 of the 5
(60%) were correct; however, well keep them.
After all we´re in Mexico, LOLWas it all worth it? Ahhh..Yes…the price was right and it all looks beautiful. Dolores has stopped mumbling and the umbrella was installed by our pool guy while we swam.
Next time we will know better how to proceed…NEXT TIME…?
