A year is too long to wait for furniture order
QI placed an order for an outdoor dining table and a captain’s chair through Tidewater Workshop almost a year ago. Despite dozens of calls, I never received the furniture. I found an article you wrote online about a similar problem and was wondering if you had some advice.
ADid you say you’ve been waiting a whole year for your furniture? That’s way too long. Tidewater Workshop, based in Oceanville, New Jersey, promises to deliver “the best value in classically styled outdoor furniture” within three to four weeks. But, it adds, “PLEASE BE ADVISED WE MAY BE TAKING 3-4 WEEKS LONGER THAN THE STATED SHIPPING TIME FOR MANY OF OUR POPULAR ITEMS.”
Interestingly, Tidewater Workshop also suggests it won’t bill for your furniture until after it has shipped. The exceptions? “Very large orders, delayed shipping orders of sale price merchandise, orders for certain clearance and/or limited-time offer. SALE ITEMS MAY REQUIRE BILLING AT THE TIME THE ORDER IS PLACED and/or require a deposit.”
Yet, Tidewater Workshop appears to have charged you $250 for the furniture.
As I review Tidewater Workshop’s site, it seems as if the company is used to delays. There’s an advisory about disputing credit card charges.
“Please note,” it says, “credit card charges that are disputed with the cardholder bank (chargebacks) are very expensive for everyone involved. Please do not dispute charges without contacting us first. We may be forced to pass along fees and charges incurred back to you. Please call or email us PRIOR to any charge
dispute.”
This is just silly. First of all, this UPPERCASE writing is considered yelling online. No reputable business should yell at customers. Second, one year? Come on. And now they’re warning you about disputing your credit card charges.
A federal law called the Fair Credit Billing Act protects you from charges for goods and services you didn’t accept or that were not delivered as agreed. The law requires that you file a chargeback within 90 days of the transaction. I’m not aware of any fees that a merchant could “pass along” to a customer. If you win a dispute, you owe neither the merchant nor the bank a penny. Tidewater Workshop’s warning seems to be nothing more than an idle threat.
Tidewater Workshop offers several ways to contact their business. You can call it or send an email to customers@tidewaterworkshop.com. That also seems to be the best way to reach its CEO, Peter Caporilli, with a question. He also responds to help@tidewaterworkshop.com. You tried reaching the company by phone and email, but it didn’t respond. I also tried to reach the company but received no answer.
My recommendation: Even though it’s been more than 90 days, talk to your bank about this transaction. Banks can make an exception to the 90-day rule, especially when you’ve been strung along like this by a business. A credit card dispute is the best — and the only — way to recover your $250.