Online retailer with massive attitude problem

[Brad Johnson]

No comment and no opinion (not that I don't have them, just won't express them here).

A link for your viewing displeasure.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/apo.asp

 

Brad

[Declaration Day]

A poor business decision, for sure.  However a business owner has no obligation to sell his products or services to anyone.

[Matthew Carberry]

But everyone else is free to widely broadcast their decision, so it works out.

They can officially change their name to "hippy-mat.com"

[The Rabbi]

I suspect they will be regretting their decision and poor choice of words once this gets around.  I sense a free shipment of mats to Iraq in their future.

[Bogie]

Now, what is everyone here going to do?

Repeat after me: e-mail them and phone them. A lot. Nope. More. MORE!
 

[StopTheGrays]

Local radio host Mark Belling talked about this today on his radio show. He is the #1 radio host in Milwaukee for his time slot.

If Belling is getting involved the owner's of that company better leave the state. 

[Cromlech]

How rude.

[jake7457]

this story needs some press! digg it here:
http://digg.com/world_news/Soldier_asks_a_simple_question_Gets_a_rude_reply

[Perd Hapley]

I can't believe anyone would describe this as rude.  Rude just doesn't express it.  I don't know the right word, either.  Baffling will do for now. 

[CAnnoneer]

They should have called on the phone. The person from the email may be some young intern punk that will be summarily slapped down by the management.

[Sindawe]

I don't know the right word, either.

Perhaps chutzpah?

[wmenorr67]

 

I am amazed that a company would flat out in this day and age say something like that about the military.  Say what you like about the policy of the people in power that sent us over here.  But to say something to the effect that we chose to be here is assinine.  I know that some companies will not ship to APO or FPO due to the extra paperwork and hassle to make those shipments.
I know that with the attitude this company seems to have they just lost several hundred thousand prospective customers.  Because being one myself, I know that troops get bored.  When we get bored we surf the net and spend money with these online retailers.  And the ones that take care of us while we are here will usually keep our business once we return stateside.  I ought to send this company an email and offer them a $5 bill for their entire company.  Because before long it won't even be worth that much.  I see them having a going out of business sale before too long.

[AJ Dual]

The registrant info for the domain is err.... somewhat "Middle Eastern" sounding.

And is a P.O. box at the Post Office just a few blocks from the business address.
It also links to other websites that middle-man drop-ship other stuff like scooters etc.

And the domain referral goes here: http://www.wildwestdomains.com/gdshop/default.asp

Looks like some work-from-home loser to me. 

[Perd Hapley]

They should have called on the phone. The person from the email may be some young intern punk that will be summarily slapped down by the management.

I thought so, too, but then why wouldn't they return Snopes' phone call and make clear that was the case?

[AJ Dual]

Just to be clear, these jokers are practicaly neighbors of mine. Under two miles away from where I live.

Looking at Google Earth, I believe it's a residential street. Combined with the middle eastern sounding name in the domain registry info, and the "Sell from home, No stock!" website that's the referring domain, thus my theroy this is an embittered Muslim or Arab who fell for an Internet "Work From Home" scam...

[Thor]

Even if this vendor was against the war and against our leadership, they have NO right to treat our Troops that way. They could have just as easily have said, "I'm sorry, we don't ship to APOs/FPOs" and left it at that.

[Ezekiel]

This is America, it's their right to respond however they desire.

[Robert Sears]

I posted about this on a few board after reading. One of the responses on one of those boards:

"Just tried their website to see what type of mat this is all about and got this: Quote:
Discount-Mats.com is Experiencing Technical Difficulties...
If you are inquiring about your order, please contact us via phone or email.
Thank you for your understanding & patience. ".

Seems the business maybe having overload problems. What a shame--NOT.

Bob

[Perd Hapley]

This is America, it's their right to respond however they desire.

Agreed.  They have exercised their right to be complete heels.

[Ezekiel]

Concur.  Now, if folks desire, they can choose to NOT order from there.  "Cool."

This is America, it's their right to respond however they desire.

Agreed.  They have exercised their right to be complete heels.

[cordex]

Zeke,
I'll respond to your post in the other thread here for consolidation purposes.

The "appropriate" response is to just not order from them, right?

Or is harrassing them with a deluge of ad hoc paper okay?

The appropriate response can involve both not ordering from them as well as notifying them of why they will not receive your business, could it not?

If I were a business owner, I would want to know why people are not shopping at my store.  In fact, businesses constantly go to great lengths to determine exactly that going so far as to contract for very expensive surveys and market research studies.  The folks who email the proprietor to tell him why they aren't buying from him or why they are unhappy with him are providing a valuable service without charge.  Win-win.

[Bogie]

And going forward with this, keep in mind that EVERY time you let a manager/owner of a "no guns allowed" retail establishment know about your displeasure, you're turning him one step closer to removing the prohibition.

[Ezekiel]

Or FIRMLY convincing him that gun-toters are arrogant, "my needs first," confrontational jerks: info that he'll bring up in the local business community.

Your call.

And going forward with this, keep in mind that EVERY time you let a manager/owner of a "no guns allowed" retail establishment know about your displeasure, you're turning him one step closer to removing the prohibition.

[Perd Hapley]

You never fail to amuse.  Wow.   

[Thor]

It appears justice has been done:

Web Site Kicks Sand in Faces of GIs in Iraq Asking for Mats to Ease Hardship of Sleeping on Ground

Monday, January 22, 2007

An American GI assigned to one of the harshest posts in Iraq had a simple request last week for a Wisconsin mattress company: send some floor mats to help ease the hardship of sleeping on the cold, bug-infested ground.

What he got, instead, was a swift kick from the company's Web site, which not only refused the request but added insult to injury with the admonition, "If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq."

Army Sgt. Jason Hess, stationed in Taji, Iraq, with the 1st Cavalry Division, said he emailed his request to Discount-mats.com because he and his fellow soldiers sleep on the cold ground, which contains sand mites, sand flies and other disease carriers.

In his email, dated Jan. 16, 2007, he asked the Web-based company, registered to Faisal Khetani, an American Muslim of Pakistani descent:

"Do you ship to APO (military) addresses? I'm in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Iraq and we are trying to order some mats but we are looking for ships to APO first."

On the same day, Hess received this reply:

"SGT Hess,

We do not ship to APO addresses, and even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq.

Bargain Suppliers
Discount-Mats.com"

Khetani on Monday told FOX News that the person responsible for the email reply had been fired. The Web site, meanwhile, has been temporarily taken down.

Hess emailed that he has since found two mat suppliers willing to ship to an APO address in Iraq.

FOX News' Douglas Kennedy contributed to this story.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245718,00.html