A Dysfunctional Website
I was online looking for a part for the wife’s car. I had been to several dozen websites, with all of them stating that the part I was looking for was discontinued. It was a rather scarce part, but when I found it, I was happy and I bought it as fast as I could so no one could snipe it from me. After I made my purchase, I got an email telling me that my order was confirmed, then I got another email a few seconds later telling me that my order was canceled as the part was discontinued (no longer available). Now, this upset me, not so much that the part is no longer available, but more as a web developer.
The whole purchasing process for an online store is automatic and handled by 100% computers, databases, and subroutines. If the website is done correctly and following standard conventions, then it would function like all the other sites I had visited and it would have told me that the part is discontinued when I went to put it in my cart, not after I purchased it. In fact, it wouldn’t have allowed me to put the part into my cart. I mean if you can send me an automated email, stating that the part is not available, that means that your software is actually tracking inventory and is aware of how many widgets you have left to sell. But they didn’t do that and that laziness will likely cost them repeat business.
I used their chat option and registered a complaint and I was told that their website is used as a catalog and it doesn’t reflect actual inventory. Huh, what, that makes no sense, and is a bald-faced lie, since the website sent me an email. Again if I received an automated email stating that it was discontinued, then you are indeed tracking inventory. So it is a week later, and they have yet to refund the $47.12 that they took from my credit card for a discontinued part.
The good thing is that the very next website that I visited, I found the part, purchased it and it is in my hands.7
