Pex Supply Company

It seemed like a win-win scenario. The order went very smoothly. I placed it late on a Tuesday, and got confirmation that the order had been shipped that day. The email confirmation stated that it was being shipped by UPS ground, but in all actuality, it was shipped by Yellow truckline. No problem... the shipper still provided tracking information and I was able to follow the shipment across the country. I expected it to take around a week to make the journey across the country, and that was in line with reality. The tracking system with the shipper stated very clearly that this was "HOMD - Home Delivery." Several days prior to the shipment arriving in the area, I received a call from the truckline scheduling delivery. Delivery was scheduled, I cleared a spot in the garage for a pallet, and my wife hung out at home with the kids waiting for the delivery. A standard semi showed up, apparently because all homes receiving "home delivery" have loading docks appropriate for freight unloading. Unfortunately, I missed the tiny link buried at the very end of the product detail when I ordered the water heater which states "lift gate service" may be needed. The specific text from the website was: NOTE: May require the use of a [Link]lift gate[/Link]. Please note the product weight listed in the specs. When clicking the link, a purchaser receives the option to purchase lift gate service for an extra $60. The only way someone would come across the lift gate "option" is by scrolling down to the bottom of the listing, clicking an ambiguous link, and pulling up the product page for lift gate service. Needless to say, I missed this. Nowhere in the shipping policies, the shopping cart, or anywhere other than a tiny link in a large body of text does the seller show that this "option" could be added on to the free shipping. Near the top of the page, there is a "Shipping Information" link, which provides the following information: "Add this item to your cart to calculate shipping cost. The entire staff at PexSupply is committed to doing everything we can to ship your order out accurately and as quickly as possible. Most orders ship within 1-3 business days and expedited orders go out the same day when placed before 1:00pm EST. If an item is back ordered for any reason, you will be notified via e-mail. Please note in the special instructions at checkout if you need receive your order by a specific date. See full Shipping Policy." When clicking the "Shipping Policy" link, I get a page listing all of the shipping options. In no place is "Lift Gate Service" mentioned. This is a fundamental website design issue. If you're a retailer selling large pieces of equipment strapped to pallets and delivering them to home addresses, you need to assume that people buying stuff do not have loading docks suitable for a semi, and therefore perhaps making the lift gate "option" a little more obvious would be more conducive to maintaining a happy client base. As it stands, I will likely have to figure out how to get a water heater from the shipping place to my home, as I don't want to spend $125 for the shipper to put it on a lift gate equipped trailer. I called the company to resolve this issue (first to ask why "home delivery" doesn't include a lift gate, and being told "you were provided the option of" following a tiny link to the lift gate "option" and then to ask about adding the "option" now). The rep was not at all sympathetic to the fact that I didn't see the tiny link in the one location they put it, and finally, after I said "OK, so I guess I'm now just screwed," relented and checked with the shipping manager. They're closed for the day now, though, and I never heard back (granted I called at the end of their work day). I guess I'll rent a U-Haul. Bottom line, this leaves a bit of a bitter taste. If I'm in the market for something like this again, I may or may not order from them... a lot of it comes down to price. All things being relatively equal, I'd probably go elsewhere. UPDATE: I received a call from the company informing me that they have added lift gate service to the item, and subsequently received a call from the shipper to schedule delivery. Delivery will now happen the day after I had scheduled a plumber to do the install, and 4 business days after it had originally been promised.

This has not been a good experience. I wish they would have been up front with me initially about the unit.