At this time of year, many people would find it a great convenience to be able to shop and pay on-line but then go pick up their merchandise at the nearest retail outlet. And while more and more retailers are supposedly offering that capability, the coordination between website and brick-and-mortar store isn't always everything it should be. That's certainly what one reader found out last week after making a pur At this time of year, many people would find it a great convenience to be able to shop and pay on-line but then go pick up their merchandise at the nearest retail outlet. And while more and more retailers are supposedly offering that capability, the coordination between website and brick-and-mortar store isn’t always everything it should be. That’s certainly what one reader found out last week after making a purchase from Lowes.com.“I was looking for some Christmas lights but having trouble finding what I was looking for,” the reader wrote. “But when I checked Lowe’s website I found that it shows what’s in stock at any particular store; very handy. They also allow you to purchase online and pick it up at the store – even more convenient; no need to wander around a big box store looking for something that might not even be there. Just take your emailed confirmation to the service counter and take your purchase home. Sounds great, doesn’t it? I thought so, so I ordered 12 strings of LED Christmas lights at their web site in the late evening, paid by credit card and specified store pickup.”The confirmation e-mail form Lowe’s indicated the reader could pick up his order the next day after 9 AM, so he drove to the nearest Lowe’s store the next evening. “The Lowe’s store is about 20 miles away but it’s worth it to be able to just walk in, get the lights and leave, I thought. Does it work that way? No. They got my order and billed my credit card, but after talking with various ‘customer service’ people there it finally became clear that they didn’t have any of what they sold me in stock. They say they had stock when they got my order, but apparently instead of pulling them off the shelf and holding them for me they sold them to other customers during the day – in effect, selling the items that they’d already sold to me. After over an hour we finally came to a workable solution. They called another of their stores and verified that the item was in stock there. They were going to send their pickup person to get the product from the other store and deliver it to me by noon the next day.” And to make up for the convenience, Lowe’s staff told the reader they would take an additional 10 percent off the price of his order. “They did this by issuing a credit for the original $142 and billed my card for the new adjusted price of only $128,” the reader wrote. “I asked for assurance about the noon delivery and was assured that it would be done — no problem. Did they follow through? No. They never delivered the merchandise they’d sold me. On the phone they told me that none of their stores has any of this product in stock. Very curious since they’d checked stock at the other store and told me it was in stock there. It was becoming apparent that they couldn’t keep their stories straight. I suggested that they just refund my money and they agreed. End of story?”“No. While the folks at Lowe’s insist that they’ve issued credit for both charges, my credit card company has no record of either of these transactions. The Lowe’s people say that it takes my credit card company four or five days to process a credit and that’s why I don’t see it. Only problem with that story is that it takes no longer to process a credit than a charge — I’d have my money back already if Lowe’s had actually credited my account for both charges. I suspect they have some sort of built-in delay of several days on refunds. That’s quite the trick — sell things you don’t have, bill the customer’s card (several times if you can) and then repudiate the order and refund the money – eventually. It’s like a free short term loan for Lowe’s.”While the reader assumes he will eventually get his money refunded, at this point he is out $270 and has no merchandise from Lowe’s to show for it. “As I see it, there’s more than one thing wrong with what they’re doing. First problem is their online order processing procedure. They claim to have stock where none exists, and bill your card immediately when the order is received, and even if it is stock, they can and apparently do sell the same items more than once. Then there’s the delay on refunds, a policy which I did not see posted in the store anywhere. This system is guaranteed to result in situations where they collect money from customers for items that they do not have and cannot get. How do corporations get away with treating their customers this way?” Have an online shopping horror story of your own to share? Call the Gripe Line at 1 888 875-7916 or write me at Foster@gripe2ed.com.Read and post comments about this story here. Technology Industry