I searched for swim goggles online and found an amazing deal: a pair of AquaSphere Kayenne goggles for $8 when MSRP is $35. What a steal! I ordered them immediately. Three days later I noticed my order still hadn't shipped, so I followed up on my order to see what was going on. Customer service responded with the following:

"Unfortunately, our warehouse left a note that the last stock of the AquaSphere Kayenne Goggle Smoke Lens Smoke/Silver was not qualified enough to ship out when the team processed your order."

I replied, "not qualified enough? What does that mean?"

They responded "I went to cancel the order for a full refund back into your credit card and added a free shipping into your account with us for use towards your next order."

I told them I didn't want my order cancelled, I wanted them to honor the purchase and send me a pair of googles. They had them in stock on their website, they were just refusing to honor the deal they had promoted. Maybe they didn't manage their inventory correctly, who knows. But that's on them to make it right.

Scammy company. Poor customer service, poor business practices.

This is a copy of the chat transcript with customer service:

(5:11:52 PM) David: I made a purchase three days ago (order number_____). The item still hasn't shipped. When will my order get processed and shipped out?

(5:12:12 PM) Rosie: Hello David. I'm very happy to help today!

(5:12:28 PM) Rosie: I am very sorry to hear that. Let me check on it for you.

(5:12:40 PM) Rosie: Your billing address for checking please?

(5:13:04 PM) David:____

(5:14:07 PM) Rosie: Thank you. Please hold a moment.

(5:17:26 PM) Rosie: I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. Unfortunately, our warehouse left a note that the last stock of the AquaSphere Kayenne Goggle Smoke Lens Smoke/Silver was not qualified enough to ship out when the team processed your order.

(5:18:02 PM) David: "not qualified enough"? What does that mean?

(5:18:24 PM) Rosie: I went to cancel the order for a full refund back into your credit card and added a free shipping into your account with us for use towards your next order.

(5:19:28 PM) David: so you market items at a deep discount, but then if I don't order enough other items for you to make a profit you simply cancel the order. That is bait & switch.

(5:19:30 PM) Rosie: It seems there was an issue with the last stock item which made it ineligible to ship out. This item became unavailable to ship out and pending until today.

(5:20:10 PM) David: You should not cancel my order

(5:21:10 PM) David: you should honor the purchase and send me any another color of AquaSphere Kayenne goggles. Any color you have in stock will do.

(5:22:04 PM) David: It's not my fault your inventory management is not the best, or whatever the issue is on your end.

(5:22:49 PM) Rosie: We can not change items/color/size on an existing order technically as our system does not allow us. So with any issue with the inventory stock, we can only cancel the order if it is not shipped out.

(5:23:01 PM) David: also, kind of strange that you wouldn't contact me about this proactively. Just do nothing and wait.

(5:23:42 PM) David: No need to credit my account, I won't be using swimoutlet for any future purchases. Terrible customer experience.

(5:24:39 PM) Rosie: Thank you for your feedback. I will relay your feedback to our management team for review and hopefully we will be making some changes to improve this better in the future.

(5:25:27 PM) David: Yeah whatever. I'm sure they will really care about my order.

(5:25:56 PM) Rosie: Anything else I can help you with today?

(5:26:44 PM) David: i would like my purchase honored. You have a pair of goggles available right here: https://www.swimoutlet.com/products/aquasphere-kayenne-clear-lens-goggle-*******?color=clearclear&from=c

(5:27:11 PM) David: If not, I would like to speak to a manager about this

(5:28:37 PM) David: Same make/model

(5:28:41 PM) David: Please ship that out to me

(5:30:48 PM) Rosie: Since the refund was processed and we are unable to revert the refund, any new order must be placed online with a new charge. I could look into our purchase history and the AquaSphere Kayenne Clear Lens Goggle Clear/Clear - Clear/Clear was offered at the same sale price $34.99 on the same date 3/12.

(5:31:29 PM) Rosie: If you are fine with the price, I am happy to honor a 10% off on your new order placed online today with a note that you do not have to pay shipping at checkout.

(5:31:45 PM) David: I did not ask you for a refund. I never asked for that. You promoted and offer, which I accepted and now you are trying to back out of your committment. That is so infuriating.

(5:32:11 PM) David: if fact i specifically asked you not to cancel my order

(5:33:15 PM) David: You are in customer service

(5:33:15 PM) Rosie: Unfortunately, that is how we process any orders with an error of shipments (orders can not be fulfilled because of stock discrepancy issue). We have no other choice than cancelling an order for a full refund and customer can go to replace anew order online for their preferred item later.
(5:33:21 PM) David: why are you not servicing your customer?

(5:33:48 PM) David: I would like to discuss with a manager

(5:35:52 PM) Rosie: If you are ready for a new order at the checkout, please feel free to log in your account under___ and proceed to the checkout. The free shipping will show up then and you are able to use this code____ for a 10% off.

(5:36:25 PM) David: i don't want free shipping, i want the deal i ordered and paid for.

(5:36:33 PM) Rosie: If you prefer to talk to a Supervisor, feel free to call us at *******065 at anytime and address your request to the rep you are talking to. Thank you for calling us.

(5:36:35 PM) David: it's on you to fulfill

(5:36:48 PM) David: or make it right

(5:37:59 PM) Rosie: As said above the replacement AquaSphere Kayenne Clear Lens Goggle Clear/Clear you selected was not offered at the same sale price on your purchase date or else I would not hesitate to offer it to you. We unfortunately, do not price match on different items.

(5:39:37 PM) David: Yes, that is obvious. But whatever the mistake was is on your end and that is why you should honor my purchase and send me the same model at your own cost. This is what customer service is about.

(5:41:08 PM) David: The small cost to make a customer happy is less than the cost of losing customers due to bad experiences. I guess your company does not abide by the "customer comes first" ethic that most american companies live by.

(5:42:40 PM) David: at least the successful ones...

(5:43:11 PM) Rosie: In considering cost matter, I tried all the above to offer with free shipping and 10% off coupon code and that is what I can do for you today regarding your canceled order because of the unfulfilled inventory. I am really sorry that I am unable to further assist you with your request of a new order for free of charge or any further assistance in this situation. This chat will be closing. Thank you so much for chatting with us today and have a great evening!

(5:43:50 PM) Rosie: Please note that the coupon code and free shipping are still valid until they are used online. Have a great evening!

(5:44:16 PM) David: I feel bad that this is the only option your management gives to you to make things right in cases like this. It's obviously the wrong thing to do.

(5:44:59 PM) Rosie: You will still have a chance to talk to our Supervisor when calling in. Goodbye and take care!

(5:45:02 PM) David: how would you feel if you purchased an item at a deep discount (roughly 78% off). Only to find that the company wouldn't honor the purchase you made?

(5:45:03 PM) *** David left the chat ***