The Shark (website) Bites

I bought a Shark steam mop, which works really well on what seems like acres of tile in my home. It cleaned up the sticky mess on the floor in front of the ‘fridge, as well as the greasy mess in front of the stove. In the bathrooms, I felt the air smelled fresher after cleaning the tiles, even though I mop at least weekly. Thus, I’m pleased with the product.

However, the steam mop requires washable micro-fiber pads, 2 of which are included with purchase. It takes 2 to do my floors, so I want to order a packet of micro-fiber pads, as well as the carpet glide option, as back-up. I went to the website to register, but although the site accepted my info and my password, when I tried to use that info to order the products, it shut me out. After retrying several times, I decided a more effective use of my time and energy would be to make a phone call to the number provided in the instructional manual.

I could not understand a word mumbled on the recording, but I listened carefully to the options before realizing that there is no option to order products, just to request either service or technical support. Deciding to chance selecting an option that featured my steam mop, I then waited for a human to speak. I made sure I had the website page with the items I wanted open, too, so I could complete this transaction and get the products in a timely manner.

I was offered the opportunity to describe the service required, to which I replied that I wanted to make a purchase. I explained that I had difficulty with the website, so called the number, but it appears that I have reached tech assistance, rather than an option to order product.

“What is your name?” I was asked. I always use a nickname on-line so I know which companies sell my info, and that’s the name I provided, along with my last name. Most people cannot spell the last name because it sounds differently from the way it looks, but I’m used to that, so I don’t say my name, just spell it—slowly.

When the voice could not spell the first name correctly (4 letters; hard to mess up), I anticipated the foul-up with the last name—and was not disappointed. At that point, I hung up my phone because I’m not going to waste time, energy, and cell phone minutes with people who aren’t fluent in English.

The products are not sold at the point of purchase, Linens ‘n Things, because, as the salesperson explained to me when I bought the steam mop, the micro-fiber pads are “really good,” according to the company, and don’t need to be replaced, just washed after each use. No matter how good they are, I want a back-up on the shelf so I don’t have to wash and wait for the pads to dry before I can finish cleaning. I also want the carpet glide for touch-ups in the living room, but I was assured that ordering on-line is easy and provides fast turn-around with shipping.

Yeah, right.

I’ll find someone else to register for me and try again to order the products I want because I’m locked out of the website unless I change my name, my address, and the email contact I provided!