Photoshop Part 2, And Probably Not The End


Abstract:
Adventures on hold: Adobe has better music.

Body:
As I mentioned in Part 1: Will I EVER have Photoshop?, I figured that I should probably contact Adobe first, since the box was shrink-wrapped, and therefore JourneyEd probably didn't stuff it with the wrong product.

So, I called the long-distance support number for Photoshop, which I found on Adobe's website. After several minutes on hold, the representative, who was very nice, (everyone was polite at Adobe) listened to my story and said, "Oh, man, that's crazy," and then told me that he couldn't help me, but Adobe Customer Service, who has a toll-free number, could. I thanked him and called the number he gave me.

After a few minutes on hold, I gave my story to the customer service representative, who said, "Oh, man, that's crazy," but he Adobe couldn't help me because it was an educational purchase, and they wouldn't be able to take any returns or make a replacement for that type of purchase. He told me to call JourneyEd, who would be able to make the return through their Adobe contacts.

I thanked the Adobe guy, and called JourneyEd's customer service. After a few minutes on hold, which didn't have music like Adobe, but instead had some stupid recording about their policies, along with the occasional "we are experiencing high call volume," a woman answered and listened to my story. Her immediate and brusque response was, "Call Adobe." She didn't say, "I'm sorry, but we can't help you, you will have to call Adobe. Would you like the number?" She just said, "Call Adobe." Of course my first reaction to her surly tone was to yell, "No!" and then explain that Adobe told me to contact JourneyEd. She told me that she couldn't do anything, so I told her that Adobe couldn't take the return because it was an educational product, and that JourneyEd is supposed to work with Adobe to take care of this. She then asked me, in an accusatory tone, which number I called at Adobe, as if she was expecting me to admit that I had actually made up the entire story about talking to them. I read back the number, and she said, again in a very rude manner, "That's the wrong number," as if I were some sort of idiot. She then gave me another number to call at Adobe before we had to part ways.

After this encounter which furthered my dislike of JourneyEd.com, I was eager to talk to a polite Adobe person. I called the new number, and after several minutes on hold, I got to tell my story, which was getting quite long, for the fourth time and heard the usual "Oh, man, that's crazy," from the representative, who politely put me on hold again. He came back a few minutes later, and passed on an "oh man, that's crazy" from his supervisor, which I'm starting to assume is a compliment at Adobe Systems Incorporated, and then explained that since it was an education purchase, they couldn't do anything for me. He was very apologetic, and seemed to feel sorry for me that JourneyEd runs such a shady business. He suggested that I order from AcademicSuperstore.com next time (which Google has been running ads for on Part 1), or check Adobe's website for a list of authorized education resellers. JourneyEd, by the way, is on the list. As for taking care of my problem, his only suggestion was to contact my credit card company and have them cancel the charge.

Just before going to dinner, I decided to try JourneyEd again. I called the customer service number, and after several minutes on hold, fortunately was connected to a different representative than the first time, giving me a chance to switch tactics. I told him that I wanted to to return Photoshop. He was much nicer than the woman I talked to earlier, and asked if the box had been opened. I admitted that it was, but let him know that nothing inside had been removed or opened. He gave me an RA # and also did a one-time waiver of the usual $45 "restocking charge," so I should get all my money back, minus the return shipping. He also suggested that I use a trackable shipping service, which I will do.

Of course, I know that this isn't the end of the story. Since it is an "open box" return, JourneyEd will undoubtedly open the Photoshop box and find Illustrator inside. Hopefully they'll be dumb enough to not notice the difference, but I have a feeling they'll be calling me and asking what kind of scheme I'm running. Actually, based on my previous experiences with JourneyEd's inaction, they won't call me, but I will hear the question when I call to ask why the charge hasn't been cancelled yet. I am considering including a letter with the return to explain the presence of Illustrator, but I might try to bank on their incompetence first and see if I can get away with the return. The only moral problem with this is I will be setting up another poor customer for a similar experience. Oh well, maybe they'll send it to the child of a lawyer, who can do more damage than some college student with a blog.

To be continued...

Posted: Tuesday - January 25, 2005 at 11:45 PM          

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