From the "if it seems too good to be true dept." I bring you my latest experience with Western Canada's favourite discount furniture and electronics retailer The Brick.
I bought a surround sound system there during the Boxing week sale in Dec 2011, and eventually ... I mean like a month ago ... came to the realization that the Polk Audio subwoofer in my system did not and apparently has never worked... which explains why the zombies' guttural moans during The Walking Dead always sound more like the moans of tax accountants with indigestion.
Anyway, I know it's my fault. I should have figured this out waay sooner, but since when do you have to worry about a speaker not working? And since when should a speaker not work after a year and a half? Anyway I naively decided to take the speaker back to The Brick and see if they could do something for me.
What a joke, if you want to avoid sales pressure at the Brick, show up with returned merchandise. I felt like a pariah and I think you'd get a better reaction showing up with a case of leprosy with the word "unclean!" written on your forehead.
Anyway they weren't interested, couldn't help me, and I got the distinct impression I was annoying them. I know it's silly, I know it was too long to wait to complain. But I guess I was hoping they'd try to do something - even a token gesture to help me out. I guess what I was really protesting was the obvious poor quality of the product, and I thought they might want to know. As if. I left the speaker there, they told me I couldn't do that, but I figured they could as well keep the $350 worth of junk. They also told me I had to give them the power cord as well, I told them that was the only part of my fully paid purchase that worked.
Anyway once bitten ... In the past I have purchased a couple of mattresses, a washer and dryer, a couch and more from the Brick, so I was thinking I might be a preferred customer, but I'll think long and hard before I buy from there again - especially anything electronic ... I'll likely opt for a more reputable electronics firm with more to lose ...