Green Bay -
UPDATE 3/14/2013:
The Appleton Better Business Bureau
tells Target 2 it has changed the rating on PackerTees.com to a "B minus" as a
result of closing all complaints on PackerTees.com. PackerTees.com responded to
the BBB saying customers who ordered products and did not receive them would get
a full refund. While the BBB did not hear back from customers who had filed
complaints, the BBB tells Target 2 it assumes the company has resolved the
issues and refunded the money as promised.
The Fox Valley Better Business Bureau is warning customers about an online Green Bay T-shirt business that wasn't delivering.
It all started with customers who said they didn't get T-shirts they ordered on packertees.com. (The web site is not affiliated with the Green Bay Packers.)
The business sells "52 Shades of Clay" T-shirts, featuring Packers star Clay Matthews in a play on the popular novel "50 Shades of Grey." Packertees has struggled to keep them in stock.
The Better Business Bureau says that became a problem when the web site took money from customers without delivering the shirts.
Customers filed a complaint with the BBB, who then contacted Target 2. As a result, customers are now starting to get their money back.
"If they were promised a shirt, they don't deliver within 30 days, they're due a refund. That's just Wisconsin law," says Susan Bach of the Better Business Bureau.
"They were told by the company repeatedly, 'We're still waiting for merchandise to come in. It'll be just a little bit longer.' Well in some cases, that was last fall."
It's been more than five months since Brenda Swoboda ordered a "52 Shades of Clay" T-shirt.
"I was frustrated. I then, probably early December, finally had enough of trying to get my money back from them, so then I contacted the Better Business Bureau," said Swoboda.
Another customer who ordered on Labor Day filed this complaint with the BBB:
"I have been in contact with someone who works for packertees, with them reassuring me that I will be getting my 52 Shades of Clay shirt, yet it still has not come. After 3 months of frustration and no shirt and out about $22 dollars, I am now filing a complaint with you guys."
The Better Business Bureau says it sent the customer complaints to packertees.com but didn't get a response until Target 2 contacted the company.
The owner didn't respond to our request for an on-camera interview, but emailed this statement to Target 2:
We have had some very unfortunate mishaps with vendors and our system. We have about 25 outstanding orders as of this email and we are extremely sorry for the delay in the shirts being sent to customers. What we are doing now is reaching out to customers that are waiting and are offering them a full refund (including the shipping they paid) and we're sending them their original order free of charge. In addition to that, we're adding in bonus items as a token of our sincere apology. Our e-commerce system malfunctioned and inventory wasn't accurately being tracked, resulting in over-sold merchandise that we did not have in stock (backup merchandise is currently on the way).
I will be available if you'd like to talk more about this. We are also looking to rectify the problems via BBB but have not been able to properly access our account to update status.
Brenda Swoboda also got an email -- and her $25 refunded.
"I'm very grateful that you guys chose to do a story, which then led me at least to get my money back."
The BBB tells us packertees.com is now working with them and customers to resolve the problem.
So here's advice when shopping online:
- Check out a company and read reviews.
- Always pay with a credit card.
- You have 60 days from the time a charge first shows up on your statement to file a dispute with your credit card company.
Visit www.bbb.org to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
