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Report: #1087063

Complaint Review: The Benchmark - Culver City California

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  • Reported By: Jack W — Pahoa Hawaii
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  • The Benchmark 5715 Mesmer Ave Culver City, California USA

The Benchmark Sold me the wrong handles and is not taking responsibility Culver City California

*Author of original report: Manager bribes me

*Author of original report: Ensuing emails with manager at The Benchmark

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Bob Olander, a salesman at The Benchmark, sold to me some higher-end door handles for my home. He asked me to describe the kind of doors I had, and I went over it with him about three times for safe measure. My contractor was present for two of the onversations, to ensure accuracy. 

Upon trying to install the handles we quickly discovered that the wrong handles were ordered for my 5 1/2" offset pre-drilled doors. I was sent mortisse locks instead of tubular locks. Bob was rude, insulting, and unprofessional in my attempt to resolve the issue with him, adn he took no responsibility for his error, only vaguely alluding to an apology. He never followed up on sending me the "contract" he said I ssigned (because I never did), never sent me a receipt, and sent all the wrong door handles. 

I live in Hawaii and shipping back to the mainland for a return is not easy or cheap. Moreover, after hours and hours of docuemnting this, and multiple phone calls and fotos sent to The Benchamark, the manager there, Greg Brawner, has not made a decent effort to contac the manager at Emtek door handles, with whom I aranged for him to discuss the simple return of my handles for the right ones.

This has gone on now for about a month. I am on hold for long periods and it seems no one but me is making effort to make this return happen. Once they got your money, then you are unimportant, that's how it goes.

So, I am aggravated and dsigusted with this company and their broken promises and poor service from the misordering of the handles to the neglicgence in resolving it for me in a timely hassle-free way (to say the least). It's disgusting that his is how a "benchmark" business operates.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 09/24/2013 04:39 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/the-benchmark/culver-city-california-90230/the-benchmark-sold-me-the-wrong-handles-and-is-not-taking-responsibility-culver-city-cali-1087063. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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#2 Author of original report

Manager bribes me

AUTHOR: Jack Weber - ()

POSTED: Monday, November 18, 2013

The manager, Grew Brawner, actually said he would send out my new handles if I removed the "negative hit" here at Rip-off report. Never mind doing the right thing for the customer! No, he wanted his poor behavior and terrible cutomer service record removed. I refused his request.

The company finally sent me the correct handles after months of dickering and tons of wasted time. One of the handles came damaged, and I contacted the company and have not heard back, again. I am also due a refund by the company on the order of 275 dollars and have not been refunded this amount, or been contacted about it. I have the old handles to return to them, but I requested my refund first because I do not trust them at all. They don;t even get back with me to arrange for return and refund. BUYER BEWARE!

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#1 Author of original report

Ensuing emails with manager at The Benchmark

AUTHOR: Jack Weber - ()

POSTED: Monday, November 18, 2013

These are direct copy and pastes of ensuing emials between me and the manager Greg Brawner at The Benchmark—the most difficult, unresponsive, and irresponsible company I have expereinced dealing with.

 Adam Weber <jackadamweber@gmail.com>
Sep 24
 
to Greg
 
 
 Greg,
 
Hi, I have not heard back from you again. This has gone for over a month now, I think, and has costed me hours and is getting more and more aggravating. It is very frustrating that you and Emtek cannot have simple conversation in a month's time. As I emailed yesterday, if this is not resolved I will simply be returning the handles to you. This was Bob's mistake, and as discussed, he has failed to follow-up with me, and to my knowing, you have not gotten with Paul at Emtek and he does not return any of my messages. This is precisely the kind of nonsense and disgust that all of us resent in a business. You are not displaying what a "benchmark" company does at all—from the poor service and mistakes on bob's part, to his disappearance, to continued lack of resolution.
 
I just hung up the phone where i was on hold or you for another ten minutes, typing this message as I listened to the awful music I have to hear each time i am hold there, as I am on a break and my time is up.. I am tired of this, and my next step is going to be to seek legal help in small claims court to resolve this. I'l be visiting LA before long and will reoslve it then if we cannot do this ASAP. I am not devoting more time to this, when you and Paul at Emtek are apparently doing next to nothing. 


Mr. Weber,

I agree with your subject line...enough is enough.  Part of my job is to help adults who are unwilling to accept any responsibility for their actions...so I am doing the best I can to come up with a solution that is fair for both of us.

Facts:
  • YOU purchased one Cheyenne and two Denver handle sets.  The Cheyenne is only available as a mortised lock (see picture below from website).  Bob did not choose the Cheyenne.  That decision would have been made by you or your contractor.
  • The Denver is available in either a mortised or a tubular lock. 


Given the passage of time, I can only guess at the sequence of events that took place.  My assumption is that, given your desire for the Cheyenne, Bob assumed you wanted mortised locks on each...a fair assumption.

Here is what I recommend moving forward.

First, you must remove the negative hit-piece on the internet.  Second, ship me the handles currently in your possession.  Third, let me know of a time that you and your contractor can be available to discuss the necessary handles via telephone.

Once I have been able to confirm the specifications you need, I will make sure the appropriate handles are ordered.  Assuming that you specify similar handle sets for reorder, your only out of pocket costs will be in shipping the materials back and forth.

Please respond with your thoughts asap as I need to get this off my desk prior to some upcoming business travel.

Thx,
 
 
 
Jack Adam Weber <jackadamweber@gmail.com>
Sep 25
 
to Greg
 
 
Greg, I have little time and just skimmed your email, but briefly, this is upsetting and insulting to me, and assumptive. I ordered the locks in constant dialogue with Bob. I ordered the Denver because he said it would fit my doors; it was not, as you assume, because I and my contractor chose it. I got the okay first from Bob. Furthermore, and regardless, Bob asked me from the get-go what style doors i had and the spacing of the pre-drilled holes. He should have known at that time that the Cheyenne would not fit my door. But regardless, he told me it would fit, and we went over this three times. And please don't "guess at the sequence of events." That is not to be a responsible adult. I REALLY don;t want anymore hassle from your company, and this email is insulting and totally assumptive. Look at the facts, your sales person, Bob Olander, dropped out of the conversation and Denver returned my communciation. Okay? If he wants to be responsible and jump back in here, then he can do so and furnish me with the "contract" he said I signed and never furnished to me (because I never signed one). That is why you are left here to "guess," and guessing is not our game right now. thanks...I'll respond more full soon. Jack
 
Jack Adam Weber <jackadamweber@gmail.com>
Sep 25
 
to me
 
 
 
 
Greg,
 
I will now respond further to your message of earlier. Even if the Cheyenne were ordered with my consent as a mortisse lock (which it was not, and I was never given a choice of mortisse or tubular, and in fact, I did not even know what these terms meant until this issue arose) this does not explain why the two Denvers were ordered as mortisse locks. Your story about Bob assuming they were all mortisse is also flawed because Bob Olander knew my 5.5" offset form the get-go.
 
Furthermore, you say:
 
"My assumption is that, given your desire for the Cheyenne, Bob assumed you wanted mortised locks on each...a fair assumption."
 
Please don't make assumptions. And I am sorry you are tempted to, or left this as an option, given that your salesman, Bob, bailed on following up with me. We discussed bob's negligence on the phone and you said it was unacceptable, yet he has still made no appearance. So, I guess it really is acceptable, isn't it, since you are his manager, and could ask him to follow up with me? 
 
As for the rest of your message, I will consider removing my complaint when I get some results, apology, and a whole lot less hassle and insult from you and your employees. You don;t really seem to care that Bob was utterly rude and unprofessional and in error, or I'd imagine that you would be apologetic and actually be going out of your way to help me out. Instead, about a month has passed before you have made any substantial contact with me. You did not even bother to give me the courtesy of an acknowledgment after I sent in the fotos to you via email, nor did you return my many phone calls last week and the week before. I had to call again several times, be on hold for another hour or so total, before getting word from you.
 
Next, I will not pay for shipping. As communicated, I have put lots of hours into this, and I arranged everything for you to get with Emtek manager Paul; that's not my job, but I did it to make this happen, but I cannot force you or cajole you further to actually make a concerted effort to contact him. As I communicated, I am also out of pocket a few hundred bucks for my contractor's lost time, and my own when we tried to figure out the botched handle install, made worse by no written instructions with the sets. I would like you to step up to the plate and make your customer, who has been wronged at every turn here, happy. I will return the handles, and go through the further hassle to package and ship them, if you take responsibility for your errors and other shortcomings, and I would at the least like shipping expenses paid, minus my further time to prepare the package. Should I have to pursue this in court, I will ask for my time, my contractor's time and travel expenses to be covered and I will supplement my on-line report with further factual documentation. This whole thing is outrageous, and this is the worst experience I have had  with any business in some time.
 
From here on out I don't want to field any more "guesses" and "assumptions," or insults and further false accusations. I want this handled in a professional, decent (not making accusations, etc.) expeditious and conciliatory fashion, without further ado. Please advise.
 
Thank you, Jack
 
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