Buying online - ugghhh!

 

It has been years since I purchased online; I don't have much discretionary budget, the freight times are often lengthy since covid and there are so many scams and unscrupulous sites - enough to put you off, but I'd recently taken up a new hobby and needed some starter gear - costuming. Facebook is very good at pushing stuff at you but it can also be helpful in finding affordable stuff that could be useful. Enter Temu. Temu stuff is pretty low grade but so are the prices, you can get a full refund if your product is not good. The same applies to Amazon. They both have good distribution and communication. Tracking works well and they try to deliver ahead of promise. No complaints with Temu or Amazon.

While scrolling through a few costuming options I saw a fake 'leather' jacket for sale. It was like one I had bought in France long ago and had worn out after 3 years use, of course. I thought I would replace it. It was on special and the site seemed to imply it was based in Wellington with a main branch in Australia? They had a returns policy. I just hoped it would fit which is always the worry when buying online.

 A red flag appeared. It took several days for my order to appear in their system and the tracking number didn't work. I contacted them via email and they replied back in quite good English. Somewhat reassured, I sat back to wait for things to resolve as the days passed. Well they passed and passed. Who knows where the product was actually coming from but eventually it arrived. As I pulled it from the packaging my heart sank. It looked like a toy yet I had followed their size guide. I tried it on, mostly OK around the middle but couldn't really use my upper arms as they were jammed into too-narrow shoulders and sleeves. Disaster! 

 

I emailed them straight away for instructions on where to return my jacket. Two days later they replied and this ridiculous toing and froing occured. They clearly do NOT want to bother with returns to China and hope to wear customers down. I checked the NZ Companies Register. They are not there so their website name in NZ is very misleading. I found them evasive and dishonest and it leaves one feeling uneasy about ordering online though I have since had some successful purchases via the big boys who are so big they don't argue and in fact, I had no need to return anything from THEM.

 

Dearest Reader here follows their avoidance technique... (my emails in black, their's in red)

Hi

I just received my jacket 5 minutes ago. Unfortunately it doesn't fit well - it is too tight in the shoulders for me to put my arms forward and a larger size would be too big in the waist and elsewhere. Can I please return it and get reimbursed? How much would it cost to send back? This product has not been worn.

Kind regards

 

We apologize for any disappointment caused by the product not meeting your expectations. It's essential for us to rectify this situation to ensure your satisfaction.

Would you be interested in exchanging the product for the correct item? Your happiness is paramount, and we would be pleased to send you the product that brings you joy. We kindly ask for a small contribution of 25 NZD to cover the associated costs.

Please inform us of your decision, and we will handle the exchange process for you. Our team is here to provide further assistance as needed.

 

Thanks for your reply. As I indicated, a larger size will not fit in general. It's just the cut that doesn't work for my body. I will need a refund and am hoping this is straight forward. Yes, it's disappointing as it looked nice in the photo and I will lose some money in paying for it to be returned. This is the risk with online shopping.
Please advise next steps

 

Of course we understand if you want to return your order, but we have an exciting alternative that we think you'll love!

Instead of sending the products back and paying the return postage, we'd like to make you a special offer. You get to keep the products and get 10% of the purchase price back as a thank you for your purchase!
This means that you can not only enjoy your chosen products, but also get a good discount .

This choice is not only financially beneficial, but also saves you the trip to the post office and the shipping costs of returning the items to our warehouse in China .

Returning to China: If you decide to return an item, please follow the return instructions on our website:[ I have omitted this link in interests of confidentiality]
Make sure the item is in its original packaging and meets our return conditions.

How do you imagine I can enjoy this product when I can't use it? I'm not happy about having the hassle and expense of returning it. I have already read the link info. It does NOT tell me WHERE to send the product and I'm wondering why you are stalling.

Your offer is not a good one. The product is useless to me and the discount minimal. The benefits you mention are ridiculous since they are not realistic in this case. With more than 16 years in sales and marketing under my belt I can see right through this.

PLEASE ADVISE EXACTLY HOW TO RETURN THIS PRODUCT SO I GET MY REFUND.
Yes, I am starting to become concerned about your company.

Certainly! We completely understand if you wish to return your order, but we have an enticing alternative that we believe will capture your interest!

You can keep the products and get 20% of the purchase price back as a thank you for your purchase!

This allows you to not only enjoy your selected products but also benefit from a significant discount.

Opting for this option not only saves you money but also spares you the hassle of visiting the post office and covering return shipping costs to our warehouse in China.

For returns to China: Should you choose to return an item, please refer to the return instructions provided on our website. Additionally, ensure that the item is in its original packaging and meets our return policy requirements.

**Note: The cost of the return is at the customer's expense in accordance with our returns policy (including tracking costs, which are usually between €25 and €30 depending on the weight/distance of the parcel).

Let us know if you take advantage of this great offer. We'll be happy to help you with any questions and decisions.

This is crazy! Why are you even mentioning euros?
I can do the math and 20% of the product price is still less that the total cost minus return post.
Are you actually reading what I write?
"For returns to China: Should you choose to return an item, please refer to the return instructions provided on our website" The instructions for where are NOT THERE.

I am protected under the Consumer Guarantee act. This product is legally not fit for purpose as it does not fit me and cannot be worn. Do I have to contact the Ministry for Consumer Affairs about this?

 

Thank you for reaching out, and we're sorry to hear that the product didn't fully meet your expectations. We're committed to working together to find a solution that suits you and increases your satisfaction. We've outlined a few fantastic alternatives for you:

Option 1: You can opt to keep your order, and as a gesture of appreciation, we're pleased to offer you a 30% refund of the purchase price. This allows you to retain the product and benefit from a significant discount.

Option 2: As an alternative, we'd like to extend to you a gift card valued at 60% of the purchase amount. With this gift card, you can explore other products in our range and enjoy additional savings on your future purchases. It presents a wonderful opportunity to try something new while retaining your original order. You can find the link to our website at the bottom of this email.

It's important to note that choosing either of these options not only benefits you but also supports environmental sustainability by reducing returns. Additionally, given the different warehouses we utilize in Asia, returns from this region can be costly and are best avoided.

We hope you find these alternatives appealing and discover an option that aligns with your needs. However, we completely understand if you still decide to proceed with returning your order, and we'll fully support you through that process.

Please ensure that the product is unused and in its original packaging. Kindly note that the return shipping costs will be your responsibility as the sender.

Your satisfaction is of the utmost importance to us, and we eagerly await your response. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions or require assistance with your decision.

 

Your maths still don't add up. It's clear you don't want to refund but you are legally REQUIRED to do so.

Your second option is dreadful as now I don't want the extreme hassle of buying anything else from your site because you are not showing good faith in dealing with your customers. This is becoming a nightmare for me though I do appreciate you contacting me.

I have a counter offer: give me 50% REFUND back to my bankcard for all the hassle and concern you are now creating with your unwillingness to behave honorably with a client. You are just making it all worse.

Over to you

 

[Suddenly I got a message that they had decided to stop with the bullshit and just resolve the matter. I now have a useless jacket for sale.]

 

Great news! Your refund has been processed and is currently en route to your bank account. Please allow 2-5 business days for the refund to reflect in your account.

 

Always check if there is free shipping no matter who you order from. Often there is not and the price tag for it can be more than the item you buy OR you have to spend a certain amount in order to get free shipping.  All I have learned is to stick with the big boys where possible. They are reliable, and you should know your rights.

 

To know your rights, here's a useful link. https://www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/general-help/ways-to-buy-and-pay/online-shopping
 

 

 

Mudding in Rotorua

 

This is a round-up of three geothermal sites to visit in Rotorua: Wai-O-Tapu, Hells Gate, Whakarewarewa Village.

Wai-o-Tapu and a 'man-made' geyser. 

 This thermal area is located 27kms south of Rotorua, 201 Waiotapu Loop Road, Rotorua 3073. It is billed as being spectacularly colourful but the colours were decidedly muted on the day I visited. Maybe the heavily overcast sky had something to do with that. The most interesting thing there, apart from walking through bush to get there, is the Lady Knox Geyser - a tourism confection.

It is named after Lady Constance Knox, the second daughter of Uchter Knox, 15th Governor of New Zealand. The geyser is induced to erupt daily at 10:15 am by dropping a surfactant into the opening of the vent.

 It's all rather artificial as we sit there waiting for the geyser to be deliberately 'turned on'. In fact it seemed a bit sad, really, that commercialism of nature has gone to such lengths as to promote something that doesn't naturally occur in nature, with hordes of tourists paying to watch a science experiment. That wasn't what I had expected. It didn't start life as a geyser as such but over a hundred years of being forced to start fuming, the mineral salts have built up and created a cone, giving a spooky geyser appearance.

In 1901, the first open prison in New Zealand was established at Waiotapu, designed to accommodate some of the better-behaved prisoners from around the jails of the District.

A gang of those prisoners first discovered the 'geyser' in a clearing and found that when they first added soap to the hot water to wash their clothes in a spring, they could make the spring erupt. Voila, a completely tame geyser that doesn't last all that long.

Next on the list of things to do was Hell's Gate. Again, on an overcast day and with the vagaries of nature, I found it under-whelming. First up, like several activities at Rotorua when I was there, the schedules were not accurate and so I discovered I had missed the guided tour. Oh well, I trotted around by myself learning all I was going to learn from an info panel.

This information panel gave useful information but really, most of the pools looked much the same and mostly uninteresting grey sludgey rock. Thermal activity seemed low so I decided to try a mud bath. They say the volcanic minerals in it are good for the skin. I slathered it on myself and waited 30 minutes as prescribed, then rinsed off and headed for a warm water pool to soak in. All well and good but not really different to the thermal pools at Hanmer Springs, North Canterbury. That Rotorua mud though is really sticky and gets in EVERYWHERE. It took me several attempts back home at washing my swimming costume to get it free from the mud and associated sulphur smell. My skin might be too old now to benefit - I didn't notice any positive difference.

Mudding aside, I thought my international visitor might like to learn a bit about Maori culture so we headed over to the Maori village on offer. 

Whakarewarewa is a living village in that Maori residents live on site so opening and closing times are strict and need to be respected. I checked out the displays in the main building. Again, some useful info but glaring English mistakes on the info panels really detracted from it. They don't care (especially when you notice it) and didn't bother to get an English expert to spell-check the grammar - this in a country where most inhabitants and tourists could expect educational panels to have correct English on a museum panel. 

Our guide was delightful and willing to find out answers if she couldn't answer our questions 'off the bat'.

She did a great job taking us around. I asked her why, in a Maori village, the houses were all in European Colonial style as I hadn't expected that. She was reluctant to reply and suggested I speak with the senior guides about it. I'm respectful but curious. 

I think the elder guides understood that and explained that the original style of accommodation used by Maori villagers were just temporary lean-tos for sleeping in at night, nothing more. Not very warm or comfortable in winter so modern conveniences are preferred, especially electricity.

I was surprised to learn that the residents are quite comfortable wandering around naked whenever they want to take an outdoor bath in their communal area. No wonder there are no after-hours visits and naturally cooking is done in the cooking hot pools. The pools are at various temperatures so that people and food don't end up cooked together.

 I enjoyed the visit for the most part but it was disappointing that, despite advertising it, there was no cultural show on offer that day, no reason given, so my international guest who was only staying one night in Rotorua, missed out, despite our planning.

I think overall Rotorua is worth a visit, even if you are not lugeing etc but skip Hells Gate if you are concerned you might not have a guided tour. A visit isn't cheap and there's not a lot of interest to see.

 

Tekapo: invasion of the landscape snatchers

 

We all love those gorgeous photos of Lake Tekapo during the lupin season. I visited the area while they were flowering but this time, while they look lovely I had mixed emotions about them.

 Tourists go there hoping to see them flowering and when they are they jump in amongst them for the photos but fail to sit and appreciate the natural beauty of the area. Mount Cook wasn't very co-operative through the haze and the lake colour was muted by the overcast sky so that didn't help matters. The lake level was very low.

Yes, it's fun to have a photo amongst the blooms but I stuck to the side of a dusty track worn by tourists for my photo and then sat and ate my sandwiches while reflecting that I wasn't feeling 'uplifted' in spirits by the scene. I think it was the knowledge that the lupins had a dark side to them, and the commercialisation and instagram obcession of the Chinese tourists rather than appreciating nature devalued it all.

On the way to Tekapo you can find the sides of the road edged with lupins. It has been like that for decades and very pretty it is but finding them everywhere on the way from Tekapo to Queenstown was downright alarming. The Mackenzie country has its own special environment. It should be tussock not imported flowers that are now listed as a noxious pest. I saw first-hand how most of the streams and rivers were becoming choked with the plants so that water couldn't flow properly and, at the time, hadn't realised that this was destroying the habitat of our native stream birds.

Wild Russell lupins are Russell lupins that are established by natural means. Russell lupins rapidly invade rocky braided river systems and the thick, bushes provide hiding places for predators of birds that are often endangered and would usually nest safely on these bare islands. The thick infestations also get in the way of water flow along these rivers, changing the ecosystem for the birds and aquatic species that rely on this habitat.

It causes sand and gravel to build up, changing the shape of rivers and contributing to flooding and erosion. Disturbed lowland and sub-alpine shrubland, short tussock-land and wetlands are vulnerable to this plant.

Russell lupin is a quick growing herb that can grow up to 1m tall, with multiple erect, hairy stems with clusters of leaflets that are usually hairless above and silky below. It produces a flowerhead spike that stands up straight, with many slightly scented and multiple coloured flowers from September to February. Russell lupin produces a large amount of seeds with dark brown spots of colour that are spread mainly by water and also by humans scattering them along roadsides. The seeds can last for many years.

Under the Biosecurity Act, the wild Russell Lupin is a declared pest in Canterbury’s regional pest management plan making it illegal to grow the plant within specified distances of waterways and property boundaries, but the Act does not prevent lupin images being used for commercial purposes and this is becoming a problem as this pest plant is romanticised overseas, mostly in China in their marketing of NZ.

Lupins are said to have taken hold here thanks to local resident Connie Scott. As the story goes, back in the 1950s,

Scott scattered lupin seeds along a main highway to add some colour to the barren landscape and the blooms have been spreading ever since. Take a look at the photos of natural MacKenzie Country. It's wild, slightly monotone, windy, rocky and it has its own beauty when it is left alone. 

If staring at the lake isn't enough for you I can recommend a trip up to Mount John Observatory. Great photos, especially if you time it on a clear day as the sun is sinking around 4pm in Spring. The shadows created by small changes in topography are breath-taking. Unfortunately, I've always missed being there at the best time.