Who doesn’t love online shopping?
My recent online shopping experience with HAP ticked all the boxes. Except the one that says ‘item delivered’.
The service was excellent: on 5th April I purchased a table, paid via Afterpay and promptly received a confirmation email with an estimated delivery date of 5 working days.
After a few weeks and several emails and website requests HAP reached out to explain the delivery delay: lockdown-related issues for their courier partners, being a young heavily short-staffed startup company swamped with orders; and the table I ordered being a hot item, out of stock, being sourced, being shipped as soon as possible, out of stock (again).

No table.

A refund? Not a problem.
A $30 incentive and an offer to purchase something else for my lovely home? No, thank you.
The friendly online support staff were personally looking into it.
But when you are a young heavily short-staffed startup swamped with orders and hampered by unreliable courier partners, refunds are hard to come by as well, despite the Refund Team and the Finance Department working overtime to fulfil my pending need.

No table.

No refund.

I longed to speak to my new HAP friends directly; however, the phone number listed on the website was ‘unable to take calls’. Ditto the mobile number.
Their Facebook and Instagram pages comment sections were similarly impaired.
When I looked up the warehouse address online it appeared to be a modest weatherboard cottage (off the market now but a bargain in 2019). But looks can be deceiving.

When I commenced mediation through a review website, HAC asked for one more chance and I really wanted them to have one - as much as I wanted a table.
Or a refund.

After that chance expired, I contacted Afterpay. Following a lengthy email trail and a self-described ‘nudge’ from Afterpay, HAP refunded my money.

I don’t want to generalise or make inflammatory or negative personal comments. I applaud plucky young startups and I’m glad they’re swamped with orders. I hope my customer service friends at HAP weren’t too hard on the Refund Team. I also hope that everyone at HAP gets a break soon. Maybe they can use their downtime to get a real phone number.
In fact, the only negative aspect of my experience with HAP was not getting what I paid for.