A Calgary man has a warning for other consumers after he recently went shopping for a new fridge — but ended up being left out in the cold by a well-known big box retailer.
Marko Jovanovic lives in a house with six other adults, and one day after work, he decided to stop by his local Rona on the way home to pick up a new fridge.
“So I went with my pickup truck. They asked if I wanted it delivered and I said no, it’s not a big deal — just put it in the truck.”
But when he got it home and started taking the packaging off, Jovanovic noticed some things weren’t right.
“As I’m taking it off, I’m noticing it’s a white fridge. I ordered a grey fridge, so I was like, OK, maybe the colour’s off, whatever.”
But as he and a friend started unpacking it further, it got even worse. “We start from on the bottom and it looks professionally done. He opens it up and he’s like — it’s used. I’m like — used. He’s like — it’s dirty. I’m like — really!”
Tired and frustrated after a long 10-hour day at work – Jovanovic rushed back to the store.
“I thought it was a return fridge or they made a mistake,” added Jovanovic.
But the manager said he couldn’t replace the fridge because it wasn’t a Samsung fridge. “I know,” an exasperated Jovanovic told the manager.
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The used fridge in the box was a brand Jovanovic had never heard of. “I’m a little confused because I’m not a fridge expert, right?”
The manager promised to call him in a few days, but when he did, he tried to blame Samsung for the mix-up to which Jovanovic responded, “If you’re not going to do something about it, I’m gonna pursue legal action because this is ridiculous.”
Jovanovic also denied swapping the new fridge with an old fridge. “I was only gone for maybe a total of 45 minutes, so it didn’t make sense,” he said. “I mean, I’d have to be pretty planned to like swap it.”
And that is when Jovanovic said the manager cut off the conversation. “He was like, ‘I’m done talking with you, you can contact your lawyer.'”
Jovanovic decided to contact Rona’s head office, but after speaking with several people over several days he still wasn’t getting any answers.
Almost ready to call the police, he decided to share his story on social media and was surprised by the response he got.
“A lot of people were saying apparently this is more common than expected,” he said. “It wasn’t just fridges. People were telling me other products they bought were wrong or they weren’t the right thing — like a whole list of problems,”
Someone responded to his social media post, telling him to call Rona’s media relations department. Jovanvic did and 12 hours later he got a full refund, plus a $200. gift card.
When asked how a mistake like this could happen, Marco Bijvank, an associate professor at the Haskayne School of Business in Calgary, told Global News it can take months for products, like a new fridge, to make it from the overseas manufacturer to the customer — changing hands several times.
“There is still a lot of manual labour involved in warehouses, so those mistakes can happen. They put the wrong label on the box, and then everyone goes by label, so what’s on the label is in the box and if you make a mistake there, it will not be seen until you open the box,” said Bijvank.
His advice to consumers is make sure you always understand the warrant and your rights, in case something does happen and you can return it properly.
When contacted by Global News about Jovanovic’s experience, Rona responded with an emailed statement.
“At Rona, we take pride in maintaining a high standard of customer service and strive to provide a seamless experience from start to finish,” the statement reads.
“While we do our best to ensure that every item delivered is in perfect condition, we acknowledge that occasional issues can arise. Regarding the situation with Mr. Jovanovic, we are pleased to confirm that his refund was processed promptly and in full after he contacted our team.”
Despite those assurances, Jovanovic said it took him over a month to get his money back, and he still feels like he was unfairly treated.
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