An Incomplete Project
On May 6th (about two and a half weeks ago) Sarah and I bought a two-drawer filing cabinet for our house. I was looking for a good filing cabinet to organize all of our bills and paperwork. We went to Office Depot and found what seemed like a good piece of furniture. The sales associate who helped us out was very helpful; He even took the piece out to our vehicle.
When we arrived at home, I began unpacking the furniture and all of the miscellaneous parts that came with it. I looked at the parts list and assumed that most of the parts were there. It wasn’t until I was a quarter of the way through assembly that I noticed a crucial piece was missing.
The part that was missing was one of the largest, so I could not have possibly missed it. As you can see from the picture, the top piece–the one piece that provides a significant amount of stability–is missing.
I knew that nothing would happen if I took the furniture back to Office Depot. After all, I had partially completed the furniture. Undoing what I had already done would have likely caused damage to the piece. I decided to build what I could and wait for a part from the furniture’s manufacturer. I promptly went to O’Sullivan.com (O’Sullivan Furniture is the manufacturer) and requested a missing part.
When I ordered the missing part, I was given a confirmation number. I received no e-mail confirmation of any sort to confirm that I had in fact ordered a missing part. I did enter my e-mail address to be informed when my order had shipped, however.
I waited a week before going to O’Sullivan’s website again. I searched for a contact number, but found none. I resorted to using an e-mail form and simply asked when I could expect my part to ship. I never received a reply. I waited another week before trying to contact the company again. I found an 800-number from my instruction manual and inquired about when my replacement part was shipping. I supplied my confirmation number and was informed that my product had indeed shipped using FedEx Ground. This conservation happened on May 16th.
As of today (May 23rd), I have not received my missing part. I have yet to receive an e-mail confirmation that my product shipped, and I have yet to receive a reply from my e-mail I sent about a shipping date. I also was not provided a tracking number so I can see where my missing part is located. Essentially, I am left guessing. Time will tell whether Sarah and I wasted our money.
The key missing part wasn’t the only thing wrong with the furniture. Two parts that came with it were the wrong colors. See for yourself.
I am not trying to blame O’Sullivan or Office Depot of any negligence; I just want my missing part.
Update (May 25, 2006): I still haven’t received my part. I tried calling the 1-800 number, but it was busy. I guess I’ll try again tomorrow.
Update (May 26, 2006): I e-mailed O’Sullivan. I’m not sure what happened last time, but they e-mailed me back within a day. They gave me the tracking number for my FedEx shipment. They had in fact shipped my part on May 16th, upping their credibility just a tad. The burden now lies with FedEx. According to the shipment-tracking, I should receive my part today. Hopefully I can finish my project 
Update (May 30, 2006: I finally received my missing part. The FedEx guy left the box containing the part at my door. I finally finished the project. I will post a new blog entry when my piece is in its final resting place.
Join the Discussion (3 Comments)
Just call it flare! Our file cabinet is one its class! You can honestly say there is not another like it, nor will there ever be… or Lord, I hope not! Besides, the cats are having fun playing on it and around it. Where are those pictures? Focusing on the negative, are we?
Posted on May 23rd, 2006 at 9:00 pm
Ronald quit being a pansy and take that crap back… but I guess if Sarah likes it then maybe you should keep it.. but she also likes your long hair so you probably should take it back…. allright Mr. Lennon have a nice day
Posted on May 24th, 2006 at 6:14 pm
[...] There were three things I wanted to accomplish this weekend. I wanted to finish putting together my filing furniture. That didn’t happen because FedEx still hasn’t delivered my missing part. I also wanted to work on my website a little. I was able to do that and add several features. I also wanted to work on some UML Diagrams for my chess project. That didn’t happen. Procrastination is such an aggravation. [...]
Posted on May 29th, 2006 at 7:05 pm