The first mistake this guy made, was to by an iPod to begine with. They're hardly the best player on the market.

Still, I have three different players, and we have a total of six in the household. Only one of those came with black earbuds, and that's a small iRiver I got for christmas years ago that I use when working in the yard.

@m2ky2fo:

agreed woot should tell em to go fly a kite

@MyPetFly:

hahaha awesome

Am I the only one who can't actually get an earbud of ANY kind to stay in my ear? Even if I sit perfectly still, they come out!

And why DOESN'T Lackintosh have black headphones? I agree, Millard is still an ass and Woot is in the right, but Mac needs to get with it!

3 Cheers for woot for being a consumers best friend... Millard, You dumbass, you should have bought her a zune... or you should have had a V8 (anyone?),... sigh what a dumbass

"Once you have your money back as a customer, there's nothing to complain about."

Watch him still complain.

omg...i just realized what a true I am.

Apparently you don't read comments here..I posted he same thing on page 1

Then he'd cry because Sharpie isn't truly black..and he'd have his stupid Pantone booklet handy to prove it.

Hey, my GF works in management at Finnair (OneWorld partner of AA, and probably the airline operating a portion of your flight on a codeshare basis). If you're having any additional problems, feel free to PM me and I'm sure she'll be more than happy to make it right!

I love Woot, but I don't think that's a good call. They're risking one very stupid customer if they tell him to get bent, and if they don't, they're showing that if you're stupid enough, and irritating enough, you can get some money out of them.

You must not deal with the public often.

No, of course he won't return it. Princess has already been putting her music on it and he's bought the new ear buds anyway. All he would be doing is returning the iPod to get the exact same thing at a higher price.

They should also send along some crappy headphones in the box from the dollar store with an 'ipod' sticked attached to them just for kicks...

@Victo: I'd agree if they had spotted him the $29 for the headphones he "had" to have. As it stands, it's just a, "Fine, forget you ever dealt with us." I approve wholeheartedly.

right?

Woot was awesome, their solution is to send the iPod back because he isn't satisfied. It's a full refund to the customer, but he loses out on a cheap iPod.

It's probably the only situation in which you can screw the customer and still get good press. I applaud them.

I love this resolution. If he wants to throw a fit over his error. I would have been willing to take the small hit on shipping it back and resale the item. And hes of course out the cost of his Headphones bought elsewhere.

Win Win:)

Most of you people don't run online or retail stores or you'd understand why Woot is doing the right thing here. Telling him to "get lost" isn't an option. Unfortunately nowadays you have to cave in to the most idiotic customer requests because if you don't there's no guarantee they won't go on consumerist.com and spread lies, or go to Amazon and spread lies, or start a website that spreads lies, or do anything else to kill your brand name. It happens too often.

My guess is that the iPod box with the prepaid shipping label will not be sent back, and Woot won't be hearing from Millard again.

By the way, who in their left or right minds would seriously care if the headphones are white? My iPod is black, the ear buds are white, and my life is still moving forward just fine. Blast people making a big stink over what amounts to be nothing. 10-1 his daughter A) didn't care that the headphones were white, and B) will lose the $29.00 black ones inside a month.

Sometimes bad products cause more damage than the price of the product.

"very headset that we sell from Icemat seems to be
Effectively blocking background noise that people seem to bring
Not a bowling ball they are smaller, got a mic goes near your mouth
This is like the tenth time that we've had them on sellout now

We've been looking for a buyer who wants to hear some mp3s
Looking for a buyer, we've got black if black you need
If you open up your ears, they're in-ear and they'll fit in
If you buy them
We will even ship them"

If I had money, I'd spend it with them.

Hopefully the customer will still purchase from Woot and not just spread around nasty false statements against them.

@OhYeahAlright:
They just don't wedge comfortably behind my tragus. I'll take the super fast hearing loss in the ear canal wax gatherers.

And sadly, just throw them in my purse. Yum.

Millard should've just watched consumerist and gotten the same styling skullcandies, but in black. What girl doesn't want a skull on her earbuds??

The initial story showed up some other places online (referring back here). I have to wonder if this guy knows he was the internet joke of the week.

I want to praise Woot for coming to Consumerist for advice to deal with a customer who is being unrealistic or unreasonable.

I think if the shoe was on the other foot, the customer told us that Woot was being a jerk and saying "get bent", etc, we'd be all over Woot for treating the customer horribly.

The fact that Woot is offering a refund and eating the cost to have the ipod returned is above and beyond.

Congrats again to Woot! I'll be checking out your store soon.

Woot may have not taken the road a lot of us wanted them to take (IE, the "Let me tell your where to 'process your return' method"), but here's the thing: none of us are going to be LESS likely to shop at Woot because they were too nice to this loser.

I agree that the customer was wholly, without exception, totally and completely asinine here. What a snotty brat, and I don't mean the kid. Setting an example of "me-ism" like that for a child is disgusting - sounds like a baby who never grew up had his/her own baby.

But I voted for the refund, because I wonder whether, after getting SUCH an incredible deal on the ipod, the customer will actually put his money where his mouth is. It's one thing to complain a lot to try to get a freebie (i.e. new headpones - and by the way, I have $12 black Sony earbuds bought to replace Apple's because I find them so uncomfortable), but at the end of the day, will he think the good deal on the ipod is worth it?

I am glad to see Woot getting positive PR and kudos for this - it was a great way to handle a ridiculous complaint, and showed more humanity, reasonable consideration and politeness than this idiot customer deserved.

I'm commenting here for the first time just to note that you appear to have the wrong idea about Woot.com. Woot! is arguably one of the most irreverent and brutally honest online merchants around. They encourage blasting of items in their forums, make no illusions that some of the items they sell are crap, and in the descriptions themselves often point out flaws and other issues you may have with the products. Heck they even link to their Wikipedia page from their FAQ one http://www.woot.com/WhatIsWoot.aspx.

Also they really do lie about their customer service sucking. I've had issues with several of their products and they've always refunded my money, or in one particularly nice occasion sent me a duplicate product via FedEx overnight (telling me to keep the first one if it ever showed up... and after 2 months Smartpost decided to drop it off so I had 2 of them :D).

If this disgruntled customer actually read the forums there (for each product) they'd see any particular flaws of the products (Woot! doesn't seem to censor any bad opinions and even posts them as notable posts sometimes), and have the funniest word censors around.

Just thought I'd note that.

This is acceptable to me. As I've said in the past, it's all about the money. Once you have your money back as a customer, there's nothing to complain about.

While true, I still am inclined to cite what I stated previously:

I personally feel that absolutely nothing should be done on the part of Woot. If the person wishes, they can take their issue up with Apple, who for 7 years, has manufactured iPod's in the exact same way: iPod with White Headphones, with the exception of the U2 Edition iPod which comes with Black headphones.

This is one of those times when Woot was just not in the wrong. I've purchased items from Woot before and hold their Customer Service in high regard. This just seems to be a clear cut case of "Bad Consumer".

On another note, if he wants black headphones, Sony manufactures them for $49.99. Skullcandy also manufactures it's "Ink'd" line which goes for anywhere from $10.99 to $21.99 depending on where you buy, and by the way, they come in Black, Pink, Blue, Green, Red...

@gqcarrick:

You are right. The person failed the prudent man test.

@Pixelantes Anonymous: "My little diva princess had to have black headphones, and all I got was made fun of on the internet."

When will Woot offer an "I love Woot" shirt for sale on shirt.woot? :P

Earlier this year I went through trying to get them to pay for return shipping for items that they knowingly selling with high defect rates. They never did that, perhas I should have wrote to the consumerist.

A power sentry ups.
http://www.woot.com/forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=1701361&PageIndex=1&ReplyCount=339
Thats one of the threads with numerous complaints about DOA's. They've sold these items several time and never addressed the incredible number of DOA units.

This whole thing is just stupid.

extra credit for calling him a tool at some point.

Probably a good PR move on Woot's part, but that sucks that a moron customer won the battle.

I hope the return box they send has dog poop in it.

Am I the only person who reads a company's return policy?

Their site says: "Will I receive customer support like I'm used to?
No. Well, not really. If you buy something you don't end up liking or you have what marketing people call "buyer's remorse," sell it on eBay. It's likely you'll make money doing this and save everyone a hassle. If the item doesn't work, find out what you're doing wrong. Yes, we know you think the item is bad, but it's probably your fault. Google your problem, or come back to that product discussion in our community and ask other people if they know. Try to call the manufacturer and ask if they know. If you give up and must return it to us, then follow on to the next FAQ entry."

Seems to me, this falls under the category of sell it on ebay. However, kudos to Woot for going the extra mile.

No offense Ben but that is a very incorrect statement. Unfortuently many companies agree with you though. Certainly in this case the company did nothing wrong. But in general if a company fails to deliver on a promise just refunding the money does not make it okay.

If I order something and once it arrives there is a problem, the time I spent waiting is now gone. Getting a refund and ordering from a competitor results in an even longer wait for the product. All because the first company failed to live up to its promise.

Also limited availability is a factor. The company gamestop will guaranty to hold a first shipment copy of upcoming video game if you make a reservation down payment. But what does that guaranty mean if they fail to deliver? They just give you your money back. But by that time it is too late to get the game because all the stores are sold out. That is no guaranty.

They were dissatisfied with a product that's advertised as no returns (at least that's been my experience with woot, is I don't return things to them if there's a problem - which they're up front about, and I am fine with). They wanted something that didn't exist, and the company to fulfill that for them. Apparently they had no issue moving to a different style of earbud - iPod doesn't make black ones except for special models (which means not for general sale). Or for paying 30 dollars so the headphones matched the iPod. None of this really demonstrates to me a strong amount of common sense - and for Woot to reward that, while it is their prerogative, is frustrating. It sends a great message about the company, and the wrong one at the same time. Being willing to bend over backwards isn't always the best thing - people will, like Millard here, take advantage.

I still can't believe that Woot refunded this guy. They are far wootier than I.

It's not nice to spray paint little girls...

(Sorry, I'm sleep deprived today.)

Business isn't always black & white. No pun intended... seriously. I think Woot made the right decision. Granted the guy should have researched what he was buying in the first place.

I will, however, concur with any suggestion that his subsequent behavior does indicate that he's been living under a rock.

I thought a nice pair went for several thousand dollars and a few weeks of recuperation.

If the customer is honest and mistaken, then giving the money back is a generous option, and Woot customer service shines. If the customer is just trying to get something for nothing, then they'll keep the iPod and keep grumbling, because Woot has more than met them halfway. I think the second is more likely, and all it costs Woot is an empty box-I'd rather pay into that as a customer, than pay for someone else's headphones.

You just can't please some people, and Woot has shown the world that they're trying.

(I've shopped at Woot several times before, and I'm glad they're this responsive in tough situations. Go team.)

Merely "acceptable"? I'd say that's almost above and beyond, considering that the company is eating the shipping and restock expenses for what is effectively an issue resulting from a defective customer rather than a defective product.

THAT is a great idea. Maybe even make a Woot design contest about it.

I'd love to see what sort of shirts the community would come up with.

For me, it's kind of a mixed bag. The dad was way out of line asking for a product that DOESN'T EXIST. I don't have an I pod, but even I know that they only come with white earbuds. I mean, this guy is dumb as a brick for starters for demanding a product that doesn't exist, when it probably would have been easier for him in the long run to run to wal-mart and purchase a $5 pair of black earbuds for his spoiled princess's ipod.

And as far as Woot is concerned. Well, yeah for them for being the bigger person in this situation, but I honestly don't think they should have to take the fall for this one. Good for them for offering free return shipping and good for them for offering to return the product. But they didn't do anything wrong. The dad should have paid more attention to what he was pulling his credit card out for.

thanks also for explaining woot to me. it'll save me from ever buying something from them. especially when shopping online and it becomes a hell of a lot more difficult to check a product out to my own satisfaction.

as long as they don't pay for the $30 headphones, then fine. customer didn't like product, they return it. done and done.

@homerjay: I bet any iPod descriptions will have a disclaimer stating the color of the earbuds.

i understand why they did it, i just disagree.

Second, Woot was NEEDLESSLY and EXTRAORDINARILY nice in this situation. I would not want that customer as a repeat customer. It would just bring about more crazy situations like this.

I take it you've never been to Woot? It's a closeout market in a way, but they take returns on defects. If I'm 100% sure I want an item, why should I pay extra for a seller to handle returns from someone on the fence? Also, since Woot sells an item for 24 hours, then pulls it, it's hard for them to do anything with all the returns...a Wootoff is an option, but not viable on a large scale.

From their website:

Will I receive customer support like I'm used to?
No. Well, not really. If you buy something you don't end up liking or you have what marketing people call "buyer's remorse," sell it on eBay. It's likely you'll make money doing this and save everyone a hassle. If the item doesn't work, find out what you're doing wrong. Yes, we know you think the item is bad, but it's probably your fault. Google your problem, or come back to that product discussion in our community and ask other people if they know. Try to call the manufacturer and ask if they know. If you give up and must return it to us, then follow on to the next FAQ entry.

This was a good call on Woot's part.

Not that I think the customer deserved a refund, but as Ben pointed out, their article here was A BIG DEAL.

Both because consumers on the internet love Woot, so that drew a lot of attention, and just look at the number of comments!

Woot is coming out of this, giving a refund, like the nicest company in the world. Anyone who had concerns about buying from them should be 100% comfortable with them now.

While this may act as a precident for someone to feel they can pass off a shady return on Woot, it is outweighed by the huge possitive buzz they get.

@katylostherart: Yes, but should Woot be paying for him to return something that was EXACTLY as described?

@Ickypoopy: This.

1. Un-cap marker
2. Color in white areas on headphone until covered in black
3. Your account has been disabled.

I feel sorry for woot, they are paying double shipping to send a prepaid package to them. The customer did something wrong and he should pay for the shipping price, not the company.

I think the guy compared this situation with buy a car. I want to buy a black car, do i get everything black? NO, the interior would be a different color and the exterior will be black. Just because you see something that is black, doesn't mean everything will be black. This guy is just too cheap to return the product and pay the shipping label.

He wants black headphones so it can match his daughter Gothic look!

I don't agree that this is true all of the time. My wife and I recently booked an trip to India with Orbitz, and one of our flights was changed such that we would have had a twelve hour layover in Helsinki (originally four hours). We found flights through another city with times acceptable to us, but Orbitz refused to help us book those. They did offer us our money back, but at that point, new tickets would have been prohibitively costly. We already had booked a tour in India, so canceling really was not an option.

In the end, we talked directly with American Airlines, and they rerouted our flights for us, with no help from Orbitz. (American was outstanding about this whole thing.) But I just wanted to point out that in this case, we could have gotten our money back as customers and still legitimately had plenty to complain about.

Exactly! White headphones are iPod's trademark. If you don't know this, you haven't been out from under a rock in 8 years.

Offering a refund with shipping isn't enough, I'd put a little paper in there that says "we'll take the ipod back, if you wont be a customer again".

While I applaud Woot for the customer service right answer. As a user of their site and knowing some of the people that go there.. I almost wish they had told him to pack sand.

A while back, they sold some batches of comic books and a bunch of people were unhappy with what they received (duplicates of certain titles). Woot could very well have said, "No, you got what we offered -- 10 random comics." but instead, they offered refunds to anyone who complained. They didn't even have to send the comics back.

Now days, I'll literally wait two months to buy certain products just to see if they'll come up on Woot and I will buy them there.

That's the beautiful part. Everybody wins. Woot made a legitimate effort and the product has a low chance of actually being returned.

I think they should make a t-shirt in reference to this event and sell it on tshirt.woot.com

I'd rather lose one stupid customer than a bunch of other worthy customers.

Woot, you shouldn't have offered a refund for the iPod. You should have told him where he could stick it.

Absolute lunacy, this is consumerism gone TOO far. It takes about 30 seconds go to on apple.com and see that all the iPods hae white earbuds. Any reasonable person would check things more throughly before buying something, apparently this person is not such a person.

@gatewaytoheaven: No paint needed. A pot on thre stove at 170 degrees with black RIT dye and a touch of acetone will quickly turn those headphones as black as the little diva likes. Wash thoroughly and allow to fully dry before trying to use them again, and she's set. Cost? About $2.50.

WTF! This is totally unfair!

This guy complains about not receiving something that doesn't even exist, and he gets free return shipping.

I receive a defective product, and I have to pay more than $35 to send it back to them?

Total bullshit.

I think htis is a terrbile solution. One of the things that drives costs up for all consumers is overly liberal return policies. Quite frankly it drives costs for those of us who actually research what we buy higher. I guess I won't really knock woot for it, but I absolutely don't think they should even have given her return request a second thought. The product was as described and not DOA, that should be the end of the story.

In addition, if I recall the original story, it probably won't fix the complaint that they 'had' to buy black headphones, unless they can still return those as well. Oh well...

This is obviously Apple's fault for not assuming that little princesses may demand black earphones. A can of spray paint ought to fix this.

But hey, if Woot is willing to do what they did, that ain't bad at all. Complaint well fielded Woot! Keep up the good work!

What happened to the spray-painted gameboy headphones? I'm gonna call Woot and demand the money back for my wine.woot purchase- it didn't come with titanium-red cyber corks. My wine was red - I expect the corks to be!

Woot is being too nice.

They say the customer is always right, but I'd prefer to not have that kind of customer.

+1 Woot

Millard is still an ass.

Somehow I don't think this will make the customer happy. The iPod was a gift. He was an idiot (everybody knows that iPods have white headphones, which is what makes you a target to pickpockets and thieves when you're walking around with that white cord dangling from your ears...). He wanted woot to pay for the rather spendy black earbuds he purchased to complete the look.

Despite all that, as a girl with an iPod, those damn earbuds are too large for my ears. I have pink skullcandy ones now thanks to a deal posted last Monday.

Woot is being too nice

Booo. Woot should tell him to get bent. The complaint is rediculous and hinges on the need to satisfy his little diva's all-important fashion sense. Woot does not own this person anything and should not be willing to take a hit for them.