Huggies-Chicco promo

I was pissed off these past 2 days because a representative from Huggies delivered the wrong toy to my place. And bec. my houseboy didn't know the difference (a slide is...a slide to him) so he accepted it, gave the 50 points worth of empty Huggies wrappers and paid the cash portion of Php 2,000.

You can just imagine my dismay when an hour after, I saw the new "Chicco" slides, now all cleaned up (wiped with Lysol at that) and ready for my little munchkin to tumble down. Good thing that the little one is still napping. I immediately texted the representative first to ask if Step 2 is same as Chicco...he replied that Step 2 costs Php 500 more than the Chicco slides. hmmm, really? I told Marlon to drop by our fave toyshoppe in the vicinity, Ventura--which carries all known brands of kiddie toys & gadgets (Little Tikes, Chicco, Playskool, the likes...) and guess what? The salesclerks there, whom we have befriended already for being repeat customers...told hubby that said brand (Step 2) is not the same as Chicco. Their plastic is not only thinner but a bit more rought too as compared with the Chicco brand. Oh, oh! I am slowly heating up to a boil...grrrr!!!

I immediately texted the same representative to make the complaint. To his benefit, he also made a Huggies representative call me. Explaining that they dont have the Chicco slides anymore & that Step 2 is a sister company (really? how come I never heard of the said brand before?). Anyway, I told the said girl representative to just make sure that this slides delivered to me will be exchanged with the Chicco ones. And she did say that she will forward my concern to someone on the next higher rank. Okay...what else can I do? I emailed my sisters at Newlyweds@Work but it seems that aside from 2 other people, no one else is bothered by the same thing that's pissing me off.

I remembered my own sister whom I have convinced to buy a boxful of Huggies diapers so she can avail of the same promo. I even hand-carried the said box to Cebu since we bought it here in CDO at special price from my SIL's pharmacy. Anyway, she did say that she will also call the Huggies Cebu office to relay my concern in case they won't be calling me anytime soon.

The whole day almost passed by, no calls whatsoever..Oh, i got a text message from the guy representative (the one who delivered the Step2 slides to my place) asking for my email address. It gave me an idea, browsing through a Huggies leaflet, i got an email address. So I recounted all the events starting from when I placed the first call informing them of my desired toy to redeem, to how my friend got her slides first when in fact I have placed my order ahead of her (I should know this bec. I have shared my extra wrappers with her then AFTER i have placed the call)...to how I had been trying to call them up a few more times to make a follow-up up to how the said representative even tried to make me meet him up for the exchange of slides & wrappers making me believe all this time that he is delivering a Chicco slides (even indicated it in his text messages), when in fact it was clearly stated in the same leaflets they have given out last year that FOR RESIDENTS OUTSIDE THE SAID AREAS (where there are respective redemption centers, such as Cebu & Davao), TOYS WILL BE DELIVERED TO THEIR ADDRESSES. I texted the same representative that I am so disappointed with the service they are giving and it speaks of the poor customer service of their company.

I don't know if that did it or the fact that I warned them too through that lengthy email that I wont hesitate to bring this case to the local DTI to make a formal complaint against them. Barely an hour or roughly 30 mins. after I've hit the sent button, I received a call from a certain Rowena Orbon, a marketing representative this time, apologizing profusely and promising to deliver the Chicco slides not later than 2 weeks from now, as she said there will be deliveries she had expected to come next week. So much for Chicco slides being faced out hence the exchange to Step 2...i pity how corporate people can be forced to make lame excuses and blatant lies?!

The moral of this long story? Know our basic consumer rights! I did it once I won't hesitate to do it once again...if only to teach these giant companies that we consumers should be their topmost priority when they go into promotions like this. After all who came up with these promo ideas in the first place? And they could have saved their whole ass if only they had not forgotten to write on their leaflets a one-line all important waiver "offer good while supply lasts..."

Anyway, I'll be counting the days when I get hold of the real Chicco slides. And this time they better deliver on their promise...