I had been considering doing business with Adagio on the advice of a friend who deals with you. Today, however, she informed me of what seems to be a scam of offering $5 'gift certificates' to customers with their orders, which they may pass on to friends.
What she discovered was that these are not 'gift certificates' at all, but are *discount coupons* to be used only on orders exceeding a certain dollar amount.
While i see nothing wrong with offering discount coupons, i think that applying the term 'gift certificate' to your current offer is highly misleading.
My friend also informed me that both she and the friend to whom she gave the 'gift certificate' were treated in a rude and condescending manner by your customer service department. She sent me a transcription of her conversation, and i agree with her.
There are plenty of fine places to buy tea on the internet. Both Harney & Sons, and SpecialTeas have treated me quite well. Based on my friend's experience, i will stick with them.
D. Thomas
Dear D,
Hope you agree that one person's opinion is often very subjective. A more objective picture would emerge by seeing how thousands of people feel. Bizrate presents a detailed account of our products and customer services compiled by over five thousand customers. Our excellent reviews would help to explain why we are the most popular destination for tea on the web. And why we have so many very satisfied customers. Hope you decide to become one as well.
Michael
Hope you agree that one person's opinion is often very subjective. A more objective picture would emerge by seeing how thousands of people feel. Bizrate presents a detailed account of our products and customer services compiled by over five thousand customers. Our excellent reviews would help to explain why we are the most popular destination for tea on the web. And why we have so many very satisfied customers. Hope you decide to become one as well.
Michael
Thank you for your response.
My firm choice not to become a customer of Agadio Adagio is based not on the opinion of one, but of three: my friend, her friend, and me.
After reviewing the sarcastic responses to them, i thought it best not to enter into a business relationship with Adagio. Here is an example of the response sent to a first time customer attempting to redeem what you refer to as a 'gift certificate':
# ** Thanks for your order.
Unfortunately, you dipped in the "freebie well" once too often, and your order had been cancelled (sic). As Seinfeld Nazi would say, "no tea for you!"
Cheers,
Adagio Teas
http://www.adagio.com
# ****
A business who answers the orders of new customers with sarcastic references to sitcom nazi's, in place of a polite note explaining the mysterious policies which govern the redemption of these supposed 'gift certificates', is not worthy of my patronage.
I reviewed the bizrate.com link you cited. I have no reason to believe those statistics are accurate and, even if they are, i value the opinions of two honest friends over those of Joe Q. Public.
D Thomas
My firm choice not to become a customer of Agadio Adagio is based not on the opinion of one, but of three: my friend, her friend, and me.
After reviewing the sarcastic responses to them, i thought it best not to enter into a business relationship with Adagio. Here is an example of the response sent to a first time customer attempting to redeem what you refer to as a 'gift certificate':
# ** Thanks for your order.
Unfortunately, you dipped in the "freebie well" once too often, and your order had been cancelled (sic). As Seinfeld Nazi would say, "no tea for you!"
Cheers,
Adagio Teas
http://www.adagio.com
# ****
A business who answers the orders of new customers with sarcastic references to sitcom nazi's, in place of a polite note explaining the mysterious policies which govern the redemption of these supposed 'gift certificates', is not worthy of my patronage.
I reviewed the bizrate.com link you cited. I have no reason to believe those statistics are accurate and, even if they are, i value the opinions of two honest friends over those of Joe Q. Public.
D Thomas
Dear D,
BizRate scorecard is surely the most accurate picture of any online retailer. Thousands of customers complete a survey upon checkout, and once again after the items arrive. I hope you will reconsider its validity.
Respecting your friend's privacy, I may not go into the details of why the order was canceled. In more general terms, I may explain that those who value great tea and customer service usually become very satisfied customers. Those, on the other hand, who above all value getting something for nothing, will usually be disappointed. And present a skewed picture of us to their friends. This is why I hope you will consider the BizRate score. And give us a chance to show you how accurate it is.
Michael
BizRate scorecard is surely the most accurate picture of any online retailer. Thousands of customers complete a survey upon checkout, and once again after the items arrive. I hope you will reconsider its validity.
Respecting your friend's privacy, I may not go into the details of why the order was canceled. In more general terms, I may explain that those who value great tea and customer service usually become very satisfied customers. Those, on the other hand, who above all value getting something for nothing, will usually be disappointed. And present a skewed picture of us to their friends. This is why I hope you will consider the BizRate score. And give us a chance to show you how accurate it is.
Michael
Hmmm... this seems quite simple. The gift certificates are issued with the intention of attracting new customers. They really are gift certificates for 5 dollars, the thing is that you cant buy anything (once you've added shipping) from the website for under 5.75 which leaves you adding 75 cents to a credit card bill and feeling quite silly if they don't purchase something else. This is neither false advertising, nor misrepresentation of data on Adagio's part, just a smart marketing ploy. Now then, if one tries to take advantage of that (by trying to use two gift certificates on one purchase, for example) thereby using the gift certificates for something other than their original purpose, they will find themselves disappointed because it doesn't seem that Adagio is willing to let that happen. Good for them. What on earth makes you think that you have earned the right to their product without paying for it? They are using an innovative business ploy to gain more customers and with the intelligent ones it works, however, the seemingly more dense ones seem to be having an issue with the whole paying for merchandise concept. Fortunately we don't live in a communist society and Adagio is free to not give you their product for free. I think their e-mail response was quite appropriate and that you and your friends are way out of line. Welcome to a functional reality where, and I don't want to scare you here... but, YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD AND EARN WHAT YOU ACQUIRE IN LIFE... (Adagio: Please forgive the rant but you guys are in the right and you're making the money to prove it, ignore the twits who try rain on your parade because they don't know any better... Or, just squash them, whatever makes you feel better.) =)
virginia
virginia
My sister is a lover of all things superior, and when her birthday rolled around this year I was not in a position to buy her a $100 iron or a $400 addition to her stemware. She enjoys tea, and so I decided to go with Adagio (my favorite). (Being the stubborn type, she was unwilling to risk 'straying' from her usuals in times past). For her birthday. I ordered her a nice variety of tea and also e-mailed her the $5 certificate to pique her interest. It was the perfect gift. She tried it and fell in love with Adagio teas. She then went to her e-mail and placed orders of her own. It was a win-win-win situation for all of us and I think it's a great idea. Thank you!
BTW, last Christmas I was sent a gift of Adagio teaware from my parents. One piece arrived broken and when I called customer service it was replaced immediately and pleasantly. I received the replacement in a week.
Sandi
BTW, last Christmas I was sent a gift of Adagio teaware from my parents. One piece arrived broken and when I called customer service it was replaced immediately and pleasantly. I received the replacement in a week.
Sandi
I have to side with Adagio here. The person who posted is a complete idiot and is not deserving of the fine tea and quality service Adagio provides.
The gift certificates are not a scam but a great way to attract customers and retain existing ones. Rarely do you receive gift certificates that basically give you a free item. For example, I received a gift certificate from Bath and Body Works today that was labeled as a "Gift Certificate" but required some kind of purchase. Are you saying that B&BW is a scam? How about the many other corporations I receive these from? Obviously D. Thomas has no conception of business and how it functions in our current market society. As a person with a degree in not only business but in law as well, what Adagio is doing is not only smart business that most other businesses do, but is legally cool. Ask any person with a background in business and they will agree.
It really burns me when people complain about Adagio like D. Thomas has because the people at Adagio, especially Michael, are so helpful and so concerned about the customer. They would never do anything to hurt or scam the customer. The fact that they even offer this gift certificate program is outstanding. It is shellfish and immature people like D. Thomas that can’t accept a gift in exchange for their business and not *BOO* about it. They always want more and feel that their presence on this earth makes them deserving of the world’s riches. I say wake up and smell the tea!
Now I am mad. I hate to be so mean but I hope this person doesn’t order from Adagio, gets their tea elsewhere, and gets the worm ridden shipment. That’s what happens to shellfish people and people who don’t order tea from one of the few places that repeatedly provides their customers with the highest quality tea at the best prices.
Here's wishing you a cold cup of 5-year-old Lipton tea bag tea D. Thomas!
Brian E.
The gift certificates are not a scam but a great way to attract customers and retain existing ones. Rarely do you receive gift certificates that basically give you a free item. For example, I received a gift certificate from Bath and Body Works today that was labeled as a "Gift Certificate" but required some kind of purchase. Are you saying that B&BW is a scam? How about the many other corporations I receive these from? Obviously D. Thomas has no conception of business and how it functions in our current market society. As a person with a degree in not only business but in law as well, what Adagio is doing is not only smart business that most other businesses do, but is legally cool. Ask any person with a background in business and they will agree.
It really burns me when people complain about Adagio like D. Thomas has because the people at Adagio, especially Michael, are so helpful and so concerned about the customer. They would never do anything to hurt or scam the customer. The fact that they even offer this gift certificate program is outstanding. It is shellfish and immature people like D. Thomas that can’t accept a gift in exchange for their business and not *BOO* about it. They always want more and feel that their presence on this earth makes them deserving of the world’s riches. I say wake up and smell the tea!
Now I am mad. I hate to be so mean but I hope this person doesn’t order from Adagio, gets their tea elsewhere, and gets the worm ridden shipment. That’s what happens to shellfish people and people who don’t order tea from one of the few places that repeatedly provides their customers with the highest quality tea at the best prices.
Here's wishing you a cold cup of 5-year-old Lipton tea bag tea D. Thomas!
Brian E.
Wow. What a thread. Doesn't have much to do with tea, but.... I would agree that the moniker "gift certificate" is slightly misleading, and I certainly can't say with any certainty that D (or D's friend) was acting in bad faith. In defense of Adagio, I doubt that this was an example of intentional deception, and while the reply sounds like a snap judgement that could rub someone the wrong way, I'm assuming the reply was written by Chris, and I've read enough of his writing to really appreciate the guy. No, I can sympathize with both involved parties, but the hostile responses from onlookers really worry me. They paint an interesting picture of the contemporary status of a business. D thought s/he was involved in a purely mercenary transaction. Others seemed to think D was impugning an entity that represented their interests. Preliminarily, I must assert that current market capitalism is not yet evolved enough to represent everyone's interest fairly. While I think some of Adagio's employees are good guys, Adagio the company can only be concerned with its own financial solvency. Moral/ethical concerns are increasingly prevalent in business, but have yet to be realized as purely economic constructs. Therefore, while businesses like Adagio have come a long way in offering amenities that offer a welcoming culture, this is a marketing technique like any other, and someone who takes offense is not spurning anyone's "hospitality." I must add that I am particularly frightened by the implicit "monetary value=intrinsic worth" equation. Without going into more detail, market capitalism is an arbitrary value that should be subordinated to other values as need be; it cannot serve as a pragmatic scale for other value systems. And y'all need to quit watching that reality television.
Evan Draper
Evan Draper
Evan--
Thanks for the post.
Ah, the ol' deconstructionist himself!
For the folks out there who are not big "readers," here is the movie version (it's actually a great film!):
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 00011V872/
System and aporia,
Chris
Adagio Maestro
Thanks for the post.
Ah, the ol' deconstructionist himself!
For the folks out there who are not big "readers," here is the movie version (it's actually a great film!):
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 00011V872/
System and aporia,
Chris
Adagio Maestro
Personally, I think Adagio rocks with their "5 dollar gift certificates." It's a great marketing tool that allows current customers who love their product to spread the love by sharing these certificates with friends at no cost to themselves. It's how I was introduced to the site and both orders I placed were in the $70.00 range if I recall...and worth every penny!
I have a friend who I introduced to the site and now she's hooked and I introduced my cousin too when I made tea for her one afternoon and she loved the product.
I definitely don't think it is a scam on the part of Adagio. They aren't the only business out there that states you can't use a gift certificate for shipping and given how reasonable their prices are for such superb tea, you can easily place a $10.00 to $15.00 order (won't break your bank) and get the $5.00 off and receive the best tea around!
Keep doing what you're doing Adagio! Between your excellent product, great customer service, and super fast shipping, well, I'll be a customer for life!
Molly
I have a friend who I introduced to the site and now she's hooked and I introduced my cousin too when I made tea for her one afternoon and she loved the product.
I definitely don't think it is a scam on the part of Adagio. They aren't the only business out there that states you can't use a gift certificate for shipping and given how reasonable their prices are for such superb tea, you can easily place a $10.00 to $15.00 order (won't break your bank) and get the $5.00 off and receive the best tea around!
Keep doing what you're doing Adagio! Between your excellent product, great customer service, and super fast shipping, well, I'll be a customer for life!
Molly
The "Gift Certificate" is what got me started with Adagio.
It was my nudge to give it a try...Bought a Sampler set.
Sent a Gift certificate to all my friends...now we are all Adagio
tea addicts...Plus as my friends and family redeem there $5.00
certificates, it adds to my points, before I know it I will have
a $10. gift certificate
Lana
It was my nudge to give it a try...Bought a Sampler set.
Sent a Gift certificate to all my friends...now we are all Adagio
tea addicts...Plus as my friends and family redeem there $5.00
certificates, it adds to my points, before I know it I will have
a $10. gift certificate
Lana