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Poor Customer Service
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My experience occurred in January/February 2010. My review is more about the business owner than about the business itself. The products they produce are very good in quality and design, but dealing with the owner detracts from that so much, that I will not bring my return business here.
I'm a small business owner and was in need of a new sign. As I said, I liked the product that Insignia advertised and went with them. The sales rep took my order and told me that the sign would be ready and installed in two weeks. That time came and passed. I sent an email to the company and got a call an hour later. The new rep informed me that the old rep "was no longer with the company" and that my order had never made it to production. I was shocked. It appeared that there was no oversight for orders, so I assume that had I not sent that email, that no one would have noticed that my order had not be sent.
So, after I brought this to their attention, they immediately placed a rush on my order, which was just fine, except that I would still have to wait another 5-7 working days to get my sign. Not terrible, but not what was originally promised. Upon completion, the sign was installed and the owner asked for full payment. I was a little surprised, so I asked if there was no discount being offered for failure to honor our initial contract. The owner told me plainly that he had already incurred extra costs in placing a rush on the order and would not be offering any discounts. I was confused. Somehow, he had turned this around and made it my fault. When I asked him again, he returned with, "Well, it seems there's just no pleasing you." That was rude and insulting. I was taken aback.
For the next day I fumed, but then thought, what's the point. I argued my case and the owner got belligerent, so I chalked it up to a life's lesson. I prepared the check and placed it in our out-going mail. Because of a slight mix up in the mail, the payment was delayed. I called the owner the next week and apologized for the delay and got him his check that day. However, that was before I had heard his most recent voice-mail. In that he had offered me more insults stating that, "well, I know you're unhappy with our company but that's no reason to not pay your bill, so I'm going to put in an order to remove your sign because I own it until you pay for it. So, the choice is yours." The condescending tone in his voice was so thick that I could not mistake it for anything else. Not only was this insulting, but it was personally painful as I saw it as an attack on my character, an unfair attack.
All in all, Joseph Westbrook, the owner of this company, is a rude man who does not care about the small businesses he serves. Because his pockets get lined with money from very large corporations, companies like mine are treated like second-class companies. I wanted to post this review to give others the chance to understand his company from my point of view. I harbor no ill-will towards his company or his product, but I do not have any more respect for him as a business owner. For some, respect is a lost art.
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