The Story of a Carpet, a Coupon and a Sloppy Canadian

Well it wasn’t really a carpet it was a rug, and not even a room size rug. And it wasn’t really a coupon, it was an email promotion. But it really was a sloppy Canadian because this particular sloppy Canadian is always involved in these type of stories.

It all started a few days before Christmas. Right after the sloppy Canadian cleaned her kitchen floor. Well not right after because she likes to have a few pristine hours before doing anything in the kitchen after this floor has been cleaned. Instead it was right after water, once again, with help from the sloppy Canadian, was splashed all over the clean floor in front of the sink and dishwasher. And right after the sloppy Canadian’s arch-supporting in-house flip-flops, which always seem to have some sort of dirt, grime or sticky crud all over their soles, tracked this water mixed with the crud all over the clean floor. The sloppy Canadian then threw her arms up in the air and gave an ungodly cry of anguish. 

For months this sloppy Canadian had been bombarded with ads for washable rugs, as if someone had been reading her mind and decided that she was the perfect target for such things. As if someone knew her frustration and actual hatred of cleaning and wanted to make her life easier. However, she is not a shopper or a follower or a jump-on-a-bandwagon type of person. She is a realist who does not trust most online advertisements unless they are local companies or other familiar-named businesses. But, and this is a big but, (not to be confused with a big butt), these advertisements intrigued her, so she checked them out. A couple of times. There were so many size options, There were so many beautiful design options including big bold prints that were speaking to her soul.

The company was called Ruggables. Their rugs came in two pieces, an under pad and a detachable top that you could remove and toss in the washer. It was an American company, with a professional web site and a back story about the founder who invented washable rugs after her dog had a messy accident.

The sloppy Canadian has had some experience with American-made products and knows that they are usually top quality so she decided to investigate further. And then she found it, a review of Ruggables by Good Housekeeping. A positive review from a reputable source. Plus the website showed her all pricing in Canadian dollars, so it obvious they knew where she was viewing from.

The sloppy Canadian was so ecstatic that she went on line and ordered two matching rugs for her kitchen. One for in front of the sink and dishwasher and another for in front of the stovetop.  

No sooner did she complete her order when she was sent an email stating the following: You Have $40 off $X On Us.

Within a couple of days she was sent another email offering 10% off a future order.

When the first rug arrived, the sloppy Canadian was over the moon with it. So over the moon that she ordered another small one to be placed by the kitchen door that leads outside using the 10% off email. The second rug arrived and once again the sloppy Canadian was very pleased with her purchase.

In the mean time the beautiful design and bold colours were toying with the former graphic designer in her. The sloppy Canadian loved how they enhanced her kitchen and was beginning to think about a bold enhancement for the living room. Just thinking and perusing and seeing what her options were. Ok not just regular thinking but full-tilt creative thinking that was affecting how she looked at everything. Obviously purchasing a couple of rugs was the most creative thing she had done in a while. 

Then another email arrived in her inbox saying: Remember: you have $40 off $X. Blah, blah, blah. Exclusions Apply.** Having already decided what bold enhancing rug she wanted for the living room, the sloppy Canadian, decided to check out the exclusions, which included gift cards, samples, anything under the price of $X, taxes, shipping, etc. Hmmmmm. She decided to order the rug.

This discount would not go through. Instead a message stating that the purchase was not eligible for the discount appeared across the top of her online shopping cart. Leaving her cart without paying, the sloppy Canadian once again searched the website for the fine print that would clarify any restrictions. She only found those previously mentioned.

The next day, the sloppy Canadian sent this email to the company:

You have sent me a discount of $40.00 if I spend $X. I have selected an item, which is currently in my shopping cart. However I am getting a message that the discount code is not valid for this product. I have searched for the exclusions on your site and can’t find any information pertaining to certain rugs not being eligible. Could you please clarify why I can’t purchase this rug with the discount. I have already purchased rugs in the past several weeks, which I am pleased with, yada, yada, yada. I look forward to your response.

Then she got the response:

Hello. Happy Monday! I hope your day is going well! I am so sorry for any confusion! The reason you are unable to apply the discount code towards your purchase is because it doesn’t total $X before taxes. To be able to use the $40 off $X it must total that amount before taxes. For example, if you add the Cushioned Rug Pad to the item, you will be able to use the discount at checkout. I hope this helps answer your inquiry. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or visit our Frequently Asked Questions. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Then she responded:

Thanks for getting back to me. I am still confused. The 5×7 rug is $X+. Canadian, which is over $X. We have been dealing in Canadian dollars for all my purchases and you have been adding taxes and shipping to the price. It doesn’t make sense that you think that the rug doesn’t meet the $X criteria that was sent in your email. Please take another look at this and provide further clarification. Thank you

And They responded:

Thank you for your response! The $20 off the $X or more offer is based in USD. You have the option to change the view of the prices on our website to CAD, but at the checkout screen all totals will be in USD. This includes all email offers and discounts sent to you as well. Please make sure your total at checkout is $X USD before taxes to be able to use the discount. I hope this clarifies any confusion. Please let us know if you have any other questions. 

WTF? Just a little pissed off, she sent the following reply:

Once again, I appreciate your response. However, nowhere in the email or on your website does it state that this offer has to be in US dollars. There is no fine print to explain this. Or links to take you to further explanations. This is very poor marketing in my opinion. Having worked many years in marketing, these are things that need to be addressed. You may have a good product, that you seem to be aggressively marketing in Canada, but you are lacking in important details and I am very disappointed because of the time and thought I put into choosing to do business with your company. If you are not going to honour offers that you send to Canadians, I suggest that you stop sending them. Thank you for your time.  

The sloppy Canadian started feeling  guilty. Even though she is not Catholic or Jewish, she feels guilt. You know the kind, the kind a mother dishes out. She really didn’t want to make someone with such a good product mad. What if they blacklisted her? Where was she going to find another bold and beautiful rug. Especially in Nova Scotia where selection runs conservative. Then she got another email:

You’ve unlocked an exclusive discount! Take 15% off Don’t let the rugs in your cart (or your offer) wash away! CHECKOUT with 15%OFF Exclusions apply**

Hmmmm. The sloppy Canadian immediately completed the order while the conditions were favourable. The discount went through. The order confirmation arrived and her guilt disappeared.

Now all that is left is to wait for her new bold beautiful rug to arrive. The sloppy Canadian hopes that it arrives in perfect condition because she really does not want to contact this company again with a complaint out of fear that she has used up all the goodwill they may have been willing to offer to a customer north of their border. She also hopes they will improve their website with accurate information for Canadian customers.

…Two days later, the sloppy Canadian was again sent the exact same You Have $40 off $X On Us offer. So Canadian buyers beware.

Thank you for reading

Photos: #1 Top Ruggable, #2 Bottom Jenn Stone

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