To add to the stories, we too have parents whose requests for order cancelation are being ignored. Fortunately our parents have been VERY understanding. Some have said, "Well, I'll just store the extras for next year". THANK GOD for understanding people!!
PLEASE ENCOURAGE YOUR PARENTS TO WATCH THEIR CREDIT CARD STATEMENTS. I don't trust this company at all.
Following is an email by the CEO of Schoolpop that was forwarded to me on Fri Aug 19. Thought you'd like to read it.
Thank you for your support of our Supply & Earnâ„¢ program. We are aware that parents in some schools are experiencing delays in receiving their orders. There are also isolated issues with partial shipments and damaged products. We sincerely regret any inconvenience you or your parents have experienced.
We understand that many of these parents, or you as the Schoolpop Champion, have tried unsuccessfully to contact us through phone or email. We are receiving many repeat calls and emails that are clogging our system. We recognize your difficulties in reaching us and I assure you that every one of our Customer Service Representatives is handling calls as quickly as possible.
Our Champions and Supporters form the cornerstone of our business and this is definitely not the way that Schoolpop intends to treat our valued customers.
Unfortunately, these problems have not been entirely under our control. We, and the supply vendor with which we contracted, have encountered problems with particular inventory items, causing some orders to be delayed beyond our expectations. However, orders continue to fulfill and ship daily.
I have personally been working with our supply vendor to resolve these problems. For items that are out of stock, our vendor has agreed to substitute items of the same or higher quality so that your orders may be completed. We have been assured that all pending orders will be shipped by Monday August 22, 2005.
As I said, this is not typical of the high quality of customer service that Schoolpop has been known for and prides itself on. We value each and every one of our Supporters and Champions and we are exploring ways to make it up to our parents and schools who were inconvenienced by delays or problems with their orders.
Obviously, I am very upset about this situation and assure you that all of us here at Schoolpop are doing everything in our power to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.
I appreciate your patience and support,
Stephen D. Avalone
Chief Executive Officer
Work: 770-638-5101 ext. 105
Fax: 770-638-5127 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
So I'm not alone. I placed an order with Schoolpop on June 3. I have spoke with Help operators several times. One of them goes by two names (Lisa and Patricia). On average I get a busy signal 12 times when I get a ring I am on hold 18-40 minutes. I have received a partial order of my childrens supplies. School starts Monday. I spoke with Patricia/Lisa yesterday and ask to speak with someone who could help me and was told Katie Scott would call me back. Never did. I called her extension 3 times yesterday and once today with no reply. I also called the CEO Steve Avalone 866-386-3383 ext.105 left a message, no reply. I'm back on hold now for the last 33 minutes. We were billed twice had to call and wait. They did credit my account (only thing right so far). I will never recommend or use Schoolpop again. I will contact our school and inform them of my problems. Thanks for letting me rant. Jeff
I posted earlier about my dissatisfaction with Schoolpop and thought that I would give you all an update. After repeatedly leaving telephone messages with Schoolpop and sending an email to cancel my order as I obviously was not going to receive my child's supplies on time, I received email from Schoolpop. They informed me that my order was processing. I emailed again to tell them that I had purchased school supplies the night before school started (2.5 hrs of running around town!) and that I was once again requesting that my order be cancelled. I received an email stating that they would not cancel my order. 6 days after school started I received my order and refused the package just as I told Schoolpop I would. I am disputing the charge on my credit card, but I know that getting credit from Schoolpop is probably going to take an act of congress. I intend to report Schoolpop to the Better Business Bureau and am scheduling a conference with the school principal in an effort to stop our PTO from recommending this horrific company again. Of course, PTOToday.com has reported that Schoolpop is going out of the script business. I certainly hope that is true!
Schoolpop has struck at our school as well. We worked with (what I will call) a "vendor broker" in the spring. At the time he represented a # of different FR vendors, incl Schoolpop. Seemed like a reputable fella (still is) who was pushing what seemed like a reputable vendor (clearly ISN'T!). Our story is identical to others I've read here - we sent home nice flyers and packets of info with all 780 elementary students in May, offered both Internet and paper orders to all, deadline was mid-June. Slick, easy, done. First questions arose with the Internet orders - online receipt stated that orders would be filled and shipped within 10 days. Paperwork said 2 weeks prior to start of school. Hmmm ... what's going on? But this clearly was one of the easy questions to answer. Fast forward to the present - or what we are calling THE SCHOOL SUPPLY NIGHTMARE. Fortunately our vendor broker friend has intervened. We currently have a contact person who is helping us through this ordeal. We begin school in 1 week and have approx 40 of 74 orders outstanding. Beginning tomorrow we will be contacting our parents and recommending that they cancel their orders. We've had it.
This company should stop doing business - period. It is clear that they are hanging on by a financial thread. Their customer service is abyssmal - in fact, I dare say they run and hide from their customers. They are a disgrace, esp since they market themselves to unsuspecting parents who just want to make a couple of extra bucks for their kids' schools.
What a shame. Never again. I hope anyone reading this will never, EVER use Schoolpop - for anything! What's sad is that this experience has tainted many parents right at the beginning of the school year. Our primary fall FR begins the day after Labor Day. I wonder how many parents are not going to order given their experience with Schoolpop??
New here-searched the message boards for schoolpop information because they have really let my school down and I didn't realize it was a wide-spread problem. They cannot and did not live up to their commitments. My school is very angry, the students don't have supplies, the parents are asking the teachers what to do, the teachers are pointing to schoolpop, and schoolpop isn't answering their phones. School has started and yet these children do not have their supplies.
I ordered items from Schoolpop as well in July. I received one order for which they overcharged me. My other order was charged to my credit card over 3 weeks ago and I did not receive it. I tried to call, e-mail and fax the company regarding my order and 10 days later have yet to hear from them. I finally had to call my credit card company in to resolve this issue. They have multiple complaints on the BBB website between the California and Georgia offices. Schools should definitely think twice before asking your parent body to do business with this company.
