Eastbay has ruined My Sons Christmas

My Christmas was ruined by this green furry jerk who broke into my
house overnight and took all my stuff. He even took my tree. Who the
hell does that? Seriously.

Anyway, the neighbors all gathered outside and sang songs to make
themselves feel better, but I just drank Jack Daniels until I passed
out on my kitchen floor. That had to have been the third worst
Christmas I ever had.

OMG, the people on this site are so negative. Again, this is not a
personal attack on the poster and her lifestyle. Sheesh.

This is about a company not bothering to inform her at any point and
time during the 3 weeks she called that the order was cancelled so
that she could replace the item.

Expect better service for your money!!!

Christmas is what you make it. If you are happy, and together with
your family, you will have a good Christmas. Don't raise your son to
think Christmas is only about material things. If this is the worst
thing to ever happen to you on Christmas you're lucky. Why not give
your son a picture of the jersey so he will know it's coming?

YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO EXPLAIN LIFE TO YOUR SON! OMG How about you teach
that spoiled kid the true meaning of Christmas!? Sounds like you need
a lesson too! I suggest you got to Christmas Eve Service and explain
to him why he's not getting a New York Jets Jersey.

Hmm...if this jersey (or lack thereof) is going to ruin your son's
Christmas, couldn't you order it from a different retailer? I agree
that your order wasn't handled the way it should have been and they
should replace the item you wanted and ship it for free.

How pathetic that Christmas is ruined over one stupid shirt.

Jonathan it is you who will ruin your son's Christmas if you continue
to make a big deal over this. Kids pick up on the emotional reactions
of their parents and you are sending out negative signals for your
child to believe that one late or canceled gift can ruin and important
event.

Tell your son you are sorry but the company made a mistake and that
you will still buy him his jersey when you can. Then talk about what
Christmas really is all about and how fortunate he is having what he
has when so many others go without.

I am not Christian but I do believe that this, the most important of
Christian celebrations, should be taken seriously and not just an
occasion for gift grabbing.

How dare you suggest that not getting a stupid football jersey is
going to "ruin" your son's holiday! As others here have stated, there
are children in this world who have no idea what Christmas is and
would be thrilled to get a decent meal, much less a gift! Think of
the families of our soldiers who have died overseas and won't be able
to celebrate with them ever again.

Lady, count the blessings that you have!

his Christmas is not ruined you can say to him well the jacket was so
popular they ran out and if you still want it i can get it for you.
there are children out there who never saw or had a decent Christmas.

If the company discovered it was out of the jersey, it should have
contacted the OP to state that the order was not possible instead of
making the OP wait and finally contact the company on his own to see
what happened to the order. That is very bad customer service.

That said, the OP's claim that a Christmas is ruined by the lack of a
jersey is beyond drama queen and only serves to distract from what was
a valid complaint and the whole point of the letter.

I finally decided to stop being a Grinch and enjoy Christmas this
year.

Then I read this letter and it RUINED Christmas for me.

Where did I put that aluminum pole?

This just dawned on me.

Two weeks ago we had a parking garage collapse. It was under
construction. It was right in the middle of a shift change and there
were a lot of people there.

The ONE man that was killed wasnt even supposed to be there. He was
taking on an extra shift to make money to buy his two children
Christmas presents. Instead he was crushed to death under multiple
tons of solid and wet concrete.

That...my dear...is a ruined Christmas.

And two days ago a chemical plant in my city blew up. MANY people
hurt, a few killed, lots of destruction.

I wonder how THEIR Christmas is going to be.

One missing present does not ruin Christmas.

Tomorrow, my family and I will be delivering presents and groceries
(yes, groceries) to needy families.

I would recommend putting the incident into perspective. Life could
be much worse.

She put in the "ruined Christmas for my son" for dramatic effect and
now really regrets doing that because we're all beating the crap out
of her for doing that.

But.......she does have a valid complaint, so I don't blame her for
being upset. That's bad customer service. Personally, I'd just never
shop Eastbay again. Easy enough!

Wow -- I hope nothing really tragic ever happens to you since you are
a bit over the top on this one. Having your holiday ruined is when
your house burns down, your mother/father/sister/brother/child/best
friend dies NOT having ordering a gift that isn't going to arrive.
That is what they call unfortunate and disappointing. You could use
this opportunity as a lesson or you can run around being ugly and
teaching your son that if he doesn't get what he wants out of life his
life is ruined. That isn't exactly a lesson any of us want to teach
our children.
Your letter would go a lot farther and garner more sympathy if you
simply stated that this company guaranteed Christmas delivery and then
failed to do follow through and left off the drama.

Wow...I guess your telling him that Christmas is for other reasons
than gift giving is out of the question because you do not seem to
understand this either.

Slow your roll Mom. Things happen in real life and even if the gift
you wanted to give is not available you cannot tell me that your son's
ENTIRE Christmas happiness was dependent on this one item of
clothing!

The company was wrong. But they also should not have to write your son
a letter of apology. They should have notified you. They did not.
Order from another company or from the NFL site.
But don't tell your son his Christmas is ruined because of this...how
awful for a mother to do that no matter how old/young the child is.

If one late gift ruined a child's holiday, then they obviously have no
idea what the holidays are really about.

Things happen. The weather gets bad (which is has been lately) and
that delays trains, planes and automobiles.

Ruined!!! Absolutely RUINED!!! Oh come on now. And to make matters
worse, you want a HAND WRITTEN apology. Not a typed one, mind you.
But a HAND WRITTEN one. Must it be in blood, too?

Yes, Eastbay should've contacted you, so I'm with you there. However,
that does not merit a wish for them to come crawling on their hands
and knees begging forgiveness.

Since you're a NY Jets fan, I'll assume that you live in or near NYC.
If that's the case, you can easily go out to many different stores and
purchase a Jets jersey between now and Xmas. Since the Jets are
having a bad year, they shouldn't be too hard to come by. I should
know, because I had to purchase 2 Ravens sweatshirts this year. They
too are having a very bad year, so I just strolled into Walmart and
was able to have my pick (and yes, there was also a ton of jerseys for
sale). Last year, I had to buy a few Ravens' items, but it was much
more difficult, since the team ended the year at 13-3.

Like I said, I'm assuming you live in or near NYC. If not, I'm sure
there are plenty of stores not far from you that sell NFL merchandise.
Try Walmart for starters.

Finally, if your son's Xmas is "ruined" because he doesn't get a Jets'
jersey, then you're teaching him the wrong values. If that's really
how you feel, then if he STILL doesn't get a Jets jersey, then it was
YOU who "ruined" his Xmas because you didn't get off your duff and go
out to the store to buy it for him.

"Ruined"! Hah!!

You can order Jersey's directly from them although it may not arrive
in time for Christmas, or they also have nyJets gift cards that can be
used to order on line. Perhaps a gift card directly from the Jets
site so your son can pick his own Jersey?

Good luck, they should have at least sent you an email or contacted
you as soon as the Jersey was out of stock.

"Who is to explain that to my son." "A hand written apolgy to my son
for ruining his christmas."

Life is full of disappointments and this one should not be at the top
of anyone's list.

your priorities are out of whack and so are your sons if this ruins
Christmas. Try going with meals on wheels or Toys for Tots to hand
out food and gifts to people who are actually in need. Christmas is
about family caring and love for your fellow human beings. While I
will agree that the company handled this in a less than stellar
fashion.

Please people be happy with what you have because it can always get
worse. Family and friends are more important than any gift you can
buy at a store. The holidays have become far too commercial and I am
sick of it. Next year no gifts will be given at my house we will
instead give thanks and appreciate that the time we spend together is
finite so we should make it count.

Obviously they should have contacted you when they realized the item
was out of stock. So they need to work on their communications.

But like the other posters have said, your son's Christmas really
should not be ruined. If you really think the gift is that important
than order it from another place or go to a local store to purchase
it. Many places sell jerseys. Or just give him an IOU, explain it was
ut of stock, and take him shopping with you after the holidays to pick
it out himself. That might be fun for him anyway.

Will a hand written apology be a better gift to your son than the
jersey he wanted? I'm sorry he's not getting the gift he wanted, but
if that actually ruins his whole Christmas then he has bigger problems
than not having a NY Jets Jersey.

If your sons Christmas is ruined because of this then he doesn't know
the true meaning of Christmas. Yeah, it sucks that he's not going to
get what he wanted but that's how life works sometimes. Christmas
isn't here yet, I'm quite sure you can find a NY Jets jersey at a
store in your area. If you can't find one in time for Christmas, give
him an I.O.U stating he'll get one as soon as possible.

A hand written apology? I think hot pink winged monkeys would fly out
of their rear end before you get one of those. Even if you got one, I
can guarantee that it's not going to be a sincere apology and what's
the point of getting an apology if it's not sincere? And if this is
enough to ruin your sons Christmas, I can imagine the horror when he
opens his gift thinking he's going to get a Jets jersey and finds a
hand written apology. He'll probably freak out and scream "What the
hell is this?!!! I wanted a Jets jersey!! Not a @#$ damn apology!!!".
Lord have mercy.

Santa gets his butt stuck, causing a chimney fire. The house burns
down, and everyone inside dies.

*That* ruins Christmas, but on the plus side there is nobody to be
disappointed, and nobody to apologize or explain why Christmas was
ruined.

You know.. I hope you teach your son that the holidays are about being
with family.. and not about presents. If your teaching him it IS about
presents... then I have nothing to say to you.....

A little over dramatic aren't we? Your son's X-mas was hardly ruined
by not getting a Jets jersey. There are TONS of stores that sell the.
Try on of those, and don't be so dramatic. But, I agree, this place
should have communicated w/ you better.

Because he didn't get a NY Jets jersey???

You don't mention anything about the "guarantee" you claim they
published. Did they actually GUARANTEE you would get this jersey, or
was there additional fine print that said, "applies to in-stock
merchandise only."

I hate to say, online inventories are not infallible. They can show
items in stock when the warehouse is out. I think they probably
should have contacted you sooner, but obviously you knew this gift was
going to be a hot item, or you wouldn't have ordered a month in
advance.

I am going to guess you are IN New York. Why not see if the Jets have
a team shop and order a jersey directly from them? As sad as
Cleveland is, even the Browns have a team shop that you can get
licensed merchandise from. Eastbay is hardly the only supplier
around.

But to whine and hand-wring that your son's Chirstmas was "ruined?"
Come on! If thats the worst thing that happens to him, I think he'll
be OK.

& I wouldn't hold my breath waiting on that handwritten apology,
either.

that you family Christmas can be ruined by a measly present. Does your
son have a roof over his head, and food to eat? Clothes to wear, and a
family who loves him? If the answer to any of these questions is yes,
he's alot better of than some other children who are not as fortunate.
Count your blessings, and a jersey should not be one of them!

While I think this whole letter is written just for the sympathy vote
and is rather pathetic, I will give you some advice.

Last year my son asked for a dolphin for Christmas. Seriously. He even
told Santa thats what he wanted.

What IS a parent to do when your child wants something for Christmas
that is just impossible to get?!

I will tell you.

I went and got him some books on dolphins and whales and other things
living in the ocean. I also got him a dolphin calender. I then typed
out a note from Santa telling him that Sea World was not willing to
give up one of their dolphins, so until he was old enough to go to
work for Sea World, he brought him the books so he could learn
everything he could about dolphins.

My son LOVED it and was just as happy.

You under-estimate your child.

Dont give in to the materialistic traps of Christmas. Why dont you
take your child and let him pass out some jackets to some homeless or
poor children.

Which leads me to...just because he wants it means he gets it?! My son
wanted all kinds of gaming stuff but I couldnt afford it this year. He
will be just as happy with what he does get.

If my son told me that his Christmas was ruined because of some gift
he wanted and didnt get...I would take everything he did get and give
it away.

I love shopping online (and ust shopping in general). I never make
promises to people as to IF or when something will come. I think that
they should have told you that the item was out of stock, but I also
dont think that they ruined your sons Christmas. You did, by telling
him he would get something.

I wanted ordered a money tree for my back yard from my local nursery
and they promised me it would be in stock and would bloom $100 bills.
They called me last night and said the money tree is no longer
available and they will not be getting any more in.

They not only ruined my Christmas but they ruined my retirement. Shame
on them.

I think it is very sad that to your son, Christmas means nothing more
than getting a football jersey.
What a sad, materialistic world we live in.

If his Christmas is ruined because he didn't get a jersey (suggestion:
ebay.com), perhaps he needs a talking to about what Christmas actually
means.

You need to explain to your son that these things happen, and that you
can still get it for him after the holidays for him. (unless it's a
limited edition or something) I'm not sure how old he is but I am sure
he will understand that these things do happen.

My kids are dying for a reindeer Webkin, but they already know they
are selling out and that it's ok if they don't get one. Of course
they only told me this a week ago but they know it won't ruin their
Christmas if it's sold out.

"Who is to explain that to your son?" You are! It's called
parenting.

You need to tell your son about the reason for the season and it's not
all about the gifts.

My lord, his Christmas will be ruined? Maybe you could fix it by
buying him something MUCH better than a NY Jets jersey. I recommend a
Miami Dolphins or Green Bay Packers jersey. That should make
everything right with the world.

We are seeing a lot of these "Since this thing I ordered won't be
available, my child's Christmas is ruined." letters.

My Christmas was never "ruined" because a thing that I desired or
hoped for was not under the tree. Your son hopefully understands that
Christmas has to do with a lot more than a New York Jets jersey.

I do think that it's inevitable that sometimes a company will not have
an up-to-date inventory. I do, however, think that they should have
told you about it ASAP so that you could go to another retailer to get
the jersey.

But all this about your kid's Christmas being ruined is problematic.
Eastbay doesn't owe you anything more than they owe childless people
whose orders have been canceled. They cannot magically will another
jersey into existence and mail it to you, even though you have a
child. And nobody is going to write your kid a letter.

If I were you, I'd use this as an opportunity to explain to my child
that in life, sometimes we are disappointed, but that's okay and we
can go on. I've known some adults who never learned that things not
going their way is not a good reason to become nonfunctional, and they
do not strike me as happy people, so I'd be grateful for the
opportunity. I'd also go see whether footballfanatics.com has the
right jersey. I've had nothing but good experiences with that
company, and I would want to get him the jersey he (apparently)
expected ASAP.

If your son's Christmas is ruined because he doesn't get a certain
item, then you need to reassess your parenting methods.

Okay, well, that sucks, but I would FAR from call something like this
"ruining" someone's Christmas.

Think about all the kids who aren't even getting anything this
Christmas. The world is not over for your son.

I agree with the majority of your letter. However, you really take
away from the point of your letter by claiming your son's Christmas is
now "ruined." If that is truly the case, then the wrong message is
being sent about what the holiday is about. (Hint: it shouldn't be
about getting everything you want.)