KRAZY KRATES — Local services in Ankeny

Anyone can smile while they’re being handed money. The real face shows up the moment there’s a problem. That’s when the act drops -and you find out exactly what kind of people you’re really dealing with.

I’ve spent thousands at this store over the past year. Supported their business. One day I bought a speaker set I was told worked. I was told it “just needed a power cord.” I asked if I could return it if it didn’t work. The owner, said yes. That’s the only reason I bought it. Since it couldn’t be tested in the store.

I ordered the cord, plugged it in-nothing. So I calmly reached out, expecting a return or exchange, like she promised.

That’s when the avoidance started.

All of a sudden, the owner was “too busy.” Then a relative became the new face of the store and their spokesperson. I was told the owner was “unreachable” and that my messages would be “passed along.” They “couldn’t see my messages anymore.” Right.

They were clearly hoping I’d give up. Too bad. I’ve already swallowed enough broken junk from this place. I’m not throwing away any more money just because someone couldn’t keep their word.

Then the husband stepped in and threw out the tired “as-is” excuse -like it meant something- like I hadn’t seen that sign on the wall before. Let’s be clear: “As-is” doesn’t give you the right to say something works, and promise a return just to make a sale. Misrepresentation or deception even on ‘as-is’ items have laws that protect people like us from these situations.

I asked again to speak directly with the owner -Did she respond? No. She got on the phone with her spokesperson and had her deliver the final decision. She went along with the ‘as is’ policy backing the excuse her husband gave. So not only did she walk back her promise, she couldn’t even contact me to say it herself.

If you say it works, it should work. If you say it’s returnable, honor that. And if you’re the owner who made the deal -then own it. Don’t disappear and send your in-laws to deal with it. Keeping your word is not a hard thing to do.

I was respectful. I gave them every chance to fix it. They could’ve exchanged the item and been done. No cost to them.

Fixing this at least would’ve required some maturity. Instead, they ghosted me. When that didn’t work, they “liked” my message saying if they cannot bring themselves to respond and fix something this small -they must not care at all and at least that’s honest. I wouldn’t be returning if they wouldn’t honor their word. Imagine a business ‘liking’ this message on top of never responding to try and fix it. Then deleting the like …Classy.

They treated me like I did something wrong to them -because I trusted them to keep their word. And when they got called out, they hid, and hoped I’d go away. Three adults. Not one could pretend to show professionalism and say, “Let’s make this right.”

This wasn’t a misunderstanding. It was deliberate. The owner could’ve used her words to speak up for herself and ended it-but instead, she let her husband and in-laws tell stories for her. All to keep twenty bucks.

Maybe they think they’re too “Hollywood” now to care about customers. Maybe they think they can afford to lose a few - as long as they keep up the act for the rest.

But I get it. If the truth doesn’t work, deflect. If the “as-is” excuse doesn’t make legal sense-hide it behind your ego. And when all that’s left is accountability -just stay silent. But make sure to “like” the part where I say I won’t be coming back. Brilliant.

Never in my life have I seen an adult go back on their word over twenty dollars. But hey -for that amount, they earned themselves a one-star review and lost a loyal customer.

Smart investment.

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