When starting something new, the inevitable bugs are sure to arise. A Sioux Falls man has sparked change in how one Hy-Vee Store charges for home delivery.

Lloyd Steichen is on oxygen 24 hours a day and would prefer to take advantage of the Hy-Vee delivery service dubbed Aisles Online. The service launched a few months ago allowing customers to email orders to the store nearest to them that offered home delivery.

However, Steichen doesn’t have a computer. His only means of making an order for delivery was via telephone. For an order of $45 he was charged $10 for delivery and another $10 for an associate to pick the items off the shelves.

Stichen thought he was overcharged for his phone order as opposed to ordering from the Aisles Online program which normally would cost approximately $6 per order for shipping. Manager Nate Swalley from the store at 26th and Sycamore was notified of Steichen’s plight and promptly refunded the charges plus a little more back to Steichen as a goodwill gesture.

Swalley who recently moved from Sioux City to Sioux Falls to manage the store has since streamlined the fee structure.

“Moving forward, my rates for those who can’t use a computer are going to be the same as Aisles Online because I don’t want the confusion. As a business owner anytime you have to sit down and explain something to a customer for five minutes and they are still confused, the business owner has made the wrong decision.”

“(Steichen) was a customer who found a loophole in the system. Phone orders were once very popular. There was a system in place where what we charged Lloyd was right. Now with the Aisles Online system, I think Lloyd was 100 percent correct that we needed to review our system and we did.”

Nonetheless, Steichen understands that by submitting an order over the phone it is more labor intensive as opposed to just email.

“If they have to write my order down, that takes time and I can appreciate that. I’m willing to pay for that service. I just questioned why it cost extra to do the rest.”

Swalley who will soon celebrate his 20th year with the company also adds that overall the Aisles Online program is doing very well for Hy-Vee.

 

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