posted on January 15, 2000 09:31:39 PM new
I have had to return several items I have ordered. One came damaged, One was advertised as new and was actually a reseal/refurbished item. Another was sent for a high bid I never placed. There customer service is slow and they do not seem to know what they are doing.
Has anyone else had a similar situation? Email me.
Another thing. At uBid..you do NOT set the price.
I had the winning bid on a pair of speakers. I bid wisely and thought I had the winning bid at a great price. uBid kept the auction open another 15 minutes past the closing time. As soon as someone outbid me and raised the price $17, they closed the auction.
I would really like to hear what others think of uBid.
posted on March 25, 2000 07:13:56 AM new
Hi,I had comparable problems with UBID but they also manipulated my bid butler when it wasn't needed one time and ALL THE TIME, they are overcharging people for shipping and handling.. They are bad news for the auction community and anyone who buys from them..Check out what you paid for s/h and figure what you should have paid.. You can do that by going to www.ups.com.. When I first challeged them they stated that UPS was doing the overcharging. When I went to UPS they said, NO WAY.. When confronted with this they now stated that it was a handling charge but it was totally hidden in the UPS shipping charges and if you don't understand how to figure your shipping charges you can get ripped off.. UBID even charges handling charges when they don't even handle the gear.. By law everything should be up front..ie how the charge is figured, how much etc.. THis information is suppose to be where we KNOW outright that we are being charged this amount...I have complaints with the FTC, US ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE, CA. ATTORNEY GENERAL OFFICE and I am about to put a stop payment on all my charges.. 8 of the then one time..Presently I am being overcharged a total over $250 which I had not anitcipated or seen anywhere.. No auction operates like these people..They are really bad news for the buying public..
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posted on April 10, 2000 12:30:10 PM new
BEWARE of EXCESS SHIPPING (handling) CHARGES!!!
Just had a frustrating exchange with the CS people at uBid. I determined that my shipping costs should have been ~$15 (www.ups.com) when uBid had charged me $45. When I emailed their CS and asked if this was correct, I got this canned response that said those charges were from their shipping charts and included shipping, packing, handling and insurance. When I told them that my PC was new in the box and there was no packing involved, they sent me email telling me that they had UNDERCHARGED me, but they would let it slide. If I wasn't happy with the PC I ordered, I would pack it up and send it back to them and have my CC company fight it out with them.
I'm not saying don't buy from uBid. I feel I got a good price on a PC. What I'm saying is BEWARE that you may pay double or triple (or more) what you should be paying for shipping due to hidden "handling charges".
posted on April 10, 2000 03:49:06 PM new
Please dispute the charges with your charge card co., file a complaint with the FTC, Attorney Gen. and file one with www.consumerbroadcastgrloup.com, UBID cannot be allowed to continue ripping people off throught the use of deception and thinking they can do whatever they want.. The public has to be made aware of these people..Thx, Bob
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posted on April 14, 2000 09:31:45 PM new
ubid shipping seems very high!
I tried to return a damaged item that I had bought for a present for someone else...ubid said no it's been more than 10 days..i had done $1,200 worth of business with them at that point..but no more..i cancelled all credit credits ..etc
posted on April 15, 2000 08:42:37 AM new
This is to monk.. PLs.. reference my reply above.. Follow up and complain to the attorney general,FTC, your local DA *(consumer div.) The more of us that get together and take action the better the case against these people.. I am about ready to bring a class action suit against them.. I personally have stopped all payments to them with my cc..Also, for any of you who want to mail me direct my address is [email protected].. We need to get this information in this bulletin and also to the world..
[ edited by bobc13 on Apr 15, 2000 08:47 AM ]
posted on April 15, 2000 09:37:29 PM new
First, I think auctionwatch.com provides a great service to the e-village but 1) I've complained about onsale.com and ubid.com before and beats me where the msgs went (might still be there but I don't know where), and 2) the info they provide for consumers often doesn't distinguish between commercial auctions and person-to-person auctions. Personally, I've had much less hassle with person to person auctions than with dealing with commercial businesses, mostly because customer service equates to lip service. My experience has been that about 20-30% of the time with these auction houses there is a problem. The item is defective, missing parts, or completely different than what was advertised. I've yet to lose any money but it takes a significant amount of my time to get the issue resolved.
I noticed recently that ubid has changed their return policy. They now accept no returns at all unless they state that they provide the warranty on the item. So if you get something that is defective, missing parts, not as described, etc., you have to go to the manufacturer. This is a policy that onsale/egghead instituted some time ago and I haven't done any business with them since. I might in the future but only if the item is described as 'new' and I think that the cost savings outweighs the risk involved with all the hassle.
What's wrong with going to the manufacturer? Well, my experience has been that 1) sometimes it is difficult to figure out who the manufacturer is, and how to get in touch with them. 2) I've found that when I contact the manufacturer they often complain that it is the responsibility of ubid or whoever to handle it since they bought the item and they are reselling it, or their contract with the business says that they provide the service. Plus, it is the auction house that sells the item and charges your card so when dealing with your card company this becomes a confusing issue.
Anyway, complaining to various agencies is a good idea particularly if you complain to your local state consumer office and the consumer office where the business resides (or state attorney general). But, I've found that unless it is a clear case of fraud (which is hard to prove), you won't get much help. On the other hand, if enough people complain, and a trend develops, they will investigate.
In dealing with credit card companies, it is the same deal. I've found that it all depends on the card company. Some are very helpful and will make an effort to help, but some others don't want to get involved. Some will say that if the business has a policy of no return, you're out of luck. There is one exception to this, but it is not enforced by the FTC. On the back of your credit statement, there is a clause that says if you bought something in your state (or within 50? miles of where you live) and you make every effort to resolve the dispute, you may be entitled to hold the card company (yep, not the business) responsible. I've quoted this chapter and verse to some customer service people at the credit card company and they suddenly become more helpful. I've found that the FTC won't help, but when you quote this to the card company they often change their tune. If the card company is part of a national bank, there is another agency in washington (OCC?) that has greater powers to enforce the rules. Note, AMEX does not have to follow these rules!.
My advice when bidding on these sites is: 1) make sure you save any e-documentation related to the transaction, such as the web page advertising the item, their policies, your winning bid, etc. 2) provide all this info in your complaint when you file with your card company, or whoever.
posted on April 16, 2000 05:56:23 PM new
Ughhhh... U-Bid was the worst online buying experience I've ever had. Cust. Svc. was clueless to help me in any way, they sounded like they were flipping through a script for every question I had!
The item I bought was to be shipped "overnight", assuming I'd have it in a day or two. NOPE! "Overnight" to them means that once they actually process the order (4 business days after the end of auction) and package the item (an additional two days) then it goes via overnight. It took a total of 9 days!!! When I complained of their tardiness they were just plain rude and didn' care.
