posted on January 25, 2001 10:34:04 AM
Like a lot of eBayers, I do a fair amount of online purchases. I am astonished at the service quality between those sites where I first ordered products and those I have used since.
The only thing I ask is that I know what's up and get what I order intact on or about when it should arrive. Is that too much to ask?
Amazon does a better job of this then almost anyone I know save for a couple of really top notch eBayer sellers.
Today was the opposite. I had ordered something really nice for my elderly father on 12/19 to arrive just before Christmas via Fed Ex. I hadn't heard anything beyond the order confirmation so I thought it was a done deal. It was a top notch brick & mortar firm with a classy website. Around 6 AM I get this email saying that the order shipped yesterday 1/24.
SAY WHAT??!!!!??
Hello this was to be sent guaranteed delivery before Christmas with a hefty shipping charge to do so. Well I fired off an email and got a very prompt reply that they would refund everything and send an apology card. (Any guess as to when that would arrive?)
Now I would not have been upset at all if someone told me there was a delay and how would you like to handle it and so on. The mere fact is that there was zero communication and no other effort in more than 30 days time to show signs of activity. I doubt very much I will ever use them again.
As a buyer I am appalled. As a seller, this only surprises me because I would never think to pull this with any customer and I have nearly zero resources compared to this firm.
posted on January 25, 2001 10:57:09 AM
mballai: what happened to you is AGAINST THE LAW, and there is a federal agency you can report it to.
I cannot remember the name, but shopping sites all over the Net have links about what to do when this occurs.
I advise you to try going over to Yahoo, and do a search in the NEWS -- maybe using as search terms something like " Christmas and nonarrival " 0R "etail and late shipment" etc/etc.
A LOT of companies got FINED big time for precisely what you are describing.
Also, I'd go over to Hoovers and get the name of the CEO and notify them by snail mail what happened. I think they will be DISGUSTED, and you should wind up with MORE than just a 100% refund.
posted on January 25, 2001 11:41:26 AM
Thats totally unacceptable (illegal or not!).
I am not clear as to whether this was an eBay purchase or from another website?
My husband had had a heart attack in October - he's very well now thanks to our 13 year old son who handled the 911 call and the wonderful ERT in SIMCOE COUNTY Ontario which found our farm lot in the dark at 2am within 7 minutes - and despite the chaos and care he required, I Still had to service my customers in between, hellish as it was, as I was required to.
posted on January 25, 2001 12:12:15 PM
Some of the biggest sites are guilty of this. Personally, I have placed orders with Onvia, Buy.com, Onsale (before they merged with Egghead), Egghead and others. I have experienced the following:
-getting an email that says "your order is on its way" but it never arrives. When I call the site, I find that they are still out of stock. Buy.com has been sending me this email weekly for something I ordered in early December.
-having my credit card charged and nothing shows up two months later (Onsale). I finally had to do a charge back
-having my order cancelled after receiving email and calling customer service and being told it was definitely shipping tomorrow (Onvia)
-receiving the item FOUR MONTHS LATER with no warning (Buy.com) and one distributor sent my order 4 months later, refused to take it back but then forgot to charge me.
-ordering two laser printers and receiving 4 (Onsale)
-ordering a printer that said FREE SHIPPING and being charged $20 for shipping. When I complained, they refunded me $6 and said the balance was for handling (Onsale)
-having my order never show up though I was charged. When I inquired they sent me proof of delivery to a different person in a different state. When I protested, I finally got a refund, but I wanted the order because I got it at a bargain price. They told me that price was no longer available (Onsale)
-ordering three software packages together that we listed as $9.95 shipping. They all came in one box with about $5.50 shipping paid but I was charged $29.85 shipping. (Egghead)
So folks who think that shopping at a big site means better customer service, should think again.
