posted on January 29, 2000 05:06:08 PM
For those of you who use uBid, make sure you compare the shipping & handling cost as stated in the Item Listing Page with the actual shipping/handling amount they charge you on the invoice when your item(s) actually arrive. I was high bidder on multiples of the same item -- i.e. I won 7 out of 9 in the lot that was offered up for auction. The shipping cost showed $6.99 flat rate -- that was the cost no matter how many of the 9 a person was high bidder on. A few days later when my box arrived, I gleefully opened it to look at my items, then I also pulled out the invoice just to double check it. Lo & behold, uBid charged me $18.45 for the 7 items to be shipped in one box. On top of that, the box wasn't even heavy -- it was less than a pound to ship (these were very light items), and shouldn't have cost more than $5 via UPS. So later that night I sent an e-mail to the uBid customer support desk asking them what happened. The next day, another order/box arrived at my door. For this 2nd auction, I was high bidder on 3 out of X items. Again, the flat rate should have been $6.99, but this time the invoice showed S&H charges of $14.34. WHAT?! This time I decided to call uBid (since they hadn't replied to my e-mail during the course of the day) and find out what was going on. After waiting forever to speak with a rep, the gal I spoke with immediately acknowledged that I was overcharged for shipping and gladly proceeded to credit my account. I asked her, however, why this happened. She went on to tell me something about how their warehouse charges per item, even though they've worked out the special flat rate deal with UPS, and that it was just a quirk with their system. I asked, "Isn't there any way to fix it? I'm expecting more packages to arrive in the next few days." She said, "No." I replied, "So you mean that I have to call each time I receive a package and report that I was overcharged for S&H costs?" She said, "Yes." HA HA HA HA!! (maniacal laugh) Okay, I didn't laugh at her on the phone -- I waited until we had hung up. But that seems to be the stupidest, most messed up way of doing business I've ever heard of. It also sounds like something the FTC might need to get involved with. What about those poor souls who don't check their invoices? uBid could be running some sort of scam to milk a little extra profit off the unsuspecting buyer. My own personal opinion is that they're just f*&%ed up in their (non?)automated billing/processing systems, but I can see how someone might get the impression it was intentional. Anyway, that's my long rant on this issue. I won't even start complaining about how it's also idiotic that they can't combine shipments & shipping/handling charges on different bids that close on the same day.
Peter
[ edited by phalvorson on Jan 29, 2000 05:08 PM ]
posted on February 7, 2000 04:05:35 PM
I totally agree with you. The same thing has happend to me. Ubid charges 3 to 4 times the actual shipping cost. They make a lot of marked up mony on the shipping which I think is cheating the customer. I have emailed them so many times on this. They simply ignor. I like to consider a class action law suit aginst them. For example on simle $42 memory chip they charged $16 shipping when the actual shipping cost is $2.88. They are cheating the customers and getting away with it and we can not do anything to them. I am not shoping ubid anymore!
posted on February 18, 2000 10:56:01 PM
I agree, Class Action Lawsuit, is probably the only thing that will get their attention. If we had a few hundred more complaints like this, (I believe there thousands out there), and a good law firm to handle it, we might have a chance.
However, realisticly, our only option for the time being is not to deal with ubid.
posted on February 18, 2000 10:58:17 PM
These comments should be forwarded to the States Attorney General in the state where ubid is licensed to do business.
