Bad Online Shopping Experiences
Its very disappointing when you buy something online and things start to go wrong. So its very disappointing when the seller just wants to make life difficult for the buyer.
So here we have two experiences I have had.
Firstly, BMC Digital (http://www.bmcdigital.co.uk/) - I bought an Otterbox iphone 3G cover from them. They sent me a package, with a rather tatty Blackberry cover inside. No invoice (that would have shown it was obviously the wrong product) and no return instructions. So when I contact them, they reply automatically with something of a gem - observe:
Q. I have recieved my item but I believe it is incorrect or it is not what I wanted? A. If the item you recieved is the wrong one then we will of course replace the incorrect item. Please return the item to us, including all order information, so that we can take the required action. If the item is not what you wanted or you ordered the wrong item, you have 7 days to return it to us for a replacement or a refund. The address to return it to is - RMA Dept, BMCdigital Ltd, Unit 8B, Lancaster House, Vale Business Park, Vale of Glamorgan, CF71 7PF, UK.
Isn't that just precious? It appears to be such a common issue, they actually have a FAQ entry for it. And oh yes, because they don't send you any invoice, with any details on it whatsover (too easy to check against to see youve put the wrong item in the jiffy pack), they want all that precious order information back from you - so urm, probably they can search outlook for it.
I decided that I had no faith in them actually sending the correct item, and the fact that I'd have to pay P&P twice on an incorrect item, just peed me off. So I sent it back, asking for a full refund. I also informed Paypal, who were very nice and said they'd keep an eye on them.
Second culprit is Digital fusion (http://www.digital-fusion.co.uk/) I bought three cameras from them. The online system said they were in stock, and so I paid. I received an email that says:
Your order Request ID: xxx is processed and will ship via City link. It was dispatched on a next day service. The total charge, for you order is on the attached invoice number xxx. We have endeavoured to turn your order around as quickly as possible, and hope you receive your goods Within the time frame you specified, and in good working order.
That looked promising - except nothing turned up. So I called, no answer. I sent an email, and this is what I got:
This is on a back order and will be dispatched as soon as fresh stock is available.We have no eta at present
FFS! Liars the lot of them. So I have emailed them asking for a full refund and confirmation of such by Monday. If I don't get that, I'm calling my credit card company and telling them to chase.
Moral of the story? For me, its about circles of trust and customer service. I don't trust those sellers, and they have abysmal customer service. So from now, I'm sticking with the names I know, and sellers that are recommended to me.
For anyone who is contemplating buying from either - dont.
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tnn
