wally@fluke.UUCP (09/17/87)
I just had a rather unpleasant run in with Icon Review. I placed an order
about two weeks ago. At the time I ordered they told me that the item I
wanted was on back order and that it would be another 3-4 weeks before they
would be able to ship. Well yesterday I got my VISA statement and found that
I have already been charged for the item. I called them back today and after
two attempts and about 5 minutes waiting (on my nickel) got to talk to someone
about my order. It turns out that the item still hasn't shipped and it will
be 2-3 weeks before it will. They also said that if I had taken the time to
read the small print I would have noticed that I will be charged for my order
at the time it is placed.
From my experience most major mail order outfits will not charge you until the
product ships. Icon Review is the only company that I have found in MACWORLD
that charges at the time you order if you use a credit card. So if you happen
to have your order placed on back-order be prepared to recieve a bill and pay
the interest if you don't intend on paying your credit card company before
shipment of the product. This sounds like a good method for Icon Review to
improve their cash flow at your expense!
--
-- Wally Miller
{decvax!microsof,uw-beaver,ssc-vax,allegra,ucbvax!lbl-csam,sun}!fluke!wally
John Fluke Mfg. Co., MS 244E; PO Box C9090; Everett, WA 98206; (206) 356-5940chow@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Christopher Chow) (09/18/87)
In article <1796@sputnik.COM> wally@fluke.UUCP () writes: > >I just had a rather unpleasant run in with Icon Review. I placed an order >about two weeks ago. At the time I ordered they told me that the item I >wanted was on back order and that it would be another 3-4 weeks before they >would be able to ship. Well yesterday I got my VISA statement and found that >I have already been charged for the item. I called them back today and after Isn't it *ILLEGAL* to charge for mail order items which are backordered? I'd suggest you talk to your post office regarding mail fraud on this matter. Christopher Chow /---------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Internet: chow@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu (128.84.248.35 or 128.84.253.35) | | Usenet: ...{uw-beaver|ihnp4|decvax|vax135}!cornell!batcomputer!chow | | Bitnet: chow@crnlthry.bitnet | | Phone: 1-607-253-6699, USPS: 7122 N. Campus 7, Ithaca, NY 14853 | | Delphi: chow2 PAN: chow | \---------------------------------------------------------------------------/
roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) (09/18/87)
In article <1796@sputnik.COM> wally@fluke.UUCP complains (justifiably, in
my opinion) that Icon Review charged his Visa account when they got his
order but didn't ship for many weeks.
I'm starting to get the impression that Icon Review really doesn't
have their act together much at all. We've done a lot of corporate
business with them and we seem to have more trouble with IR than with just
about any other vendor I can think of. Most recently, we ordered some
PhoneNet connectors which were back-ordered. We knew this at the time of
the order, but went with IR because they were half the price of our local
computer retail store.
After about 6 weeks, they finally got the connectors in (seems that
Farallon just can't keep up with the demand) but then IR seems to have lost
any record of our purchase order. We sent then a new copy of the PO, but
they can't seem to find that either. They also refuse to ship on a verbal
authorization, even though we've done lots of business with them.
Summary: slick catalog, good prices, lousy back-office.
--
Roy Smith, {allegra,cmcl2,philabs}!phri!roy
System Administrator, Public Health Research Institute
455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016mkhaw@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA (Mike Khaw) (09/18/87)
In article <1796@sputnik.COM> wally@fluke.UUCP () writes: > >I just had a rather unpleasant run in with Icon Review. I placed an order >about two weeks ago. At the time I ordered they told me that the item I >wanted was on back order and that it would be another 3-4 weeks before they >would be able to ship. Well yesterday I got my VISA statement and found that >I have already been charged for the item. I called them back today and after I had the same experience and while I was upset that Icon Review only stated their policy in the fine print, they did keep me updated by sending postcards at 3 week(?) intervals. Each postcard had a return portion that allowed me to cancel my order if I so chose. I stuck out my order for 6 weeks, which is the time it took for the VISA charge to be posted and fall due: so, I ended up paying my VISA bill for the order just after Icon Review delivered my order, and I didn't have to pay VISA any interest. On a semi-related track, Bike Nashbar (also a mail order company) has the same policy, but they tell you up front when you call (1) if an item is backordered, and (2) that if you place the order anyway, they will charge you immediately. I forget the details, but they claim it has something to do with THEIR ability to order from their suppliers. I think Icon Review would do much to improve its image if its operators were trained to state their credit card order policy the way Bike Nashbar does. Mike Khaw -- internet: mkhaw@teknowledge-vaxc.arpa usenet: {uunet|sun|ucbvax|decwrl|uw-beaver}!mkhaw%teknowledge-vaxc.arpa USnail: Teknowledge Inc, 1850 Embarcadero Rd, POB 10119, Palo Alto, CA 94303
evan@ndcheg.UUCP (Evan Bauman) (09/19/87)
In article <16825@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA>, mkhaw@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA (Mike Khaw) writes: > > In article <1796@sputnik.COM> wally@fluke.UUCP () writes: > > > >I just had a rather unpleasant run in with Icon Review. I placed an order > >about two weeks ago. At the time I ordered they told me that the item I > >wanted was on back order and that it would be another 3-4 weeks before they > >would be able to ship. Well yesterday I got my VISA statement and found that > >I have already been charged for the item. I called them back today and after > > I had the same experience and while I was upset that Icon Review only stated > their policy in the fine print, they did keep me updated by sending postcards > at 3 week(?) intervals. Each postcard had a return portion that allowed me > to cancel my order if I so chose. I stuck out my order for 6 weeks, which is > the time it took for the VISA charge to be posted and fall due: so, I ended > up paying my VISA bill for the order just after Icon Review delivered my > order, and I didn't have to pay VISA any interest. > > I think Icon Review would do much to improve its image if its operators were > trained to state their credit card order policy the way Bike Nashbar does. > A couple of years ago, I was ordering a copy of a some software that is very popular in the academic community. Icon Review advertised this software in MacWorld, so I put their name as the vendor on the Purchase Order. Well it was at least six weeks later that I called IR to find out about the status of the order. They claimed that there was a delay with delivery from the manufacturer of the product. In any case, the software showed up a few weeks later, but I remember that it took a very long time. Now comes the interesting part. Sometime later, I was on the phone with a rep of the software company. I mentioned that I bought their software from IR and that it had taken a long time to get the package. He laughed, and said that they had suspended shipments to IR because they didn't pay for the last shipment. He said that they had been having troubles with IR for some time. So I've never ordered anything from them since and have discouraged others as well. If they can't afford to pay their bills, I don't doubt that they would charge customers for undelivered software. Evan Bauman Univ. of Notre Dame ..!iuvax!ndmath!ndcheg!evan
isle@dartvax.UUCP (Ken Hancock) (09/19/87)
In article <1796@sputnik.COM> wally@fluke.UUCP () writes: > >I just had a rather unpleasant run in with Icon Review. Use MacConnection...I've yet to find a better place. Ken -- Ken Hancock // UUCP: isle@dartvax // Join the ____________// BITNET: isle@u2.dartmouth.edu // SMILE :) DISCLAIMER://_________________________________________________// Revolution! If people weren't so sue-happy, I wouldn't need one!//_______________
pgn@usceast.UUCP (Paul Nevai) (09/21/87)
I buy things from MacConnection, Icon Review, Programs Plus and Computerware, plus my local dealer which is MicroCenter in Columbus, Ohio. I am satisfied with all of them!!! One minor note: Programs Plus doesn't take P.O. numbers through the phone which is rather unpleasant, but it compensates with some of the best prices around. MacConnection is good, but you can't beat Computerware for program- ming related products and expertise. Oh yes, I also bought once LSP from MacWarehouse and they were OK too. Have Orthogonal Polynomials Will Travel Paul Nevai N410106@univscvm.BITNET (PREFERRED) Carolina Research Professor .../!wright/!usceast/!pgn (UUCP) Department of Mathematics pgn@cs.scarolina.edu.CSNET University of South Carolina 73057,172.Compu$erve Columbia, S.C. 29208 1-(803)-777-3776.office U.S.A. 1-(803)-777-4226s with