kdale@bbncc-eur.arpa (03/12/87)
I'm *really* angry right now, so please bear with any unprofessionalism you may
see here.
I ordered a PC system from S & S Wholesalers, Inc. of Miami Beach, FL on Jan
28, 1987. The brand is irrelevant, but what is happening is not. The invoice
is dated 28 Oct, 1986 for starters. The quoted price for shipping and handling
was 3% for use of a credit card (fair enough) and 6% for shipping (I use an APO
address, being in Germany and all...). The actual amount charged came to
13.78%. I would have expected the system to be shipped first class for that
much money, but **NO**, it was shipped fourth class.
I was told that it shipped on Wednesday, 28 Jan, the same day that I ordered
it, but the postage indicateds that it was shipped Monday, 9 Feb. I still have
not received the monitor.
Now the good part: I ordered a brand new system. I received a system that has
an ominous label that says, "Refurbished by the Manufacturer". They sent me a
g**damn repaired unit?? No sign of a shipping invoice. No sign of the
external disk drive that I also ordered.
And to top it off, they sent me outdated system software! The new version has
been available for four or five months now, and they sent me this old sh*t!
Impression: I think these turkeys decided to move some unwanted merchandise and
decided that some military geek stuck in Europe would be a prime target. Well,
I am neither military nor stuck anywhere, and I don't *think* I'm a geek.
Conclusion: stay tuned for explanations. I am not condemning them to hell for
all eternity....yet. But I'd advise holding off any purchases/orders from them
until they have a chance to respond. Not only will I call them as soon as they
open for business, but I'll also send this message to them and explain that the
eyes of the world (hopefully) are on them. I will certainly post results, or
non-results, as the case may be.
Keith M. Dale
Defense Data Network Project Adminstrator - Europe
BBN Communications Corporation
*** Disclaimer: the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own, and not
those of my employer's or the Department of Defense's. ***tdn@spice.cs.cmu.edu.UUCP (03/13/87)
Since you bought the system with a credit card, you may be able to 'chargeback'
the amount of the purchase as a way of getting your money back from the company
if they refuse to deliver what they promised for your money or overcharge you.
>From the February 1987 issue of Consumer Reports:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If the process results in an actual chargeback, the issuer wipes your slate
clean of the disputed debt and any related charges. It's then up to the
merchant who sold you the disputed goods or services to try to collect from
you directly. Since you still have your money and the merchant doesn't, you
are in a better bargaining position.
. . .
Here are some situations in which a chargeback request could be helpful:
- A billing error. If you're billed for merchandise you never ordered,
or think you've been charged too much, inform the credit-card issuer
and withhold payment on the disputed amount.
. . .
- Merchandise that's not what you expected. Suppose, for instance, you
had some clothing custom-made, and it turns out to be a different
color, material, or size from what you specified. The tailor might
say "tough luck." A chargeback might change the tailor's mind."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I suggest that you find a copy of the issue, as the article has a lot more
useful information than what I have quoted above.
It's too bad that I did not have and use a credit card when I ordered a 2MB
memory upgrade from a company called "MassTech Development Labs" in December
of 1985; I'm -still- waiting for my money after having given the company not
just one but three chances to repair the upgrade and after having returned it
in April of 1986 with their promise to refund my money right away.
-- Thomas Newtonquan@hplabsc.UUCP (Suu Quan) (03/18/87)
In article <1165@spice.cs.cmu.edu>, tdn@spice.cs.cmu.edu (Thomas Newton) writes: > Since you bought the system with a credit card, you may be able to 'chargeback' > the amount of the purchase as a way of getting your money back from the company > if they refuse to deliver what they promised for your money or overcharge you. > > >From the February 1987 issue of Consumer Reports: > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > "If the process results in an actual chargeback, the issuer wipes your slate > clean of the disputed debt and any related charges. It's then up to the > merchant who sold you the disputed goods or services to try to collect from > you directly. Since you still have your money and the merchant doesn't, you > are in a better bargaining position. > > -- Thomas Newton What is "chargeback" ?. Can you call the credit card company and tell them you want to "chargeback" and they'll understand right away ? How does it works ?. -- Suu Quan TELNET(415) 857-3594 quan%hplabs@HPLABS.HP.COM HP labs. (bldg 26U) 3500 deer Creek road hplabs!quan Palo Alto, CA 94304 suu quan /HP1900/40