kc@rna.UUCP (Kaare Christian) (10/06/86)
Occasionally there are yeas and boos in this newsgroup regarding personal experience with mail order houses. I've recently been burned by one such house so I thought I would let others know about the problem. In general I do all my purchasing mail order, and this is my first problem. I've had good experiences with PC Ltd, Programmer's shop, and several others in the past. When this order with Northeastern went sour I placed a similar order with a company called Computer Mail Order and they performed admirably - shipment the next day as they promised. Anyway, you might want to avoid Northeastern Software because of the following: On Aug 7 I placed an order totaling $1261.50 with Karen. A month later I found out that my VISA account was charged for the full amount on Aug 9. Delivery was promised for beginning of the following week, either Aug 12 or 13. Through Aug and early Sep I repeatedly called and was repeatedly assured it would ship in a few days. I kept records of the calls in my phone log, but I won't bore you with the details. On Sep 8 the first item arrived. On Sep 10 I called them to find out when the other two items would arrive. Lynn's response was unsatisfactory, and she refused to un-debit my credit card while I waited for the undelivered $1k of merchandise. So I canceled the order on the phone. She said all I should do was return the partial shipment and then my account would be credited. That same day I returned the unopened partial shipment (Fed Ex, $23, I currently have proof of receipt), notified VISA by phone and in writing, and confirmed the order cancellation in writing. To date they have still not credited my account. I am currently providing all of my evidence to the VISA people to substantiate my claims in the matter. I don't *think* I'll end up $1.2K poorer, but at this time I still don't have my money back. Basically they have had 1.2K of my money for two months. I have nothing of theirs, except for "a pocketful of mumbles such are promises" (Simon and Garfunkle, The Boxer). Mail order feels great when it works. Convenience, low prices, and no contact with know-nothing stuffed shirt sales people in unhelpful stores. It doesn't feel great when it doesn't work. Happy hunting. Kaare Christian cmcl2!rna!kc
billh@teklim.TEK.COM (Willian Hansen) (11/03/86)
I also have had problems with Northeastern Software and non-delivery, so I called them today to ask for a refund. I was told they were closed for reorganization, and to call back in 10 days for information concerning my order. The bad news is I may be out $75. The good news is I was planning to order about $600 worth of stuff, but decided to send in a small "test order" first to see what they were like. (Glad I did, Glad I did, GLAD I DID!) I'd appreciate any feed back I might get on any of you who have gotten burned like this before and what you did about it, for $75 a lawyer is probably an unresonable course of action. (Sigh.) Bill Hansen tektronix!tekig5!tekig4!bobcat!billh