Online purchase problems. I didn't recieve what I ordered online. Now what?

December 19, 2004 9:01 AM

I ordered something from an online merchant and when I received the package I found an empty box inside. An empty watch box, that is, as the item in question was a watch. When I called the company to complain, I could tell that the CSR was convinced I was a crook... (They promised a replacement, btw.)
Has something like this happened to anyone ? I was wondering how common this experience is.
posted by Finder to law & government (15 comments total)

I bought a used copy of "Brotherhood" by New Order, from Tower Records in Ann Arbor, some years back. I didn't open it right away [it was more of a collection purchase than an I-must-hear-this purchase]. A few weeks later, way past the statute of returns, I opened it to find no disc inside. A few months after that, Tower Records closed, never to be seen in Ann Arbor again [though a Birmingham store opened and closed].
posted by britain at 10:37 AM on December 19, 2004

A smart thief steals the box too. And that has happened to me.
posted by smackfu at 11:25 AM on December 19, 2004

It happens. A few years ago my company ordered a printer from a large but poorly-run vendor. We got a box that was stuffed with trash (including empty boxes for other computer stuff). We bitched and got a box with an actual printer in it; the vendor turned around and filed a claim with UPS. We told UPS that the box was full of trash from the vendor's warehouse and that they'd be foolish to pay the claim (and we backed it up with pictures of the box and its contents). I don't know how it worked out with UPS, but I do know that in the end, the vendor went out of business. Go figure.
posted by stefanie at 11:28 AM on December 19, 2004

Christmas of 198?, I got Superman for the Atari 2600. On the cover was a promotion to send away for a free superman wallet.

I opened the box and found the wallet inside instead of a game catridge, it was all cool though because my friend got the game and is sucked while the wallet rocked my gradeschool world.
posted by Mick at 12:06 PM on December 19, 2004

It's been a while since I did the high-end watch thing, but my recollection is that the empty box scam is common trick of disreputable sellers (or, as it seems in your case, reputable sellers with disreputable employees.)

If you want more information, TimeZone is where all the serious watch guys hang, and I'd post the question in their Public Forum. I don't recall whether you've got to register, but it's free.
posted by mojohand at 12:54 PM on December 19, 2004

About a year ago, a friend of mine bought Sigur Ros' () from Amazon. She opened the shrink wrapped jewel case and it was empty.

My guess is it is the missing seventh sigma of six.
posted by pedantic at 1:47 PM on December 19, 2004

When we were kids, my brother ordered the Stones' "Let it Bleed" album, and inside the (correct) record jacket was "The Champagne Music of Lawrence Welk". Columbia House sent him a replacement album in response to a letter addressed to the "Right jacket, wrong record department".
posted by Daddio at 2:26 PM on December 19, 2004

Lots of times online merchants aren't anything more than fronts that take your money, then buy items from the distributor and have the distributor ship the item to you. Ever notice how some packing slips all look the same? Anyway, the employes at the distributor, don't work for the merchant, they work for the distributor, they don't care if the merchant gets a CSR headache or looses some money. I wouldn't think it would be that uncommon for a warehouse jocky working for the distributor to take a thing or two and leave the headache for the merchant to deal with.
posted by pwb503 at 3:12 PM on December 19, 2004

pwb503, that's called "Drop Shipping".
posted by shepd at 3:57 PM on December 19, 2004

I bought a xbox game from target last winter and took it home and to my surprise no game. I thought there was no way that the manager was going to belive me and that i was out $50. But to my disbelief the manager apologized and replaced my copy of the game.
posted by Dreamghost at 1:04 AM on December 20, 2004

About a year ago, a friend of mine bought Sigur Ros' () from Amazon. She opened the shrink wrapped jewel case and it was empty.

Just like the title and the track names... hmmm.
posted by kindall at 2:02 AM on December 20, 2004

I remember buying the game Thief at a Future Shop a few years back, and opening it in the car to find an empty cd case. Took a whole lot of arguing with the staff to get the actual game, they just wouldn't believe me (had to escalate).

I've had other run-ins since then with stupid salespeople there, and no longer shop at their establishments. Wish more people valued service over convenience.
posted by splice at 7:13 AM on December 20, 2004

I bought a 512 MB Compact Flash card from Amazon a few years back and received nothing more than an empty box. I called their customer service and they shipped a new one without any sort of hassle. It reaffirmed the wisdom of dealing with only reputable on-line merchants. I'm willing to pay 5 or even 10% more from a trustworthy vendor.
posted by mollweide at 7:26 AM on December 20, 2004

I recently bought some Compound W from a grocery store, and when I finally got around to opening the box, it was empty. I never bothered to try to fight for my $7.
posted by eas98 at 7:47 AM on December 20, 2004

I recently purchased Battlestar Galactica (the original pilot) from Fry's here in Portland. When I got home and opened the package, there was no disc.

Though I knew it'd be a frustrating experience, I took the package back and explained what had happened. (I've had so many bad experiences with Fry's that I'm not about to let something like this ride.)

From the start, nobody believed me. They didn't come out and call me a crook, but they used very careful phrases to explain how all their DVDs are well-packaged, that this sort of return was highly irregular, etc. In the end, I had to wait at the return desk for over an hour, with no explanation of what was happening, all to be told that they'd issue a credit good only for the purchase of another copy of the film in question. That was fine, I said, since that is what I had wanted in the first place.

The catch was, they didn't have another copy of the film. They'd order one for Seattle and then let me know when it had arrived. Weeks passed. Nobody called me. Finally, I returned to the store, very angry. Sure enough, there was a copy on the shelf. Nobody had called me, though. I bought it with my credit and then vowed never to return to Fry's again.

So far, I've kept my word.
posted by jdroth at 8:25 AM on December 20, 2004