We don't want to acknowledge the mistake, so we're just going to ignore you until you go away.
October 6, 2009 11:08 AM Subscribe
How do I deal with a recalcitrant vendor who won't respond to complaints about an incorrect item?
I recently ordered an Asus S101 Eeepc from an online vendor. The first one I ordered was the wrong colour, and they refused to exchange because I contacted them more than 72 hours after delivery (I'd been out of town when the machine arrived). At that point my mom offered to purchase one in the correct colour and to keep the original for herself (bless her, she seemed to like it). She places an order, and ... receives the wrong colour, again. So she's now emailing them about having received the wrong item and requesting a return, but they haven't responded to several emails. The first message was sent the day of delivery (within the required timeframe), and was cc'd to a third party. No response. Second email sent several days later, cc'd to same third party. Still no response. Repeated calls to the telephone number on the website have gone unanswered.
I'm now out of the country but am trying to handle as much of this as possible for my mom. It seemed ridiculous enough that this company refused to fix their own error because of a slight delay, but now their terms are being complied with fully and yet there is not so much as an acknowledgment of a request for information.
What can I do next to get them to take back this item and refund my mom's money?
I recently ordered an Asus S101 Eeepc from an online vendor. The first one I ordered was the wrong colour, and they refused to exchange because I contacted them more than 72 hours after delivery (I'd been out of town when the machine arrived). At that point my mom offered to purchase one in the correct colour and to keep the original for herself (bless her, she seemed to like it). She places an order, and ... receives the wrong colour, again. So she's now emailing them about having received the wrong item and requesting a return, but they haven't responded to several emails. The first message was sent the day of delivery (within the required timeframe), and was cc'd to a third party. No response. Second email sent several days later, cc'd to same third party. Still no response. Repeated calls to the telephone number on the website have gone unanswered.
I'm now out of the country but am trying to handle as much of this as possible for my mom. It seemed ridiculous enough that this company refused to fix their own error because of a slight delay, but now their terms are being complied with fully and yet there is not so much as an acknowledgment of a request for information.
What can I do next to get them to take back this item and refund my mom's money?
Response by poster: And this is in the US, btw. The seller seems to be located in Washington state (though the machine was shipped from Asia), and purchaser(s) in Illinois.
posted by the luke parker fiasco at 11:22 AM on October 6, 2009
posted by the luke parker fiasco at 11:22 AM on October 6, 2009
Chargeback. Explain your situation to your credit card company and let them resolve it.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 11:29 AM on October 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 11:29 AM on October 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Will a chargeback work if I have the merch in my possession, though?
posted by the luke parker fiasco at 11:45 AM on October 6, 2009
posted by the luke parker fiasco at 11:45 AM on October 6, 2009
Response by poster: Also, payment went through PayPal, on a Discover card.
(I seem to be omitting a whole lot of useful details here.)
posted by the luke parker fiasco at 11:48 AM on October 6, 2009
(I seem to be omitting a whole lot of useful details here.)
posted by the luke parker fiasco at 11:48 AM on October 6, 2009
Have you tried contacting the Better Business Bureau? They have helped me out a couple of times.
posted by futureisunwritten at 12:09 PM on October 6, 2009
posted by futureisunwritten at 12:09 PM on October 6, 2009
But you *don't* have the merch in your possession. You have *other* merch, which is not what you ordered.
Paypal can be a bit of an issue though, since they don't want you to do chargebacks on your own, and want you to deal with their own internal investigation.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 12:10 PM on October 6, 2009
Paypal can be a bit of an issue though, since they don't want you to do chargebacks on your own, and want you to deal with their own internal investigation.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 12:10 PM on October 6, 2009
Will a chargeback work if I have the merch in my possession, though?...Also, payment went through PayPal, on a Discover card.
Call Discover Card as soon as possible, so they can answer that question.
If the seller's email is on their own domain, try lots of other email addresses at the same domain, like Help@, customerservice@, returns@, etc. Any addresses you find on their site as well. If there is more than one employee, you may get lucky.
posted by soelo at 12:17 PM on October 6, 2009
Call Discover Card as soon as possible, so they can answer that question.
If the seller's email is on their own domain, try lots of other email addresses at the same domain, like Help@, customerservice@, returns@, etc. Any addresses you find on their site as well. If there is more than one employee, you may get lucky.
posted by soelo at 12:17 PM on October 6, 2009
Call the credit card company and explain it to them. I guarantee you that the vendor will respond to having their money removed from their bank account.
posted by rhizome at 12:50 PM on October 6, 2009
posted by rhizome at 12:50 PM on October 6, 2009
Oh yeah, and of course PayPal wants you to take care of everything through them, but that doesn't mean you have to. They are notorious for mysterious and shady behavior in this arena, so it's better for you to go through your credit card company who has a) done this before; b) is more highly regulated; and c) likely has a better customer service department.
One thing you could do on the PayPal side, however, is to check your invoice to see if the seller charged you for PayPal fees. If they did, then they have forfeited their Seller's Protection and you can get your money back very easily indeed.
OK, looks like MeFi is doing some kind of "auto paragraphs" thing now. Odd.
posted by rhizome at 12:54 PM on October 6, 2009
One thing you could do on the PayPal side, however, is to check your invoice to see if the seller charged you for PayPal fees. If they did, then they have forfeited their Seller's Protection and you can get your money back very easily indeed.
OK, looks like MeFi is doing some kind of "auto paragraphs" thing now. Odd.
posted by rhizome at 12:54 PM on October 6, 2009
what ... product was purchased from a continental US seller ... but shipped from Asia.
You have a drop shipper here ... and I am not surprised that they are ignoring you.
Cancel the transaction with both paypal and the credit card for BOTH purchases. Then work toward the solution, comfortable in knowing that you are holding most of the cards.
And, yes, this is the right thing to do in the circumstances ... and totally legal!
I work with these issues a lot ... trust me.
J
posted by jannw at 3:44 AM on October 7, 2009
You have a drop shipper here ... and I am not surprised that they are ignoring you.
Cancel the transaction with both paypal and the credit card for BOTH purchases. Then work toward the solution, comfortable in knowing that you are holding most of the cards.
And, yes, this is the right thing to do in the circumstances ... and totally legal!
I work with these issues a lot ... trust me.
J
posted by jannw at 3:44 AM on October 7, 2009
Consumerist (consumerist.com or something similar) , a consumer advocacy blog now owned by, I believe, the consumers union (who also own consumer reports) (how many times can one legitly use consumer in a sentence) is a great resource and tool. Send your account to them, in all likelihood they'll post your story to the blog and the publicity will force the company to remedy your situation. You can also read others' accounts of similar situations and their outcomes. It's fairly widely read so they have a decent amount of power, especially with these small companies.
They might also have a guide for what to do in these situations- I'm not sure and my phone browser makes it too hard to look but I suggest you do...
Good luck!
posted by R a c h e l at 10:16 PM on October 8, 2009
They might also have a guide for what to do in these situations- I'm not sure and my phone browser makes it too hard to look but I suggest you do...
Good luck!
posted by R a c h e l at 10:16 PM on October 8, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by booknerd at 11:18 AM on October 6, 2009