Hey, all:
I would like to know if anyone on this last has had such a horrid experience
as I have had with Other World Computing.
On September 12, I placed an order for several items, which totaled over
500$/US. I had some extra cash and seized the opportunity to obtain some
upgrades to my stock 266 Mhz G3. In all, I picked up a Powerlogix Rapid Fire
PCI USB/FW Card, 768 MB Ram, Radeon 7000, and Powerlogix 800 Mhz G3 ZIF.
All of these items were in stock, except for the Powerlogix 800 Mhz G3 ZIF.
Before I ordered, I called and asked about the status of this item. Their web
site said that it was backordered, and would be in stock in three days. When
I called and talked with their customer service and sales department prior to
placing my order, I was told the same.
Six days went by, and I had not heard a peep from OWC besides the order
confirmation. This stunk, because I wanted to upgrade my machine, and had
selected Airborne Express to do so. After I alot of thought, I decided to
call. After being transferred from department to department (they do not like
to talk on the telephone, I take it), I finally spoke with someone in online
sales.
Upon presenting the problem to him, he assured me that the item was in stock
("Yeah, those just got in today...") and would be shipped out that day. He
said that a confirmation email would be sent out later that evening.
After 24 hours, I had not received such an email or notification otherwise.
Given that I had been lied to, presumably just to get an angry customer off of
the phone, I decided that a return call was in order. The second call went
much better, except that the new person in sales that I spoke with pointed out
that "Powerlogix was at fault, because they had not shipped those ZIFs to OWC
yet." The lie pertaining to the G3 800 Mhz ZIFs being in stock was also
confirmed at this point. The representative stated that their ordering system
was "buggy," and that the person that I spoke to previously probably obtained
that information by error. RIIIGHT...
With my blood pressure at a lifetime high, a heated discussion ensued, where I
pointed out if that was the case, their in-stock and backorder policy needed
to be reviewed, as it was inherently inaccurate.
I also pointed out that perhaps OWC should not do business with Powerlogix for
this reason, that OWC should do a better job of notifying its customers just
what the status of their order was, and that it is really juvenile to place
the blame like that on to another establishment.
To rectify the situation, he suggested that I order a 900 Mhz ZIF from
Powerlogix, which was in stock. Being the "nice guy" that he is, he took a
mere 5$ US off of it. Yeah, it was a 45$ difference, but I was SO upset that
it was worth it to just know that my stuff would soon be headed my way. It
was now September 19th, and I am no further than I was a week ago.
Finally, the order was shipped on Monday and arrived at my home on Tuesday.
Like a kid at Christmas, I tore into the box with enthusiasm.
The battle plan suggested to me by many on this list was to first install the
ZIF, then proceed with the upgrades step by step. I followed the directions
exactly as described in the manual from Powerlogix, threw the power switch,
and NOTHING. I call to Powerlogix tech support verified that the ZIF was
dead, and I was issued some type of number to report to OWC with to obtain a
new ZIF. DOH!
The ZIF shipped yesterday, and should arrive here some time today. I am sort
of excited, but wondering if this is the way that business is conducted today
in the real world. I am fairly young and feel taken advantage of in this
situation. I threw down good cash and have had nothing but trouble from one
of the most well-known retailers of Apple upgrade products, with a long
history of serving the community.
>From the inaccurate stocking policy that got my hopes up, to the lies from
sales about bogus dates, the blaming of Powerlogix for something that was
OWC's problem, and the fact that I got a bad ZIF after all of it just makes me
want to ship it all back to them...
Am I out of line here?
Has anyone else on this list had these types of problems?
Should I just realize that the customer should just bend over and be serviced
by the retailer these days?
In any case, whether you think that I am out of line by sending this to the
list, off topic, or just a kid going on a rant, please let me know via private
email, as I am a digester.
Thanks for your two cents on this one!
Judson
--
--
G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and...
Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives |
-- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! |
Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html>
G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml>
--> AOL users, remove "mailto:";
Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/>
Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
