My Terrible Ebuyer experience...

[Chris W]

I was looking for a wireless router, and i duly searched through all of the online shops that i could find to get the best deal, i knew i wanted a linksys WRT54G, and ebuyer was the cheapest i could find.

I read a couple of reviews of the company, there seemed to be a few complaints, but i figured that this was normal for any company and i thought i would go ahead with the purchase.

Five days later, the router arrives... so far so good. But then three days later, the router died. dead as a dodo. I tried reboot/ resets/ reconnections, the lot, but the router was not accessible from the outside or the inside. So i call up linksys technical support (how by the way do answer very quickly but are infact completely useless- clearly following a script) and they inform me that the router is completely dead and i should returned it to the shop.

So, off to ebuyer i go, and as instructed, request an RMA number. This is given to me, and i send the router back by first class insured royal mail. A week later, i have not heard anything from ebuyer, and royal mail have confirmed the parcel as delivered. So i leave ebuyer an 'enote' for those of you that or not familiar with this, it involves posting a note to them through their website that will then be answered sometime later...

A week past and i still had no answer... so i left another note.... still no reply. So i bit the bullet and called their national rate customer services, knowing i would have to wait an age for an answer. And, sure enough, 45minutes later the call was answered. I was told that they had never received the parcel, and me giving them the royal mail ticket number to track online was not proof of delivery. I needed to call royal mail and have proof of signiture sent to me. Apartently ebuyer couldn't do this. So i did, and three days letter post from royal mail, with proof of signiture. I posted this to ebuyer and awaited a response.

A week or so wait again... and still nothing so more enotes, to which i had now got a response saying 'we have not updated the status of this RMA request because we have not received the item.' So i called up again... waited 45minutes to be told, sorry our computer system is down, we can't help you. Couldn't the IVR at the beginning of the call have said this?!?!?!?!

Getting slightly now, another called to customer services a few days later, and they told me that they hadn't received the proof of signiture from me. Somebody is not checking their post, methinks. Very annoyed now, and knowing what it is like working in a call centre, i asked to speak to a manager. The agent i spoke to said 'no'. That was it, just 'no'. not an apology, a reason, excuse, nothing! me very now. So i asked for the agents name, VALERIE. a surname? no, ok so i can understand why not, an extension number? no. 'I am the only valerie here.' Hmm... not very happy with this, but it will have to do.

A couple of stiff drinks later, another phonecall to them, asking if they had yet received the proof of postage... no we haven't, and we can't do anything until we do. 'sometimes royal mail are very unreliable' i was told. This time, i managed to have a call back from a manager organised. I waited in baited breath, i was promised a call back the same day. Two days later, nothing at all... so on the phone again. I reluctantly agreed to send the proof of signiture again (i had taken a copy) and thought this would resolve the issue.

Nope, two more days and nothing. Now it was time to call trading standards, over 6 weeks had passed and there was no sign of a refund, and i had no router, no money to buy another one, so lots of unhappy housemates. Trading standards said they needed 24hours to examine the case, then they would get back to me. They did so, and said yes, they would call ebuyer to investigate. Later that day, trading standards phoned me back to say that ebuyer had told them they had never received the parcel, or any proof of signiture from me.

So, i phoned ebuyer AGAIN... this time they knew that i had complained to trading standards, and miraculously they found the proof of signiture, but said they couldn't have associated it with me because i didn't provide a covering letter. Which of course, i did. At this point i was absolutely fuming and informed ebuyer i was going to issue a rit against that and wanted the postal address to have it delivered to. The agent got me to hold while she went to find out. Funnily enough, when she came back they had refunded the money onto my credit card. I wasn't happy with this though... so i asked for the address anyway with the intention of legal action to recover the costs of my postage/phone calls etc and the agent refused to give it to me. Onto a manager again, told them the whole story. 'Which valerie was it you spoke to?' i was asked, i don't know, she said she was the only one there. 'well you have to understand we are a very large organisation and there is likely to be more than one valerie.' At this point i was scared that i would break something or somebody in my house, so i said '**** this for a laugh, **** you, **** your company, see you in court' and hung up. I know it was harsh, but you can understand my frustration.

To this day, i have not recovered the money, got a solicitor i know to write to them to demand the money and threaten legal action, but they never replied, looks like that got lost in the post too

cost of posting item back: £5.60
cost of sending proof of signiture: 56p
cost of phone calls: £23.

It would have been cheaper for me to get a taxi to the nearest pcworld and buy it from there!!!!

So my advice... insight and dabs, much better than ebuyer.

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by monkeybreath

<snip>

We're having a similar problem with Dabs at the moment, you leave a message with details of the problem, and you get an automated response. You try again and get the same, finally you get a real person emailing you back to ask what the problem is (detailed in all the replied from us to them)

Then you mail them back and they don't bother to respond. We rang their 0845 number to be told by an answer machine that they no longer take ANY phone calls. I found another number for them (0800) but when I got through the lady on the other end of the phone seemed very startled, almost as though that number shouldn't be working!! She then went and cut me off. I'm now at the point where I just cant be bothered anymore, if it wasn't for the printer sat in the spare room and my other half complaining that it doesn't work I'd jack it all in.

I think the next step is going to have to be a recorded letter

[Bifta]

Originally Posted by monkeybreath

<snip>

Man, and I thought Ebuyer had messed me about! Speak to Citizens Advice (save your money) and see if you are able to take them to county court, I've been waiting for an RMA number for a motherboard delivered DOA for over a year now, I gave up a long time ago. (Oh, and expect a lot of replies from people that say "I use Ebuyer at home and at work and I've never had a problem" because that will really make you feel so much better about them )

[KingPhoenix]

lol..... Well here comes 1 Bifta

Ive used Ebuyer for quite some time now, spent just over £6000 with them in the last 2 years for personal products..... Due to their support level tho, wouldnt touch them for our work needs... we tend to go straight to supplier.....

Hope you get something sorted...... ive only ever had 1 experience with ebuyer, and theyve been pretty good.... Faulty HDD, DOA, they offered to send a next day replace and collect.... that was it no extra charges or anything

[paulyoung666]

weird how there can be such a difference in the quality of service , i think i will stick with my local computer shop / fair

[Jon T]

How come ebuyer are so slow at delivery, i ordered from them on Wednesday, and the earliest they could deliver is this coming Tusday, eh...WTF!!

I stick to www.scan.co.uk or www.aria.co.uk whenever possible.

When I had a clash with Ebuyer, I received an email stating " you threatened legal action.......so sue us!"

All because they decided I had damaged a motherboard and they wouldnt replace it. I explained that they were being pathetic, why would I damage a motherboard and ask for a replacement board of the same type?

I do still use them, only because they are so cheap. And I know now form speaking to trading standards about them how to deal with it, send them a letter, give them a max of 21 days to put things right, if no response send to trading standards. It makes no difference if they have seen the letter or not, if royal mail have a signature then it has been delivered. If ebuyer have taken no action Trading standards will contact them on your behalf.

Also the ****e they spout about their warranty is crap, the items have a 1 years manufacture warranty on them. Ebuyer send them for repair after a 28 days i think. Thats illegal, your contract is with Ebuyer, not the manufacturer. I was quite alarmed when trading standards informed me of that. Ebuyer should replace the item and then send the faulty ones back for replacement themselves.

[Bifta]

Originally Posted by Jon T

How come ebuyer are slow slow at delivery, i ordered from them on Wednesday, and the earliest they could deliver is this coming Tusday, eh...WTF!!

I stopped using Ebuyer a while back and switched back to overclock.co.uk, they're a fantastic company but they're still at the mercy of the couriers, I ordered something on Wednesday from them and it was due for delivery (having paid 15 quid + vat) the next day, Business Post (*spit*) decided that they couldn't be ar$ed delivering on Thursday and after speaking to someone very rude at my local (70+ miles away) depot I was told it'd get here yesterday, come 5pm it still hadn't turned up, I called them again and was told "the driver is ill" and that it "might" get delivered on Monday but they couldn't guarantee it (pretty good going for a "Guaranteed next day service"), I then called overclock who were very helpful and called the depot and told them to put it on a Saturday before 10.30am delivery ... I've yet to see whether it turns up as the tracking section of Business Post's site say's it's still in the warehouse and it takes at least 90 minutes to get from Belfast to Derry.

Originally Posted by Bifta

I stopped using Ebuyer a while back and switched back to overclock.co.uk, they're a fantastic company but they're still at the mercy of the couriers, I ordered something on Wednesday from them and it was due for delivery (having paid 15 quid + vat) the next day, Business Post (*spit*) decided that they couldn't be ar$ed delivering on Thursday and after speaking to someone very rude at my local (70+ miles away) depot I was told it'd get here yesterday, come 5pm it still hadn't turned up, I called them again and was told "the driver is ill" and that it "might" get delivered on Monday but they couldn't guarantee it (pretty good going for a "Guaranteed next day service"), I then called overclock who were very helpful and called the depot and told them to put it on a Saturday before 10.30am delivery ... I've yet to see whether it turns up as the tracking section of Business Post's site say's it's still in the warehouse and it takes at least 90 minutes to get from Belfast to Derry.

I have found DABS.COM to be the best for delivery, they use royal mail parcel force. I ordered after 6pm one night, standard delivery, it arrived before 10am the next morning.

[Jon T]

Sounds very similar to my problems with Inital Citylink, but saying that my experience of Business Post is not good either, was told by BP that they could not find my address, "it must be a new estate, and therfore not on the A to Z maps yet", I replied "get some new maps, the estate's only been built about 12 years".

Originally Posted by timewarrior2001

I have found DABS.COM to be the best for delivery, they use royal mail parcel force. I ordered after 6pm one night, standard delivery, it arrived before 10am the next morning.

yes, dabs delivery is good, but their returns policy smells of poo!

Jon

[Bifta]

Heh, I've just called Business Post, apparently they have no idea where the van is from yesterday and consequently have no idea when my parcel is going to be delivered. That's pretty impressive for a "Guaranteed Next Day Delivery" I guess it's true, tomorrow and next day never come.

[imback]

To balance the thread I have to say I have used both ebuyer and dabs a lot and never had any problems, although I have never returned anyting to dabs.

[Halcyon]

I believe you can get that router from Amazon for near to the same price.

They are reliable so I'l go with them.

[Semi On]

Wow, that sucks. I've used Ebuyer 3 times and found their delivery to be prompt. I had to return an Antec PSU which melted my floppy, but that went smoothly, too.

[Avatar]

My last expierence of ebuyer was when a mate bought a case and psu of them.....we managed to blow 3 cpus before we found out the psu was faulty, the replaced the case, but they have been processing the cpus for a 3 months now, we have looked into it and as they supplied the faulty equipment which blew the cpus they are liable for them....they don't want to see it this way as the cpus where not bought from them.