Dealing with difficult retailer, advice please

Steedie

Steedie

Steedie

Man of Honour
Joined
29 Jun 2004
Posts
21,621
Location
Oxfordshire
Hey guys,

I'm having a bit of a nightmare with an online retailer and just wanted some advice

I've been looking at buying a sim rig recently and sent a message through this websites live chat system, ended up being the owner as I think he's a one man band. Spoke to him for ages, about a week going back and forth on emails. He was super helpful, recommending this and that, telling me what is best to buy with the bits I wanted, and what else I could look at instead. Not even trying to upsell me, sometimes recommending cheaper stuff so he was just genuinely being helpful and was really friendly to deal with. He'd reply almost instantly and I'd get 3-4 emails a day from him.

31st March and I place the order, about £4k worth, through PayPal as he didn't take Amex. I emailed him asking if everything went through ok and when it would likely be shipped so I can make sure someone is in the day it's due. Didn't hear anything but this was Friday lunchtime so thought he may just be busy or finished for the day. I wasn't in any rush so didn't worry about it. Monday and I didn't hear anything still so emailed him again lunch time. Nothing. Tuesday morning I finally get a response saying it was shipped and he'll send the tracking out to me, he didn't. Later that day, one of the components arrived, the cheapest one so again, I wasn't worried as it seemed he did ship it.

Next day and nothing arrived. I emailed for the tracking, because I wanted to at least know when to expect it so I was in or someone else was. No response. This was so frustrating as leading up to the sale, he was so quick to reply to everything. Thursday, half the bits arrive, but they are all useless without the other half so couldn't even do anything with them.

He called me out the blue and said it should all arrive and ParcelForce are just being slow. He told me to use his direct number to contact him in future. Which I tried to do...never responded to that either. I eventually got the tracking but it was clear he had copied and pasted the same tracking link 3 times and just changed the end number, as 2 of the 3 links weren't recognised by ParcelForce and just invalid tracking numbers but the tracking box was pre-filled with the first links tracking number each time. Text and emailed him about this as I was getting concerned now and no response

Fast forward to Tuesday and I text and emailed him, politely just asking for an update as ParcelForce don't recognise those numbers and I have no clue what's going on. He just texts me saying ParcelForce are at fault, not him and there's nothing he can do. That's it, I've asked what the next steps are and if I can get a refund for the missing bits and he can raise a claim through ParcelForce so he gets his money back to. Surprise, surprise...no response

I don't know what else to do. I called the ParcelForce depot last night to check the numbers and they have no clue about them. Anything for my address has been delivered and they don't have anything else in their system.

Shall I just raise a case through PayPal or can I do anything else first? I get the feeling PayPal will just tell me to wait x number of days first as 2 weeks isn't that long. It's properly stressing me out, just because I can't get hold of the guy and get any kind of update. I don't believe he's sent the missing items at all, and he's just fobbing me off.

Thanks
 
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You can't raise a PayPal claim this soon, I don't think.

But yes, after the whatever time period it needs to pass first, raise a claim with PayPal. If PayPal don't play ball, then Amex...I hope you linked PayPal with Amex...then that's your 2nd line of defence.
 
I would politely contact him one more time and say if you do not get some more detaied Comms from him (or the missing parts) you will have to put in a PayPal dispute. also is he a registered business with any form of online profile? a bad review is something these people do not want esp if they have a presence on simrig forums etc (he probably will if he is legit SimHQ is the one I know of but there are likely others
 
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bigmike20vt said:
I would politely contact him one more time and say if you do not get some more detaied Comms from him (or the missing parts) you will have to put in a PayPal dispute. also is he a registered business with any form of online profile? a bad review is something these people do not want esp if they have a presence on simrig forums etc (he probably will if he is legit SimHQ is the one I know of but there are likely others
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Yeah, that's the last email I sent to him yesterday, asking for a refund or if that can't be done, I'll raise a PayPal dispute. Again, I was polite about it and tried to word it in a way that suggested I wasn't completely pointing the finger. Hence, also saying he could claim through ParcelForce as well.

hudson86 said:
Raise it with paypal now, even if its officially too early, you may not be the only one with cases against him.
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I've just done this. On the PayPal app it doesn't let you, but through their website, you can create it whenever so I've just opened the case. It said they've emailed him now so I wouldn't be surprised if I hear from him shortly
 
Steedie said:
Hey guys,

I'm having a bit of a nightmare with an online retailer and just wanted some advice

I've been looking at buying a sim rig recently and sent a message through this websites live chat system, ended up being the owner as I think he's a one man band. Spoke to him for ages, about a week going back and forth on emails. He was super helpful, recommending this and that, telling me what is best to buy with the bits I wanted, and what else I could look at instead. Not even trying to upsell me, sometimes recommending cheaper stuff so he was just genuinely being helpful and was really friendly to deal with. He'd reply almost instantly and I'd get 3-4 emails a day from him.

31st March and I place the order, about £4k worth, through PayPal as he didn't take Amex. I emailed him asking if everything went through ok and when it would likely be shipped so I can make sure someone is in the day it's due. Didn't hear anything but this was Friday lunchtime so thought he may just be busy or finished for the day. I wasn't in any rush so didn't worry about it. Monday and I didn't hear anything still so emailed him again lunch time. Nothing. Tuesday morning I finally get a response saying it was shipped and he'll send the tracking out to me, he didn't. Later that day, one of the components arrived, the cheapest one so again, I wasn't worried as it seemed he did ship it.

Next day and nothing arrived. I emailed for the tracking, because I wanted to at least know when to expect it so I was in or someone else was. No response. This was so frustrating as leading up to the sale, he was so quick to reply to everything. Thursday, half the bits arrive, but they are all useless without the other half so couldn't even do anything with them.

He called me out the blue and said it should all arrive and ParcelForce are just being slow. He told me to use his direct number to contact him in future. Which I tried to do...never responded to that either. I eventually got the tracking but it was clear he had copied and pasted the same tracking link 3 times and just changed the end number, as 2 of the 3 links weren't recognised by ParcelForce and just invalid tracking numbers but the tracking box was pre-filled with the first links tracking number each time. Text and emailed him about this as I was getting concerned now and no response

Fast forward to Tuesday and I text and emailed him, politely just asking for an update as ParcelForce don't recognise those numbers and I have no clue what's going on. He just texts me saying ParcelForce are at fault, not him and there's nothing he can do. That's it, I've asked what the next steps are and if I can get a refund for the missing bits and he can raise a claim through ParcelForce so he gets his money back to. Surprise, surprise...no response

I don't know what else to do. I called the ParcelForce depot last night to check the numbers and they have no clue about them. Anything for my address has been delivered and they don't have anything else in their system.

Shall I just raise a case through PayPal or can I do anything else first? I get the feeling PayPal will just tell me to wait x number of days first as 2 weeks isn't that long. It's properly stressing me out, just because I can't get hold of the guy and get any kind of update. I don't believe he's sent the missing items at all, and he's just fobbing me off.

Thanks
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Phone paypal up and tell them that he says he has shipped them but the shipping company says that the tracking is invalid. They will open a case immediately.
 
name and shamemate. If you don't want to publicly can you message e the name of the company. Been in the sim community for about 9 years, wondering if I can verify the company for you.
 
no way would i have sent the 4k in the first place i would have used OCUK or similar.

was it sent by goods and services or friends and family ?
 
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The way these things usually go, they try to drop ship at the cheapest price while delaying you in the meantime, spend the money you've paid them in the meantime because they have poor financial skills and lack of self-discipline, can't get the stuff or can't get it at the prices they'd been bargaining on, end up in debt and do a runner to France.
 
if the bits that did arrive had tracked postage from a credible address, then with the bank holiday delay on the remainder could be legit, only 8 days from Mon3rd when they processed order ?
with ebay tracking you often get a msg saying something is being sent to you and tracking # a day later.

presumably he has credible reviews/ forum testimonials
 
jpaul said:
if the bits that did arrive had tracked postage from a credible address, then with the bank holiday delay on the remainder could be legit, only 8 days from Mon3rd when they processed order ?
with ebay tracking you often get a msg saying something is being sent to you and tracking # a day later.

presumably he has credible reviews/ forum testimonials
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All bits were shipped on Monday 3rd according to him using ParcelForce 24H. Only one tracking link that he sent me worked, out of the 3 he sent, and the working one was what turned up. The others, I think, were just made up by him using copy and pasted links and him changing the URL, as ParcelForce doesn't recognise them and the depot say there is nothing on their system for my address that hasn't already been delivered.

I was giving him the benefit of the doubt last week, but this week with still no contact, and him ghosting me, that's gone.
 
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With stuff like this an awkward sellers i just message thru paypal, keeps all the info in one place and paypal can easily see whats been going on.

Makes a claim if required easier
 
Yea hate to say it but from the sounds of it this guy has no interest or intention of sorting this out.

I'm not familiar with PayPal but whatever process they have best go through that now, you've given that guy fair warning.
 
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You're being far too polite. Tell him straight up that you're escalating this due to poor service and lack of comms and will send the items back once you've had a refund.

I really wish people would stop rolling over for crap service, this is why people do it - they often get away with it.
 
Diddums said:
You're being far too polite. Tell him straight up that you're escalating this due to poor service and lack of comms and will send the items back once you've had a refund.

I really wish people would stop rolling over for **** service, this is why people do it - they often get away with it.
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100%

I'm always far too polite, the one time he did reply, I apologised for pestering haha. But now I've broken that seal and started the case, I feel a lot better and will happily tell him to do one.

Asetek, who make a lot of the stuff I've ordered, use his and one other company as the UK resellers so I told them this morning and they were quick to respond asking for all the details and what exactly has happened. They said they will escalate it with him immediately.
 
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