Dealing with difficult retailer, advice please

[Steedie]

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

 

[Steedie]

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

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.

Raise it with paypal now, even if its officially too early, you may not be the only one with cases against him.

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]

Ranty email/phone call incoming.

I hate conflict, but even just a ranty, abusive phone call would make me feel better knowing he's not completely ignoring me.

 

[Steedie]

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

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.

 

[Steedie]

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.

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.

 

[Steedie]

He either reads this forum, or the email from Asetek and/or Paypal spooked him as I just received an email saying he's shipped the missing bits, due on Friday

 

[Steedie]

I'm betting he didn't give a credible reason for the delay?

Apparently when he first shipped it, it ended up at his storage and not my address.

I just hope Friday is definitely the day and he’s not just fobbing me off and kicking the can down the road

 

[Steedie]

Yeah definitely seems that way, the tracking link that he sent in the new email is still unrecognised by Parcelforce as well, which...is exactly the issue I had all last week. So I won't get too excited for Friday just yet...

 

[Steedie]

why did you not by from here do OC not sell what you needed ?

No, OcUK sell the pedals but not the rest of the stuff I wanted. Otherwise I would have

Just get a refund. It doesn't sound promising.

I know how you feel though, any large sums of money spent, and when you get a rough service like this its not very nice at all.

If nothing turns up tomorrow then I will definitely just push for the refund, yeah. If I ask now, I'm sure he'll just say no because he's shipped it.

 

[Steedie]

Both of the Asetek resellers have good reviews on Trustpilot generally, but i'm guessing you've bought from the one with the couple of 1 star reviews about delivery delays, being fobbed off, poor comms, blocked on facebook etc.

Reading between the lines, it does sound very much like both of those companies are just order forwarding to the manufacturers rather than stock holding

That's the one although those bad reviews are from 2021 so I thought he'd changed

 

[Steedie]

The missing bits just arrived...so fingers crossed that's the end of it now. Raising a case worked, thank god I didn't pay with BT like he originally asked

 

[Steedie]

A £4k worth rig and you didn't use a proper retailer.

Lesson learnt - I hope.

Well the company has a good rep in the sim racing discord I'm in, which is why I went for them (or him should I say). The fact he was one of two resellers for the kit I wanted in the UK was another reason. With the deciding factor between the two companies, being price, get what you pay for I suppose