Even when shipping goes wrong ... Buy.com comes through!
Written: Jun 07 '04 (Updated Apr 02 '09)
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It could have been a disaster. Usually I don’t write reviews about a store that has received so much Epinions feedback. However, when something goes so wrong ... it’s nice to report how Buy.com handled the situation.
The Website
Buy.com won’t win a prize for innovative website design. However, the site is easy to navigate and the pages quickly load. If you know specifically what you are looking for, it is easy to locate items using the Search feature. Otherwise, the many categories offer a fun way to browse depending upon your interests. Buy.com sells a huge variety of merchandise at competitive prices.
Starting from the Top
Along the very top of the website are links for Free Shipping announcement (on qualified items), gift certificate purchases, shopping basket, account information, and a help link.
Below this are more links to visit individual categories: books, magazines, toys, music, music downloads, DVDs, games, sports, bags, today’s deals. And beneath these links are even more – computers, software, home networking, digital cameras, electronics, cellular, clearances ... and a link for more stores.
There are also links for Buy Magazine (an online digital magazine), low price guarantee, privacy policy and affiliates.
To the Left
The search engine is at the top left. When I typed in “Epson Scanner”, the search results returned 26 hits, including the Epson Perfection 2400 Scanner that I wished to purchase.
Beneath the search box is a list of category links to aid your shopping experience. These links are broken into categories with links beneath each category heading. The category headings include: Office & Electronics, Entertainment & Leisure, Bargains, More Stores.
In the Center
The top center of the home page is the most colorful image on the website. A block of images and text feature articles from Buy Magazine. Below this are individual images of products with brief descriptions, prices and links to view more information. Some of the products feature rebates for additional savings.
To the Right
The right side of the page offers advertising from various sources. Don’t worry if your monitor cuts off the right side of the page ... the only pertinent thing you might want to see is the top item which is the “Deal of the Day”. Each day one item is featured at a reduced price.
At the Bottom
More advertising graphics are at the bottom of the page. Of more interest are Buy.com links to help track your order, information on shipping and returns, as well as links to the help center.
Purchasing
Each product web page shows an image of the product. Sometimes images may not be available, but I haven’t encountered that problem too many times. There is also a link to click for viewing a larger photo of the item. If the item qualifies for free shipping, that information is listed in bright green above the price. There is also information that shows whether an item is in stock, and you can add the item to your wish list, or e-mail the page to a friend if you desire.
Customers can write reviews about each item, and the reviews are available for reading. Beneath this, Buy.com throws in some more advertising for products that might be of interest. Then a detailed product description and list of features is shown with other pertinent information.
Simply find the items you wish to purchase, select the quantity and click the “Buy Now” button. The items are added to the shopping basket. If you are purchasing a lot of a single item, there is a Volume Purchase link – however, you have to spend $10,000 or more to qualify.
It is easy to add or delete items out of the shopping basket. To delete an item, simply change the quantity to zero and click the Update button. The shopping basket always shows a running total of all the merchandise chosen to purchase. Before clicking the “Checkout” button, if you have a promotion code for further savings, enter it in the box beneath the order total. Then click the “Checout” button.
If you do not have a Buy.com account, the next screen walks you through the steps of setting one up. A variety of payments are accepted: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diner’s Club, Government Credit Card, Check, Money Order, Cashiers Check, or Wire Transfer.
Finish filling out the personal information, select payment, confirm your order and submit the order to complete the purchase. Within a short time an e-mail will arrive to confirm the order has been received and will be processed.
Shipping Charges
Buy.com charges a flat shipping fee with an additional small charge for each item purchased. There are also four shipping speeds: Budget Shipping (7-9 business days), Standard Shipping (3-5 business days), Two-Day shipping (2 business days), One-Day shipping (1 business day).
An example of Budget shipping for books or VHS tapes is a flat fee of $1.95 with an additional 45-cent charge for each item. Standard shipping for the same items compares at a $2.95 flat fee with an additional charge of 95-cents per item.
If you are fortunate to qualify for free shipping, the order will ship via the Budget Shipping method. Should you need the order to arrive quicker, you can forfeit the free shipping to pay for quicker delivery.
My Experiences
I have ordered from Buy.com for many years without trouble. They have always provided great value and quick shipping ... until now.
My brother had purchased an Epson Perfection 2400 Scanner from newegg.com for $130.95, and he knew I was in the market for a new scanner. A few weeks later (after he made a Buy.com purchase) Buy.com sent him a $10.00 coupon to pass along to a friend ... my brother thought of me. The scanner was listed on Buy.com for $130.94, so with the $10 coupon, the price came to $120.94. That’s a great deal! So I added the item to the Shopping Basket and made the purchase. Better yet, the item qualified for free Budget Shipping.
A short time later I received an e-mail confirming the purchase. I placed the order on Friday and on Monday received an e-mail notification that the scanner had shipped. I went to the Buy.com website and tracked the order to see who would deliver it and when it would arrive. Buy.com provided a convenient tracking link to the Fed-X website where I learned the scanner would be delivered the next day! I saw the scanner was being sent from Pennsylvania, and since I lived in Massachusetts, it could understand the quick arrival time.
The next day I checked the Fed-X link and learned the scanner had been loaded on a truck for delivery that day. When the delivery did not arrive, I checked the Fed-X website again and saw that the package was still listed on the truck ... however, the delivery day had been deleted. Very strange.
Then I remembered the scanner had been shipped via Budget Shipping. Technically, the scanner had up to seven business days to arrive at my house. I thought that maybe Fed-X had a lot of overnight or second-day shipments to make and perhaps had bumped my lesser-priority shipping to another day. Every day I checked the Fed-X website. A delivery date never appeared, and the information never changed ... always showing the scanner loaded on a truck for delivery. As you can imagine, I started to worry.
My first thought was to contact Buy.com. That’s when I learned that Budget Shipping had a few strings attached to it. When something from Buy.com ships via Budget Shipping, you cannot report a claim until 21 days from the time the item has shipped. A lot can happen in 21 days! The Buy.com website was unhelpful, too. No matter how I tried to report the missing shipment, a notice displayed saying that I had to wait 13 more days before reporting a lost shipment. And I couldn’t locate a telephone number for Buy.com on the website. All contact information is controlled by forms ... and for my situation, no matter how I tried to fill in the form, it always came back with a message saying not enough time had elapsed and to try sending the form after the appropriate amount of time had passed.
Well, I’m not one to let a new scanner float around in limbo for 21 days. So I called Fed-X. Armed with the Fed-X tracking number, I talked with a helpful representative who verified that the package had been loaded on the truck but that the tracking trail ended there. She initiated internal tracking to locate the scanner and I was given a Case Number. I followed up with Fed-X the next day, and was transferred to two more people within Fed-X. The gentleman I spoke with suggested I contact Buy.com to begin a claims procedure. Fed-X had no idea where the package was but continued to look for it.
I tried the Buy.com website again but could not locate a phone number for them. After digging through an internet search, I located one (877-780-2464).
I spoke with a Buy.com customer service representative and explained the situation to her. She was incredibly friendly and helpful. Due to the circumstances, and my Fed-X research, Buy.com agreed to send me an immediate scanner replacement and initiate a claim with Fed-X. I gave her my Fed-X Case Number to speed their claims process. There were no additional charges to have the scanner shipped a second time.
Within a week, I received the new scanner. Fed-X delivered it and asked if the first scanner had arrived. No, it had not. I thought it interesting that the Fed-X delivery person then asked if the first scanner arrived at my house, did I want to keep it or have Fed-X return it to the sender. I told him to return it to the sender.
I was surprised to see that the scanner had arrived in the Epson scanner carton ... no additional packaging or padding. Just the Epson scanner box wrapped with clear packing tape to keep it closed during shipping. I asked my brother if newegg.com had shipped his scanner the same way, and they did. Opening the scanner, I installed it ... and thankfully it works fine.
Summary
I have shopped for years from Buy.com without a problem. Not until this situation did I realize that the only communication offered through their website is via a mail address or online forms that are filled out. Would I still purchase items using their Budget Shipping method? Yes. This is my only problem in years of doing business with them, and once I located a telephone number for Buy.com, their helpful customer service representative did her best to complete my order. I’m a happy customer. What could have been a huge problem, turned into a Happily Ever After.
I hope you have found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Additional Information -- Updated April 2, 2009
I have not shopped at this site for awhile now, but after reading all the unhappy reviews with Buy.com, I decided to include their most recent telephone number:
Phone: 1-800-800-0800
www.buy.com
Please read my other reviews:
Gateway 500X Computer
Belkin Emergency UPS Battery Backup
Dazzle 6-in-1 Multimedia Reader
Logitech Cordless Elite Duo Keyboard & Optical Mouse
Logitech Freedom Cordless Keyboard & Optical Mouse
Logitech Mouseman Cordless Optical Mouse
Hoyle Table Games for 2004 (computer software)
Hoyle Card Games for 2003 (computer software)
Fellowes Magnetic Copy Holder
Sharp Solar Calculator with built-in battery backup
Craftsman 2D Flashlight
Cramer Stop-Step Aluminum Ladder with Hand Rail
Copyright 2004 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Epson Scanner
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About the Author
Location: Massachusetts -- USA
Reviews written: 1516
Trusted by: 352 members
About Me: Always looking for quality at bargain prices. Author of: Mist-Seer and Harriet's Horrible Hair Day.
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