Terrible -- avoid shopping here!
Written: Dec 15 '05
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I was excited to order a Britax Regent car seat from BabyUniverse. It is quite an investment for $239 but it will last a number of years so I placed my order on October 30th and BabyUniverse said it would be in stock to ship on November 1st. On November 3rd I wrote to their customer service department to check on the status and was told it would be in stock at the end of November.
I emailed them on December 5th to check the status and told them that if they couldn't ship it right away then to cancel my order.
On December 7th I receive a generic/mass email that they "seemed to have over sold" the item and they expected it to be back in stock by December 14th. The email said if I could wait on the item then to do nothing or I could reply back with "cancel order" in the subject line.
I wrote back explaining that I hadn't heard from them concerning my December 5th email, to go ahead and cancel this order and my complete disatisfaction with their customer service.
The Federal Trade Commission has a "30 day rule" that pretty much says a company has to ship an order in 30 days or let the customer know it won't be shipped and provide a full refund. My frustration stems from the fact that they charged my credit card $239.00 the day I placed my order and did not notify me of delayed shipment within 30 days.
The email I received on the 7th is well over a week past this 30 day rule.
I have a serious problem with a company that charges a customer when the order is placed and not when the order is shipped. All of the online merchants I use charge my credit card the day they ship an item and not before. I feel like BabyUniverse floated on my $239 for well over a month before notifiying me of their internal problems and inability to fill my order.
I have no problem waiting for an order so long as the company I've ordered from doesn't charge me for it until they actually ship it. In the past I've waited for months on a shipment from a large bookseller because they kept me informed of the delays asking my permission to keep waiting and they didn't charge me until the book finally shipped.
I suggest BabyUniverse (and I said this in my email to them) put their shipping rules on their Website. I have looked all over their site and nowhere is there a link to information explaining to customers that they charge your credit card as soon as you place an order and not when it is shipped. Most large online retailers have their shipping information clearly spelled out on their sites.
I have not been pleased at all with the service I received from BabyUniverse and I recommend others find somewhere else to shop until BabyUniverse changes their charge/shipping rule.
One last thing -- I checked BabyUniverse today and the car seat they said would probably ship on December 14th now shows that it won't be in stock until January 14th. So, if I had replied that I could wait on my order they would have my $239 for another month before letting me know that it wouldn't ship until January 14th.
If you value customer service and honesty from a company you won't find it here.
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Britax Regent Car Seat
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Epinions.com ID:
caroliner
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Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 7 members
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