Easy to Order; IMPOSSIBLE to reach Customer Service... BAD record with Better Business Bureau!
Written: Dec 19 '06 (Updated Jan 05 '08)
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| Full Review |
Easy to order.
Good when things go smoothly...
but, TOTALLY LACKING in customer service when there's a problem.
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Alibris.com is a main storefront for a massive network of independent booksellers with mostly used books. They offer most any book you can imagine. There is a rating system in place which helps you identify the condition of the book you will receive and book prices vary accordingly.
I've ordered before through Alibris.com with no trouble at all. I guess I was lucky.
But, just over one month ago, my luck apparently ran out when I placed an order through Alibris for an out-of-print book as a special Christmas gift.
Shortly after ordering, I received an 'order confirmation' e-mail.
The next day, I received an 'order shipped' e-mail. The e-mail contained a notice that standard shipping could take 1 to 2 weeks for delivery. No problem, Christmas was 6 weeks away.
Two weeks went by and no book. I waited another week since it was during the Thanksgiving holiday. Still, no book.
I went to the Alibris website to inquire about my order. The process sent me through FAQ's that showed to allow up to 30 days for delivery. A further note shows they cannot refund for packages reported missing after 45 days.
This past week, the 30 day mark was reached, so I attempted to more seriously pursue this matter and have discovered much to my dismay that Alibris has made themselves rather unreachable; quite frankly, they hide.
The only e-mail they have is a form at the website, not an actual e-mail address.
They have no customer service 800# number except for a toll-number in California that goes to a machine that will only verify the status of your order- no real people. This number costs customers to call and gives information no different than what can be found on the website. Why do they even bother?
The only true contact they seem to have is a mailing address but I (like most would be) was not interested. So, I went with the fill-in-the-form option. I sent messages to both Alibris and the bookseller. I am assuming my messages were delivered; I received an acknowledgment for the forms to Alibris, but nothing for the messages sent to the seller.
Today, 35 days and 4 e-mails later (2 each to Alibris and the bookseller, The Winding Road), I've received no response to my inquiries and still have no book.
Essentially giving up on any type of customer service from Alibris, I've chosen to instead file a dispute with American Express. (Their response was instantaneous... a quick question/answer form online and they've already credited back my account and will be taking up the issue with Alibris... well, if they can get a response from them, I suppose.)
Now, at least, I have my money back, but unfortunately I will not be able to give the gift I had hoped to...
And I won't be ordering through Alibris again.
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12/28: It's now 16 days after my first complaint to Alibris.com and the bookseller and still no reply from either. My guess is that I will not be receiving any response, at all.
Completely disappointing.
Completely unprofessional.
From now on, I will stick with my favorite online used book site: www.abebooks.com
Besides, Abebooks has better prices (even with the some of the same sellers as Alibris).
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1/20: A month later, still no response from anyone.
It's confirmed: Alibris is as lousy as lousy gets.
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1/31: I'm updating one final time to provide proof that mine is not an isolated incident. Check out Alibris' record with the Better Business Bureau. Poor customer service seems to be their strong trait.
http://www.goldengatebbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=17525
http://data.renobbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=5001204
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As far as Abebooks goes... never mind.
(see my Abebooks.com review on epinions for details.)
They are now no different than Alibris.
What a bummer.
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? used book
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About the Author
Location: Sparks, Nevada, USA
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me: I am a stay-at-home mom. I love finding good deals, especially on good products!
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