Back in February I purchased an ESI gigaport USB sound card from djdeals.com needless to say it’s almost May and I am still without a soundcard. after weeks of trying to correct the non delivery they have proceeded to ignore my request for a fair transaction. They kept the money and said they are no longer responsible. Furthermore, i filed a complaint to the BBB (which they also ignored).
Any suggestions on how I can attempt to salvage my money and or soundcard. I know its not a terrible monetary loss but, Im a nearly penniless student so this was somewhat heartbreaking to lose that money.
The card was purchased with my checking card. (does this give any sort of leverage?)
and djdeals.com is claiming the item was successfully delivered to a random address in santa cruz C.A. I emailed them for weeks before the delivery that this was not my address. They responded and said that the problem was corrected and the item was on it’s way. needless to say that item never made it and they still refuse all my attempts to contact them.
also i dont believe it was shipped with insurace? how would i check? I cant find anything regarding insurance in the tracking information
One more thing. They no longer use telephone communication so i cant call them. thier customer service at djdeals.com is limited to only emails. I know this should have been the canary in the coal mine!
If you used ur check card, call your bank…you are limited to dispute an item up 60 days after you were billed for the item. Most banks atleast in the US will honor your dispute after the 60 day period if you have been a longtime customer of the bank and they will handle the dispute process for you. What usually happenes is the bank contacts the merchant, you get the item credit back to your acct while the dispute is being worked on. It usually take 30days for the merchant to get back to the bank, if they dont its in ur favorite. Most banks will not even deal with merchants if the item is under a certain dollar amt. If the item was under $150 chances are they will just credit your acct. and move one, cuz it cost the bank alot more money to pay someone to dispute the item then just waiving it on ur acct. But you need to call right now! Do wait, cuz time is ticking away.
I agree with JesC. If that doesn’t work and you have the tracking info, contact the shipping vendor. If the tracking info has the wrong address its ultimately the vendors problem. If it is correct then you need to be bitching at the shipping company. Call your bank and ask them for help/advice.
I used to work for a company that sold and shipped car parts nationally.
yelling at them is the worst thing you can do. it makes them angry and less likely to work with you. you have to be honest, upfront. speak with a person, dont yell and be civil. always ask, what can you do for me here? if it is unacceptable, tell them and if they dont like it, ask for a manager. go as high as you can go and if not, call up your bank (if it is a visa card this will work) and contest the charge.
There is no sarcasim in what I’m about to say. Use the power of the internet to find out who the Executives of the company are. Write it down. Look for the phone number for the main office. Not customer service. Call when they are closed. They will likely have an automated system that uses ext #s or last names. If it is last names, start with smith or other likely names until you get a hit. If it is extension #s start in the 2000s. The idea here is to be able to call back when open and bipass the operator and go directly to executives voice mail. So you’ll have to figure out the particulars on your own.
Once you get a verified ext #, you’ll know how the system works and you can start dialing other numbers in the same line,i.e. 2101, 2102, 2103, etc.
Once inside the sytem, you’ll need to leave as many voicemails as possible until you find someone high up the food chain enough to consider giving you back your money easier than listening to you. Your voicemails should sound something like this, “I’m very sorry to bother you with something so petty. I’m sure you have more important work to do than bother with my little problems.” This generally elicits the response of, “No, you’re just as important to us as any other customer.” That is what you want to hear.
If you try the above to no avail. Then it’s on to step two. Actually I do both anyway.
Step 2- Take those names you wrote down and get on the internet and start looking through free white pages for phone numbers (you can call information as well.) You’ll know where to look…the area around the corporate office. Once you get the numbers wait until the weekend. Executives hate to have to deal with work on the weekend. Use your judgement about when to call. If they are really pissing you off, I suggest sunday morning at 7 am. Use the same statement I gave you already when you talk to them. If you get answering machines or voicemail, just say what I told you and add that you are looking for the “john” who works at blank. Make sure you constantly apologise for bothering them with something so petty. This forces them to point out YOUR importance.
You can also try all of the above steps, but with one big change…go to that companies competitors. Quiet often, people at these companies know each other. They will often give you info, like cell phone numbers. If you get a cell phone number, the best time to call and get what you want is Friday or Sat night at about 7pm. Dates, family night, etc.
As a last resort, try searching the internet for others who have had the same problem as you. Try searching for the words “Court case”, “civil suit” etc. with the names you’ve found. If you can find someone involved in a case with either the company or an individual who works there. You’ll generally find them ready to tell you any info they know, like cell phone numbers.
surefire way to get a restraining order pulled out against you.
this will piss them off, which you dont want trust me. in the past, my manager has told customers that there is nothing that can be done and that if they insist on calling anymore, that we would have the police visit them. its called harassment and it is illegal in the States.
I think I emphasized apologizing for bothering them over everything else. I’ve used this method many times. And in ALL cases, the people I dealt with were glad to have it(an unhappy customer) brought to their attention. Businesses are generally in business to please their customers, not make them mad. You take no for an answer all you want, but when I spend my money, I expect to have a smile on my face at the end of the day.
Let’s see what this has gotten so far. My money back on that very day(several times). Two free pairs of headphones for my trouble. Lots of free cables, free slipmats, you want me to go on. Here’s what the sign says on the wall of my dad’s office (a place that has been in busines since 1968);
“It cost’s more money to get a new customer than it does to keep an old one.”
It fact, I have never once heard, “don’t call back.” Please tell us all where you work so we can avoid it.
Thats the worst advice ive ever read.
Funny but certainly bad.
Phone Call:
MD: “hello”
Guy: “ive bought this thing and it hasnt arrived”
MD: “why are you ringing me at dinner time, how did you get this number”
Guy: “i got it from some guy, i want a refund”
MD: “and i want to eat my dinner in peace, fuck off or ill phone the police”
In the UK this is phone harassment if you keep ringing and the Police will pay you a little visit.
