Online Shopping: A steal or a risk?
I did this post quite some time back but forgot to post it! =p
I have always been buying items from online shopping, be it clothes or accessories. It's simply too convenient, in the comfort of your home. Most of the time, the items are also cheaper than the retail price, which is really a steal.
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I have always been buying items from online shopping, be it clothes or accessories. It's simply too convenient, in the comfort of your home. Most of the time, the items are also cheaper than the retail price, which is really a steal.
In one of my encounter, I ordered an instock dress from one of the online shop. At the same time, I also made an order for a backorder. As such, I requested to post the 2 items together after the backorder arrived.
To complicate matters, my internet transfer was not smooth sailing. I had to call DBS before settling the payment method.
Well, I thought finally everything was settled and happily waited for my purchase.
Weeks went by and still, I dint receive my items. I had always trusted their efficiency and so I dint really check the status until recently. Then I realized, my items were way overdue. I sent email to enquire and apparently, my package was missed out.
I have listed down the sequence of events to elaborate how crappy it was:
July 11: Email confirmation from seller for the instock order
July 12: Payment transfer made for instock & backorder. Note that the requirement for payment is to be made within 24 hours.
July 17: Email to seller to reconfirm orders
For those who have never done backorder before, usually backordes will require a waiting time of 2-3 weeks after payment is made.
Aug 25: Email to seller to inform non receipt of both items.
Aug 27: Email from seller to inform that she will mail me the items on monday
The seller assured me that she would send out the week itself. But why was this done only after I emailed them to inform of my non-receipt? Obviously, this was an oversight but there was no apologies offered.
The items available were based on orders from customers, meaning there should be extra. I had made my enquiry much later, but yet the seller assured me that the items were available. If the quantity was just right, the seller should have find it weird to have extra orders at the time she had made the mass mailing. Why dint she check whose package is missed out until I sent an email to enquire. Even if it was meant to have extras, they ought to tally the orders and the mail out.
Sept 3: Email to seller again to inform non receipt of both items
When I kept checking with the seller what to expect next since I never received the items. The answer was simply " the package was mailed out last week with a big smiling icon". How annoying. I would prefer a formal reply to state clearly that there will be no refund, and I'm suppose to suck my thumb. I dun mean to be rude, but I would be the one at the losing end now and the big smiling icon seemed to be mocking at me, instead of being friendly.
Sept 11:Email to seller to check when the items were mailed out. ( there were other correspondences in between)
Ya ya, either SingPost was super inefficient and needed more than a week to delivery the items in Singapore, or the seller was simply answering me without really checking whether the items were mailed out. How irresponsible!
Sept 11:Email from seller to inform that package was mailed out last week
Sept 13: Only backorder was received. Email to seller to enquire and to request for refund ( since the instock item was not received)
Obviously, this was an omission right? Cant be SingPost decided to take out the instock item and just sent me the backorder item right? And if there was an omission of the orders, shouldn't the seller take initiative to offer me alternatives before I even prompted? You mean, if I dun ask, she can just tiam tiam ( kept silent) and hoped that I jolly well forget it?
Sept 17: Emailed seller again since there was no reply
Sept 20: Seller replied that the instock had defects
WTF? If there was defect and the good cannot be delivered, you jolly well inform me! No initiative on her part and definitely irresponsible.
How about the part that states that refunds will be made if items are out of stock??
Sept 20: Email to seller that I prefer a refund
Sept 22: Resent email to state that I have yet to receive the refund
Sept 23: Email from seller to request for my account number
WTFFFFFF again??? You mean you have to wait for days before you realised that you cant refund without my account numbers??? The seller should have my account number since I had made my transfer to her 2 months ago, and I must have sent a few emails stating my account number.
Again, where's the initiative??
Sept 23: Email to seller my a/c number AGAIN
Sept 23: Email from seller to inform that the transfer will be made that night
What's new? No refund received again.
Sept 27: Email to seller to reiterate that I haven't receive the refund
Sept 28: Email from seller that the transaction failed, so she needed to use her partner's POSB account to do direct transfer that night.
Question, why do the buyer needs to make payment within 24 hours, while the refund is only made 2 months ( or more) later?
Com'on, am I a fool? For internet transfer of same bank, it should be immediate, while to other bank, at most 3 days. Unless she transferred from POSB to foreign country then back to POSB Singapore. Otherwise, I really cannot comprehend what causes the delay??
It's not a lot of money, less than $30. If the seller having some cashflow problems, why does she need to defer and defer my refund?
July 11: Email confirmation from seller for the instock order
July 12: Payment transfer made for instock & backorder. Note that the requirement for payment is to be made within 24 hours.
July 17: Email to seller to reconfirm orders
For those who have never done backorder before, usually backordes will require a waiting time of 2-3 weeks after payment is made.
Aug 25: Email to seller to inform non receipt of both items.
Aug 27: Email from seller to inform that she will mail me the items on monday
The seller assured me that she would send out the week itself. But why was this done only after I emailed them to inform of my non-receipt? Obviously, this was an oversight but there was no apologies offered.
The items available were based on orders from customers, meaning there should be extra. I had made my enquiry much later, but yet the seller assured me that the items were available. If the quantity was just right, the seller should have find it weird to have extra orders at the time she had made the mass mailing. Why dint she check whose package is missed out until I sent an email to enquire. Even if it was meant to have extras, they ought to tally the orders and the mail out.
Sept 3: Email to seller again to inform non receipt of both items
When I kept checking with the seller what to expect next since I never received the items. The answer was simply " the package was mailed out last week with a big smiling icon". How annoying. I would prefer a formal reply to state clearly that there will be no refund, and I'm suppose to suck my thumb. I dun mean to be rude, but I would be the one at the losing end now and the big smiling icon seemed to be mocking at me, instead of being friendly.
Sept 11:Email to seller to check when the items were mailed out. ( there were other correspondences in between)
Ya ya, either SingPost was super inefficient and needed more than a week to delivery the items in Singapore, or the seller was simply answering me without really checking whether the items were mailed out. How irresponsible!
Sept 11:Email from seller to inform that package was mailed out last week
Sept 13: Only backorder was received. Email to seller to enquire and to request for refund ( since the instock item was not received)
Obviously, this was an omission right? Cant be SingPost decided to take out the instock item and just sent me the backorder item right? And if there was an omission of the orders, shouldn't the seller take initiative to offer me alternatives before I even prompted? You mean, if I dun ask, she can just tiam tiam ( kept silent) and hoped that I jolly well forget it?
Sept 17: Emailed seller again since there was no reply
Sept 20: Seller replied that the instock had defects
WTF? If there was defect and the good cannot be delivered, you jolly well inform me! No initiative on her part and definitely irresponsible.
How about the part that states that refunds will be made if items are out of stock??
Sept 20: Email to seller that I prefer a refund
Sept 22: Resent email to state that I have yet to receive the refund
Sept 23: Email from seller to request for my account number
WTFFFFFF again??? You mean you have to wait for days before you realised that you cant refund without my account numbers??? The seller should have my account number since I had made my transfer to her 2 months ago, and I must have sent a few emails stating my account number.
Again, where's the initiative??
Sept 23: Email to seller my a/c number AGAIN
Sept 23: Email from seller to inform that the transfer will be made that night
What's new? No refund received again.
Sept 27: Email to seller to reiterate that I haven't receive the refund
Sept 28: Email from seller that the transaction failed, so she needed to use her partner's POSB account to do direct transfer that night.
Question, why do the buyer needs to make payment within 24 hours, while the refund is only made 2 months ( or more) later?
Com'on, am I a fool? For internet transfer of same bank, it should be immediate, while to other bank, at most 3 days. Unless she transferred from POSB to foreign country then back to POSB Singapore. Otherwise, I really cannot comprehend what causes the delay??
It's not a lot of money, less than $30. If the seller having some cashflow problems, why does she need to defer and defer my refund?
I guess that's the risk of online purchases. You wont exactly know whether the purchased item is really lost in mail or simply, never mail out. The only choice is probably to pay extra for the registered mail. Blame it on my luck and I probably cut down on my online purchases or probably I should stop totally. Hmm... Any of you have such bad luck?
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