Problems with Deal Extreme

Peig Sayers

A long story! On 15th November I ordered a phone and protection screen from Deal Extreme. On Tuesday, 20th I received this e-mail: Apologies for the delay -- we are still trying to fulfill your recent order placed with us. Delayed orders are typically shipped within three days from the date of this notice. If you prefer, you may cancel your order by following the instructions provided below. Otherwise, we will continue working on your order while keeping you updated every three days.

On the 26th Nov I receive this e-mail: Apologies that your order is put on hold because the product is temporarily unavailable from our warehouse. We will ship out the item as soon as it becomes available again. In the meantime, please feel free to write to us requesting for a refund on this item instead of waiting.

On 27th I asked when it might be available and got this reply: The item 3534 is ready , but item 5179 is no stock,and we are not sure when it's available pls let me know if you would like to change the item5179 to item6037,we will refund the difference, or add it in your next order. I said I did not want to change my order and I wanted a refund. I then got this e-mail: Your order has been shipped from the fulfillment center. Delivery time is about 7 to 10 working days, as quoted by the post office.

On the 6th Dec I received the protective sleeve in a registered package but no phone. I asked where it was and got this reply: Sorry for this inconvenience. But i just checked the order, it had been shipped on 11/27/2007 11:16:31 AM , tracking number is RA211990805HK , which means you will receive it before Christmas. Great, I think, and waited for it to arrive and then I get another e-mail : Apologize that sku: 5179 will be unavailable for 2 months more based on the market supply, would you please kindly inform us if you are willing to wait for it? if you don't want to wait for it, please feel free to request for a refund.

Now I'm furious & asked for a refund. Nothing happening so I open a Paypal dispute. Then I get an e-mail saying: We are sorry for the inconvenience.
please close the dispute at paypal we will refund you as soon as possible.
I tell them I'm not closing the dispute until I get my money back. They replied: no worry, we own you $159 ,we will do as soon as possible.

That was on the 18th December and of course I get no refund. I escalate it to a claim with Paypal and today I get this response from them:
The seller provided the following tracking information for your review:

Shipping Company:HK Hongkong Post

Tracking Number:RA211990805HK

Now I'm getting really mad. This was for the registered parcel which contained the screen protector. They're trying to wriggle out of this. I gave Paypal a link to all my correspondence with Deal Extreme on their website where they have ADMITTED they owe me the money. There is no way that I can see of replying to this on the Paypal site. How can I make sure that Paypal read my correspondence with Deal Extreme. I'm worried that Paypal will not find in my favour and I'm hopping mad. Is there anything else I can do?

majiktripp

Well for a start you could calm down. I have had numerous dealings with dealextreme and find them to be quite helpful and wholey above board with their business. I would keep emailing them / using their online forums to press the matter that you have not received any refund and make it clear that you will proceed with the paypal claim and have no intention of dropping it until you are refunded.
I do believe paypal would resolve the matter in your favour as you have only been shipped the cheaper of the two items and are still waiting on the more expensive phone.

Peig Sayers

majiktripp wrote: »

I do believe paypal would resolve the matter in your favour as you have only been shipped the cheaper of the two items and are still waiting on the more expensive phone.

Yes, but how will Paypal know that this is the screen protector and not the phone. Deal Extreme are trying to make it appear that they have shipped the phone. Why didn't they reply to Paypal and say that they owed me a refund?

OMcGovern

I agree to calm down.

I ordered a load of stuff from Deal Extreme there a couple of months ago, and one item was out of stock. It was only a cheap solar panel about $7 worth.

I got one of those e-mails basically saying I could wait, or they'll cancel the order for me. I waited it out, and it arrived.

Hong Kong/China is notorious for slow deliveries... usually 3 weeks or so and that's not even taking into account the Christmas session and potentially the pre-Christmas English postal strike if your delivery had to go through there for any reason.

I think DE done what they could, but once the phone was shipped they weren't going to refund you until you received it and sent it back.
Makes sense. If I had shipped something and it was in transit I certainly wouldn't refund money until I got the goods back.

regards,
Owen

Peig Sayers

OMcGovern wrote: »

I think DE done what they could, but once the phone was shipped they weren't going to refund you until you received it and sent it back.
Makes sense. If I had shipped something and it was in transit I certainly wouldn't refund money until I got the goods back.

regards,
Owen

Em....I never got the phone only the screen protector! Read the post! The phone was out of stock so I asked for a refund which they agreed to and never gave me.

jor el

OMcGovern wrote: »

I think DE done what they could, but once the phone was shipped they weren't going to refund you until you received it and sent it back.
Makes sense. If I had shipped something and it was in transit I certainly wouldn't refund money until I got the goods back.

They haven't shipped the phone though, they did ship the cover which is what tracking info they gave to Paypal, quite sneakily in my opinion as they're trying to get out of refunding for as long as possible.

Did you reply to their reply in the Paypal resolution console. Say there that the tracking number provided is NOT for the missing phone, but a separate package which you have received and are not looking for a refund for.

I don't see why DE haven't issued the refund, they say they are so why the delay? They're hoping you'll just wait for the shipment and then they'll get to keep the money.

I'd be hopping mad at this point too, it looks to me that what they're doing is very unprofessional, and quite underhanded.

Peig Sayers

jor el wrote: »

Did you reply to their reply in the Paypal resolution console. Say there that the tracking number provided is NOT for the missing phone, but a separate package which you have received and are not looking for a refund for.

That's the thing, I can't see anywhere on the Paypal resolution centre to reply to their response. Obviously I want Paypal to know that the delivery was for the screen protector only but I'm afraid they'll think that it was for the phone and find in their favour.

Peig Sayers

Update - got an e-mail from Paypal today:

In response to your claim, the seller has provided proof of shipment
indicating that the item was shipped to you. Because the seller was able to
provide proof of shipment, we cannot reverse this transaction or issue a
refund. We encourage you to continue to work directly with the seller to
amicably resolve this matter. :mad:

Luckily - Deal Extreme issued me with a refund themselves 2 days before that!
I pestered them so much they finally gave in. However, I'm furious with Paypal. They obviously did not read the correspondence I had with Deal Extreme from their website where they ADMITTED they owed me a refund or read my further correspondence where I explained about the tracking number. Shower of *%@'>/.=+#. I'm really annoyed with Paypal.

Moral of the story - if you're ordering more than one item from Deal Extreme make each order seperately as they ship everything by registered post even if it's only a screen protector!. That way if there's a Paypal dispute they can't pull the old tracking number excuse!

euph

This is currently happening to me also,

I ordered a bluetooth dongle ($6) and bluetooth headset($45) along with 5 $1 items.

I've received the dongle and the 5 x $1, along with a note saying headset out of stock.

Headset is listed as shipped, with the same tracking no. I sent DE an enquiry a week before Christmas, and heard nothing back. My ticket is now gone??

Opened paypal dispute on the 28th of December and escalated it a few days ago.

Paypal have closed it because shipment was made. Still no response from DE. :mad:

311

Dealextremes tracking is a little messy ,a whole order will be marked as shipped and then an undelivered item will go back to awaiting stock.

I had forgotten about an item that wasn't in stock and I got a refund there last week. That was for an order dating back to early november.
I made no contact with them ,they did this of their own accord.

You can't expect instant contact with a company like dealextreme ,I certainly wouldn't have opened a dispute with paypal.
It will only make things drag on even longer.

Peig Sayers

Keep e-mailing Deal Extreme. Pester the life out of them. Eventually they'll get fed up with you and hopefully give you a refund. You can forget about Paypal. Once they have a tracking number they'll presume you got everything and won't bother investigating. waste of space. Good luck!

Peig Sayers

_Brian_ wrote: »

You can't expect instant contact with a company like dealextreme ,I certainly wouldn't have opened a dispute with paypal.
It will only make things drag on even longer.

So, a 2 month delay in refunding you is acceptable? I don't think so. By opening the dispute I think I got my refund quicker. We're not talking $5 here, it was $159!

Always pester!