Ebuyer and their couriers

marko2002

OK, so this is primarily about couriers in general though my story concerns the online trader "Ebuyer". A few years ago, I ordered various hardware from Ebuyer for my son - it was ordered at the beginning of December and I eagerly awaited delivery. On the day it was meant to arrive, I took the day off work. No show. Then, using the online tracking I was to learn someone had apparently "attempted" delivery!. Er, think not, so I raised a trouble ticket with Ebuyer explaining that no-one had attempted any such thing as we were in all day and there was no card put through the door!. The next day I had to go to work but my wife was in all day, and without any response from Ebuyer yet, the courier updated the online status of the parcels again as "attempted" and a further delivery attempt would be made the following day. I arranged another day off work as by this time I was ready to go and collect the damn thing myself if it didn't turn up, and lo and behold it didn't, and checking the online status of the parcel ..... you guessed it "attempted" again but no-one available!.

So, off I went to the depot in Glasgow to wait for the monkey with my parcel to return. Finally getting them, I returned home only to find that the items had been damaged to the point they were useless. Still having no response from Ebuyer by this time I further added to the ticket that I wanted a full, immediate refund and that they should arrange for someone to return and collect all the items as I was going elsewhere with my money. Something like a week had passed before I got a response from them saying they would arrange for the courier to pick them up, but they would only refund me for the items once they had received and checked them.

This was a considerable sum of money we're talking about and I couldn't really afford to pay a similar amount out until I got the money back from them, so by now we were on the second week in December and I was beginning to panic that my son would be without his custom built computer for Christmas. Come the third week in December, Ebuyer began crediting my account with the refunds and I raced around buying the necessary bits to make up his computer and only just managed to get it done!. Ebuyer didn't even offer a sincere apology throughout and from that day I vowed I would never use them again.

HOWEVER ...... this year we were looking for a PS3 for him and he saw a cracking deal on Ebuyer for a 120Gb version with a few free games. At first I was insistent that I was not buying from them again, but on looking through their website it was obvious they had smartened up their act with great reviews on various items, professional looking site, yada yada yada, so I thought, what's the chances of us running into trouble a second time?. Well, if it's going to happen to anyone, it's going to happen to me!. I paid extra for a next day delivery, just to make absolutely certain it would come when expected and the other bonus was it was no longer 'initial' doing their deliveries, but UPS who are a reputable company (or so I thought!).

Taking another day off work to receive the item and test it out (this was purely to make sure it worked OK you understand!) you can imagine my joy when on checking the online status of the parcel it changed from "in Transit" to "Attempted".

Another ticket raised with Ebuyer .... yada yada yada .... the package then arrived at just around 5:30pm today. At the time of writing this (22:44) I still haven't received a response from Ebuyer and now I don't particularly want one, I just simply want a refund on the next day delivery service and to warn everyone else about these courier companies who offer their clients a next day delivery service to customers, but rarely manage to fulfill their promise yet at the same time will update their delivery status as "attempted" so they can still bill the client (ebuyer) and blame the non-delivery on us (their customers).

I would definitely advise anyone ordering anything online, particularly from the online retailers who rely on private couriers, to do it sooner rather than later as I have read many other people's similar encounters and I'd hate the thought of someone being without their special Christmas present, failing that, simply go to any of the high street retailers and buy it in store, you might pay a few quid extra for it but at least you'll have it in good time!.

As for Ebuyer, it will be a cold day in hell before I trust them to offer me a shred of decent customer service and it's pretty obvious from the lack of support they are way understaffed or simply ignorant, either way I would avoid them like the plague if you value your money.
Cheers
Marko

Nicklt

Seems unlucky to happen twice, i've never had a problem with ebuyer, but i have with their couriers. They used/use city link and a few times they completely destroyed things, i brough a HD TV from ebuyer about a year ago and the courier (City link) had completely destroyed it, it was if they had stebbed it with a sword through the scree, i emal ebuyer and they phoned me and told me they would arrange for someone to pick up the TV and give me a new one there and then, and at 9am the next morning the courier came with the new TV and took to smashed one away, which i thought was excellent service, they never have a problem with returns even if they are not in their original box (unlike currys who wont take anything back unless you haven't even touched the box then they might consider it) I think couriers are mainly at fault, many don't care one bit about the item because at the end of the day the driver gets his wage he dont care if you delivery come in one peice of not.

marko2002

Can relate to that Nick, but I also have a problem with Ebuyer now as they simply do not have an effective customer service system in place at all. It would seem you've been extremely lucky with them which is great, but unfortunately I wasted a day off work waiting for the courier to deliver an item and despite asking Ebuyer to contact me or arrange for the courier to contact me so I can get a time for delivery the next day (to make sure someone is available) my request is simply ignored and I'm left wondering what's meant to be happening with it. I hate service like this, it's really one of my pet hates, I wouldn't dream of having customers wait around, if I did I could expect them to go elsewhere and that's exactly what I will do from now on. Shame about your TV but great to hear you had a speedy replacement and yes, your right it was CityLink (think they may have been called initial citylink) who trashed my previous order - what does is take these days to get good customer service I wonder!!
Cheers
Marko

talulahbeige_2

After my experience with City Link (Via E-buyer) i will no longer use any conmpany that use City Link, they are a nightmare.
We ordered all the components to build a new pc (about £500 worth). On the day it was delivered we were out and they had left a card saying it had been left at a neighbours 2 doors down, luckily they are honest people and we were able to collect the boxes with no problem.
We found that a small item was missing due to it not being in stock and cost about £3 and the delviery note told us this would be dispatched seperatley.
A couple of days later they attempted to deliver this and left a card, we rang to re-arrange delivery and were told it had to be during the week 9 - 5. We work full time and the depot is the other side of the large city we live in and we would normally have items delivered to work but e-buyer wouldnt allow this.
I asked them to re deliver and leave at the neighbours, they said it was against their policy to do that.
Despite many attempts I never received the requested answer as to why they left nearly £500 of equipment with the nieghbour originally!

Couriers need to learn that when they are out at work (delivering the goods we order) that we are also out at work and the system doesnt work, they need to deliver on evenings too.

marko2002

Couriers definitely need to smarten up, but the nature of the beast is pretty simple, companies like Ebuyer need companies like UPS and CityLink, even other couriers will no doubt get up to things like this so it does beg the question who do they use instead?! Employing their own guys would probably not be cost effective and even at that if Ebuyers customer service is anything to go by then we'd probably never get our items at all!.

marko2002

Oh, and just to add, still no refund on my postage