Pixmania problems - a warning

lokiman

Oh, Pixmania are a complete bunch of scumbags, no question: a couple of months ago, I purchased a camera from them via amazon.co.uk (pixmania are an approved amazon reseller). I received a order confirmation from amazon and waited to receive my camera. No such luck. About four days after my order had been confirmed, I received an email from amazon stating that my order had been canceled - reason: item out of stock. Now, this didn't make a lot of sense to me, as the camera was still being shown as 'in stock' on amazon, as well as on pixmania's own website; however, the camera was now listed as being 20 pounds more expensive than when I had initially placed my order. After contacting pixmania, it became clear that my order had been canceled, not because the item was actually out of stock, but because they had decided to increase the price by 20 pounds and didn't want to sell the camera to me at the price that I had contracted to purchase it. Unbelievable.

The good news is that amazon stepped up to the plate and offered to sell the camera to me directly for the original price listed by pixmania, which was about 15 pounds less than amazon's own retail price.

Steer well clear of pixmania, if you value honesty and integrity in retailers!

palh

If you have plenty of time to waste and nothing better to do than write emails, take parcels to the post office, chase delivery and returns payments then by all means buy from this company.
Otherwise steer well clear.

Wish I had read the forum before I ordered from them.
It took 2 months to eventually get the goods I ordered and three months before my transaction had finished.
My experience tells me there are a number of issues with Pixmania.
1) Poor picking and cross checking (if you actually do any)
2) The returns should be free through freepost
3) Is is not made clear that, only emails through [EMAIL="amazon_uk@pixmania.com"]amazon_uk@pixmania.com[/EMAIL] get a response
4) They do not offer refunds on returns costs unless they are requested
5) They do tell people their refund is being dealt with when it is obviously not as they do not have your bank details
6) They do tell people the item is no longer available when you have it available

dinglebert

Well done Pixmainia its only taken you 11 months to reply to the original post. Makes me really want to buy from you now.

deanos

:rotfl::rotfl:

codger

If Pixmania's post to this thread is a measure of the company's notion of best practice -- it knows the issue here is whether or not it is subject to UK consumer law / distance selling regulations, but chooses to sidestep that with an obfuscatory remark about European law -- then Pixmania has just said all that needs to be said about Pixmania.

Personally, I always wondered about the 'mania' bit anyway.

Kitch26_2

On the 18 of December I took the plunge and ordered a 42inch Toshiba Television from Pixmania for a total of £548.99 incl. delivery. If I had an ounce of sense at the time I would have checked some reviews first, and I kick myself now for it, but I was caught up in the Christmas rush, and I thought the website looked pretty reputable.

First of all I received an email shortly after my order saying that stock had run out, and that new stock was expected on the 20 Dec. I checked and emailed them again on the 26 Dec, and the stock was still out apparently. I received their standard email saying that I could exchange my order or get a full refund. I decided to wait anyway.

On the 2nd Jan 2009 I checked again, and my item was still out of stock, and at this point perhaps a bit shaken by some of the other reviews I have now read, but also because I just really want to get the damn TV, and 'out of stock' might go on for a long time (even though the website showed that it was in stock), I decided to ask for a full refund, as offered in each email from Pixmania, before I might be delivered with a faulty unit or whatever else might happen. Following Pixmanias instruction to email [EMAIL="currys_uk@pixmania.com"]currys_uk@pixmania.com[/EMAIL] I did just that on the 2nd Jan. I also sent an email to Fotovista and Pixmania website letting them know my intentions.

After 2 days I have had no response from anyone. Perhaps the weekend and new year is the reason and I should not get too worried too fast, but I am a worrier, and things invariably go wrong.

If Pixmania now do the honourable thing and promptly refund my money, or get Currys or Dixons in the UK to supply me a UK unit instead I will be a happy boy, and I will take back everything I say here and write a positive review. I have not actually taken delivery yet so I would have thought things are fairly black & white in terms of refunding me.

Can anyone advise me where to go from here. If I wait another 2 days and get no reply, perhaps I should go back to my credit card company. It irritates me that they have not left me a number to call to back up the Currys_uk@pixmania email, and there is no confirmation or promise of reply.

Anyway I'm rambling but it took some saving for this TV and now I feel like I could lose it all in a flash on the back of some of these reviews. If anyone has had the same/similar experience please let me know. (Again I will eat my words if it is sorted by next week.)

Cheers

thepenguin

I bought through their marketplace through a seller called smartbuyer (avoid them like the plague too).if you look on the site now and find them you will see they have 100% positive feedback!!! NO THEY DONT
I personally left feedback warning others not to use them but it has been erased by themselves or Pixmania,they shouldnt be allowed to alter your feedback!!
When i left mine there were three other complaints and bad feedback yet later the same day it had all gone!!!!!
if you check back periodically you may see bad feedback but it soon disappears.
be very wary of this.

I had a complaint and got no reply from smartbuyer,so i tried to activate the seller guarantee through pixmania,i never recieved a confirmation from them or word the problem was being looked into.
Eventually i realised i had paid through paypal, i opened a dispute through them and threatened that trading standards was my next call,two days later i got a refund!!!!
if you are tempted to use pixmania then try to call or email them first,its near on impossible,little or no after sales unless you really dig in your heels.
also check where the item is being sent from and try to contact the seller.
Pixmania is a frech company and part of the FOTOVISTA group.


my advice......use Ebuyer,great aftersales and great prices on most items.never had a problem with them.

Helix

thepenguin wrote: »

Pixmania is a frech company and part of the FOTOVISTA group.

Which is in turn owned by DSGi, who also own PC World, Currys etc. Which explains why Pixmania is so bad.

erdie

thepenguin wrote: »

I bought through their marketplace through a seller called smartbuyer (avoid them like the plague too).if you look on the site now and find them you will see they have 100% positive feedback!!! NO THEY DONT
I personally left feedback warning others not to use them but it has been erased by themselves or Pixmania,they shouldnt be allowed to alter your feedback!!
When i left mine there were three other complaints and bad feedback yet later the same day it had all gone!!!!!
if you check back periodically you may see bad feedback but it soon disappears.
be very wary of this.

I had a complaint and got no reply from smartbuyer,so i tried to activate the seller guarantee through pixmania,i never recieved a confirmation from them or word the problem was being looked into.
Eventually i realised i had paid through paypal, i opened a dispute through them and threatened that trading standards was my next call,two days later i got a refund!!!!
if you are tempted to use pixmania then try to call or email them first,its near on impossible,little or no after sales unless you really dig in your heels.
also check where the item is being sent from and try to contact the seller.
Pixmania is a frech company and part of the FOTOVISTA group.


my advice......use Ebuyer,great aftersales and great prices on most items.never had a problem with them.

I bought a laptop from smartbuyer last week. When it arrived, it turned out to have been used and had scratches on it, when I ordered the laptop it didn't say that it was used and the price was not what I would pay for something used and in this condition. I contacted smartbuyer and was told to send it back, I sent it back via special delivery just so that I know that it has got back to them. It was delivered back to them on Monday but I have not had a word from smartbuyer about this, I have sent a couple of emails asking when my money will be recredited to my card, but nothing. I am getting a bit worried now. Can I contact my credit card company about this?

sean1984

I ordered a camera from Pixmania in September 2008 and it never arrived! And they won't give me a refund! Because the courier company Pixmania use said they delievered it (albeit not to me, because someone signed for it "Paul", my name is Sean!!) Pixmania will not give me a refund and are taking no responsibility! Still haven't managed to get hold of anyone with any sort of responsibility, intelligence or grasp of contract law within Pixmania. Do not order anything from them. They are useless.