I bought some items from armyuniverse.com . The product was satisfactory, but I had selected and paid for Priority Mail shipping. When I received the shipment (a little later than I expected for Priority Mail, but not necessarily unreasonable), I noticed it was shipped first class.
When I contacted them to complain, this company, in my opinion, chose to defend their position with the argument that I received the shipment in a timely manner (7-10 business days). It is possible I may have received it sooner had it been shipped in the manner agreed upon in the sales agreement.
After some back-and-forth by email, I asked for the company to refund me the money that I paid for priority mail shipping, less the cost to mail it first class. They refused, denying any wrongdoing.
The company also changed their website to read that they can ship any method they want after I made my complaint. I have proof that it did not say that prior to my complaint. I have saved all emails and packaging to provide proof to any regulatory agencies that may be interested in the matter.
Priority Mail shipping, on average, costs about $3 more than first class mail. Some people may wonder why I am so upset over a $3 charge. Well, look at it this way, if a seller does this to all of his customers, and he has 100 customers a month, he is taking $300 a month extra. If he has 1,000 customers a month, he is taking $3,000 extra.
I do not know if this practice is illegal or not, but in my opinion, it is not ethical.
Bottom line: I did not get what I paid for (Priority Mail Shipping).