Buy.Com Non-responsive to charging me for a computer on which I refused delivery Stamford Connecticut

Pulaski Credit Card sent me a letter dated March 15 which arrived March 24. In that letter they gave me until March 31 to reply or they would close my case for a claim on Buy.Com. So I had 4 business days to try to get a letter and other data to Pulaski which today (4/2/08) they claim they never received. So they closed my claim. Buy.Com denied my claim.

All this after I gave them the information from FedEx -- according to their records the second computer arrived at Buy.Com (Metro Business Systems) Feb 13 at 10 am and was signed for by Chris. So Buy.Com is keeping my $400 for a computer in their possession. And Pulaski Credit Cards is doing nothing but give me unrealistic deadlines and blame everything on the post office. I haven't been having trouble getting mail from any place else. I am sure my mail is lost in Pulaski's corporate mail room.

Both Buy.Com and Pulaski closed my claim without notifying me in any way.

IF Fed-ex can establish that the returned computer was delivered to Buy.com, you should dispute the charges for the second computer with your credit card company.

Your cc company will contact Buy.com to settle your dispute.

Today I received a letter from Buy.Com denying my claim for a refund on a computer that was shipped back to them. They obviously did not checking -- just denied my claim. So, I called FedEx again. The man I talked with (forgot to get his name - heavy Spanish accent) went the extra mile and found a second tracking number for my order.

According to FedEx records that package (that Buy.Com claims not to have) was returned to Metro Business Systems (Buy.Com) on Feb 13 at 10 am and signed for by Chris. This man (at FedEx) was the ONLY helpful person at FedEx or at Buy.Com.

Now knowing that Buy.Com has the computer (and the FedEx driver did NOT steal it) I called Buy.Com and got vague assurances from them. FedEx cannot give me the second tracking number for the second package but it does exist. So Buy.Com can get the number from FedEx and should refund my money for the returned computer. I will probably have to call them again. They have never called me.

I still urge caution when dealing with Buy.Com. Apparently anything out of the ordinary is impossible for them to deal with.

A very similiar thing happened to me with two products being shipped in one package.

Try this man and phone #.


Buy.com
Neel Grover, CEO
949-448-5400
(ask for Mr. Grover's office)

BuyServices Inc.
85 Enterprise, Suite 100
Aliso Viejo, CA92656

There is only one person higher and that is the founder and president Steven Blum. However, I don't think he is actively, day to day participating in the company anymore.

Buy.com is happy to take my money and run.
However, one bright spot. I talked with two people at FedEx today and found out several interesting things.

Buy.Com erred by not specifying that the shipment was a multi-piece shipment so no one can track it. I have the tracking number but it is only good for 1 item not 2. FedEx said they would contact the driver since I gave them the tracking number. The last person I talked with at FedEx today says their records show the single package being returned.

So, Buy.Com did not follow FedEx procedure when they shipped to me and are charging me for that error. I have 2 SKU numbers because the one on the packing slip is different from the one associated with the tracking number. Buy.com has yet to give me some sort of explanation on why they will not seriously look at this problem. They are content to take my money and refuse to provide me with any real information as you can see from their message I posted above.

My credit card company is also doing little to help. After weeks of nothing, I called them again and they claim to have sent me a letter dated March 15 which I have not received March 24. It could still come. I had to call the credit card company to get this information and that the letter says the credit card company wants a detailed statement from me.

So, FedEx is the one company in this trio that right now seems to be helping me.

Since everyone is telling you it was delivered, either Fedex or buy.com should be able to give you a fedex tracking number.

Once you have the FedEx tracking number, you can go to the fedex website (fedex.com) and lookup the delivery information. IF a signature was required you can also look at and PRINT the signature that is recorded for the "delivery." I use FedEx a lot, and I can tell you that the delivery history will list darn near every stop in the FedEx system that the package made, from pick up to delivery with the signature of the signee.

Only one thing stikes me odd about your situation, and that is Buy.com's response to you. Seems to me that it would be in their best interest to give you the FedEx tracking number that shows the item delivered to YOU (the fedex website will show if the item was returned to buy.com.)

If necessary, stop with the emails and telephone calls and send written letters to both parties - I would send the letters priority, with return receipt requested.

Good luck.

Today I got an email from Buy.Com:

"Thank you for shopping at Buy.com.

While researching your claim request for item #206650173 IBM ThinkPad T40 2373-8CU Laptop Computer - Intel Pentium M 1.5 GHz 512MB DDR, 40GB HDD, DVD ROM, 14.1" XGA, Windows XP Professional- IBM NO WIFI CARD Recertified on order #37915560, the shipping company has confirmed that your package was delivered to the Ship To address you listed on your order.

We therefore regret to inform you that your claim request has been denied.

In many cases, we will file a claim with any appropriate third parties. If additional information comes to light as a result, we will reconsider our findings and inform you.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Customer Support Team"
-------------

This tells me nothing. I am disappointed but my credit card company is pursuing my claim. Thanks, Robert for your suggestions. I failed to mention that I had contacted my credit card company before I filed the report here. FedEx (the delivery company) will not tell me anything. They refer me to BuyCom. BuyCom continues to tell me nothing.

So, now I am going to contact the Wisconsin Attorney General, Office of Consumer Complaints. I do believe the driver stole the computer. I am going to ask the District Attorney what if any, legal action I can take against BuyCom and/or FedEx. I am also considering calling the police now since the theft happened here.

I have saved all the emails so I have a record of all but my phone calls.

1. Dispute the charge with your credit card company.

""So, I have a charge for a computer I refused to accept. FedEx will not deal with me because they show both computers as delivered.
""

2. I would send a certified, return receipt requested letter to the FedEx corporate HQ for the United States. Clearly state what happened and that the shipment was WRONG and you REFUSED it. I would send a copy of the Fedex letter to Buy.com.

FYI, FedEx uses, arguably, one of the best tracking systems on the planet. Not only can they determine when it was delivered, but they can also identify the driver who "made" the delivery.

More FYI. Normally, when one refuses a delivery from Fedex, you need to sign something (a form) stating that you are refusing delivery and why. If you did not sign anything, this could cause a problem. Also, if the driver signed for it, the signature of the signee is available and it shouldn't be very difficult to determine that it is NOT your signature.

If you don't get your money from your credit card company or Fedex, you might consider suing Fedex in small claims court - that's assuming that Buy.com has undeniable proof that it was "delivered."

Good Luck.