BAD MERCHANT WARNING etechstuff/headsetconnection/bluetoothdirect.com

[rootie]

DON'T BUY FROM THESE STORES! etechstuff/headsetconnection/bluetoothdirect.com

I ordered and received a Motorola HS810 headset from headsetconnection.com. When used the headset audio is unintelligible to the person called. I requested a return. The company states that it will not accept return as the item is not defective.

This merchant has threatened to sue me if I complain.

see following email threads:

Your item is not defective, you are unhappy with the sound quality. These issues are a matter of personal preference, and are not defects. Replacing the item will simply waste your time and money and ours, as you will be left with the same dissatisfaction.

As with all wireless devices, there are many variables that can cause poor sound quality and static. You are welcome to send your item to the manufacturer for warranty replacement, we will NOT be taking any action. You can pull anything you want off of the internet, dictionary, or college website you want, our policy is our guideline, we will NOT make any exceptions.

We will not discuss this with you any further. Further emails about this issue will be deleted and if you continue, we will take legal action for harassment and interference with business operations.


K Kanian
Customer Care Director


Sent: Monday, August 23, 2004 6:22 PM
To: 'etech'
Subject: RE: order 08-16-2004-683


I would like this item returned or exchanged.


Definition of defective.

A defective unit; a unit of product that contains one or more defects with respect to the quality characteristic(s) under consideration.
www.asq.org/info/glossary/d.html

markedly subnormal in structure or function or intelligence or behavior; "defective speech"
www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn


not working properly; "a bad telephone connection"; "a defective appliance"
www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn



-----Original Message-----
From: etech [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, August 23, 2004 4:49 PM

Subject: RE: order 08-16-2004-683


As indiacted in our return policy, non-defective items cannot be returned.
]





Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2004 11:08 AM
To: 'etech'
Subject: RE: order 08-16-2004-683


1-Motorola HS810
2-XDA II
3-the sound the person who you are calling hears is muffled, inintelligible

the headset is not useable
-----Original Message-----
From: etech [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2004 1:49 AM

Subject: RE: order 08-16-2004-683


Please be a bit more descriptive of your problem. Please also carefully read our return policy posted on the site.

1) What item do you have
2) What model phone are you using it with
3) What is the problem or issue.



Customer Care Dept


Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 1:56 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: order 08-16-2004-683


I want to return this headset. It does not work

This message was scanned before

[Wiggster]

Is that the full extent of your conversations with them? You didn't seem to give any information about your purchase, and only used, what, one sentence in your emails? Their return (http://www.etechstuff.com/index.php?file=returnpolicy) policy (http://www.headsetconnection.com/index.php?file=returnpolicy&PHPSESSID=d5ac8f80a309b40202270a97b3244395) (found right where I'd expect it, clearly labelled at the bottom of the page, just like every site I've used) isn't the best in the business, but it certainly seems reasonable. They agree to sell you a product that is working to the extent of the product. As a retailer, they told you to contact the manufacturer if you're not satisfied with the quality of your product, which is what almost everyone does. What's the problem? Did Motorola not address your issue?

I'm taking this warning with a grain of salt, since you didn't really provide them with any info to them (other than which headset you bought, which is scant info), nor did you meet their polite inquiries with a similar patience. I found the dictionary quotes (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=harassment) somewhat funny, though.

[gregmills]

I agree, I think you should direct your dissatisfaction with the product to the manufacturer. I would expect the retailer to exchange the item if it were defective or damaged but if the product is faulty by design there's not a lot they can do about it (they should drop the product though). Most of these e-commerce operations work with razor thin margins because pricing is so competitive online. They aren't Wal-mart and can't be expected to have the same wide open type of return policies.

I think you'll find the manufacturer to be a lot more responsive anyway. Give them a lot of information about the problem you are experiencing right up front.

[Jason Dunn]

This is, unfortunately, the risk you run when buying something online without being able to test it out first - there's a big difference between "defective" and "not up to par". I've been burned a few times by buying from stores that don't have a satisfaction guarantee, so now I only buy from places where I can return the product if I'm not satisfied with the quality of it. But I don't see that the vendor did anything wrong here.

[Darren Behan]

Assuming that the information provided was all of the interaction;

1) I agree that the vendor was acting within the letter of company's policy to refuse a return/refund, however,

2) The tone that was taken seems rather unprofessional to me. I guess I'm old school cause I don't care if the customer is a blathering idiot. It is still the responsibility of the vendor to remain professional and courteous at all times.

In this day and age where there can be hundreds of vendors to choose from for a particular product, vendor responses like that (regardless of the buyer's position - which in this case didn't seem too bad to me but again I am assuming that I am seeing the entire interaction) will ensure I look elsewhere. It's just now worth the chance of getting hosed - Behold the power of PPCT...

db

[Jason Dunn]

2) The tone that was taken seems rather unprofessional to me. I guess I'm old school cause I don't care if the customer is a blathering idiot. It is still the responsibility of the vendor to remain professional and courteous at all times.

Yeah, I agree with you on that - threatening to sue your customer for harassment seems over the top. You can be firm, but still polite.

[PetiteFlower]

No kidding, and refusing to read further emails? WTF? Is customer service totally dead? Would it have killed them to give the guy an exchange? They don't KNOW that the product isn't defective. They're not losing anything, they can send it back to the manufacturer. And they wouldn't have lost a customer--and one with a big mouth at that!

[szamot]

correct me if I am wrong, and I am going off on the limb here, but isn't this what mail bombers were invented for. This address, [email protected] it just begging for a local delivery of say, 70,000 emails per day. Internet, you see, works both ways.

…talking about disruption of business and harassment. That makes me chuckle…..
:devilboy:

[Kati Compton]

Somehow I don't think that doing a mail bomb will make it any more likely that the company would treat a customer with respect - if anything it would have the opposite effect.

[Darren Behan]

Having reread my post, I'd like to clarify that I was in no way implying that rootie was a blathering idiot. I was speaking generally about any consumer's behavior.

Edit: Having taken so long to write this response (while watching the Olympics to be honest) that there were two additional posts. Even though it may be more immediately satisfying to 'do something' vs. this company I think simply not buying from them will be more effective over the long term.

That said, customer service seems well and truly dead (in the US at least). There have been too few exceptions (at least one that I have previously written about on PPCT and another one below) but they are too damn rare. It's a sad statement when you are surprised by someone who acts like they care.

To end on a positive note, called Jabra the other day for some mini earbuds (which I am forever losing). Was offered the 2 normal & 2 small for $5 which I thought to be reasonable. I asked just for the hell of it if I could get 4 large since I don't use the small. The representative I talked to sent me 3 large for free- packaged and addressed with her own hand without any hesitation. It's out there but then again, so is Bigfoot, Nessie, ET and the Chubrakabra depending on who you ask...

db

[Brad Adrian]

Even if I, as a customer, had been sending e-mails for weeks on end asking for satisfaction (which the writer had not been doing, AFAIK), the comments about what they'll do if more messages are sent are simply ridiculous! Not company worth its salt would EVER make such inflammatory comments, no matter how strongly they disagree with the customer. I won't go so far as to say that "the customer is ALWAYS right," but merchants sure as heck need to treat the customer with more respect than that.

My guess is that your merchant has no legal department or counsel, but if it does, I bet they'd cringe over what was sent to you.

Good luck!

[Jon Westfall]

Just as a matter of personal history. I purchased a headset through etechstuff back in may. I emailed asking for status on the order a week after placing it and heard nothing. I emailed again a week later (2 weeks after order), heard nothing. They had charged me just fine, just wouldn't respond. Couldn't find a number to call them. When I disputed the charge with Chase Mastercard, they gave me a number they had on file to try, which was disconnected. Chase refunded my money and I went elsewhere.

So to make a long story short, etechstuff is disreputable. When they ship, they take forever, and if you complain, they either don't respond or respond with threats.

[szamot]

Somehow I don't think that doing a mail bomb will make it any more likely that the company would treat a customer with respect - if anything it would have the opposite effect.

...sometimes you have to speak to people in their own language, to help them understand how silly they sound.

[szamot]

here we go for the one man show at etechstuff.com:

***Personal info removed by mod JR***

[Darren Behan]

I highly doubt that flaming this guy will make him change his business practices. Not buying from him will or drive him out of business, either one works.

Posting personal information encouraging flaming lowers the entire PPCT community. Posting physical address information is completely inappropriate. There are only two reasons to do so that I can think of:

1) To show you can (whatever), or
2) To encourage a physical confrontation (over what again?).

Neither are in the spirit of this community. The guy's a jerk, take your business elsewhere and leave it at that.

I suggest this thread be closed and the personal information removed.

db

[Jeff Rutledge]

I've removed the personal information.

szmot, please don't post information like that in the future.

I don't believe there's a need to lock the thread at this time.

[applejosh]

I just read their "About Us" sceen and chuckled. They have "the personal touch of your local retailer." And " Our success is due to the long, continued relationships with our customers."

Anyway, I'd try the manufacturer. This company apparently doesn't want to deal with this customer service issue. (At the very least I would think they'd just take it back, refund your money, and be done with it.) The unprofessional attitude of the service rep is enough to keep me from buying from them. Take your business elsewhere. Thanks for the heads up.

[Darren Behan]

Fair enough, Jeff.

Thanks.

db

[Hx4700]

You know, there is a special rule for credit card purchases that covers unfit merchdise. I assume a credit card was used. I had a similar problem with a bios upgrade chip that just was not the right length one to go in the socket. No choice - couldn't use it even though the vendor said it was the right one. Of course it wasn't if it was longer than the socket - duh!. I sent it back but they still would not credit me. Discover Card had no problem in giving me the credit and back charging the vendor. Would you believe the vendor charged me again. Back to Discover and they credited me again.
The gist of this is ==> see if the credit card company used will credit you.
Ron...

[joeladams]

Now we know where all the service guys from HP went.....

To this company!

Just bought your headset?
To bad, it has been discontinued.
Won't be supported.
Won't be upgraded.
It's not capable of voice transmission anyway!

Just go out and buy today's new flavor.
That way you will make us happy........

[szamot]

I've removed the personal information.

szmot, please don't post information like that in the future.

I don't believe there's a need to lock the thread at this time.

err OK but this is a publicly available info from whois...

[Kati Compton]

err OK but this is a publicly available info from whois...
I'm sure it is. However, we don't want to encourage behavior such as mailbombing. Warning users about bad merchants is perfectly fine. Inciting a riot is not. ;) If people really want to know, they can look it up themselves.

[lawinesap]

Thanks Rootie,

The reply you received from this vendor will definitely keep me from ordering anything from them. Whether or not your item was defective or not is a moot point to me. When a business treats a customer with this much disrepect then it's time to move on to the next one. Hit 'em where it hurts-in their pocketbook!