I had done all the research, looked at all the websites, checked out all the magazines. I spent a couple of years, examining everything, seeing where the trends were going, replacing one thing with another on my big list of computer components I would purchase when the time came to built my new PC, the first one completely by my own hands.
It should have been perfect.
I even researched the websites where I would buy my stuff, making sure that they had good customer service ratings, good prices, a good return policy. I felt confident that, when the time came, I?d be all set.
The time came. I wasn?t all set. It was FAR from perfect.
The first sign of impending doom came when I made my first attempt to order. Everything but the case said ?Free 2 day shipping?, which was great? except that, when I went to the checkout, it still said $104 for shipping! I carefully read, and it said the promotional shipping would be calculated at checkout, so I went ahead and checked out? and got charged the $104. $972 total
I picked up the phone, and called ZipZoomFly. Not a problem, they said. Adding one thing without free shipping causes it ALL to be charged, they said. They?ll cancel my order, they said, and I?d start again, breaking my order into two.
Come to find out, the $104 was the proper shipping charge? for the case itself. Not a problem, I?d by my case local, and save myself over a hundred dollars. Strange, though, that they customer service rep didn?t seem to know how the shipping calculator worked?
I should?ve run screaming at this point, but no, I ignored the feelings of dread, placed my order again, without the case, and everything looked fine. $775 total this time around? much better.
Until my account got charged for the $972 order I cancelled.
Stunned, I contacted ZipZoomFly once again. The customer service guy kept insisting that it was only a ?preauthorization?, and that it would ?fall off my account?, even after I repeatedly told him it was my CHECKING account that was debited. Finally, I got him into a conference call with my bank, and we worked out that all ZipZoomFly needed to do was fax a letter saying it was a mistake, and my bank would credit my account. The rep assured me he?d take care of it, the bank told me they?d look for it, and everything seemed fine again.
Not a chance. Things were just STARTING to get bad.
Not 3 hours later, I get a call from the previously helpful customer service guy, telling me that they CAN?T send a letter saying it was their mistake. When pressed as to WHY they couldn?t any longer, even though he himself told me they could not 3 hours ago, I was told ?Accounting won?t let me.? It would take TWO WEEKS, they told me, to get my own money back into my account. They had to have it clear their bank before they could return it. I asked him, just to make sure I wasn?t imagining it, that he had just told me that THEY had made a mistake, taken MY money, and were going to make me wait TWO WEEKS to get it back, instead of faxing a letter that said ?oops? to my bank and having the whole thing go away. Yep, he confirmed it. That?s what they had to do.
At this point, I asked to speak to his supervisor. I was told he would give me a call back.
The next day, I got my callback, all right. I also got hit WITH THE CHARGE FOR MY ?CORRECT? ORDER. Another $775, in the hands of ZipZoomFly. They were now into me for almost $1800.
At this point, they HAD to do something, right? I can?t afford having all this money tied up! I had bills to pay! The end of the month is coming up, I need to pay rent!!! The supervisor at ZipZoom Fly must have the authority to do something about it, right? Wrong. He gave me the ?Accounting won?t let us? line again. When asked if I could actually speak to the accounting group, he pretty much let it be known that he didn?t think I?d UNDERSTAND what they were talking about, even if I COULD speak to them, which of course I couldn?t. I made it very clear that I would indeed understand their accountant-speak, as my company WRITES financial software. He was unmoved. I asked to speak to HIS manager, still firmly believing that SOMEONE at ZipZoomFly would be able to step up to the plate and SIMPLY SEND A FREAKING LETTER SAYING THEY MADE A MISTAKE! They all KNEW they made a mistake, but putting this in writing seemed to be an insurmountable task for them. But the Operations Supervisor, now, HE had to be a man of action!
Sadly, no. Same speech, same evil, demonic accounting denying my pleas. He even tried to make it out to be MY fault, as if, if I had called my bank first, instead of them (which of course I HAD DONE, with a ZipZoomFly on the phone, to boot, the moment I saw this thing hit!). I got indignant. I told him I was in IT. I told him I posted on boards everywhere. I told him I would raise a hue and a cry unlike anything he had ever seen! I had bills to pay! I couldn?t wait TWO WEEKS for MY OWN MONEY!!!
He was unmoved. I simply hung up at that point.
And so? this post. My one and only opportunity to get any type of satisfaction out of this whole ordeal. Never again will I deal with ZipZoomFly. And I hope, for your own sakes, you won?t either. Don?t let what happened to me, happen to you.
I promised him I?d rant and rave, and here it is. I hope, somewhere, he?s reading this? and that he?s worried.
It should have been perfect.
I even researched the websites where I would buy my stuff, making sure that they had good customer service ratings, good prices, a good return policy. I felt confident that, when the time came, I?d be all set.
The time came. I wasn?t all set. It was FAR from perfect.
The first sign of impending doom came when I made my first attempt to order. Everything but the case said ?Free 2 day shipping?, which was great? except that, when I went to the checkout, it still said $104 for shipping! I carefully read, and it said the promotional shipping would be calculated at checkout, so I went ahead and checked out? and got charged the $104. $972 total
I picked up the phone, and called ZipZoomFly. Not a problem, they said. Adding one thing without free shipping causes it ALL to be charged, they said. They?ll cancel my order, they said, and I?d start again, breaking my order into two.
Come to find out, the $104 was the proper shipping charge? for the case itself. Not a problem, I?d by my case local, and save myself over a hundred dollars. Strange, though, that they customer service rep didn?t seem to know how the shipping calculator worked?
I should?ve run screaming at this point, but no, I ignored the feelings of dread, placed my order again, without the case, and everything looked fine. $775 total this time around? much better.
Until my account got charged for the $972 order I cancelled.
Stunned, I contacted ZipZoomFly once again. The customer service guy kept insisting that it was only a ?preauthorization?, and that it would ?fall off my account?, even after I repeatedly told him it was my CHECKING account that was debited. Finally, I got him into a conference call with my bank, and we worked out that all ZipZoomFly needed to do was fax a letter saying it was a mistake, and my bank would credit my account. The rep assured me he?d take care of it, the bank told me they?d look for it, and everything seemed fine again.
Not a chance. Things were just STARTING to get bad.
Not 3 hours later, I get a call from the previously helpful customer service guy, telling me that they CAN?T send a letter saying it was their mistake. When pressed as to WHY they couldn?t any longer, even though he himself told me they could not 3 hours ago, I was told ?Accounting won?t let me.? It would take TWO WEEKS, they told me, to get my own money back into my account. They had to have it clear their bank before they could return it. I asked him, just to make sure I wasn?t imagining it, that he had just told me that THEY had made a mistake, taken MY money, and were going to make me wait TWO WEEKS to get it back, instead of faxing a letter that said ?oops? to my bank and having the whole thing go away. Yep, he confirmed it. That?s what they had to do.
At this point, I asked to speak to his supervisor. I was told he would give me a call back.
The next day, I got my callback, all right. I also got hit WITH THE CHARGE FOR MY ?CORRECT? ORDER. Another $775, in the hands of ZipZoomFly. They were now into me for almost $1800.
At this point, they HAD to do something, right? I can?t afford having all this money tied up! I had bills to pay! The end of the month is coming up, I need to pay rent!!! The supervisor at ZipZoom Fly must have the authority to do something about it, right? Wrong. He gave me the ?Accounting won?t let us? line again. When asked if I could actually speak to the accounting group, he pretty much let it be known that he didn?t think I?d UNDERSTAND what they were talking about, even if I COULD speak to them, which of course I couldn?t. I made it very clear that I would indeed understand their accountant-speak, as my company WRITES financial software. He was unmoved. I asked to speak to HIS manager, still firmly believing that SOMEONE at ZipZoomFly would be able to step up to the plate and SIMPLY SEND A FREAKING LETTER SAYING THEY MADE A MISTAKE! They all KNEW they made a mistake, but putting this in writing seemed to be an insurmountable task for them. But the Operations Supervisor, now, HE had to be a man of action!
Sadly, no. Same speech, same evil, demonic accounting denying my pleas. He even tried to make it out to be MY fault, as if, if I had called my bank first, instead of them (which of course I HAD DONE, with a ZipZoomFly on the phone, to boot, the moment I saw this thing hit!). I got indignant. I told him I was in IT. I told him I posted on boards everywhere. I told him I would raise a hue and a cry unlike anything he had ever seen! I had bills to pay! I couldn?t wait TWO WEEKS for MY OWN MONEY!!!
He was unmoved. I simply hung up at that point.
And so? this post. My one and only opportunity to get any type of satisfaction out of this whole ordeal. Never again will I deal with ZipZoomFly. And I hope, for your own sakes, you won?t either. Don?t let what happened to me, happen to you.
I promised him I?d rant and rave, and here it is. I hope, somewhere, he?s reading this? and that he?s worried.