I received the following from irewards tonight regarding my Systemworks 2002 Pro that I ordered in early November for $25.
Dear Free-iRewards Valued Customer,
Thank you for your email. Due to the enormous backlog we are currently experiencing, we wanted to send you this email to let you know we are doing all we can to respond to all your inquiries.We have tried to notify all our customers that we?ve had overwhelming response to our current promotions. This, combined with inquiries regarding the normal holiday rush and postal delays due to safety concerns, has flooded our normal processing systems, causing communication problems throughout. We ask for your patience during this time; I would like to assure you that we are working as quickly as possible to get to everyone who has phoned, faxed or emailed. We know your customer inquiry is important.
Most of the issues seem to stem from two or three problems. Although we like to answer each and every inquiry individually, usually within 24 hours, it has just not been possible with the volume of inquiries that have come in. We are currently behind by 20 to 30 days on all our 'open' tickets and have not had the opportunity to sift through all the 'pending' tickets where many customers' tickets stay because they do not include enough information when they return it to us. I have listed some of the most pressing questions and answers here in the hopes that your inquiry might be answered and your mind put at ease until we can answer each of you individually.
What is the status of Norton System Works?
If you ordered the Norton SystemWorks Professional Edition 2001 anytime before October 29, 2001, your order has been on backorder. All of those orders have now been shipped. According to our shipping times, you should already have received your order. The U. S. Post Office has been experiencing some delays. If you have not received your order and that is stated on your Customer Service Action Form, we will help you as quickly as possible when we answer your 'ticket'.
If you ordered the Norton SystemWorks Professional Edition 2002 available after October 29, 2001, those items were on backorder. We have tried to notify every customer about this situation and provide options. If you did not receive backorder information, we sincerely apologize for that and acknowledge that you must have great concerns about your order. All of the backorders for these products should have shipped.
As you can see, the most pressing issue stems from the incredible opportunity to purchase the Norton SystemWorks products. The response was overwhelming and frankly blew us away. We sold out quickly, but we were assured by our supplier that more were on the way. We soon discovered that the 2001 would not be available right away, but that the 2002 would. Soon, we found ourselves waiting again, this time for the 2002. We unexpectedly received more 2001. So, consequently, the 2001 have all been shipped and we have more 2001 in stock which are currently available again.
That left us waiting for the 2002, again. We thought it was still a great deal worth waiting for, however, we do understand your frustration. We are a bit frustrated as well around here. We really didn't expect the wait to be so long. The 2002 is now in our warehouse and we have been told, that except for the rare problem order, all of the backorders have been shipped.
Why is my order taking so long?
The number 1 reason for delays in shipping is a backorder situation. When that is the case, we try to notify our customers. In the case of an item, like the Norton SystemWorks above, when we are assured by the supplier that it is on the way, we may not notify the customer because we will try to use a quicker method of shipment to get the product to the customer within the time frame we give you when you order.
The number 2 reason for delays, is the U.S. Post Office. It has not always been the most reliable, however, in the past few weeks has understandably become a bit more unreliable. We receive returns here daily with their stamp that it was undeliverable for some reason or another. When we contact the customer, the reason is not valid. We are working with the U.S. Post Office and other carriers to try and remedy these problems. The recent safety concerns and the holiday rush only aggravate the matter.
The number 3 reason for consumer complaints is not allowing enough time for delivery. Although we do state delivery time on the order page, some customers in the rush to take advantage of a great deal miss this information. As stated, 'Standard' shipping is 3 to 6 weeks, depending on the courier and your area.
We know this sounds like a long time but, it is part of the reason that we can offer such great opportunity buys on our products! (To get the products to you at the lowest cost, we have special programs with the USPS and other shipping partners. Because of this, delivery tends to be slower than more expensive express services, especially during holidays and special promotions.) We do offer shipping upgrades at most times, however, not knowing the exact date of delivery of the Norton products to our warehouse prompted us to remove the 'Rush' and 'Priority' shipping options from our site for a period of time.
I ordered the Christmas Lego Offer and it hasn't arrived. Will it get here by Christmas?
If you placed your order with 'standard' shipping, please refer to the information above under "Why is my order taking so long?'.
Unfortunately, if you placed the order with 'standard' shipping, it probably will not arrive in time for gift giving. If you ordered with 'Rush' or 'Priority' shipping, we are doing our best to pack and ship within the specified time frames. Again, please remember that we cannot offer any guarantee against shipping courier delays.
Why didn't I receive an order confirmation?
Every order receives an automatic email confirmation. Your email to Customer Support receives an AutoResponse and when we ship your order, you receive an automatic shipping confirmation. However, We are finding that there are some IP addresses that treat our communications as junk mail and block our replies to you. There are also quite a few email addresses that are entered wrong or one of many that a customer uses. Some customers forget which one they use and don't check their emails often.
We hope this email has been able to answer at least some of your questions. We do regret that we must respond with a form letter until we can get to your 'ticket' and respond to you personally. We know it has been frustrating, for you, our customer. We do appreciate your patience, and I assure you we have not forgotten you. Please remember, every time you respond to your ?ticket?, it updates it in our system which in effect moves you to the end of the line. If you are patient, we actually will get to you sooner.
Sincerely,
Kathy Jones
Customer Support Manager