[Ray Dunakin]

I hate this:

I need one specific item and can only find one online source for it. It's a very small item, but this supplier has a minimum shipping fee that is excessively high for small items. So ok, I order a couple more small things that I don't really need at the moment but I'll probably need them later. 


As I'm completing the order the website asks what I want them to do if anything is out of stock. I've never seen this question on any other site that I order from, and since I don't know whether they'd charge me for backordered stuff that may not arrive for months, I choose to have them send only in-stock items. 


So... you guessed it... the package arrives and the one and only item I really wanted is not in it. The other small item which I'm not in any hurry to get, now cost me more than twice its actual value due to the excessive shipping fee, and now if I ever manage to get the item I wanted, I'll have to pay shipping again for that.


I really, REALLY hate this!


 

 

[Curmudgeon]

Cancel the backorder?

 

[John J]

I have seen this "WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO DO?" question on several Websites I order from.

Usually there are options like

Send the order with out " Out of stock Items"

E mail you if somthing is out of stock.

Call you if somthing is out of stock.


This mimamum amount thing is a pain in the neck and some have a lower opinion.

 

[Semper Vaporo]

I have seen others say that they are billed extra when a backorder is shipped... I have never had that happen. The few times I have had some item get backordered the place charged shipping based on the total price (or for special, usually heavy, items, there is a fixed fee for it in addition to the shipping based on price) and the backordered item was shipped without charging me extra.

I always thought that was the incentive for the seller to keep items in stock!

 

[Ray Dunakin]

The choices given were:

1. Ship only in-stock items and don't backorder anything. I choose this option, for the reasons described below.

2. Ship in-stock items and backorder out of stock items to be shipped later for free. Yes, the backordered item would be shipped free, but when? A few days later, or a few months? And would they charge my credit card while waiting for this item?

3. Hold the order until all items are ready to ship. Again, would I be billed for the stuff while they wait to backorder the out of stock item? And the one thing I really wanted might be sitting in the shop for who-knows how long, if it turned out the other item was the one that had to be backordered.

As you can see there were potential drawbacks to all three options. No matter which one you pick, there's still a chance you'll get the short end of the stick.

 

[Richard Smith]

This type of thing is why I only order by phone. If there's no phone number or if the order taker can't answer crucial questions then I do without.

 

[xo18thfa]

I hate when shipping and sales tax are more than the item you need.

 

[noelw]

Posted By xo18thfa on 11/22/2008 10:58 PM
I hate when shipping and sales tax are more than the item you need.

That happens a lot here in Califorina to..

 

[Paul Norton]

That is a common occurrence when ordering from Canada. One two different occasions I order a car priced at US$65. When the shipping cost, currency exchange, customs fee, Provincial Sales Tax and Federal Sales tax are added; the item arrives at my door costing CDN$140. Our local hobby shops love it as it encourages us to buy from them, which I do if the price is reasonable.

Ordering parts can be a real pain. I needed a weight set for an RS-3. Since I was ordering that from the manufacturer, few small repair parts were added as well.

After a month everything but the weight set arrived. I E-mailed the manufacturer, received an apology, and a promise the weight set would be shipped out tomorrow at no additional cost.

A month later I received two large pieces of cardboard, held together with thin plastic tape with a hole at the bottom corner.

Instead of wrapping the weight set in one piece of cardboard, or taping it to one side, it was left loose and was lost during shipment. That prompted another e-mail, another apology and another promise.

A month later one bar of the weight set arrived, not a set of two. I gave up! Fortunately Doug is using the RS-3 as a yard switcher, so the weight bar and battery pack are sufficient for his needs.