posted on September 29, 2000 08:24:52 PM new
I just recently bid on a web cam for what I thought was $19. However, in small print after scrolling through a mess of product specs and such, they hide the fact that postage was $33.99. When I reported this dissatisfaction to uBid, I recieved the following replies. Do I have any rights as a consumer in regards to this extreme over pricing for shipping and handling?
Dear Mr. Fergel,
Thank you for contacting uBid, where you set the price. We apologize
for any inconvenience that you may have experienced.
We are always grateful for customer feedback and do take it seriously.
Your concerns have been forwarded to the appropriate department.
It is comments from customers such as you that help ensure that we
continually
improve in order to meet and exceed customer expectations. If you have
any
further questions, please contact us from our help pages with the
following
URL : http://www.ubid.com/help/default.asp.
Well, guess I'm stuck paying that much. That's what I get for not scrolling to the bottom of the page for the small print. It would seem that Ubid would be *** enough to implement some type policing for this type of consumer fleecing. Would you as a consumer yourself not be upset with paying that much for shipping? Doesn't it seem odd to charge more for shipping than the actual cost of the product for an item smaller than a loaf of bread? Do they have someone in China custom building mine for me right now? Is a Chinese delivery boy pulling up to my door in a Rickshaw with my prodduct as I type?
I thought BMG and Columbia House were bad with their shipping and handling prices, but this is upsetting and you can bet I'm going to post comments to as many web sites as possible about the outrages shipping charges used by several of the companies selling products on the Ubid site.
Is it my fault for not looking down that far? Yes. I guess I made the mistake of reading the help page which indicates shipping prices. Now I know why I have only purchased from e-bay prior to this. You can bet this will be the last time I purchase an item from Ubid and this will be the start of making sure others don't make the same mistake.
Mark F.
http://www.pcmodeler.com
----- Original Message -----
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2000 7:26 PM
Subject: Re: Incorrect Shipping Charges (KMM99662C0KM)
Dear Mark,
Thank you for contacting uBid, where you set the price. We apologize
for any inconvenience that you may have experienced.
According to our records, the shipping and handling
charge is clearly marked $34.99. This is found at the
shipping chart on the bid page. It does list a special
shipping rate.
I am really sorry if this was not understood at the time
you placed your bid. Once again I apologize for any
inconvenience.
If you have any further questions, please contact us from our help pages
with the following URL: http://www.ubid.com/help/default.asp.
Sincerely,
Rebecca R.
Customer Care Representative
uBid, Inc.
Original Message Follows:
-------------------------
FirstName:Mark
LastName:Fergel
Email:[email protected]
Login:pcmodeler
OrderNumber:2981608
Shipper:
Comments:The item won was $19.99. My total price for a 2lb item is
$53.99. How in the world could shipping be $34.99? This needs
immediate attention as I am canceling the order if that is correct.
posted on October 4, 2000 02:47:07 AM new
What's the problem? Just don't pay for it! A little negative feedback never hurt anybody. I'd not buy something on an off-brand auction anyway! And Remember, If the price is too good to be true, it probably is!
posted on October 13, 2000 06:58:12 AM new
ALWAYS read the fine print!!! Do your research, also. Sometimes it's just cheaper to go to the store and purchase the item. What may seem like a deal is not once you add on the shipping and other charges. I don't think posting negative feedback is the right thing to do since putting things in "fine print" has been an ongoing practice for many, many companies (a good example are your automobile dealers). I'm not saying it's right, but we as consumers have been continually advised that we should read the fine print. I understand where you are coming from because it has happened to me. I once bought software that I thought was a deal. Once all the charges were added, I would have been better off buying it at Best Buy. It would have cost me $5 more but I wouldn't have had to wait a week to get it.
I am new to selling on ebay and have decided that if I see I am making a good profit on an item I am selling, I will offer to pay the postage myself. However, if I am selling an item for $19.99 and the shipping is over $30 (as in your case) it wouldn't benefit me to pay for postage even if the $19.99 item cost me nothing in the first place.
