Imagine it: you’re trying to patch things up with an estranged parent, and send a thoughtful gift for their birthday. You pay more than $50 for overnight shipping, and wait for the gift to arrive. Only 48 hours later, the item hasn’t even shipped yet, while an identical item headed for another recipient, sent using standard shipping, has already shipped. What? That’s what reader Janet writes happened to her when she ordered a coffee machine from Newegg for her mother’s birthday.

My mom and I have had a pretty strained relationship over the past few years. I tried to call her a couple of times but our conversations just never worked out. Over the weekend, my boyfriend proposed and we both decided it was high time to make amends with my mother. Her birthday was Wednesday so I decided to surprise her and get her the coffee maker she always wanted but was never able to afford.

Monday evening, I scoured the internet for the coffee maker. I was ready to pay any price to ensure it got to her in time. There were a couple of websites that had it for a great deal, but I went to Newegg.com because of their great reputation. J&R was out of stock on it, so Newegg was my next best choice. I paid an additional $54 for overnight shipping. I assumed that it would not go out Monday evening, but I was positive that it would go out Tuesday. I also ordered the coffee maker for another friend, standard shipping.

Tuesday came and went and I did not get an email confirmation that the order shipped. I figured they sent tracking emails the next day after it registered with UPS. Wednesday morning (today) I checked my email and I got a shipping confirmation for the second order I placed – the one with standard shipping. I immediately contacted Newegg to make sure the other shipped yesterday. I was positive it did.

Well, the customer service representative politely informed me that it did not ship yet because they allow 1-2 days for processing. A $54 shipping charge and the free shipping order that was placed after ships first!!! I was furious. The worst? I wasn’t offered a partial refund or even a guarantee that it would ship today! I still did not receive a shipping confirmation for the order. My mom’s birthday is today [Wednesday] and she will not be receiving her coffee maker.

To all you buyers out there, just because a company has a great name does not mean that they have a great shipping policy or great customer service.

A few thoughts: first, if Janet chose rush processing in addition to overnight shipping, then this situation truly is unacceptable. One possible explanation is that the mother and the friend live in different parts of the country that are served by different warehouses–living in upstate New York, for example I receive my Newegg shipments out of New Jersey within 48 hours of placing the order, with regular shipping.

Update:Janet just sent Consumerist this update:

Thanks for the advice. I contacted them and got a nice customer service rep. She refunded the entire shipping charge. It shipped today – 3 days after I placed the order (site says 1-2 days). I’m still upset that it took 3 days to ship, but at least I did not pay for extra for it. Thanks!

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.