Don’t order textbooks from Indoo.com if you need them right away, because they’re a little casual with their shipping. Joe ordered two textbooks on September 5th. Four days later on September 9th, they sent him an email saying they’d been shipped via USPS Priority mail. They hadn’t arrived by the 16th, so Joe emailed to ask what was going on. They responded that actually the books had been shipped on September 11th via USPS Priority and that “the arrival expectation is 4 to 5 business days.” Joe received one of the two books yesterday, on September 17th, which would have been 5 business days after the 11th. Still no sign of the other book.
online shopping
Ever Used A Gift Card At Buy.com? Surprise, You May Owe Them Money
By 9.15.08
Seth was recently contacted by Buy.com and told that due to an error, an order he placed over a year ago had a balance due. They’ll be debiting his credit card “on or about 09/22/08.” Seth emailed them back to ask why they were just now settling the billing issue—surely it hadn’t taken them this long to notice it. Apparently, it had, and it’s not just Seth’s account that’s messed up.
This Furniture Store Uses Creative Math
By 7.1.08
Wow, look at this nice five-piece bedroom set. Only $599! Not bad, especially when the description says it’s normally $1800. Five different pieces—that would fill a bedroom with a lot of cheap class! Now let’s put the fine print filter on it:
Montgomery Ward's Hacked 6 Months Ago, But Victims Weren't Told
By 6.30.08
Somewhere between 51,000 and 200,000 records were stolen from Montgomery Ward’s servers last December—the company says it’s the smaller number, but CardCops, the group that spotted the hack in the first place, “spotted hackers touting the sale of 200,000 payment cards belonging to one merchant” in June, which is how the story became public. Montgomery Wards knew about the breach when it happened, and although they reported the crime to federal investigators, they didn’t tell any of the victims. The CEO of Direct Marketing Services, which owns the Montgomery Ward name, told the Associated Press that after he alerted investigators he felt his company “had met its obligations.”
Shop Online Safely With Temporary Credit Cards
By 11.30.07
Almost every time we write about fraud or identity theft, savvy readers will point out in the comments that many card companies offer temporary credit cards—virtual accounts tied to your real one that expire after one use, or a few days, or after a certain spending limit is reached. We thought it might be a good time to remind readers about these services, as well as password-protected and so-called “anonymous” credit cards.
Do You Shop At Work?
By 11.28.07
Surveys! Is there nothing they can’t measure? Apparently yes: the number of Americans who shop online while they’re at work. According to Spherion, 30% of workers use their computers at work to shop online during the holidays. Accountemps says the number is 21%, the Memphis Business Journal says 38%, and Shop.org says it’s 54.5%.
By 6.28.07
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13 sites to check out, and in what order, when scrounging for cheap airplane tickets.
Target's Everyday Ineptitude Reminds Me Why I Like Online Shopping
By 6.21.07
I wanted to buy a softball glove for a game today. I called my nearest Target to find out if they had any in stock. The operator tried transferring me to the sports area three times but no one picked up. She asked me to call back. I asked if she had a fancy device for looking up the in-store stock. She said to do that she needed a specific item number. Online, Target’s wares have 3 numbers: a category #, an ASIN, and a DPCI. She needed a DCPI. I gave her one for this glove. She said they didn’t have any in stock. I then tried to look at other gloves, but the two or three that I tried didn’t have DCPI numbers…
Overstock Sends You Sexy Leather Pants Instead Of A Rug
By 5.22.07
Internet catch-all retailers like Overstock.com are prefect for hilarious shipping mishaps. Order a rug, get a sexy pair of pants.
Can I Get This Cheaper Online? Text Frucall
By 4.23.07
Frucall upgraded its free instant comparison shopping service for cellphones so now all you have to do is send a text message. Simply text “fru” and the product barcode to a special number and get the results back by text.
Just Cancel The 32 Online Accounts
By 1.8.07
The editor of PC World signed up for 32 different online accounts and then tried to cancel them. As could be expected, the results weren’t pretty, with difficult to find cancellation instructions, options designed to mislead, and upselling exit interviews.
WeddingDepot Wants Our “Libelous” Post Removed
By 1.3.07
WeddingDepot.com wants our post detailing an exchange between themselves and a customer, which they call libel, removed.
WeddingDepot’s Nonresponsive, Passive Aggressive, Customer Service
By 1.3.07
UPDATE: WeddingDepot calls this post libel and requests its removal.
HPShopping Gives Automatic Refunds For Items Under $50
By 12.29.06
Did you know that if you order any item under $50 from hpshopping.com and call to return it, they will let you keep it and give a full refund?
Paypal Cruel To Tivo eBayer
By 12.29.06
Reader Homerjay’s story bolsters our big prediction for 2007: Paypal is going down.
Ask The Fray: Where Can I Email Gift Certificates Anonymously?
By 12.15.06
Help reader OnoSideboard achieve the third level of tzedakah:
Bluefly’s Customer Service Sucks And Lies
By 12.14.06
Online fashion store Bluefly failed to give reader Helen $20 off a purchase using a coupon code.
We Interview Google Checkout; Promises To Protect Consumers
By 12.14.06
Google Checkout looks like a Paypal-killer, but will it stand up for consumers when transactions go wrong? Google says yes.
