🚀 go-pugleaf

amo2@cec.wustl.edu (Alex Ogilvie) wrote:


Why don't you post their email address, and their site address...so we
all may send them a note to the effect...that we will repost your note
to other newsgroups concerning your problems with this company.
Then we will wait to see if they make some amends for the shoddy way
they have treated a fellow consumer...Good luck..


I recommend that everyone consider my experience when
selecting a mail order outlet to deal with in the future.

Alex Ogilvie

This is a respone to Alex and all mail-order customers.

Buy from MacWarehouse/MicroWarehouse. They have the best prices in the
industry, $3 overnight delivery, and great service. I have ordered from them
dozens of times and have _never_ had a problem.

John Daniel

-- 
"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you"

In article <4c0667$275@oldfart.ecl.wustl.edu>, amo2@cec.wustl.edu (Alex
Ogilvie) wrote:

> Greetings, I'll make this as short as possible.
> 
> Both my parents and I own Macintoshes. We have, in the past, ordered
> several items, both hardware and software, from Creative Computers'
> MacMall catalog. During the course of our business relationship, they
> have committed the following errors:
> 
> 1. They have sent ordered items to the wrong address, causing me
> considerable hardship.
> 
> 2. They have sent me what was obviously defective merchandise, then
> expected me to bear the financial responsibility for the item until
> they could confirm the defect and replace it, causing my credit card
> finance charges to increase during the interim.
> 
> 3. Their sales representative gave me erroneous product information,
> thus causing me considerable hardship and extraneous financial costs
> when attempting to compensate for his error.
> 
> 4. They sent my parents an item, then erroneously sent a duplicate
> item. When my mother called to report the error, they charged her for
> the item, plus the additional postage, then refunded her less money
> than she was originally charged for the order. This essentially
> amounted to charging her for their own mistake.
> 
> 5. When my parents attempted to call the customer service line on two
> occasions, MacMall's employees were rude to them. When my mother asked
> to speak to a superior, both times she was told that she would receive
> a call later on, when the superior was available. In both cases no
> follow-up call was received.
> 
> I wrote a letter to MacMall expressing my disappointment in their
> service, and in the letter implied that I would like some sort of
> response to my account of all of their mistakes. I sent that letter in
> September. I have not yet received a reply. I went to their web site,
> and left a message with customer service in which I placed the text of
> the original letter, with additional comments on further errors they
> committed when dealing with my parents. I insisted that they respond to
> my comments. That was three weeks ago. I have had it with MacMall -
> they are terribly disappointing. Both my parents and I purchase
> computer software and equipment in conjunction with our respective
> working situations, and we have been treated unfairly and
> unprofessionally. I recommend that everyone consider my experience when
> selecting a mail order outlet to deal with in the future.

I am sorry, but I have to disagree with you. During the summer I bought
a(n?) UMAX vista S-8 24 bit flatbed scanner which was delivered defective.
I only had to place 1 troubleshooting session call to MacMall, and they
sent out a replacement scanner the next day...shipped next day air. This
was one of several items that I had bought, but I had no trouble with them
about shipping back only 1 item. In my opinion (and I do EXTENSIVE
pre-purchase shopping around) they treated me very well. I am in no way
affiliated with MacMall or any other retailer.....I hope your problems
have been isolated incidents. Good Luck.

-- 
As always, if you find this information useless, please disregard it, and pardon me for using valuable bandwidth!!

In article <daniel-2912950811430001@ts2102.slip.colostate.edu>,
daniel@cs.colostate.edu (John Daniel) wrote:

>Buy from MacWarehouse/MicroWarehouse. They have the best prices in the
                                                     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>industry, $3 overnight delivery, and great service. I have ordered from them
 ^^^^^^^^
>dozens of times and have _never_ had a problem.
>
>John Daniel

Actually, they don't.  I agree with the other things you said, and in some
cases I am willing to pay extra for the convenience of ordering from them
and knowing my order will arrive the next day, like clockwork (except for
the one time it didn't, since they somehow forgot to put half my order in
the box, and I had to wait four days to get the rest of it -- but this is
an anomaly).  Still, if you're really going for price, there are much
better deals around.  For example:

Last catalog I saw listed a 256K PowerMac 7500 cache for $299.  I just
ordered a 512K cache for less than that from Spectrum Trading.  Double the
cache size for $50 less.

Their price on the Speed Doubler/RAM Doubler bundle was $10 higher than
Cyberian Outpost's.  Ditto for Claris Emailer.  (I highly recommend
Cyberian Outpost, BTW.  http://www.cybout.com/)

And by the way, the $3 overnight delivery is only for orders under a
certain weight.  Try ordering a 20" monitor -- you sure as heck won't get
THAT the next day for $3.

--
Jerry Kindall (kindall@manual.com)
Manual Labor: We Wrote The Book!
http://www.manual.com/home/

In article <daniel-2912950811430001@ts2102.slip.colostate.edu>,
daniel@cs.colostate.edu (John Daniel) wrote:

> This is a respone to Alex and all mail-order customers.
> 
> Buy from MacWarehouse/MicroWarehouse. They have the best prices in the
> industry, $3 overnight delivery, and great service. I have ordered from them
> dozens of times and have _never_ had a problem.
> 


Or, better yet, ignore all the print catalog companies and buy from
�yberian Outpost.
 
                               http://www.cybout.com/


They're careful, cheerful, and always accurate. If there's a problem, it
will be fixed pronto -- no haggling with stupid salesclerks (like MacMall,
for example, who, IMHO, has the most discourteous, braindead salesclerks I
have ever had the pleasure of talking to) and no five, six, seven, eight
hour waits for a callback from so-called "customer service" (such as
MacWhorehouse, for example, who has the most annoying, gumchomping,
bored-to-death, valley-girl wanna-be salesclerks that I have ever had the
pleasure of talking to.)

Forget about all the catalogs.

Go to Cyberian Outpost and your mail order woes will be over.


(I'm not affiliated with the company -- just a satisfied customer.)

Chris



Chris

---
Christopher Schweda
Chicago IL
schweda@wwa.com

Hello.

Since I started this thread, I felt somewhat obligated to comment on
some of the things people have been saying.

First of all, I would like to thank everyone publicly who has made
suggestions about the available alternative means of mail order
shopping. You have all been most helpful. Personally, I am currently a
frequent customer of MacWarehouse and Cyberian Outpost. The former I
use for hardware and hard-to-find software (i.e. JMP, and the like)
while the latter I tend to use for games and common software. My
deciding factor is invariably price, (which, incidentally, is a
category in which MacMall typically excels - they fail in every other
area, though). I do not necessarily limit myself to these two
companies. There are many, many uprising competitors to be found in the
backs of any Macintosh-related publication (e.g. MacUser, MacWorld),
but as always, let the buyer beware.

Secondly, it has been stated that oftentimes people will post
commentary about one dealer or another out of some emotional response.
Although I can understand this assertion, I assure you that in my case,
that is not so. I admit that I am desparate, but I am well past the
point of an angry and reactional posture. I posted my experiences
partly as a warning, and partly as fullfillment of a promise I made to
MacMall's customer service department if they did not address my
concerns in the near future, which was now one month ago. I was angry
four months ago, when all of this came to pass. Now, I am merely
repentant about having used their services.

Finally, it has been suggested to me that I relate my experiences to a
Macintosh consumer advocate, which I plan to do soon (it's so difficult
to coordinate one's activism with one's holiday activities, while
simultaneously writing a dissertation proposal). 

If any of you have had similar experiences with MacMall, or if you
would simply like to check them out for yourselves, and make your own
decision, then I encourage you to visit their web site located at :

http://www.macmall.com/web2/MacMall/MMMainPage.html

It is possible to leave them a message if you like. I encourage you to
be repsonsible in doing so, however. 

Regards,

Alex Ogilvie

amo2@cec.wustl.edu (Alex Ogilvie) wrote:
>Greetings, I'll make this as short as possible.
>
>Both my parents and I own Macintoshes. We have, in the past, ordered
>several items, both hardware and software, from Creative Computers'
>MacMall catalog. During the course of our business relationship, they
>have committed the following errors:
>... <errors deleted>

I have similarly had bad luck with MacMall.

I ordered an Apple 1710AV display. After much delay caused by
Apple, it arrived damaged. I returned it to them. About ten
days later I asked them where my new monitor was. They hadn't
shipped it yet, but would do so. A week or so later, I called
again. I'll spare many of the details, but sumarize by letting
you know I spoke to them on at least ten occasions, was cut off
a few times, and told numerous times my replacement monitor would
be shipped the next day or next Monday or whatever. I finally
got it around 6 weeks after I should have. 

I will not order from them again. I've been pretty happy with
MacWarehouse and MacZone. I am affiliated with none of these
companies.

    /------------------------------------------------
   /      /|  /| Paul Eric Menchen
  /----  / | / | emenchen@fwb.gulf.net
 /      /  |/  | My other .sig won a Pulitzer Prize!
/----------------------------------------------------

I've ordered dozens of things, hardware and software, from MacMall, and
never had one bit of trouble. They've always been polite, knowledgable
and prompt. The one time I spoke with someone who didn't seem to have all
the answers, I asked for someone else and got them immediately.

In article <daniel-2912950811430001@ts2102.slip.colostate.edu>,
daniel@cs.colostate.edu (John Daniel) wrote:

>This is a respone to Alex and all mail-order customers.
>
>Buy from MacWarehouse/MicroWarehouse. They have the best prices in the
>industry, $3 overnight delivery, and great service. I have ordered from them
>dozens of times and have _never_ had a problem.
>
>John Daniel
>
>-- 
>"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you"

Ditto on MacWarehouse. I ordered a PowerUser 14.4 modem from them. The
modem has been great but the software was on a HD disk and I couldn't use
it. They didn't have the same software on low den disks, but would have
been more than happy to give me my money back (their suggestion). 

They said that a tech help person would call me and they did. I have no
problem ordering anything from MacWarehouse because I know they'll do right
by me.

Steve
goaway@frii.com

In article <schweda-3012950953380001@pool2-050.wwa.com>, schweda@wwa.com
(Christopher Schweda) wrote:

> In article <daniel-2912950811430001@ts2102.slip.colostate.edu>,
> daniel@cs.colostate.edu (John Daniel) wrote:
> 
> > This is a respone to Alex and all mail-order customers.
> > 
> > Buy from MacWarehouse/MicroWarehouse. They have the best prices in the
> > industry, $3 overnight delivery, and great service. I have ordered from them
> > dozens of times and have _never_ had a problem.
> > 
> 
> 
> Or, better yet, ignore all the print catalog companies and buy from
> �yberian Outpost.
>  
>                                http://www.cybout.com/
> 
> 
> They're careful, cheerful, and always accurate. If there's a problem, it
> will be fixed pronto -- no haggling with stupid salesclerks (like MacMall,
> for example, who, IMHO, has the most discourteous, braindead salesclerks I
> have ever had the pleasure of talking to) and no five, six, seven, eight
> hour waits for a callback from so-called "customer service" (such as
> MacWhorehouse, for example, who has the most annoying, gumchomping,
> bored-to-death, valley-girl wanna-be salesclerks that I have ever had the
> pleasure of talking to.)
> 
> Forget about all the catalogs.
> 
> Go to Cyberian Outpost and your mail order woes will be over.
> 
> 
> (I'm not affiliated with the company -- just a satisfied customer.)
> 

The concept behind the Outpost is great; the execution is coming along,
though. They don't ship overnight as reliably as the big places. Unlike
MacMall, though, they will tell you HONESTLY if something is in stock and
when to expect it. 

I try to order from them as much as I can unless I absolutely, positively
need it overnight.

-- 
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever."

                  Nigel Tufnel & David St. Hubbins

In article <jlynch-0201961113000001@demon.axiomny.com>, jlynch@axiomny.com
(James Lynch III) wrote:

> In article <schweda-3012950953380001@pool2-050.wwa.com>, schweda@wwa.com
> (Christopher Schweda) wrote:
> 
> > In article <daniel-2912950811430001@ts2102.slip.colostate.edu>,
> > daniel@cs.colostate.edu (John Daniel) wrote:
> > 
> > > This is a respone to Alex and all mail-order customers.
> > > 
> > > Buy from MacWarehouse/MicroWarehouse. They have the best prices in the
> > > industry, $3 overnight delivery, and great service. I have ordered
from them
> > > dozens of times and have _never_ had a problem.
> > > 
> > 
> > 
> > Or, better yet, ignore all the print catalog companies and buy from
> > �yberian Outpost.
> >  
> >                                http://www.cybout.com/
> > 
> > 
> > They're careful, cheerful, and always accurate. If there's a problem, it
> > will be fixed pronto -- no haggling with stupid salesclerks (like MacMall,
> > for example, who, IMHO, has the most discourteous, braindead salesclerks I
> > have ever had the pleasure of talking to) and no five, six, seven, eight
> > hour waits for a callback from so-called "customer service" (such as
> > MacWhorehouse, for example, who has the most annoying, gumchomping,
> > bored-to-death, valley-girl wanna-be salesclerks that I have ever had the
> > pleasure of talking to.)
> > 
> > Forget about all the catalogs.
> > 
> > Go to Cyberian Outpost and your mail order woes will be over.
> > 
> > 
> > (I'm not affiliated with the company -- just a satisfied customer.)
> > 
> 
> The concept behind the Outpost is great; the execution is coming along,
> though. They don't ship overnight as reliably as the big places. Unlike
> MacMall, though, they will tell you HONESTLY if something is in stock and
> when to expect it. 
> 
> I try to order from them as much as I can unless I absolutely, positively
> need it overnight.
> 



I have the same opinion exactly about Cyberian Outpost.
They do what they say and they are knowledgable to boot.


http://www.sover.net/~yisroel

yisroel@sover.net

In article <4c9jk5$lsg@server3.mich.com>, Sam Marrocco <marrocco@mich.com>
wrote:

> I've ordered dozens of things, hardware and software, from MacMall, and
> never had one bit of trouble. They've always been polite, knowledgable
> and prompt. The one time I spoke with someone who didn't seem to have all
> the answers, I asked for someone else and got them immediately.

I have to agree.  I purchased quite a bit of equipment from MacMall last
year  and never had a problem.  That includes a busted 101-key Keyboard
that they replaced immediately.

Your mileage may (and probably does) vary...  <g>

John

-- 
"Some people play hard to get;  I play hard to want."
                   -The Adventures of Ford Fairlane

In article <Johnb5-0201961150090001@sl04.tde.com>, Johnb5@tde.com (John
Bedard) wrote:


> > I've ordered dozens of things, hardware and software, from MacMall, and
> > never had one bit of trouble. They've always been polite, knowledgable
> > and prompt. The one time I spoke with someone who didn't seem to have all
> > the answers, I asked for someone else and got them immediately.
> 
> I have to agree.  I purchased quite a bit of equipment from MacMall last
> year  and never had a problem.  That includes a busted 101-key Keyboard
> that they replaced immediately.


Me too. But this is a darned competitive business with several new and
aggressive entities in it, and particularly with postal rates rising some
shakeouts will be coming. I have had good experiences with MacMall, but I
will definitely put this thread in the back of my mind: the last folks on
board with mail order often wind up sinking with the captain, and accounts
like this one, if even slightly multiplied, often turn out to have been
the first floe of the icepack...

-- 
Jim Upchurch | Montgomery Alabama
jtu3@mont.mindspring.com
<http://www.wsnet.com/~jtu3/>
<http://www.mont.mindspring.com/~jtu3/online.html>

In article <4c0667$275@oldfart.ecl.wustl.edu>, amo2@cec.wustl.edu (Alex
Ogilvie) wrote:

-> Greetings, I'll make this as short as possible.
-> 

Call the Better Business Bureau!!!

   -V-

-- 
Opinions expressed are probably my own.

In article <jtu3-0201961802050001@jtu3.mindspring.com>,
jtu3@mont.mindspring.com (Jim Upchurch) wrote:

> In article <Johnb5-0201961150090001@sl04.tde.com>, Johnb5@tde.com (John
> Bedard) wrote:
> 
> 
> > > I've ordered dozens of things, hardware and software, from MacMall, and
> > > never had one bit of trouble. They've always been polite, knowledgable
> > > and prompt. The one time I spoke with someone who didn't seem to have all
> > > the answers, I asked for someone else and got them immediately.
> > 
> > I have to agree.  I purchased quite a bit of equipment from MacMall last
> > year  and never had a problem.  That includes a busted 101-key Keyboard
> > that they replaced immediately.
> 
> 
> Me too. But this is a darned competitive business with several new and
> aggressive entities in it, and particularly with postal rates rising some
> shakeouts will be coming. I have had good experiences with MacMall, but I
> will definitely put this thread in the back of my mind: the last folks on
> board with mail order often wind up sinking with the captain, and accounts
> like this one, if even slightly multiplied, often turn out to have been
> the first floe of the icepack...
> 
> -- 
> Jim Upchurch | Montgomery Alabama
> jtu3@mont.mindspring.com
> <http://www.wsnet.com/~jtu3/>
> <http://www.mont.mindspring.com/~jtu3/online.html>

Well, I'm not exactly a MacMall groupie;  I buy plenty from Mac Zone,
MacWarehouse, CompUSA, and Computer City, too.

John

-- 
"Some people play hard to get;  I play hard to want."
                   -The Adventures of Ford Fairlane

In article <schweda-3012950953380001@pool2-050.wwa.com>,
schweda@wwa.com (Christopher Schweda) wrote:

>Or, better yet, ignore all the print catalog companies and buy from
>Cyberian Outpost.
> 
>                               http://www.cybout.com/
>
>They're careful, cheerful, and always accurate. If there's a problem, it
>will be fixed pronto --

Ahum, I have something to say about this as a not-so-satisfied customer.
Let me state first that I live in the Netherlands, Europe. We over here
have a thing called import tax. The importance for this will become clear.
I ordered my copy of CodeWarrior at Cyberian Outpost. The box came fairly
soon, but the manuals would take a bit longer. No problem. When the manuals
arrived however, the value on the box was in the order of $500 and an extra
copy of Codewarrior was in it. This shouldn't be a problem in the States.
However here in Europe I had to pay about $80 import taxes to see what was
in the box. Then I had to send it back. DHL is a lot more expensive over
here, so that's another $85.
I spent a lot of time mailing Cyberian Outpost and the Dutch customs to try
to get my money back. The Outpost promised me a credit form for a 'next
purchase', I still have to see any money back from the customs.
Needless to say I'm not too happy with Cyberian Outpost. Sure they tried to
correct things, but the cause was probably bad communications between sales
& shipping. I wonder if that has been corrected. And I still paid $160 too
much for CW 7 :-(


Hope this helps for all overseas customers.


Axel

________________________
Axel M. Roest           | Macintosh developer & UNIX sysadmin
axel@simplex.nl         | 

I've got a long list of problems with MacMall orders over the last three
months, some of which persist to this day. But I'll spare you that in lieu
of a juicier piece of information on my now-least favorite mail order
company.

Along with my new Power Mac 7500 I ordered the NEC XV17 monitor which has
been listed in their catalogs at $799 for months. I received a defective
monitor (which I then had to pay shipping for to return), and while on
hold with tech support, the incessant advertisements happened to mention
what a great deal their *$729* NEC XV17 monitor was. I mentioned it to the
person I spoke with, and they confirmed the price and said it had "just
been lowered." Now here's the funny part. When I called a week before to
check prices, I initially didn't mention I had a catalog and was quoted
the $729 price - but alas, I was told, it was out of stock. When I called
an hour later to order, I mentioned the catalog and was quoted the $799
price - and lo and behold, it was IN STOCK! I didn't quibble since I
wanted the computer. Well, as I mentioned, every catalog before and since
lists the same higher price.

You know, now that I'm venting, I think I would like to share briefly my
other complaints. Besides being charged for FedEx shipping on a 45lb.
monitor return, the monitor arrived without an adapter. Tech support could
not locate one, either. Thankfully, NEC flew one in next day air. I have
received incorrect software shipments, some items missing, others
unordered items included. On a software bundle in which the pieces were
shipped separately, the total cost on three invoices exceeded
significantly the catalog bundle price. Finally, one item I've been
calling about for two months now is advertised with a $20 rebate and a
free CD-ROM, neither of which has ever appeared. I have likewise been
told, "I'll call you back." Interestingly, every invoice I receive from
them has a note at the bottom stating, "Called customer/No answer." It
always seemed strange since I'm a graduate student and home a lot that
neither I nor my answering machine (which seems to answer everyone else)
has ever been able to catch them.

Boy, that does feel a little better. Thanks for letting me go. I'm glad
that others have found MacMall to be reputable. I, however, will not be
ordering from them again.

Ken Dunstone
dunstone@nwu.edu

>I have the same opinion exactly about Cyberian Outpost.
>They do what they say and they are knowledgable to boot.


>http://www.sover.net/~yisroel

>yisroel@sover.net
What town in VT are you located. I am a home based printer in St.
Albans.
Paul Patry
Patry Computer Graphics
grafix1@sover.net

Wow does this sound familiar,

I'm still going through an awful time with MacMall. I ordered a Power 120
through MacMall on December 15 - first it took 3 weeks to get to me (they
promise overnight delivery), then they sent the wrong machine and promised
to have it picked up the next day (Fed-Ex didn't show up 2 days in a row)
and now they want me to wait 10 days for them to refund my check.

I've probably talked to 20 people at MacMall and no one wants to help me.
They promise to call you back and they never do. They promise to fix your
order and they never do.

Why not do what I'm doing - contact the Better Business Bureau and file a
complaint with the Attorney General of the state of California. After doing
so, contact MacMall by either e-mail or snail mail and tell them what you've
done. Also contact the manufacturer of the monitor you bought and tell them
about your problems with MacMall. Maybe if enough complaints are filed
someone will do something.

Jim



In Article <dunstone-0301960420570001@lucky114.nuts.nwu.edu>,
dunstone@nwu.edu (Kenneth C. Dunstone) wrote:
>I've got a long list of problems with MacMall orders over the last three
>months, some of which persist to this day. But I'll spare you that in lieu
>of a juicier piece of information on my now-least favorite mail order
>company.
>
>Along with my new Power Mac 7500 I ordered the NEC XV17 monitor which has
>been listed in their catalogs at $799 for months. I received a defective
>monitor (which I then had to pay shipping for to return), and while on
>hold with tech support, the incessant advertisements happened to mention
>what a great deal their *$729* NEC XV17 monitor was. I mentioned it to the
>person I spoke with, and they confirmed the price and said it had "just
>been lowered." Now here's the funny part. When I called a week before to
>check prices, I initially didn't mention I had a catalog and was quoted
>the $729 price - but alas, I was told, it was out of stock. When I called
>an hour later to order, I mentioned the catalog and was quoted the $799
>price - and lo and behold, it was IN STOCK! I didn't quibble since I
>wanted the computer. Well, as I mentioned, every catalog before and since
>lists the same higher price.
>
>You know, now that I'm venting, I think I would like to share briefly my
>other complaints. Besides being charged for FedEx shipping on a 45lb.
>monitor return, the monitor arrived without an adapter. Tech support could
>not locate one, either. Thankfully, NEC flew one in next day air. I have
>received incorrect software shipments, some items missing, others
>unordered items included. On a software bundle in which the pieces were
>shipped separately, the total cost on three invoices exceeded
>significantly the catalog bundle price. Finally, one item I've been
>calling about for two months now is advertised with a $20 rebate and a
>free CD-ROM, neither of which has ever appeared. I have likewise been
>told, "I'll call you back." Interestingly, every invoice I receive from
>them has a note at the bottom stating, "Called customer/No answer." It
>always seemed strange since I'm a graduate student and home a lot that
>neither I nor my answering machine (which seems to answer everyone else)
>has ever been able to catch them.
>
>Boy, that does feel a little better. Thanks for letting me go. I'm glad
>that others have found MacMall to be reputable. I, however, will not be
>ordering from them again.
>
>Ken Dunstone
>dunstone@nwu.edu



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         _________________
         |===============|





    

Interestingly, every invoice I receive from
>>them has a note at the bottom stating, "Called customer/No answer." It
>>always seemed strange since I'm a graduate student and home a lot that
>>neither I nor my answering machine (which seems to answer everyone else)
>>has ever been able to catch them.
I have posted in this thread in praise of MacMall, but I have the same
observation. I never got that call either.

-- 
Bob Ball

In article <jlb.1171405779B@interlockp.lubrizol.com>,
jlb@orsale.computers.mac-specific!jlb (jim brownlow) wrote:

> Wow does this sound familiar,
> 
> I'm still going through an awful time with MacMall. I ordered a Power 120
> through MacMall on December 15 - first it took 3 weeks to get to me (they
> promise overnight delivery), then they sent the wrong machine and promised
> to have it picked up the next day (Fed-Ex didn't show up 2 days in a row)
> and now they want me to wait 10 days for them to refund my check.
> 
> I've probably talked to 20 people at MacMall and no one wants to help me.
> They promise to call you back and they never do. They promise to fix your
> order and they never do.
> 
> Why not do what I'm doing - contact the Better Business Bureau and file a
> complaint with the Attorney General of the state of California. After doing
> so, contact MacMall by either e-mail or snail mail and tell them what you've
> done. Also contact the manufacturer of the monitor you bought and tell them
> about your problems with MacMall. Maybe if enough complaints are filed
> someone will do something.

You might also write to both MacUser and MacWorld as they carry adversting
for MacMall.

In article <dunstone-0301960420570001@lucky114.nuts.nwu.edu>,
dunstone@nwu.edu (Kenneth C. Dunstone) wrote:

> Along with my new Power Mac 7500 I ordered the NEC XV17 monitor which has
> been listed in their catalogs at $799 for months. I received a defective
> monitor (which I then had to pay shipping for to return),

Believe me, I'm not a MacMall fan (have a few horror stories of my own)
but you should NOT have had to pay for the return shipping of that
monitor.

I ordered a SelectPress 600 printer from them about a year ago and it
arrived defective. When I called for the return, they tried to get me to
pay for the return shipping but I threw an absolute fit at that and
insisted on speaking to a manager who gave me a RMA number so that it
would be charged to THEIR FedEx #, not mine. 

From my experience with MacMall, it seems that their first line
sales/support people are clueless. Don't take their word for anything.
When in the slightest bit of doubt, talk to a supervisor.

Regardless, I will never deal with MacMall again...not worth the agina no
matter how attractive their catalog prices seem to be at times.

-- 
Judi Sohn
judis@interport.net

"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted."

amo2@cec.wustl.edu (Alex Ogilvie) writes:

Suffice it to say that I Believe everything you say about MacMall --
they suck raw eggs (and a few other unmentionables...).  Essentially
they overcharged me $80 on a Newton memory card and I had to threaten to
sue the hell out of them to get the $$ refunded...  That was my first
and last order from those fools...  I posted a note long ago about
them...they are truly scum...

Added to the list: MacWarehouse -- screwed up orders, incorrect products
sent, late products sent, lack of choice when ordering products
requiring SCSI cables (is it really too much to ask to have a 50-50 SCSI
cable rather than a 25-50?) and on and on and on.... My friends and I
will never order from MacShithouse again....

>Hello.

>Since I started this thread, I felt somewhat obligated to comment on
>some of the things people have been saying.

>First of all, I would like to thank everyone publicly who has made
>suggestions about the available alternative means of mail order
>shopping. You have all been most helpful. Personally, I am currently a
>frequent customer of MacWarehouse and Cyberian Outpost. The former I
>use for hardware and hard-to-find software (i.e. JMP, and the like)
>while the latter I tend to use for games and common software. My
>deciding factor is invariably price, (which, incidentally, is a
>category in which MacMall typically excels - they fail in every other
>area, though). I do not necessarily limit myself to these two
>companies. There are many, many uprising competitors to be found in the
>backs of any Macintosh-related publication (e.g. MacUser, MacWorld),
>but as always, let the buyer beware.

>Secondly, it has been stated that oftentimes people will post
>commentary about one dealer or another out of some emotional response.
>Although I can understand this assertion, I assure you that in my case,
>that is not so. I admit that I am desparate, but I am well past the
>point of an angry and reactional posture. I posted my experiences
>partly as a warning, and partly as fullfillment of a promise I made to
>MacMall's customer service department if they did not address my
>concerns in the near future, which was now one month ago. I was angry
>four months ago, when all of this came to pass. Now, I am merely
>repentant about having used their services.

>Finally, it has been suggested to me that I relate my experiences to a
>Macintosh consumer advocate, which I plan to do soon (it's so difficult
>to coordinate one's activism with one's holiday activities, while
>simultaneously writing a dissertation proposal). 

>If any of you have had similar experiences with MacMall, or if you
>would simply like to check them out for yourselves, and make your own
>decision, then I encourage you to visit their web site located at :

>http://www.macmall.com/web2/MacMall/MMMainPage.html

>It is possible to leave them a message if you like. I encourage you to
>be repsonsible in doing so, however. 

>Regards,

>Alex Ogilvie

-- 
Mac, PC, UNIX, etc. Guru at Large..
Internet: mgreeny@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu
AOL: GREENY1@AOL.COM 
#include <std_disclaimer.h>

I've never had problems with exchanging stuff at MacMall but... I 
recentley tried to return something and asked for money back and got 
the whole run around.  I bought a scanner that had "30 day money 
back gauruntee" on the ad.  When I tried to return it the 
salesperson denied this saying that it was not returnable for money 
back insisting that all they could do was give me credit (in 
store... err, umm, in magazine) or an exchange.  After digging 
around for the original issue I ordered it from I had proof and they 
eventually agreed to let me return it for full money back.  They 
were not very willing or pleased to do this though, and were making 
every effort to keep my money.  I'm wondering if this has happened 
to others too or if the salesperson I spoke to was just having a bad 
day (it happens to all of us).

Has anyone purchased from the Internet Shopping Network???  They 
have great prices on some things!!!  What has your experience been?  
C ya, Joe

In article <30F29C18.2438@tiac.net>, Joe Ciarcia <midi@tiac.net> wrote:

>I've never had problems with exchanging stuff at MacMall but...

To throw one experience into the pool...  I've ordered about half a dozen
times from MacMall.  I like them because they ship FedEx, who deliver in
the AM, instead of Airborne, who get here around 5pm.  Sometimes that
makes a big difference.

However, a few weeks ago I ordered a product, a birthday gift for a
friend.  The MacMall rep said it was in stock, so I ordered  He even said
specifically that I'd have it on the particular day.  I wanted it quickly
for the correct date.  The date arrived, no package.  One more day (there
was a snowstorm so I gave them the benefit of the doubt), no package.  I
called them, talked to another rep, "Sorry, that product is out of stock
and won't be in stock for six weeks."  Needless to say I was pissed to no
end.  Got transferred around to all hell (including a quote from a rep
that the hold time for customer service was under three minutes, and
waited twenty).  Cancelled the order, and I won't be ordering from them
again.

Luckily the story had a happy ending; found this product (a really
off-the-wall photo training program) at a local Computer City on the way
to this friend's house...

-- 
Mitchell S. Cohen, mcohen@media.iii.net
http://www.iii.net/users/mcohen.html

In article <mcohen-1001962236240001@media.iii.net>, mcohen@media.iii.net
(Mitchell S. Cohen) wrote:

> In article <30F29C18.2438@tiac.net>, Joe Ciarcia <midi@tiac.net> wrote:
> 
> >I've never had problems with exchanging stuff at MacMall but...
> 

To add to this long thread...uh I wonder if there is some connection
between the lowest possible price and not the best staff and service...uh
I wonder.

> 
> -- 
> Mitchell S. Cohen, mcohen@media.iii.net
> http://www.iii.net/users/mcohen.html

I purchased an NTSC convertor from them after repeated assurances 
that thier 'Tech database' said it was compatible with my Thunder 24 
graphics card et al..

Of course, it was not, I called, they told me 'To bad, you get 
credit' and that was that..

After I use my credit, they are never getting my business again, 
MacWarehouse is a MUCH better business. Straight forward, to the 
point and honest to the hilt(thus far). I've spent probably $10,000 
with them and NEVER had a problem. They even cross-shipped because 
of their error(I ordered overnight and they sent it ground).

John 

Joe Ciarcia wrote:
> 
> I've never had problems with exchanging stuff at MacMall but... I
> recentley tried to return something and asked for money back and got

> eventually agreed to let me return it for full money back.  They
> were not very willing or pleased to do this though, and were making

In article <rking-1201961313170001@failcon.demon.co.uk>,
rking@failcon.demon.co.uk (Roger King) wrote:

> In article <30F5B099.146@west.net>, siberian@west.net wrote:
> 
> <<I purchased an NTSC convertor from them after repeated assurances 
> that thier 'Tech database' said it was compatible with my Thunder 24 
> graphics card et al..  Of course, it was not, I called, they told me 'To
> bad, you get credit' and that was that..>>
> 
> Is that legal in the US?  In England we have consumer protection
> legislation that ensures you get a full cash refund on anyhing that does
> not fulfill the purpose that it was bought for.  Surely there must be
> something similar in the US?
> 


This is why you order with a Credit Card.  As long as you are RIGHT and
they are wrong the Credit Card companies will charge them back.  Do not
use this as a random threat -- only when you are getting no where with
clueless folks like MacMall.

Regards
Chad

In article <30F5B099.146@west.net>, siberian@west.net wrote:

<<I purchased an NTSC convertor from them after repeated assurances 
that thier 'Tech database' said it was compatible with my Thunder 24 
graphics card et al..  Of course, it was not, I called, they told me 'To
bad, you get credit' and that was that..>>

Is that legal in the US?  In England we have consumer protection
legislation that ensures you get a full cash refund on anyhing that does
not fulfill the purpose that it was bought for.  Surely there must be
something similar in the US?

-- 
Regards,

Roger KIng, Cranleigh, Surry, UK
rking@failcon.demon.co.uk

For what it's worth, I have ordered 3 times from MacMall and once from
MacWarehouse.  MacWarehouse sent me the wrong stuff, even after I gave them the
apple part number.  However, there was no hazzle in getting my credit card 
credited.

MacMall has (so far) been very promtp and knowledgeable.  They deliver to
my work, where all the Fedex stuff gets shipped to a loading center and then
distributed (I get the packages around noon).  Granted, I have not ordered
anything over $50.00, but a friend of mine ordered a Performa 6205 form
MacMall and then changed his mind before receiving it.  He got his money
back.

I wish some of those who posted to this thread would have said who do they buy
from, since sometimes you can only get certain things from the mail order firms.

I saw some references to MacZone, but there is so much PC stuff in their
Mac catalog that it makes me want to puke. I have never bought from them.

And as long as I ranting along, I like Computer City a lot better than CompUSA.
Computer city has a real Mac section, I only wish there was one close to
where I live.


Going back to sleep now...

Romulo

P Eric Menchen wrote:
> 
> amo2@cec.wustl.edu (Alex Ogilvie) wrote:
> >Greetings, I'll make this as short as possible.
> >
> >Both my parents and I own Macintoshes. We have, in the past, ordered
> >several items, both hardware and software, from Creative Computers'
> >MacMall catalog. During the course of our business relationship, they
> >have committed the following errors:
> >... <errors deleted>
> 
> I have similarly had bad luck with MacMall.
> 
> I ordered an Apple 1710AV display. After much delay caused by
> Apple, it arrived damaged. I returned it to them. About ten
> days later I asked them where my new monitor was. They hadn't
> shipped it yet, but would do so. A week or so later, I called
> again. I'll spare many of the details, but sumarize by letting
> you know I spoke to them on at least ten occasions, was cut off
> a few times, and told numerous times my replacement monitor would
> be shipped the next day or next Monday or whatever. I finally
> got it around 6 weeks after I should have.
> 
> I will not order from them again. I've been pretty happy with
> MacWarehouse and MacZone. I am affiliated with none of these
> companies.
> 
>     /------------------------------------------------
>    /      /|  /| Paul Eric Menchen
>   /----  / | / | emenchen@fwb.gulf.net
>  /      /  |/  | My other .sig won a Pulitzer Prize!
> /----------------------------------------------------

For what it is worth...  I ordered ZIP drive on a Monday, paid via 
check and received the unit the following Monday.  Maybe I was just 
lucky....

In article <30F29C18.2438@tiac.net>, Joe Ciarcia <midi@tiac.net> wrote:

>I've never had problems with exchanging stuff at MacMall but... I 
>recentley tried to return something and asked for money back and got 
>the whole run around.
>[...]
>I'm wondering if this has happened 
>to others too or if the salesperson I spoke to was just having a bad 
>day (it happens to all of us).

I ordered a CPU upgrade from MacMall that ended up being defective.
The item I wanted in exchange was on back-order.  After two months
of waiting, I called MacMall customer service and asked if I could
apply the cost of the back-ordered CPU upgrade towards a 1710AV
monitor, and was told yes.

The monitor was out of stock.  I finally got it after another wait
Meanwhile, the $630 for the CPU upgrade was still on my credit
card.  After getting my credit card statement I noticed that
I was never credited for the $630.  I called and asked MacMall
to take care of this, and they said they would in 4-5 business
days.

No go.  I called again.  Same story.  No results.  I called again
Same story.  No results.  I called my credit card company and
they recommended that I file a dispute.  I called MacMall one
last time and (in very angry tones) asked to speak to a
supervisor and demanded a refund to my credit card, stating
that it was about to be handed over to the credit card company
for dispute resolution.  Within 3 days, I had my refund.

I will not order from MacMall again.

>Has anyone purchased from the Internet Shopping Network???  They 
>have great prices on some things!!!  What has your experience been?  
>C ya, Joe

Yes, they appear to be the 'net version of the Home Shopping Club.  I
ordered a hard drive from them and had it the next day with no
problems whatsoever.

- Steve

-- 
______________________________________________________________________
Steve Tannehill         Garland, Texas, USA         stevent@onramp.net
          Home Page: http://rampages.onramp.net/~stevent/
Power Mac Resources: http://rampages.onramp.net/~stevent/powermac.html

Sorry I got in late on this thread, but ...

I recently bought from MacMall and will never
again do so.  The order came more than 24 hours
late, so I called to have the shipping charge
credited to my credit card account. After waiting
on hold for ten minutes or so, I finally got
somebody to say they were crediting my account.

Several weeks later I get the credit card bill, 
but no credit for the shipping.  I try calling 
Mac Mall - hold again for over an hour.  Call 
back, but choose a different menu option.  Man 
says it was probably credited after my statement
was sent out (it's been a month now).

I call my CC company - nothing was credited.  I
call Mac Mall - hold for 15+ minutes.  Hang up
and call back choosing a different menu option.
They can't help - I have to talk to customer
service.  Transfer the call and on hold for 30+
minutes again.

I give up and send a nasty letter.

I have ordered Mac stuff through the mail for
over five years, mostly from MacWarehouse,
sometimes MacZone and MacConnection.  I have
never had a problem with their service, and I
have _certainly_ never been on hold for more 
than a minute or two, if that.

I will never order from MacMall again - not
because a mistake was made in delivering my
package late or even for screwing up my credit
card account - but because their customer service
is nonexistent.

Paul