Just call me a sucker, I always tell friends, family, anyone that asks in fact - research the web seller BEFORE you buy from them. Don't trust them unless you've dealt with them recently. If it's been awhile since you used them checkout their reputation - if only I'd done that, I'd be in a much better place.
Of course I blame the release of the iPhone 3.0 Beta for all of this really, because Apple are the ones that added A2DP support. Great I thought - I've got this great idea I want to test out and the addition of A2DP seemed like the final piece in the puzzle for my coding exercise. Then of course I realised I'd need a good Bluetooth Stereo headset, enter the JayBird - which I did use and check the reviews on it before deciding to order.
Without checking I searched for a supplier that would ship to Australia and found Expansys which even has an office in Melbourne (well not really). A quick check and they had a good price and the units were in stock! Excellent lets press the buy button already and get those bad boys shipping out to me. (See how the excitement pushes you into driving yourself off a cliff, it all seems good, but, you forget to check things out first).
So I pressed the buy button and felt great - until a little while later I got an email saying that it was out of stock and that they were expecting stock to fill my order in 6 days. What? The site said expected to ship in 4 working days... what happened? Note the screen shot above, still, today, says there are 9 in stock and expected to ship in 4 days. OK, still not wanting to buy into "You're a sucker" line of thinking I thought that's OK I'll check in a few days.
A week later I remember to check on the site and it's still saying not in stock, 6 days before it will be in stock. I send off an email, 10 days after my order and 4 days after my followup email nothing nada. So, I finally buy into the "I'm a sucker" line of thinking, get pissed off, do a quick Google search and react in horror. Oh how could I be so dumb, you know better, wake up man!
In a previous life and business I had occasion to use Expansys and I can't remember any issues from that experience, but remembering my own advice that "things change" I still should have checked. If only I'd done the same search with expansys.com, a simple Google search using the terms "review expansys.com" and I would have have found good reason not to place the order and waste nearly two weeks waiting for a product that in all likelihood will never ship. For your edification here are excerpts from some "reviews" from the top links Google returned. I find the last one, that points out that they don't have a Melbourne office anymore to be particularly painful, sigh... guess I'm just a slow learner - I'm hoping you'll do better and learn from my experience. Now, let just hope my order cancellation goes through and I don't get double billed for a product that never shipped like some reviewers.
[From expansys - expansys.com - Reviews, Ratings and Prices at ResellerRatings]
I ordered a part on 1/20/09. Each time I emailed an inquiry they said they were expecting the item "by the end of the week".
[From expansys - expansys.com - Reviews, Ratings and Prices at ResellerRatings]
A month later and it still is not in stock. Needless to say, I canceled my order. Fortunately, they were prompt in sending an email confirming cancelation. Now I just need to make sure my card doesn't get charged.
[From Reviews on Expansys Look at tests, reports and read reviews: dooyoo.co.uk]
by Sven - written on 16/01/09Rating: 1 star.
[From Reviews on Expansys Look at tests, reports and read reviews: dooyoo.co.uk]
Expansys have double charged me for an item ordered a month ago and still have not delivered it even though they reported it as shipped a fortnight ago
[From expansys.com - Read Reviews]
Quick review of expansys.com
[From expansys.com - Read Reviews]
Review of expansys.com by Graemehull
Don't buy from these people! I bought an HTC s710 top of the range mobile phone which arrived with a cracked screen. I contacted them on the day it arrived, and they said was HTCs responsibility, despite the fact that their website clearly states that they offer replacements and refunds within 21 days. I contacted HTC who said it was Expansys's responsibility. So I've paid £270 for broken phone from this bunch of cowboys, who's customer service was appalling DONT EVER BUY FROM THESE PEOPLE!!!!!!!
[From eXpansys Reviewed By Australians. http://www.expansys.com.au]
March 5th, 2009
Pros: Offer what u cant get here easily.
Cons: I couldnt agree more with the bad reviews they should have the decency to update their site and tell u the Melbourne office DOESNT EXIST anymore. When they say its in stock DONT BELIEVE IT!! Still waitingn to see if i get what i paid for.
Overall: What can i say, extremely disappointed. Wish i had serached out these reviews first. So far the jurys still out, but Im not happy so far. Horrendous that they seem to have not updated there site since there only Australian office closed not informing anybody here. Pretty shabby behaviour as far as Im concerned. SUX BIGTIME!!! That includes if, when & in what condition I receive my order. Avoid them.Reviewer: SkyPilot
[From eXpansys Reviewed By Australians. http://www.expansys.com.au]
I've been described as a lost technocrat or a wondering luddite, personally I just like everything that takes us forward.
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