SMARTHOME.COM nightmare experience
Ed Dixon
one with SmartHome. I have ordered from them multiple times in the past and
have had no issues yet. Same results with X10.com.
Ed Dixon
Penny
ended up placing an order from them as a result of a number of
positive posts on these group, I wish to share my ongoing nightmare
experience with them. I wish someone had forewarned me before I
ordered.
I placed an order with SMARTHOME.COM September 2. September 6 they
sent me an e-mail saying one of the x-10 components I ordered was on
backorder so they would wait until it came in before they shipped my
complete order - no problem I replied. They also indicated that the
shipping charges to Canada where I live would be $20.28 US Insured
United States Parcel Post - again, a bit expensive but I said please
ship.
On September 12 I asked to add a few items to my order if it hadn't
shipped yet. It had not so they added the items. At this point I was
getting responses via e-mail within 24 hours - still no problem.
On November 1 I got my VISA statement and say that SMARTHOME had
charged me on October 18. I sent an e-mail and asked if my order was
shipped. They responded that it shipped on October 18. The following
is their e-mail response:
QUOTE
Your order shipped out via United States Postal Service on the 18th of
October. Unfortunately we do not provide tracking numbers for USP
shipments, but you should expect the package within a week. Thank you
again
UNQUOTE
Should be here in a week.- great I thought.
On November 14th I e-mailed SMARTHOME and notified them that my
shipment had not yet arrived. Of interest, I had ordered some stuff
directly from X-10 the week before and it had arrived within 7 days -
shipped United States Parcel Post to Canada. The person I had been
dealing with up to this point at SMARTHOME was Brooke Reed. It is now
November 28 and I have NOT HAD A RESPONSE.
On November 19, after getting no response I sent the following e-mail:
QUOTE
Brooke,
It has now been 1 month since you indicated that my order had shipped
and it has not arrived. This fact, in addition to your failure to
respond to my earlier e-mail has me concerned. Please tell me what
SMARTHOME suggests. I would suggest you either reship my order or
refund me.
Penny
UNQUOTE
On November 21, I sent my last e-mail to them asking what the hell was
going on. I sent the e-mail to Brooke Reed as well as to their general
customer service e-mail address. Guess what - November 28 and NO
RESPONSE.
On November 27 I called their customer service line long distance. I
spoke to a woman who told me she couldn't help so she forwarded me her
manager. I only got the managers voice mail. I left a message and
guess what - they have still failed to e-mail or call me. Is this a
bad dream??? They are basically ignoring me?? I have been very civil
but am really pissed now. I keep hoping this is some giant
misunderstanding or crossed wires on their end??? In addition to
posting this in this group, I am e-mailing them this post. If anyone
cares to know, I will repost in this group when this thing ends. I am
hoping the company does the right thing and takes care of me. Anyone
else have this kind of problem with SMARTHOME.COM??
Thanks for listening
Penny
Michael J. Stango
<nos...@please.com> wrote:
> Anyone else have this kind of problem with SMARTHOME.COM??
I've always had good service from them, but stuff like this happens from
time to time. If dealing with SmartHome is like talking to a brick wall,
then your next step should be to call your credit card company and dispute
the charge (and soon, if it's already been a month since it was posted).
That will either get the SmartHome people off their duffs to help you, or
they'll continue to do nothing and encourage you to give all your future
business to X10.com.
~Philly
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
Michael J. Stango --who is known as 'mjstango' at his ISP, 'home.com'
"If Bill Gates had a dime for every time a Windows box crashed--
Oh, wait a minute... he does."
mil...@my-deja.com
I placed one order for a phase coupler
Placed it Sunday night got it today -- no complaints
In the U.S. though
In article <4nl82t4or9d5fn397...@4ax.com>,
Penny <nos...@please.com> wrote:
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
mil...@my-deja.com
I placed one order for a phase coupler
Placed it Sunday night got it today -- no complaints
In the U.S. though
In article <4nl82t4or9d5fn397...@4ax.com>,
Penny <nos...@please.com> wrote:
Brent DeShazer
excellent results. Of course, I am in the US and everything always comes
UPS, and I get a nice tracking number via email. In fact I have an order
outstanding with them right now (my slink-e), and just checked a few minutes
ago. Scheduled delivery on 12/1!
If you don't get resolution soon, post again and I'll be glad to write them
an email on your behalf. Anyone else willing?
Brent
"Penny" <nos...@please.com> wrote in message
news:4nl82t4or9d5fn397...@4ax.com...
Claus V.
across the border. I've been through it and there's not much they can do
except wait and see. It would be a lot nicer if they responded promptly,
though.
Penny's remedy is clear - protest the charge with the credit card company.
No goods, no payment.
Claus V.
<mil...@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:901p0r$taa$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
jpb
As a fellow Canadian I can appreciate the added cost that ordering from the
US entails, and when the products never reach you it simply adds more salt
to the wounds. We work hard for our undervalued dollars/pesos.
Here are my 2¢:
Call your credit card company, let them know that you never received the
goods and that you want to have the charges reversed.
Vote with your wallet and never use this supplier again.
--
jpb
"Penny" <nos...@please.com> wrote in message
news:4nl82t4or9d5fn397...@4ax.com...
Intelligent Interiors
experianced similar pain in the past when ordering from the US. My
extremely biased recommendation is to consider a Canadian supplier, such
as myself :), to avoid these types of issues in the future. My prices
are competative with many US suppliers, especially after taking into
account shipping, brokerage fees, to say nothing of returning items. I
am located in Merrickville, Ontario. I carry the X-10 Pro line as well
as numerous others (but not as many as Mr. Bass :))
Allan.
Intelligent Interiors
http://www.i2automation.com
Sales, installation, service, and parts for:
Lighting, Home Automation, Security, Audio/Video, Home Theatre
Vantage, Crestron, Elan, Arrakis, Atlantic Technology, Sonance, Niles
In article <4nl82t4or9d5fn397...@4ax.com>,
Penny <nos...@please.com> wrote:
--
Intelligent Interiors
http://www.i2automation.com
Sales, installation, service, and parts for:
Lighting, Home Automation, Security, Audio/Video, Home Theatre
Vantage, Crestron, Elan, Arrakis, Atlantic Technology, Sonance, Niles
Larry D.
with the brilliant words below:
>hoping the company does the right thing and takes care of me. Anyone
>else have this kind of problem with SMARTHOME.COM??
I have placed several orders to this company and everything always
arrived on time and in good order - thus I've never had to us their
customer service department.
I'm sorry to hear that you have discovered it is a customer-no-service
department.
I have had reason to ship things in and out of Canada in the past and
can almost guarentee that your items are sitting in customs. I never
ship USPS to Canada for that reason - they do not shepard items
through customs but just dump them on the door. Federal Express and
UPS do shepard their shipments. They don't go through any faster, but
at least those companies can tell you where your stuff is. Of course,
there is a charge for this, which subtracts from the discount you get
shopping through SmartHome. It is disappointing that SmartHome did
not advise you have this problem and recommend UPS or another carrier.
Buying Canadian may be your best choice after all.
Actual return address surpressed in header to avoid spam
l...@mindspring.com
Penny
VISA on November 17 to ask them what they could do. They indicated
that after 60 days they could help me.
I am really hoping SMARTHOME steps up to the plate and takes care of
me. I guess it is in situations like this that you really get to see
the true metal of a company. I had a similar problem once with ONVIA.
The order was 3 weeks late even though is was couriered. They
re-shipped my order to me. I did end up getting 2 orders and I simply
returned one of them. I was impressed and continue to order form them.
Thanks
Penny
Robert L Bass
"Intelligent Interiors" <sa...@i2automation.com> wrote in message
news:903fdf$83f$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> It's not nice to take advantage of a situation like this, but I have
> experianced similar pain in the past when ordering from the US. My
> extremely biased recommendation is to consider a Canadian supplier, such
> as myself :), to avoid these types of issues in the future. My prices
> are competative with many US suppliers, especially after taking into
> account shipping, brokerage fees, to say nothing of returning items. I
> am located in Merrickville, Ontario. I carry the X-10 Pro line as well
> as numerous others (but not as many as Mr. Bass :))
>
>
> Allan.
> Intelligent Interiors
> http://www.i2automation.com
> Sales, installation, service, and parts for:
> Lighting, Home Automation, Security, Audio/Video, Home Theatre
> Vantage, Crestron, Elan, Arrakis, Atlantic Technology, Sonance, Niles
>
> In article <4nl82t4or9d5fn397...@4ax.com>,
> Penny <nos...@please.com> wrote:
Dennis Heidner
will ship internationally and they provide tracking numbers. Unfortunately
the cost is higher... but it may be very worthwhile for across the border
orders.
Claus V.
good advice to follow but better advice is try to find a vendor in your own
country to minimize problems like this. It sounds parochial, I know, but
the borders *must* be protected against the transport of rogue HA
components. (-:
Claus V.
"Dennis Heidner" <den...@heidners-nospam.net> wrote in message
news:01c05a83$95032200$031e82c0@bigbird...
Kevin
> I would also suggest that she request UPS (United Parcel Service), they
> will ship internationally and they provide tracking numbers. Unfortunately
> the cost is higher... but it may be very worthwhile for across the border
> orders.
But go for the more expensive UPS service (Expedited? Express? I can
never remember which is the baseline service and which is
upgraded) because the cheaper UPS services don't include brokerage
fees. This is a hidden fee that you end up paying the driver when he
comes a-knocking, and it can be outrageous.
Once I ordered a $300 item from New York and when it got to my door I was
hit with $90 in fees, only about half of which was tax. The rest went
straight to UPS.
--
Kevin
Kevin
> Sometimes you have no choice as to how overseas shipments are made. Yours is
> good advice to follow but better advice is try to find a vendor in your own
> country to minimize problems like this. It sounds parochial, I know, but
> the borders *must* be protected against the transport of rogue HA
> components. (-:
Canadians looking to shop from the States might consider a service such as
BorderFree (www.borderfree.com). The idea is simple yet ingenious --
instead of ordering from a US retailer, you tell them what you want and
they order it for you (it's an automated process which is exactly the same
as shopping normally -- you "add to cart" and everything). They have a
US-based address where the company will ship to, and then they bring it
across the border and send it to you. The only extra cost is slightly
higher shipping fees and the duties and taxes.
The borders seem to have tightened now that e-commerce is making
waves. It used to be that I could order DVDs and CDs from across the
border and have them arrive tax-free. Now even a photograph is
stopped at Customs and comes to me tagged with taxes plus a $5 processing
fee.
--
Kevin
Claus V.
> waves. It used to be that I could order DVDs and CDs from across the
> border and have them arrive tax-free. Now even a photograph is
> stopped at Customs and comes to me tagged with taxes plus a $5 processing
> fee.
>
That sounds interesting. The upside of the net is that it's become easier
for Canadians to find vendors of similar products within their own country,
which seems to the government's intent. IIRC, didn't X-10 reach this
conclusion and finally open up a Canadian shipping point?
Claus V.
Kevin
>> border and have them arrive tax-free. Now even a photograph is
>> stopped at Customs and comes to me tagged with taxes plus a $5 processing
> That sounds interesting. The upside of the net is that it's become easier
> for Canadians to find vendors of similar products within their own country,
> which seems to the government's intent. IIRC, didn't X-10 reach this
> conclusion and finally open up a Canadian shipping point?
I know of a few retailers that have crossed the border and ship from
within Canada: Onvia, Buy.com and X-10 are among them. This is a very
good thing and I welcome others...
But I do wish I could find more Canadian places to mail-order things --
prices competitive with the US would be nice too ;)
--
Kevin
dave_b...@my-deja.com
Penny:
I also ordered some products from smarthome and had numerous
experiences with Smarthome. I think it took them about a year
to finally deliver my order to Canada.
I can offer a suggestion to what happened to your package: UPS left
it sitting on your porch
without getting a signature then someone who can only be called a thief
took it before you got home. That was only
one of my pleasures that re-enforces that fact that I will NEVER have
anything shipped by UPS.
Dave
Penny
real person today. It appears that there was some miscommunication on
their end. Anyways, the bottom line is that it appears that they are
going to take care of me.The rep said they would re-ship my order
tomorrow via courier (hope I don't hit with those border brokage
fees). I appreciate the feedback I got from this group.
Cheers
Penny
Dave
getting orders shipped cross border. May want to give them a try next time.
Dave.
"Claus V." <claus...@usa.net> wrote in message
news:9023cf$bf0$1...@bob.news.rcn.net...
Kevin
> I have had great experiences with a company called www.borderfree.com for
> getting orders shipped cross border. May want to give them a try next time.
> Dave.
I've used them once too. They got the job done - I'm happy.
--
Kevin