Newegg Nightmare (2 Viewers)

[John Dirk]

OK - "Nightmare" is a bit of an exaggeration but I had to draw you in, right.

About a month ago I ordered some memory sticks for my wife's computer. This was my first time ever using Newegg but they had the best price for these. While the memory modules were still in transit [shipping took well over week] the computer developed another issue and I decided to just replace it, meaning I no longer needed the memory modules.

When they finally arrived I contacted Newegg, explained the situation and they promptly issued an RMA# but said I would have to pay return shipping. I wasn't happy about this but accepted it and headed to my local Post Office, since Newegg wanted a ridiculous $13.00 to generate a return label. Remember, these are DIMM's, which are small and weigh practically nothing.

When I asked the Post Office clerk for pricing he asked why I didn't just refuse the shipment. He said that since I hadn't opened the package it could be returned to the sender without cost. After verifying the address on the package was the same as the RMA address I had been provided I took his advice, but also wrote the RMA# on the package. This was Sept 29th and Newegg claims they have yet to receive the return. The Post Office cannot provide precise return tracking, only confirmation that the item was "returned to sender."

As it now stands I am likely out my money AND the memory. By contrast, Amazon returns are so simple. I am kicking myself for not buying though them, even though their price was slightly higher. No ripoff return labels, I just drop it off at UPS and I'm done.

Lesson learned. One and done with Newegg for me.

 

[JohnRice]

You paid with a CC right? There’s your avenue. Dispute the charge.

 

[JohnRice]

You're right about Amazon though. I'm not one of those people who buys things to see if I like them, so I only return things that are defective or damaged, and Amazon often credits me the day the return is picked up by UPS.

I will say that "refusing" the shipment was probably a mistake. You need to provide tracking. It wouldn't cost $13, but I deal with shipping every day.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Did you buy from Newegg directly, or from an Newegg "partner"?

 

[Johnny Angell]

That’s poor customer service. I agree, dispute the charge with the CC company. And I agree, Amazon makes returns so easy.

 

[John Dirk]

Did you buy from Newegg directly, or from an Newegg "partner"?

Direct from Newegg.

 

[John Dirk]

You're right about Amazon though. I'm not one of those people who buys things to see if I like them, so I only return things that are defective or damaged, and Amazon often credits me the day the return is picked up by UPS.

I will say that "refusing" the shipment was probably a mistake. You need to provide tracking. It wouldn't cost $13, but I deal with shipping every day.

Paypal and you're right but silly me, I figured a Postal employee might actually know what they were talking about.

 

[JohnRice]

Paypal and you're right but silly me, I figured a Postal employee might actually know what they were talking about.

This is one of my peeves with logic. Something can be correct, but incomplete. That's the case with the Postal employee. I would expect better CS from NewEgg, but these days you just can't rely on that. That's why I always pay with a credit card for online orders. I only use PayPal for trusted and low dollar things. The state of CS these days is really awful. I see it in my own work, when customers just assume everything will be a fight. We have very few complaints and most of the time they're very simple things, but customers are usually amazed when I just fix it. Amazon reflects an attitude that I share, and is almost extinct these days. Fix the problem a little better than is necessary and you'll have a loyal customer. In this case, you'll never buy from NewEgg again.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

That's an interesting story. I have purchased computer items from Newegg occasionally in the past without any issues, but I never needed to return anything. It's good to know that they don't handle returns very well. Thanks for sharing.

I do agree that Amazon is terrific in handling returns. We buy a lot of stuff from them, and whenever we have an issue with an item it's always so easy to deal with. It's one of the main reasons I shop there so much.

 

[John Dirk]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I've disputed with Paypal and will use my CC for all but trusted merchants going forward.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

This is sad. I've bought lots of items from Newegg for a decade and never had any problems. When a power supply never showed up, they sent me another one. I don't want all of my spending to go to Bezos.

 

[BobO'Link]

I don't order often from Newegg but have never had any issues. They're mainly used if they have the best price or it's a special item on sale. Their warehouse is also in Memphis (at least the one that ships to me) so I get stuff in 48hrs or less without paying extra (I'm ~50 miles from Memphis).

If possible, use a VCC on your transactions. That way when that inevitable data breach occurs your real card isn't jeopardized (although the times mine has been it's always been from stores like Target, Home Depot, Gamestop - places where I've used the card locally).

 

[Clinton McClure]

I’ve bought from Newegg for over 10 years and never had any trouble from them. I also have never tried to return anything to them, so I can’t speak to that.

 

[John Dirk]

To be clear, I'm not blaming Newegg for the missing product as it is possible [albeit unlikely in my view] that the Post Office has either delayed or lost the return shipment. I specifically asked the Postal employee about return tracking and was told the original number could be used. It is now clear that wasn't true and that is also not the fault of Newegg.

What I do blame Newegg for however, is trying to extort $13.00 from me to produce a return shipping label for a product that weighs ounces, not pounds. That's what lead me to the Post Office in the first place. I was prepared to pay return shipping when the Postal employee told me there was no need to. I'll know better next time.

I try not to return items either but any large retailer needs to be prepared to deal with this as it is simply a part of doing business. Further, this item was unopened and in perfectly resalable condition. Regardless of how one may feel about Amazon, Newegg is a direct competitor but, by comparison their return policy seems archaic.

 

[JohnRice]

The original tracking number should work on the return trip. Unless it got blocked out.

 

[John Dirk]

The original tracking number should work on the return trip. Unless it got blocked out.

That's what I was told too but when I returned after the fact to inquire about it they said items "returned to sender" received a new tracking number at the processing center. When I asked if they could get that information for me they said they had no way of doing so. Unbelievable unless, of course, you're talking about a government agency.

 

[John Dirk]

@Dennis Nicholls - Correction. The item was purchased from a Newegg partner. I didn't even notice until today.

 

[John Dirk]

I filed a dispute with Paypal yesterday and Newegg now says they will issue a refund within 3-5 days, something I've been trying to get them to do for a couple of weeks on my own.

Again, I do not consider Newegg to be a bad merchant based on this experience, I just find them a bit difficult to deal with and behind the times compared to Amazon. For simplicity and peace of mind I'll probably avoid them going forward.

 

[JohnRice]

I’m glad it’s working out.

 

[rdimucci]

I've only purchased from Newegg once--September 2018. That happened to coincidence with a 30-day time period in which their data security was breached and my credit card info was stolen. I eventually got a letter about it from Newegg, but not until after my card had been used fraudulently and had been replaced.

On the plus side, this was the only time that I've actually be able to tie down fraudulent use of one of my cards (it's happened four times on the same card) to a specific data breach.