DO NOT BUY DVD PRODUCTS FROM OTHER WORLD COMPUTING!

[[*]_BonKerS_[*]]

I just want to tell the public that Other World Computing treats their customers as if they were yesterday's garbage. I sent them my DVD-R Drive (the 104 model), which for some reason malfunctioned, expecting AT MOST a two week turnaround with the repair/replacement. Seeing as how I had only had the drive about four months I figured that they would just ship me a new one because it was most likely a faulty drive.

After two weeks with no word what-so-ever I called to inquire about my order, their answer, "um, let me check on that... yeah it appears that they haven't begun testing it yet." TWO WEEKS without a phone call or an email letting me know that my drive was going to be delayed. Meanwhile, I run a small business for friends and family turning home movies into DVDs, and each day that passed without me being able to burn the DVDs off my hard drive began to not only make me look bad, but began costing me money as well!

After the third week I asked what was going on and they said that due to the recent shipment of the 105 drives (that burn DVD-Rs at 4x) they were unable to ship my drive because they didn't have any in stock. Again, all this without a phone call or email.

After the fourth week, and my fifth phone call, they PROMISED me that it would be sent out overnight delivery on Wednesday so I would get it on Thursday. I finally breathed a sign of relief because not only would this fiasco be over but I would finally be able to burn the DVDs that I had already mastered for my customers (who I notified about the delay by the way). So Thursday there was no delivery, Friday there was no delivery and lastly Monday there was no delivery. So I call them ONCE AGAIN to inquire about my order and what do I hear? "Yeah, it never shipped, but it was supposed to."

Today is Wednesday (02/05/03) and I discovered that they shipped out the drive last night... TO THE WRONG ADDRESS!!! This ordeal has lasted over a month, only after 5+ phone calls has someone bothered to contact me and that was by email, not even by phone.

Now I called them up AGAIN today and asked them to simply replace my drive with the 105 model. My original 104 cost $399.99 and the 105 costs $429.99. Shipping alone (to the wrong address I might add) has already cost them somewhere in the ball park of $20+ dollars and the time it has taken for their first shipping attempt was over a month. You would think that they would be willing to lose the extra $30 profit (which wouldn't cost them anything since they buy them for much cheaper than $429.99) to keep a customer who at one point highly recommended them to other friends and to other message boards. Their reply, "No we cannot do that." I asked to speak to the manager, "No I'm sorry she is involved with some important matters."

So all of a sudden a customer who has essentially kept his cool for a month, who has a small business to run, who is losing time and money and in general has better things to do then wait for some people who can't run their own business properly is not an 'important matter.'

All attempts to speak ON THE PHONE with the manager have failed. They outright refused to upgrade me to the 105 drive eventhough I told them they will be losing a customer for the measly difference of $30 which they have already spent on shipping. And lastly they under estimate the power of hearsay.

Yes, they have cheaper prices on mac products, and yes if you never have problems with what you buy you might be fine with their service. But if something that you purchased from them fails or breaks you will also be forced to enter the hell that has been over a month of trying to make sense of why they just can't get me a new drive!

Lastly, they stated that I should be getting the 104 drive (which may or not be a replacement drive) by Saturday "even if we have to use overnight saturday delivery." I have heard this before and I will only believe them when I see it in my hands.

Do yourself a favor and spend the few extra dollars buying from a company that you know will have your back if something does go wrong, don't buy from OWC.

[Tommyknocker]

And if I were you, I would also forward them a copy of this letter, and let them know where I posted it. I would also post it on the doom net as well. But that is just my opinion.

[[*]_BonKerS_[*]]

Here is a copy of the first contact that I received from anyone at OWC (which was yesterday 02/04/05), my reply and her reply which I received just moments ago (7:10pm EST 02/05/03):

Dear Mr. Russell -

I apologize for the extreme inconvenience we have caused you and I am doing everything I can to work with the returns department to find out why the delay was so extensive.* I also talked to my customer service people and reiterated that if they promise a customer something, they better follow through with it.* They usually are very good at this, but obviously not in your case.* I think that one of the issues that contributed to the delay was that Pioneer had just released the 105 and we didn't have any of the 104's on hand.* Either way though you should have been kept informed about the status and not made to spend your time looking for an answer.* I do show that a drive was shipped out to you today under Fed Ex number xxxxxxxxxxx.* It will arrive tomorrow.* Please let me know if there is anything I can do.

Sincerely,

Jennifer

Jennifer Soule
Other World Computing
1004 Courtaulds Dr.
Woodstock, IL 60098

800-275-4576 ext. 108
815-338-4332 (fax)
815-338-8685 ext. 108 (int'l)

MY REPLY:

On Wednesday, February 5, 2003, at 12:43 AM, Afro Puff wrote:

Dear Jennifer,
** You have ONCE AGAIN messed my order up. The tracking number #xxxxxxxxxxxx that you gave me states that it is going to New York. I made COUNTLESS phone calls stating that I want the drive to be shipped to xxxxxxxx because I am no longer at the address that you sent the drive to. I was never contacted about the delay of my drive by phone or email, I was PROMISED that my drive would be shipped out and DELIVERED on Thursday the 30th of January and lastly I took many hours out of my personal life to make sure that everything was going as planned and in the end you just plain lied to me. If I was told that it would arrive Thursday just to discover the following Monday that it still hadn't even SHIPPED there is nothing else you can call that BUT lying. The only thing that you have gotten right so far is that you have caused me an 'extreme inconvenience,' that has cost me time and money. I don't care that you are 'talking to your customer service people,' and I don't care that you were out of my type of drive at the time I sent it. The bottom line is that you failed to give me the service that I deserved not once, not twice but THREE times.
*** Now since you still haven't sent the drive to the right address I would request that you upgrade my existing drive, the 104 model, to the 105 model. The cost to you for this upgrade is far less the the cost of losing me as a customer which you SURELY WILL unless this request is fulfilled. I would also like you to remember that it has been exactly one month since you even received my drive and you never even bothered to contact me about ANYTHING.

PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME!
-Russell

Cell: xxx-xxx-xxx

HER REPLY:

Dear Mr. Russell -
I have to apologize once again.* The person who took your RMA did note the correct address, but when it was converted to an order to be shipped back out the default address was used.* At this time we will have to wait to receive the package back before we can ship it to the new address.* I do not have any other 104's to ship and I cannot ship a 105.* We should have the drive back by Friday and I have authorized Saturday shipping.* I realize this is not going to be acceptable to you, but it is all I can offer.* I have no idea why this order has gone so horribly wrong and I completely understand you desire to never do business with us again.* I am a little uncertain about your statement that I never contacted you as you have included my last email in this one.* I must admit that due to a number of meetings this week I am behind on my voice mail and I apologize if you have left me a message that I have yet to receive, but I have gotten back to you as evidenced below.** Please contact me with any questions.

Sincerely,
Jennifer

----------------

The contact that she states she made was the first email in this post which was made yesterday, thirty some odd days after the drive was received, an email that should have been sent after the first realization that the drive might possibly be delayed.

And the fact that she is willing to lose a customer over a small upgrade is astounding. Anyone who has taken a marketing class learns that 1 person complains to about 10 people, and those 10 people in turn tell 10 more people about the bad service that that original person had. That is 100 negative statements about your company that could have been easily remedied, in my case, with a little upgrade and an apology.

[Tommyknocker]

I am surprised she cannot send you a 105. I would have sent you two 105s to keep your letter of the Internet. Guess I am out of touch as far as business practices go.

[Wiqd]

Jennifers are usually cute. I wonder if she's cute. Ask for a picture then set up a date with her.

Wiqd

[Darakis]

I know what I'd do. I'd threaten to sue their @$$! There is absolutely no excuse for them to pull $h!t like this on a customer!

[drewson99]

you're right about Jennifers.

[[*]_BonKerS_[*]]

Sue, no, notify the better business bureau, that sounds more like it.

[WiseWeasel]

I agree, don't buy anything from OWC. They screwed me out of a Firewire HD that I had to send back, saying they received it at first, and then saying that they didn't have record of receiving it and asked for a tracking number (which I didn't have by that point). Then, when I couldn't produce one, they told me I'm shit out of luck, and please have a nice day, while we keep your $370 drive. My whole story is on www.resellerratings.com, if you want to check it out. Boycott OWC until they start giving a damn about their customers.

[[*]_BonKerS_[*]]

I knew that I wouldn't be alone in this. Thank you wiseweasle for adding to this post, hopefully OWC will realize they can't play with the mac community and expect them to just take it lying down.