Businesses with no way to contact by phone just aren't working for me

Well, as some of you know, I recently got a new 4Runner. I've pulled out the credit card a lot doing this build (I've also done all the work myself).

Whats becoming more common is businesses that have no way to contact them via phone.If you have any issues with the product or if you need to check on an order you have to send them an email so they can respond when it's convenient for them, if they respond at all.

One company had two items sharing the same tracking number. No problem......but one of the two items did not arrive until 10 days later. After filing a claim with FedEx, I finally heard back from them after some time and they shipped it out separately.....with no tracking number. This company did this TWO separate times!

The other problem is that many of these off road parts sellers don't list weather or not they even have the item in stock. The seller I got my Alpharex tail lights from (No phone number) took my money and a week later sent me an email stating they were on back order and would arrive sometime in Aug. I had to fight with them to refund my money. I ordered them from a retailer with a phone number where I could verify they actually had them in stock.

The latest unnecessary inconvenience was with a retailer that took my order 12 days ago and I've yet to see a tracking number or email regarding the status of the order.......here we go again. Fortunately, they do have a phone number that has three different departments to contact. Unfortunately, every department has a recording that says "this person has not yet set up a voicemail account".

So I have no idea if they even have the part in stock and I wish I had done business with someone who indicated they had them in stock and/or had an actual usable phone number. Well I just got an email response from them stating my order has not yet shipped. They are expecting to ship in 2-4 weeks. Dammit! So I asked them to cancel the order because I'll likely be heading back out to a Navy ship and they are available elsewhere in stock.

Wow, too bad much of these issues were generated within a few days of one another. Lessons learned for me to be sure. In the future I will absolutely only order from retailers that have a functioning phone line so I can verify they aren't taking my money for something they don't even have. Knowing at the time of purchase there will be a delay is fine, but not knowing if the stuff is even there won't be a mistake I make again.....my bad. ---Rant over---

EDIT: So the last issue where they said 2-4 weeks....they just called me. They actually went out of their way and contacted someone where they are made and told me they are putting a rush on it to get it to me in a few days. He was really helpful and went the extra distance. I am impressed with his response for sure.

 

100% agree with you!

If I can’t call the company, I’m not ordering from the company. Most of them are drop ship vendors anyway. They have no physical warehouse and ship direct from the manufacturer.

 

Agreed. While I like the convenience of "click and buy" where I don't need to talk to anyone about the order, if I have an issue or need a question answered, I want to talk to someone.

[personal rant] Of course there's always the issue with a company who has a phone number you've called and email you've sent to and doesn't get back to you about the issue you're having with the PPF around the hood scoop.... talking to you Tim at Adonis Automotive Protection..... [/rant]

 

Meh. If they're ignoring you for a week, whether it's by email or phone, it's not the mode of communication that's lacking. Furthermore, the recourse is the same no matter the mode of communication.

I'd rather deal with deadbeats via email. At least this way I'm not on the phone on hold for however long while they're waving their deadbeat dicks at the microphone of their phone. With email, I can type my thing, send it, do literally anything else in the meantime, and if nothing happens within a reasonable time frame then it's credit card/Paypal dispute time.

 

Plus you have documentation, which can make a big difference when the real trouble starts. Even so, a live conversation can save a lot of time and prevent misunderstandings. Most people aren't willing to write or read the volume of information conveyed in a few minutes of speech.