Post by kiev4a on Jan 17, 2008 22:10:52 GMT -5
It all started when I decided to quit smoking.
One of the benefits of quitting smoking is all the money a person saves. And my partner told me I could use some the those savings to get a new DSLR. I waited until I had been quit for three months—long enough so I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to start puffing again. Then I started looking for the best place to get the camera of my dreams, The new Nikon D300.
The D300 still is relatively hard to find. So I was thrilled when I discovered B&H Photo in New York City had them in stock. In addition, I could buy the camera through a financing plan called Bill Me Later where, if the camera was paid off in six months, there isn’t any interest or penalties. So, I ordered the camera, sold my old D100 DSLR to a friend and waited for the D300 to arrive. I placed the order on a Thursday and it was scheduled for delivery the following Thursday. Every day I check the UPS online tracking the see where the package was.
Things went fine until Tuesday night. That’s when UPS reported the package was no longer on schedule because of a train derailment.
I checked the tracker all day Wednesday. There was no further indication of the location of the package. So, on Thursday morning, the day the D300 was scheduled to arrive, I sent B&H Photo an email telling them the delivery schedule was messed up. Almost immediately there was a new posting on the UPS tracker saying the package would be returned to the sender. I figured that meant they would send me a replacement camera.
Thursday, after lunch, the bomb fell in the form of an email from B&H. It informed me the Bill Me Later had contacted then saying my financial information couldn’t be verified and telling them not to send me the camera. So, they had sent UPS an order to halt delivery and send it back. B&H said if I had a problem I would have to contact Bill Me Later.
I called BML. They said they had approved my credit and had sent B&H payment for the camera. They said they knew nothing about an email canceling my order. They said as far as they were concerned I had purchased the camera and owned them money.
I called B&H back. They said there was nothing they could do. I said they would have to do something as Bill Me Later still said I owed they for a camera that I didn’t have. They said they would need some sort of statement from Bill Me Later saying I was OK.
I called Bill Me Later again. They said they could send something to B&H but it would take a week to 10 days. I said that seemed a little silly in this age of email, fax and cell phones.
So, I called B&H back and told them Bill Me Later was sending them something and still claimed they hadn’t cancelled the order in the first place. I wanted to know how I could get a camera right away. The guy said I could just order another and when the first camera came back from UPS, B&H would credit it to my Bill Me Later account (are you still with me?)
So, I got in touch with the B&H order desk a ordered another D300 . They even agreed to overnight it for half the regular cost. But when it was submitted to Bill Me Later it was declined.
I called Bill Me Later back. They said the new request was refused because I already had an existing account (the other camera that B&H had snatched back while it was enroute).
I called B&H back and explained why I couldn’t place another order. They said there was nothing they could do unless I wanted to pay by credit card.
This might be a good time to make something clear. We are virtually debt free.. I could pay cash for the camera. But it would be more convenient right now to wait six months.
The guy at B&H asked if I wanted them to send me the camera UPS is sending back (after they get the written OK from BML that takes 10 days to arrive). I said no. Just keep it and credit it to the BML account so I won’t be paying for a camera I don’t have. Beside, who’s to say when that camera, which allegedly disappeared in a derailment, may actually show up?
So, at this writing I still own somebody for a camera that I don’t have. And I have no idea when that will be straightened out—except it better take less than six months because otherwise Bill Me Later will probably try to charge me 19 percent interest.
The most surprising aspect of this for me is that although I spent four hours on the telephone, talked myself hoarse but accomplished nothing, I never called anybody an A$$h0le and never screamed any other obscenities. AND I haven’t started smoking again--and if anyone ever had an excuse to light up, I did.
So that’s my story. Hope you readers had a better day.
One of the benefits of quitting smoking is all the money a person saves. And my partner told me I could use some the those savings to get a new DSLR. I waited until I had been quit for three months—long enough so I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to start puffing again. Then I started looking for the best place to get the camera of my dreams, The new Nikon D300.
The D300 still is relatively hard to find. So I was thrilled when I discovered B&H Photo in New York City had them in stock. In addition, I could buy the camera through a financing plan called Bill Me Later where, if the camera was paid off in six months, there isn’t any interest or penalties. So, I ordered the camera, sold my old D100 DSLR to a friend and waited for the D300 to arrive. I placed the order on a Thursday and it was scheduled for delivery the following Thursday. Every day I check the UPS online tracking the see where the package was.
Things went fine until Tuesday night. That’s when UPS reported the package was no longer on schedule because of a train derailment.
I checked the tracker all day Wednesday. There was no further indication of the location of the package. So, on Thursday morning, the day the D300 was scheduled to arrive, I sent B&H Photo an email telling them the delivery schedule was messed up. Almost immediately there was a new posting on the UPS tracker saying the package would be returned to the sender. I figured that meant they would send me a replacement camera.
Thursday, after lunch, the bomb fell in the form of an email from B&H. It informed me the Bill Me Later had contacted then saying my financial information couldn’t be verified and telling them not to send me the camera. So, they had sent UPS an order to halt delivery and send it back. B&H said if I had a problem I would have to contact Bill Me Later.
I called BML. They said they had approved my credit and had sent B&H payment for the camera. They said they knew nothing about an email canceling my order. They said as far as they were concerned I had purchased the camera and owned them money.
I called B&H back. They said there was nothing they could do. I said they would have to do something as Bill Me Later still said I owed they for a camera that I didn’t have. They said they would need some sort of statement from Bill Me Later saying I was OK.
I called Bill Me Later again. They said they could send something to B&H but it would take a week to 10 days. I said that seemed a little silly in this age of email, fax and cell phones.
So, I called B&H back and told them Bill Me Later was sending them something and still claimed they hadn’t cancelled the order in the first place. I wanted to know how I could get a camera right away. The guy said I could just order another and when the first camera came back from UPS, B&H would credit it to my Bill Me Later account (are you still with me?)
So, I got in touch with the B&H order desk a ordered another D300 . They even agreed to overnight it for half the regular cost. But when it was submitted to Bill Me Later it was declined.
I called Bill Me Later back. They said the new request was refused because I already had an existing account (the other camera that B&H had snatched back while it was enroute).
I called B&H back and explained why I couldn’t place another order. They said there was nothing they could do unless I wanted to pay by credit card.
This might be a good time to make something clear. We are virtually debt free.. I could pay cash for the camera. But it would be more convenient right now to wait six months.
The guy at B&H asked if I wanted them to send me the camera UPS is sending back (after they get the written OK from BML that takes 10 days to arrive). I said no. Just keep it and credit it to the BML account so I won’t be paying for a camera I don’t have. Beside, who’s to say when that camera, which allegedly disappeared in a derailment, may actually show up?
So, at this writing I still own somebody for a camera that I don’t have. And I have no idea when that will be straightened out—except it better take less than six months because otherwise Bill Me Later will probably try to charge me 19 percent interest.
The most surprising aspect of this for me is that although I spent four hours on the telephone, talked myself hoarse but accomplished nothing, I never called anybody an A$$h0le and never screamed any other obscenities. AND I haven’t started smoking again--and if anyone ever had an excuse to light up, I did.
So that’s my story. Hope you readers had a better day.