Don't shop at Overstock.com

[ekomega]

I don't want to be the "Don't shop here" guy, but something infuriated me (again).

I ordered Magic of Eberron from Overstock.com on Friday, October 21st, at around 11:30 am. They registered it at 12:11 and confirmed it.

I paid $1.40 for shipping, which turns out is media mail. I said "okay". Other options were insanely expensive and not worth it. I thought this was like Super Saver Shipping.

Apparently I glossed over the fact in their shipping disclaimer that says items take 1-4 BUSINESS days to process, and 5-10 BUSINESS days to reach me. Also, media items may take up to THREE WEEKS to reach me. (emphasis mine). I should've read closer?

I can't conceive how they don't count weekends in their time frame, since they use USPS and mail actually moves on weekends (besides the fact that I receive mail on Saturday).

Anyway, they "shipped" the item on Oct. 28, which fell outside of their 1-4 day timeframe (the last day would've been Oct. 27). Even though they told me (by email) that the item shipped on Oct. 25. Then on Nov. 2, my package apparently reached Springfield, MA. So, at minimum, it took 4 days from WHEREVER to get to MA. And now, hopefully, it's on its way to me.

I called customer service, with many questions, such as "where is my order????" After not being able to help me, a customer service representative forwarded me to her supervisor who basically said "we told you everything. I'm sorry if you didn't notice it. this is how long it takes. bite me."

So I asked, "Why would I ever shop from Overstock.com again when I can go to Amazon.com and get the same item for the same price but 10 times faster?"

She gave me an anecdote about "paying $8 shipping from Amazon" for a "$10 college textbook". Yeah right, I don't believe it.

The conversation finally got to my statement, "So basically you're telling me that 'oops, I made a mistake', and instead of going with a good company, I ordered from Overstock and now I'm paying for that mistake and will regret it forever? Because I didn't read your shipping rules close enough?"

She couldn't answer, basically saying, "well you chose to go with Overstock." Just to rub it in like a bitch.

Finally, I threw this in, "Well, I don't want Overstock to have any of my money any more, so I'm going to call my credit card and cancel the charge. I'll mail the book back if I get it."

Her response, "well, that's fraud, sir."

My response, "Are you going to take legal action against me? Because I'd like to start preparing now. In fact, I think Overstock has committed fraud against me."

She ended with, "I don't think this is going anywhere, I've done all I can to help you." What did she do exactly?

I stopped there.

Anyway, I don't think anyone should shop at Overstock. This was my first experience with them, and it was horrible. I still have to potentially wait NINE MORE DAYS for an item I ordered on Oct. 21.

If you order books, like DnD books (or other RPGs, I'm not biased here), Overstock.com takes forever and a half to get the item to you. Amazon.com gets it to you so fast your eyes will bleed. I usually get books within 3 days from Amazon.

We need to discourage these companies that suck from doing business. It's called capitalism. I don't care what whore they get on their commercials, this is stupid business sense and Overstock can't compete. Amazon is just superior.

I must also note that I worked for an insurance agent for some time and did nothing but call up customer service people all day and try and get them to do what I wanted. So I know what to say to these people. But these Overstock people were ridiculous. Even when I got pissed off, I'd say things like, "I'm not mad at you, you're being helpful, I'm just having a real hard time understanding this." They didn't deserve that. They were fuckers.

[Gotetsu]

[quote="ekomega"]I don't want to be the "Don't shop here" guy[/quote]
Too late.

[ekomega]

[quote="Gotetsu"]Too late.[/quote]

You don't know me! I'm more than a label!



I feel like the more places I open myself up to, and the more I go to, the more upset I get over customer service and business strategies. I'd say 1 out of every 5 restaurants I go to doesn't piss me off severely. The rest do. And I don't have high standards. It's things like seating me, and my party of 2, next to an existing part of 6 who is loud and just ordered 2 more bottles of wine, even though there are other open tables. And then getting sassy and difficult when I politely ask to be seated somewhere else. Things like that. That's bad customer service, but they just don't care.



Anyway, don't shop there.

[Neuro]

Um, how do you ask them?


[quote="ekomega"]You don't know me! I'm more than a label!



I feel like the more places I open myself up to, and the more I go to, the more upset I get over customer service and business strategies. I'd say 1 out of every 5 restaurants I go to doesn't piss me off severely. The rest do. And I don't have high standards. It's things like seating me, and my party of 2, next to an existing part of 6 who is loud and just ordered 2 more bottles of wine, even though there are other open tables. And then getting sassy and difficult when I politely ask to be seated somewhere else. Things like that. That's bad customer service, but they just don't care.



Anyway, don't shop there.[/quote]

[ekomega]

Wow, you really can be an insulting bitch. I can't figure out if you come to the forums to act like this because you get off on it, you're mean, or you just hate your life. I nominate your forum title to be "resident bitch".

I don't want to derail this, so can we please focus on the main post? I'd like to hear about positive/negative experiences with Overstock, or if people do shop there for books and does it usually take such a long time to receive product.

Thanks.

I may have forgotten to mention that this was my first time using Overstock for anything, ever.

[Gotetsu]

Ok, that was a bit of an over-reaction. And I guarantee Uncle Mord ain't gonna like that.

However, I think she was saying that there may be something you're missing in your tone/choice of words at the resturaunt. It's very common to have one's intent be misconstrued due to wording or tone.

[smartmonkey]

[quote]

Wow, you really can be an insulting bitch. I can't figure out if you come to the forums to act like this because you get off on it, you're mean, or you just hate your life. I nominate your forum title to be "resident bitch". [/quote]

Not cool.

[smartmonkey]

[quote] Wow, you really can be an insulting bitch. I can't figure out if you come to the forums to act like this because you get off on it, you're mean, or you just hate your life. I nominate your forum title to be "resident bitch".
[/quote]

WTF? Dude, thats -not- cool.



I feel sorry for the customer service rep you spoke to if this is how you react to a reasonable question.



Edit: And I fucking -hate- customer service reps.

[BlanchPrez]

[quote="smartmonkey"]Edit: And I fucking -hate- customer service reps.[/quote]

*ah-hem!*



Chris

[ZetaStriker]

I've shopped at overstock dozens of times, and they've certainly never steered me wrong. Not to mention that their prices are a lot lower than places like amazon.com if you're buying more expensive items. In fact, the best deals I've seen on usually expensive DVD boxsets have been on Overstock.

[Neuro]

[quote="ekomega"]Wow, you really can be an insulting bitch. I can't figure out if you come to the forums to act like this because you get off on it, you're mean, or you just hate your life. I nominate your forum title to be "resident bitch".[/quote]

:banned:

[smartmonkey]

First, only, and last. Hopefully.

[smartmonkey]

[quote] *ah-hem!*
[/quote]

Present and past company excluded? I was making a joke anyway.

[devlin1]

Wow. That don't-shop-here guy got banned so fast it made my eyes bleed.

[jimmy corrigan]

[quote="devlin1"]Wow. That don't-shop-here guy got banned so fast it made my eyes bleed.[/quote]ha!

[mordraine]

ekomega has been banned for 5 days.

This happened for two reasons:

a) Pretty much the ONLY rule we have here is NO PERSONAL ATTACKS.
b) He personally attacked one of the Site Admins. Never a wise move.

[devlin1]

Y'know what else I heard he bought on Overstock.com? Box wine.

[mordraine]

And when he asked Overstock.com about shipping costs, they threatened his life.

[devlin1]

[quote="mordraine"]And when he asked Overstock.com about shipping costs, they threatened his life.[/quote]
With an awkward mech. Piloted by homeless gnomes.

[jimmy corrigan]

[quote="devlin1"]With an awkward mech. Piloted by homeless gnomes.[/quote][i]thank you![/i] now i know where to put my gnomes in my homebrewed dragonstar campaign! it was starting to be a real big problem.

[smartmonkey]

Nomadic mechpilot gnomes that smell like cheap gin and ask for change?

I'm sold.

[devlin1]

Also, the mech has cannons that shoot d100s.

[Kuld]

Wow.

Sometimes I just can’t understand people.

[Gotetsu]

Are you referring to ekomega? Or the posts subsequent to his temporary exile?

[Kuld]

Hehe, I guess it works for both :)

[Andok]

[quote="mordraine"] Pretty much the ONLY rule we have here is NO PERSONAL ATTACKS.[/quote]

Does this apply to the Debate forum? I was just wondering because I see a lot of personal attacks there.



Also, there are a lot of apparent personal attacks on other forums that are really just friendly jibes between friends. If someone doesn’t know that two people are friends, several “FYYFF” comments can easily seem to justify the acceptability of harsh insults like “resident bitch”.

[jimmy corrigan]

[quote="Andok"]Also, there are a lot of apparent personal attacks on other forums that are really just friendly jibes between friends. If someone doesn’t know that two people are friends, several “FYYFF” comments can easily seem to justify the acceptability of harsh insults like “resident bitch”.[/quote]*sigh* i'll field this one, as i made the "fyyff" remark...



did you read my caveat?

[Andok]

[quote="jimmy corrigan"]did you read my caveat?[/quote]

Yeah, but there are several others from other people too. It’s kind of a running gag here (which I actually like).



I don’t have a problem with it. I’m just providing another perspective.

[devlin1]

I guess the difference is whether or not the participants in question can reasonably be called "friends," or even know each other, because at least then there's some context that turns an insult into an innocent jibe. Also, remarks like "Fuck you, you fucking fuck!" are just so clearly over-the-top they almost have to be jokes, but if the insult stays within the realm of reason-- e.g., "Are you the resident bitch here?"-- it's much more likely that the intent is malicious.

IMO, anyway. I walk the line.

[mordraine]

The personal attack rule does apply to the Debate forum, and there have been times when it's come awfully close over there. I keep a close eye out and tend to give a little more leeway over in that forum. But still, I've had to step in and warn.

I know almost everyone on these boards personally, so I know with a fair amount of certainty when someone's joking or not joking. ekomega I don't know personally, but I also know that he doesn't know Neuro personally. So because of that, he stepped over the bounds there with the "resident bitch" remark, even if he was joking.

Not only that, but Neuro's the one who did the banning, and she's well within her rights to do so, since she's an Admin, and co-owner of the site as well. It's never a good idea to insult someone who has Admin rights.

With respect to the fairness of the matter, I've been accused of being a hypocrite by others for my warnings. But there was a time when I was mediating two board members who were arguing, and got accused by both sides of taking the other's side, so that in itself might be an indication that I'm fair and impartial. I try, but I'm only human. :)

Also, something you may think of as a personal attack I might not. So if there is ever a time anyone feels personally attacked and I have taken no action, PM me and I'll look into it.

edit: one other thing I'll add - I hope ekomega comes back after his temporary ban, having learned from it.

[Gotetsu]

[quote="mordraine"]But there was a time when I was mediating two board members who were arguing, and got accused by both sides of taking the other's side, so that in itself might be an indication that I'm fair and impartial.[/quote]
I'm feeling personally attacked here. :eek:

[Andok]

Mord, I'm not disagreeing with anything. I'm just saying that the “No Personal Attack” rule may not be very apparent due to some of the banter on this board. Also, most of the Admins here have changed their titles, so ekomega may not have known he was verbally sparring with an Admin.

I don’t know ekomega, and I’m not trying to make excuses for him. It’s just that I can see this easily happening again with new people on this forum. No one likes to be banned without a warning, especially when the ban was for violating an unclear rule, so hopefully ekomega continues posting here after his ban. This is the least active board I visit, so I would like to see more posters, not fewer.

[Neuro]

If the commentary had been between a couple of people and Mord wasn't sure whether or not they were joking, I imagine we'd have seen a 'hey, cool it you guys', followed by posts assuring him that the involved parties were just kidding. Or else by an awkward silence.

As it was, I was the one doing the banning and I knew very well that I don't know ekomega and that he had no right to speak to me that way.

I'm not a screaming sissy and I won't ban you for saying what you think, nor will anyone else. Neither is anyone going to find herself banned for getting peeved in the middle of an argument, debate, shouting match, whatever. But random attacks out of the blue are another matter.

I hope that helps.

[quote="Andok"]Does this apply to the Debate forum? I was just wondering because I see a lot of personal attacks there.

Also, there are a lot of apparent personal attacks on other forums that are really just friendly jibes between friends. If someone doesn&#8217]

[Wintermute]

[quote="Andok"]Also, most of the Admins here have changed their titles, so ekomega may not have known he was verbally sparring with an Admin. [/quote]

I feel I should note, for the record, that "verbally sparring with an Admin" isn't what got him banned. That sort of personal attack doesn't fly regardless of who it is directed at. Aside from the ability to moderate (and in certain cases full site admin priviledges) admins don't get any extra perks.



[b]But[/b], it's pretty common knowledge around here that Neuro and I own the site, and frankly if you're going to choose someone to insult, picking one of us is a really bad idea.

[Neuro]

Oh yeah, if I'd seen that directed at another user, I'd have banned him. Possibly after another fifteen more seconds of thought that this one took me.

[mordraine]

[quote="Wintermute"]I feel I should note, for the record, that "verbally sparring with an Admin" isn't what got him banned. That sort of personal attack doesn't fly regardless of who it is directed at. Aside from the ability to moderate (and in certain cases full site admin priviledges) admins don't get any extra perks. [/quote]

Good point and thanks for pointing that out.

[Andok]

[quote="Neuro"]If the commentary had been between a couple of people and Mord weren't sure whether or not they were joking, I imagine we'd have seen a 'hey, cool it you guys', followed by posts assuring him that the involved parties were just kidding. Or else by an awkward silence.



As it was, I was the one doing the banning and I knew very well that I don't know ekomega and that he had no right to speak to me that way.



I'm not a screaming sissy and I won't ban you for saying what you think, nor will anyone else. Neither is anyone going to find herself banned for getting peeved in the middle of an argument, debate, shouting match, whatever. But random attacks out of the blue are another matter.



I hope that helps.[/quote]

Yeah, I totally agree that eko’s comment was obviously not a joke. I just think that he may not have known that his comment was a board no-no or a “bannable” offense.



When I first started posting here, insults (both friendly and not-so-friendly) seemed commonplace, so I didn’t know about the no-attack rule until a thread got locked.

[mordraine]

[quote="Andok"]No one likes to be banned without a warning, especially when the ban was for violating an unclear rule, so hopefully ekomega continues posting here after his ban.[/quote]

Probably be a good idea to put an admin sticky up with the rules and the mods and the admins. I'll try to do that later today when I have time.

[Neuro]

[quote="Andok"]Yeah, I totally agree that eko’s comment was obviously not a joke. I just think that he may not have known that his comment was a board no-no or a “bannable” offense.



When I first started posting here, insults (both friendly and not-so-friendly) seemed commonplace, so I didn’t know about the no-attack rule until a thread got locked.[/quote]



Incidentally, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to try and get the last word. The board doesn't show me very clearly on ghostzilla when something is locked, so rest assured that Mord wasn't pleased with me when I posted after he locked it.



In that particular thread, you were insulting and I was insulting and I'm really pretty okay with that and you're still here so you can't be some kind of screaming sissy and I appreciate that. And that's why Mord's the moderator and I'm the one changing your avatar until you either get sick of it or find one you like.

[Neuro]

[quote="mordraine"]Probably be a good idea to put an admin sticky up with the rules and the mods and the admins. I'll try to do that later today when I have time.[/quote]



Are you kidding? That means someone might want us to work. I'm just a troll who might fix something if Winter were unavailable. I mean, clearly I know where the ban button is, but Winter /was/ unavailable. He was holding a beer.

[Andok]

[quote="Neuro"] I'm the one changing your avatar until you either get sick of it or find one you like.[/quote]

Haha! I didn't even notice because I have the "Display Avatars" toggled off. I’ll let it ride.

[Neuro]

[quote="Andok"]Haha! I didn't even notice because I have the "Display Avatars" toggled off. I’ll let it ride.[/quote]



Man, I'm crushed. That last one was a classic. Whole worlds of ugly. This one's cute, though. I have no idea what it is, but it's cute.

[Andok]

[quote="Neuro"]Man, I'm crushed. That last one was a classic. Whole worlds of ugly. This one's cute, though. I have no idea what it is, but it's cute.[/quote]

It's the frog-guy from that goofy cellphone song. What was it before that?

[Neuro]

[quote="Andok"]It's the frog-guy from that goofy cellphone song. What was it before that?[/quote]



It was the most horrendous thing I've ever seen. A dude riding a bicycle mooning people and with this sort of megaphone traffic cone thing sticking out as though he wanted to broadcast his farts. Plaid Rhino already had dibs on Angelina Jolie.

[Andok]

[quote="Neuro"]It was the most horrendous thing I've ever seen. A dude riding a bicycle mooning people and with this sort of megaphone traffic cone thing sticking out as though he wanted to broadcast his farts. Plaid Rhino already had dibs on Angelina Jolie.[/quote]

Ahh... like I was talking out of my ass? Now I.. am... INSULTED! Haha! j/k

[opwunder]

Everyone should just be like me...I never insult anyone...

[Neuro]

[quote="Andok"]Ahh... like I was talking out of my ass? Now I.. am... INSULTED! Haha! j/k[/quote]

I figured you'd either laugh or be insulted, but you can set your own avatar so I figured we'd know sooner or later.

[plaidrhino]

[quote="Neuro"]It was the most horrendous thing I've ever seen. A dude riding a bicycle mooning people and with this sort of megaphone traffic cone thing sticking out as though he wanted to broadcast his farts. Plaid Rhino already had dibs on Angelina Jolie.[/quote]

I can't help it if people often confuse me for Angelina Jolie

[Gotetsu]

[quote="Wintermute"][b]But[/b], it's pretty common knowledge around here that Neuro and I own the site, and frankly if you're going to choose someone to insult, picking one of us is a really bad idea.[/quote]
So, now is probably not a good time to tell you that I think you're a Q-ball pussy-ass dickhead, right?



Whew, glad I didn't say that. Cuz I coulda been banzored! :naughty:



Seriously, his comments were way out of left field. And besides, when Neuro pisses me off, I can think of a hundred more creative things to call her besides "bitch." He deserved to be banned just for the lack of creativity alone!

[smartmonkey]

[quote="Wintermute"] But, it's pretty common knowledge around here that Neuro and I own the site, and frankly if you're going to choose someone to insult, picking one of us is a really bad idea. [/quote]

Does this count?