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Book Depository Ordering Problems

For discussion about particular book sellers (brick-and-mortar bookstores, online book sellers, auction sites, swap sites, etc.)
Chatterbox
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Book Depository Ordering Problems

Post by Chatterbox » Thu June 4th, 2009, 4:38 pm

I'm posting a copy of an e-mail that I sent to the folks at Book Depository in the UK today to complain about what I consider to be some quite appalling customer service behavior on their part; since a lot of folks order from them because they don't charge the outsize shipping costs that Amazon.co.uk does, I wanted to make you aware that there may be some hidden downside. This is the second time in less than a month that I have experienced exactly this problem -- placing an order in good faith for an object that they claimed to have in stock, having them dither for more than a week despite having advertised it as being 'in stock' and shipping within 24 hours, having them cancel the item unilaterally, and then finding them advertising it at a higher price on their own website and advertising it on Amazon for a few pence less than Amazon's -- but of course someone buying it through Amazon would have to pay the latter's shipping costs, essentially what we're trying to avoid by placing the order directly with BD.

Here's the gist of my letter:

This morning I received an e-mail message informing me that you are cancelling an item in my order because you have been "unable to fulfil" it.

I'm very concerned by this, because I have great trouble believing that you are acting in good faith. When I placed the order, on your website you advertised the item as "usually dispatched within 24 hours" and quoted a price of $18.95. If the item was usually dispatched that quickly, why did it take a week for you to inform me you couldn't fill the order? Why did you accept an order that you couldn't fulfill? And why would you cancel an order, unilaterally, without reference to me? In contrast, Amazon will send me an e-mail informing me that there has been a delay in obtaining the item, but enable me to leave the order open -- essentially, they realize that by allowing me to place an order, they have entered into a contract with me that they don't unilaterally abrogate.

A second reason for my concern: You are STILL advertising the item in question as being shipped within 24 hours, but at a significantly higher price: $32.72. Did you cancel my order when it became clear that you could make more money from me, your customer? You'll understand that this pattern of events is worrying.

A third reason for my concern: On Amazon.co.uk, you are advertising that you have this item ready for delivery, at a price of 12.91 pounds, or slightly less than the price you advertise on your own website or that Amazon advertises on its site. Of course, if I order through Amazon, I DO pay for shipping -- nearly 7 pounds. So this is another way for you to make more money than if you had abided by your original agreement to sell me the item at the originally advertised price, with no shipping fee.

I can only conclude that either you have lied to me, your customer, or you are lying to potential customers on Amazon.co.uk's site, with the goal of earning extra income in the shape of either shipping fees (which you wouldn't have earned had you filled my order the way I had placed it, directly with you at your website). Indeed, based on the information to hand, I can't see how you could have cancelled this order and still behaved in any kind of ethical fashion. You either didn't have the book that you claimed to have, or you do have it and simply choose not to sell it to me because you now have a way to sell it more profitably. In any event, you have acted unilaterally and with little respect for my intelligence as a consumer.

This is the second time in less than a month that precisely the same pattern of events has occurred -- the cancellation of an order, the claim to have the identical book now available at a higher price, the claim on Amazon to have the book available at a slightly lower price than Amazon's. Should the same pattern of events recur in connection with any of the remaining items in my order, I will have no hesitation in contacting the relevant UK authorities with my concerns; it seems very clear to me that you have violated the provisions of the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000.

----

I'd urge anyone who has had a similar experience with BD to contact them also. I've been dealing with Amazon for a decade long-distance from the UK, and while wincing at the shipping fees, I've never had the feeling I do now, that I'm being jerked around. On the contrary; Amazon gives me the benefit of any decline in an item's price if I place a preorder, they contact me if there's a delay in shipping the item, and even when a pre-order's publication has been cancelled, they tell me and offer to keep the order open until such time as the book appears.

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SonjaMarie
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Post by SonjaMarie » Thu June 4th, 2009, 5:41 pm

Wow, glad I didn't order from them, that would piss me off a whole lot!

I sure would love to know how they reply, if it's more then a "we're sorry" form letter!

Good luck Chatter!

SM
Last edited by SonjaMarie on Thu June 4th, 2009, 5:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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annis
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Post by annis » Thu June 4th, 2009, 5:55 pm

Maybe it's just sheer bad luck? I've bought a lot of books from BD over the last two years and have always been very pleased with their service, and never in that time had a deal go awry.

Chatterbox
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Post by Chatterbox » Thu June 4th, 2009, 6:28 pm

Annis, that's what I thought the first time. But I've been dealing with them for six weeks and have had two identical problems that look very, very odd and of a kind of I have never experienced with any other vendor, ever. I can't see any reason they would advertise a book as available on their website and on Amazon at the same time that they tell me they can't obtain it. Once is a hiccup. Twice in three weeks is exponentially more likely to be either bad mismanagement or something more deliberate. Hence my decision to post.

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Amanda
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Post by Amanda » Thu June 4th, 2009, 11:24 pm

I have ordered from BD a lot and they have only cancelled an order once. And granted it was for The Second Sister by Marie Sandeford, that came up as in stock, and I was a bit dubious as it is hard to find. So I wasn't in the least suprised that it was cancelled, and it hasn't reappeared either.

I have had one order not arrive, and on emailing (though I don't think I got a response until the 2 or 3 email), it was reordered for me. And I subsequently received 2 copies, and it was obvious that they were both from the reorder and not the initial order. So maybe 2 people got involved with fixing it at their end.

I have noticed items that are newly released being instock, and then out of stock quite quickly. One thing that I have noticed is that often in this case if you search for the author (click on the authors name), there is another item number, as the book is also available from another publisher.

I think it is fair that you have posted about this. As you said once is a hiccup, but twice is a worry. And if it happens to other people often....then there is a problem. It will be interesting to see how they reply to your email!

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zsigandr
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Post by zsigandr » Thu June 4th, 2009, 11:36 pm

Chatterbox, I think it is a good thing to let the BD know about your problems. For me, I haven't found the pricing that great - most of the books that I want I am able to order from Amazon Canada and if I my order is over $39 it is free.

I did a comparison of 3 of EC's books from BD to Amazon Canada and Amazon Canada was actually less as I did not have to pay exchange for my Canadian dollar. For this reason, I have not placed an order with BD to date.

I hope that you at least receive an apology letter, if not some kind of discount!
Andrea

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Susan
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Post by Susan » Fri June 5th, 2009, 12:15 am

Interesting! On May 25, I ordered several books including Helen Hollick's A Hollow Crown and it also said "usually dispatched within 24 hours." Two days later I got an email that said they were "terribly sorry to inform you that on this occasion we have been unable to fulfil part of your order." Because of Chatterbox's post, I went online to see if the Book Depository had the book listed. It does and now it is selling for $14.71 (US) and when I originally ordered it was selling for $12.83 (US).
~Susan~
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Tanzanite
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Post by Tanzanite » Fri June 5th, 2009, 2:01 am

I have also ordered several books from them over the last few years and have only had one book that I didn't get, but it was an entirely different situation. I ordered the book a few days before it was to be released and when I look at my order on their website it says "awaiting publication". With us moving I was concerned that the book might be shipped to our old address. I contacted them and they indicated that the number of pre-orders had exceeded the stock they had received and they were waiting for more (Amazon also lists the book at out of stock) but that they weren't able to change the address on the order for security reasons. They said that I could cancel the order and they would refund my money (which they did) and I could re-order the book and have it shipped to our new address (which I haven't done yet).

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Amanda
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Post by Amanda » Fri June 5th, 2009, 3:46 am

[quote=""zsigandr""]Chatterbox, I think it is a good thing to let the BD know about your problems. For me, I haven't found the pricing that great - most of the books that I want I am able to order from Amazon Canada and if I my order is over $39 it is free.

I did a comparison of 3 of EC's books from BD to Amazon Canada and Amazon Canada was actually less as I did not have to pay exchange for my Canadian dollar. For this reason, I have not placed an order with BD to date.

I hope that you at least receive an apology letter, if not some kind of discount!
Andrea[/quote]

You guys are lucky to have Amazon local with cheap shipping. New book prices in AUstralia are high, and we don't have Amazon local in Australia. Shipping charges from the US are high. Each time I buy a book on line, I shop about, and generally BD is cheapest.

I have also read that someone reckons that the BD wesite tracks were you are from based on your computers IP, and that it will show different prices according to were you are from and allows them to add a bit for the "free shipping". But I don't know if this is true or not.

Oh we could test this!

How much for EC Time for Singing paperback?
Australia - 6.91 GBP

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SonjaMarie
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Post by SonjaMarie » Fri June 5th, 2009, 3:50 am

Time of Singing: 11.31USD. That's nearly the same.

SM
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Original Join Date: Mar 2006
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Books Read In 2014: 109 - June: 17 (May: 17)
Full List Here: http://www.historicalfictiononline.com/ ... p?p=114965

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