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Review 1/26/2010
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Communication was great until I insisted on receiving a UPS tracking number.
Prior to placing my order, I emailed them to confirm whether the item was indeed in stock (a Canon lens at a pretty good price). I received an email almost immediately, confirming that the item was in stock. I placed the order and my account on Rocket Camera's website showed the order as "Processing." My credit card was charged almost immediately for the full amount (I placed the order in the evening, Eastern time, and my credit card account had a charge the next day).
Items in stock are said to be shipped within two-three days from ordering. I ordered on a Sunday evening. On Thursday, after my inquiring, they said that it was due to ship and that, once shipped, "tracking would have been updated and emailed" to me. On Friday, after my inquiring, they said it had shipped but that the warehouse had not provided them with a tracking number (this contradicts the previous claim regarding tracking); the warehouse had already closed (on Friday apparently they work only half day there), so I had to wait (but I was told not to worry). On Monday, I inquired again, twice, about the UPS tracking number, but they never responded. (Throughout these days, my account kept showing the order as "Processing.") On Tuesday, I disputed the charges with my credit card company, which told me I had the right to cancel this transaction if I wanted to.
In the email exchanges, the person I communicated with was always nice, if brief. Yet, the claim that the order was shipped but there was no tracking number is very, very unconvincing (in any event, if it was shipped, I will have to receive it, and I will modify my review then). Even worse is the interruption of communication when I first sent a gentle reminder to send me the tracking number and, then, when I emailed mentioning my serious concerns and stating that I would have to cancel the order if I did not receive, finally, some verifiable update. (To this date, I still have not received any response.)
Incidentally, I missed an opportunity for a very good price on Amazon because I thought my lens was going to arrive from Rocket Camera.
Rocket Camera, to build a good base of loyal clients, needs to say upfront that their processing times are long (probably due to the time it takes them to actually obtain the item); many people would still buy from them for their good prices (I know I would). They should not say an item is in stock and then try to buy time by failing to provide the tracking info, interrupting email communication... A sad experience.
UPDATE: I see the response from Greg L. This is the message I had sent Greg L. through this website prior to contacting my credit card. The message was never replied to:
"Hi, I am having an identical experience to some of the reviewers who gave Rocket Camera a negative review on this site, with order #[DELETED]. I am going to ask for the order to be canceled and for my credit card to be fully refunded (unless, of course, I immediately receive a UPS tracking number, which will allow me to verify Rocket Camera's claim that "the order has been shipped"). If I do not receive immediate and verifiable information either way, I will take steps with my credit card company. If I were to be forced to take those steps - something that very seldom has happened to me in the past, and never with BBB certified companies - I will make sure that the BBB receives a full report on this incident. I will also post my honest and informative review on this and similar websites. A quick response will be appreciated."
Everything in my review is SUPER-ACCURATE. It also shows HOW MANY CHANCES I gave Rocket Camera to rectify the situation. Rocket Camera never provided me with a UPS tracking number and that number - besides being what the Customer Service person had stated I would have received - is THE ONLY way for a customer to know that a $950 order has in fact been shipped. Still to this moment, I have no way to verify that anything (though with a delay) was ever shipped to me. And Rocket Camera is surprised that, after over a week and after email communication from Customer Service suddenly ceased, I would ask my credit card to dispute the charge? Rather than resuming communication only after the credit card company had asked for the money back, Rocket Camera should send its customers the tracking number information as proof that the item has been shipped (that very same number that they must have used to "recall" the order "Through UPS Delivery Intercept"). This has been a very unpleasant, shocking experience indeed.
UPDATE: On 01/26/10, after my credit card had already disputed the charge and after the order had been closed, I received several telephone calls from Rocket Camera well into the evening; in recorded messages on my answering machine, they spoke of "an urgent matter" and one that was "going to turn into a legal matter." After I took one of these calls, the alleged representative of this "Loss Prevention Department" was so abusive and intimidating that I felt the need of immediately filing a report with the Police, that same evening. The Police asked me to alert them immediately if any other call from this company were to reach me (and if that happens, I certainly will). I also spoke with my bank. The bank will take care of recovering the funds. It is a shame that Rocket Camera is allowed to have the BBB seal on its website, which is the main reason why I placed my order. Everyone who had similar experiences, besides seeking the protection of one's credit card and reporting everything to the appropriate authorities, should also file a complaint with the BBB because the Bureau needs to know of the behavior of this company. (I recommend that you save and keep all voice recordings and email exchanges you had with this company, as well as all print-outs of your order and account statement as shown on their website.)
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Business's response - by Greg L.on 1/26/2010
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1-26-10 This Order Was Cancelled By Loss Prevention. Order Was Shipped And Customer Disputed His Credit Card. Order Was Recalled By Us Through UPS Delivery Intercept.
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