NewEgg saves face (maybe)
As you know, I just bought a Garmin StreetPilot c580 from NewEgg. It hasn't arrived yet (still in transit). The price I paid for it was $499.99 plus shipping.
Less than 12 hours later, NewEgg's price dropped to $459.99.
That ticked me off.
I e-mailed NewEgg customer support. This is what I wrote verbatim:
I just purchased the Garmin StreetPilot c580 (Item N82E16858108048) from your web site for $499 - and now when I look at the sale link, the price for that item dropped 30 dollars LESS THAN 12 HOURS AFTER I BOUGHT IT. I don't even *have* the unit yet and the price dropped. It is ridiculous that I buy something where the price changes in the lower direction *that* quickly. If I could return it and buy it again I would, but this item is subject to a non-refundable policy. I have bought several items from NewEgg in the past, have been pleased with the service and have never had cause to complain until now. I would kindly ask that you please refund 30 dollars of my purchase price so it reflects the new price. I don't want to return the unit - I just want my purchase price to reflect what is on the web site for that item now (as of July 12 2007). Thank you for your attention.
As you can see from the above, I told them I didn't want to return the item (as it was already in transit and you can't stop that once it's in motion) and to simply adjust the purchase price to reflect what's listed, i.e. refund me back $30.
A few hours later I received this response (the only part blocked out is my tracking number):
Dear Customer,
Thank you for contacting Newegg.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Due to the constant fluctuation of prices in this market we cannot offer any price guarantees. Your order has been shipped out we can not adjust the price. However, since you are our valued customer and we always strive for customer's satisfaction, we are willing to make an exception and offer you a credit in the amount of $30.00 to be issued back to your source of payment after the delivery. Please reply to this email when you receive the package and then we will be able to process the credit for you.
In addition, your order has been shipped out on 7/11 with the tracking # [removed]. The scheduled delivery date is 7/16. Please feel free to track the package on http://www.ups.com/ or you may contact UPS directly at 1-800-PICK-UPS (742-5877) for the most up-to-date information.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.
Sincerely,
Ruby Luo
As you can tell from the above, I was right - once the transit happens you can't stop it. So I made a good call there.
And the good part - NewEgg is willing to credit me back 30 bucks once I receive the unit and inform them of such.
Sounds good, right?
Maybe.
I paid for the item via Bill-Me-Later. This is a payment option NewEgg uses (which, honestly said, works very nicely). I am hoping that NewEgg will simply contact Bill-Me-Later and instruct them to adjust the existing balance per my account.
And I made a math error. I should be credited back 40 bucks, not 30. But even if I only get 30 due to my math screw-up, it's better than nothing.
I'll be a happy guy once the account is credited properly.
The unit is scheduled to be received 7/16, but it may get here sooner than that. There are times when a 3-day ground shipment takes ony 2 days, so it may get here Friday.
I'll update this blog post after I get the communication rolling with NewEgg again once I receive the unit.
. . .
Update 7/17/2007: NewEgg, true to their word, has stated in e-mail that a $40 credit has been requested. Will be checking my BillMeLater account periodically to make sure the credit happens (but it may take a few days to apply).
Update 7/23/2007: The BillMeLater account had the credit applied - life is good. NewEgg was honest.
