Quote:
Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8
Another example: I ordered a couple of rubber gaskets, to fix a toilet, from a third party, via Amazon. Didn't get them with the main part of my order. Invoice had a new shipping date (I don't remember how far away the date was, but it wasn't soon) for them, got notices of delays, several new shipping dates. This went on for at least 4 months. Seller sent me a message, after a month or so, basically asking, "are you sure that you really want these?" Yes, I did, I told them. I think that it was about a month afterward that I finally got them!
My theory: it was going to cost more to ship them than what they cost. But the gaskets were only $3 or $4 at the most! Why just ship them, lose a dollar or two, and be done with it!
I'm glad that there is another toilet in the house.  |
I probably would have cancelled the order after the first delay and just gone to a Big Box retailer like Lowes, Home Depot, or Ace Hardware to get the parts. I wouldn't want to have a broken toilet for 4+ months. You probably would have gotten those items shipped from the Big Box for a few dollars more.
There are definitely a lot of subpar sellers on Amazon. I imagine Amazon tries to weed them out over time, but maybe not. It probably takes a lot of complaints before they begin the process of terminating any association with them. I bet some of those subpar sellers are simply guilty of having no scruples. Others might just get overwhelmed by the number of orders they receive and don’t have the resources and/or stock to fill them. And any other of numerous reasons can cause them to be bad vendors even if they are trying to be good vendors. I try to only buy from 3rd party sellers if Amazon is going to deliver the item. I trust Amazon to know what they have in stock and to get it to me in a timely fashion and to make it right if the item isn’t good. Amazon treats the 3rd party goods that they stock in their warehouses like it was their own products, so you have a better chance of getting an acceptable resolution if their is a problem.