DON'T BUY.COM Advisory

[sporttracdriver]

Yup the folks at olevia didn't give me any problems with the exchange. They even paid to have it picked up AND shipped back. However, that was then and this is now. No idea if they still provide that great level of service.

Anyways, I ended up posting a complaint to the bbb and gave buy.com one last phone call. That got them moving and they shipped out the tv yesterday.

[MegalosSkylaki]

illustreous Company moving !

As they say, the more things change the more they stay the same.
What hasn't changed it seems when I read ResellerRatings is the practice of selling what they don't own.

Ever notice how they are able to beat the prices of other Companies on some items ??

Ah, but most other Companies buy first what they sell !

DOOOOG

[MegalosSkylaki]

Originally Posted by deeppow

I thought his message was pretty clear. Buy.com's ResellerRatings has dropped to 4.64 over the last 6 months from a lifetime average of 6.79. If that makes you happy then that is fine. I as a rule don't deal with anyone with a rating that low, just too great a chance (one out of two 'ish) that there will be some problem.

This was posted on Dec.1, 2003 --a little more than four years ago.I started this thread after ("black Friday") of 2003.

Now after four years of doing business according to their business model --or changing their ways--a recent (today) visit to ResellerRatings shows that their rating for the last 6 months has drpped from 4.64 (see above) to 2.12.

Their lifetime rating --which then was already well below the avarage of around 8.5 of all rated Cos. was then 6.79 in Dec.03 (See above QUOTE). It is now 4.46 on ResellerRatings.

The Return or Replacement rating is now 0.92 and the Customer Service Rating is four years later 0.84. This is not on a scale of 0 to 1, but 0 to 10.

For those who are contemplating a "lowest price" purchase from this E-seller, you might like to ask yourself, "Do you like these Odds" ?

Happy Holidays to all,
and I hope I've been of some help to some.

MegalosSjkylaki

[frostbitetwice]

Thanks for this long running thread, Megal...It was this thread and their ratings that resulted in me placing this company on my do not buy list...

[saturnotaku]

Originally Posted by frostbitetwice

Thanks for this long running thread, Megal...It was this thread and their ratings that resulted in me placing this company on my do not buy list...

And yet this Web site continues to put links to Buy.com deals right on the front page.

[MegalosSkylaki]

Originally Posted by saturnotaku

And yet this Web site continues to put links to Buy.com deals right on the front page.

I will defend that practice. All the "DEALS" postings are of "lowest price on this item we see[at present]" or such. They are NOT intended, I believe, to be a recommendation of that purchase --so you will notice that Resseller Ratings also posts the comments made about the Vender and are also available for your perusal.

In a free market, free individuals, guided by their own reason, should be able to make their own decisions as to what to buy and from whom to buy it from. Fortunately, we do not have to make such decisions blindly. This is especially important in E-buying as we don’t see in front of us the item we are buying, nor is there a Returns window, as such.

I sometimes see something advertised at a price that seems too good to be true--and often this is from BUY.Com. But when I notice the Vender, I wisely stay away. The spread of knowledge about both deals and venders is necessary in a free society. An informed consumer and a truthful vender are both necessary for a free marketplace, and it is the Marketplace that will ultimately cast its vote.

The sad thing is that a Vender that 'underprices' other honest venders who truthfully tell you they are OUT of STOCK or sell at a price that can earn a profit --and their employees --are also harmed by cynical venders. Thank you for your comment, saturnotaku, and for bringing this out where it can be addresed, and I humbly hope that I have done so.

MegalosSkylaki

[MegalosSkylaki]

Originally Posted by frostbitetwice

Thanks for this long running thread, Megal...It was this thread and their ratings that resulted in me placing this company on my do not buy list...

Good Show and ThanX much, frostbitetwice

I hope it helps not only buyers -but also the many honest sellers who sometimes make a mistake, but care enough about ther good name in the marketplace to try to correct things.

MegalosSkylaki

[saturnotaku]

Originally Posted by MegalosSkylaki

I will defend that practice. All the "DEALS" postings are of "lowest price on this item we see[at present]" or such. They are NOT intended, I believe, to be a recommendation of that purchase --so you will notice that Resseller Ratings also posts the comments made about the Vender and are also available for your perusal.

If you click on a link to a deal on the front page of this Web site, there is no mention of that seller's rating. I would have less of a problem with posting buy.com "deals" if there was a warning placed on there that says something to the effect of, "Buyer beware. Buy.com is among the lowest-rated sellers on our site."

In a free market, free individuals, guided by their own reason, should be able to make their own decisions as to what to buy and from whom to buy it from. Fortunately, we do not have to make such decisions blindly. This is especially important in E-buying as we don’t see in front of us the item we are buying, nor is there a Returns window, as such.

But part of the reason this Web site exists is to help people decide which resellers are the best to purchase from. I think this site does a disservice to its readers by doing this. We'll have to agree to disagree.

[MegalosSkylaki]

"agrreing to disagree" is almost always a good idea, saturnotaku, but I'm not o sure we are in disagreement --just focusing on different aspects.

What you may see as somewhat contradictory, I mihght see as some irony in it. If you go to www.techimo.com, you see some "hot Deals" on the right side, and above in bold print a, alInk to ResellerRatings, where the ratings and comments are readily available.-just as the "Deals" are.

I think what you perceive as a problem , is really that the "Hot Deals" and the
ResellerRatings serve distinct functions.

The "Hot Deals" simply informs you of lowest prices on popular items. It makes no claim as how good or bad the manufacturer or how preferable some tech item is to its alternatives, or how good or bad the vender is compared to others.

The ResellerRatings--which available right above on top --is intended to serve that function, and in this case of this Reseller they may be some seeming irony in listing some deal, then providing a source of information about the Seller that in this case would forewarn any potential buyer. That is the distinct function of that site.

You and I and Others , who are the potential buyers are left to make that decision on our own. This is the way IMO it should be.

I realize that this may be frustrating at times--but just as we each must evaluate the item on our own, so too must we evaluate the Vender. Both information is hence available, and this is better than someone advising us what to buy or from whom.

Like Thomas Jefferson said, "Any error of reason may be tolerated, so long as reason is free to combat it." We can paraphrase that as any listing of lowest price may be tolerated so long as we have the information to decide for ourselves.

Stay well, and your opinions are valuable and well written.
And happy Holidays to all --no matter what your holidays are.

MegalosSkylaki

[MegalosSkylaki]

By the way, one of the major complaints over the years about buy.com is promises of availablility by Christmas and selling fast deliveries like Two-day express, only to find that the item is not shipped until, say, Feb. or March the following year --if at all ! Hey, they didn't say which Christmas it would be available for !