I've ordered a few things from ecost and have had both good and not so good experiences with them. I ordered a refurbished Apple ipod from them and it arrived in a timely manner, looked like new, and works just fine. I've been using it for about 4 months now without any problems. I was very happy with this order.
I also ordered an Aerobed (inflatable bed) from them about one month ago and it arrived in a very damaged box with an insufficient amount of packing material (which explains the damage), but fortunately the bed was in it's own box and this box didn't sustain any damage. It also seems fine and, aside from the poor packing job, I'm pretty happy with this order.
A few days ago I ordered a refurbished HP laptop, a PC headset, and a Linksys wireless router. Although they stated that all three were in stock, only the headset and the router have been shipped. I hope that the computer will be shipped soon, but given the experiences of others mentioned below, I am a little concerned. A small delay is ok, but I'll have to see just how long this delay continues.
I do have one fairly major concern about ecost, however. Judging from the lack of packing material in the box containing my second order (which was directly responsible for the damage the shipping box sustained while in route) and also from the reviews I've read below in which others have stated that they've had the same experience, I worry that I'll be scammed on this most recent order and I'll explain why.
Based upon the fact that I planned on ordering many items from ecost (admittedly they've got very good prices), I purchased a Platinum Premium membership before my most recent order so that I could get free shipping on this, and future, orders. However, what ecost buried in the fine print is this: their free shipping is done via UPS Basic service. After calling UPS, I discovered that these shipments are (1) uninsured and so the purchaser assumes all liability for any damage to the shipment and (2) left without a signature, regardless of how secure the location is.
Now, I don't blame UPS for this since they've made companies using this form of shipping aware of their policies. I DO, however, feel it is a bit, well, unethical for ecost to use this level of shipping without clearly indicating that this level is used for all free shipping offers under their Platinum Premium membership, especially given that one must purchase a membership to get this "free" shipping.
So, let's take a hypothetical. Let's say ecost ships out the laptop computer I've ordered, ships it without the proper type and/or an insufficient amount of packing material (knowing full well that if the computer arrives damaged, they have my money and I'm left with a damaged computer and absolutely no recourse), and let's say it arrives damaged. I have no way to get a refund (due to their "All Sales Final" policy) and no way to collect any insurance (since they shipped it via UPS Basic), and therefore I must pay out of pocket for any repairs to the computer (which sort of defeats the purpose of saving money by buying a refurbished computer). So, ecost is in the clear and I am out the cost of my computer purchase.
To be fair to ecost, they have not yet shipped out my HP laptop (but hopefully will soon, given that they claimed it was in stock) and so I have no idea whether it will arrive properly packaged, undamaged, and in like-new condition, as it should. I also have not yet received my PC headset and wireless router (which have been shipped), so I also can't say anything about my experiences with this order either. But you can be certain I will be updating this post and I'll be fair and objective about my experiences. The outcome depends on ecost.
UPDATE: To date, I've ordered 3 refurbished laptop computers (one of which I alluded to above), a printer cable, a PC headset, a wireless router, a refurbished ipod, and an inflatable bed. The computers all arrived well protected and without any damage, and they were all in like-new condition. I should note that I shipped everything via UPS second day air (including the refurbished computer I mentioned in my original review), which involved an added expense, but at least everything was insured. About one month out, I've not had any problems with any of the computers. All other items I purchased (some of which I've mentioned above) also arrived without damage and have been working without any problems. So, overall I'd have to say that I've been very happy with the online purchases I've made through ecost. Some words of advice to others:
1. The Platinum Premium membership has not been very useful thus far. I don't think it's worth the expense.
2. Although the Platinum Premium membership provides free shipping, this shipping is done through UPS Basic service and is therefore useless if you wish to ship expensive items such as computers, TVs, etc. Be warned that there is no shipping insurance with this level of service and UPS reserves the right to drop the package without signature.....regardless of whether the drop-off point is secure. See above for more information. Personally, I'd never consider shipping expensive items without insurance and therefore UPS Basic is not appropriate, whether or not ecost provides it for free.
3. Many items that you purchase from ecost (refurbished, for example) are "final sales", meaning you cannot return them to ecost should they fail. That said, it might be advisable to purchase a warranty if possible.
4. I still have reservations about the way ecost ships their merchandise, and apparently others agree with me on this. The items too often arrive without sufficient packing material and thus risk damage in transit. Again, I'd strongly advise shipping insurance for this reason.
This review was modified by its author, fukada, on
10/20/09 2:37 PM.
