This place is horrible. They claimed to have the item I needed (a 2U Power Supply) in stock. When I called about the status online being stuck at 'sent to warehouse', the guy on the phone said that it was from a different warehouse and would take a few days. He then went on to inform me that I should read the fine print better. I paid for overnight shipping to get this out to my customer and all they can do is be very rude over the phone. They have no idea what customer service is and the team handling the phones needs to be fired. This place sucks and I will never buy anything from them again.

Do NOT buy from Ecost unless you want to go through major headaches!!! I purchased my 22" HP touch screen computer and when it arrived I had the computer but no keyboard and mouse. They had sent me 2 boxes of the same, the battery box. They had told me that I would have to send my whole computer back and then they would resend the same item again. To then take another 1-2 weeks before I got my computer which had waited for for a week already. I told finally told them nevermind and just went and bought a wireless keyboard and mouse. This whole ordeal took many days over the phone with me ending up not getting my full order and then having to go buy what was supposed to have been shipped to me, AGAIN!

The following is an email that I sent to eCost.com. Needless to say, I will never attempt to purchase anything from the site again. I urge everyone to READ THEIR POLICIES before ever ordering anything from this site.  
On July 28th, I was searching the web for a new video card. Google shopping took me to your site for an EVGA 9800 GTX graphics card with a retail of $44.99. I carefully read the website to make sure it was a new retail card and that the item was in stock. I ordered the item and was sent a confimation email that stated the item was awaiting shipment from the warehouse.  
An hour later I received an email stating that my order had been cancelled due to a problem. No reason was given so I called your customer service. I was told that the item was out of stock. I said that can't be true because I was looking at the website and it still said it was in stock. The woman on the phone said that the site isn't updated. I then asked her if they just kept taking orders all day and then sending out cancellations. She had no good answer.  
I kept my eye on the eCost website all that day and the item remained in stock with a price of $44.99. Then at about 11pm or after, it switched to out of stock at the price of $139.99. If it was out of stock, why did it have a price? The nest morning it was back in stock at the price of $139.99.  
I called back customer service and told the woman that since the item was now available they could ship it out to me. She told me to hold and then came back and told me it was out of stock. I told her I had been watching the website and what I had seen and all of a sudden the story changed to they were in stock, but the price had changed. I told her that they still owed me one at the price I had ordered it at and that was all I wanted.  
This is where the story gets even stranger. When I explained to her everything that had happened and that there was no way they magically had a shipment come in between 11pm the previous night and the next morning, she admitted that these were from an affiliated warehouse. I asked her to explain why they would have a different price than those in the other warehouse and couldn't get a very good answer. After all, the website doesn't give me the option of which warehouse I want to order from.  
After asking to talk to a superior and being on hold for a long time, I was of course told that no superior was available. Of course not, that is why they hire these customer service reps to go through the same speil of "we're sorry you were inconvenienced but what do you expect us to do".  
In the end, I just asked her to admit that they made a pricing mistake and there was no way they were ever going to give me that price.  
I certainly can't believe I was the only person that tried to take advantage of that price on that day. Maybe if the company paid a bit more for a website proofreader or had an actual inventory that was updated after each sale (oh, wait they actually do) they wouldn't have to have as many people to handle all the complaints.  
I realise that this is just a business to you and as long as you get the majority of the peoples money you really don't care about retailler ratings or reviews, but I am sure that some of the shareholders in the company would like to believe that you are not an out and out fraud. I would invite them to read your customer service and return policies and then compare them to honest online retaillers such as Amazon and Newegg.com. While both of these companies are in the profit making business, they try not to do it at the expense of their customers. I would honestly like to know how many return customers you actually get.  
I have learned my lesson and will never go near your site again. I will tell everyone I know and tell them to tell everyone they know to never ever buy anything from eCost in their lifetime.  
 
In response to the reply by the company: It was not listed as a clearance item or limited time offer. It was listed with all the other regular priced items. This company is just run poorly. In fact if you go to their site right now you will find an Asus 9600GT graphics card that sells everywhere for about $100 listed for a retail of $1179.99 AFTER $20 mail in rebate. http://www.ecost.com/Detail/VIDEO+CARDS/ASUS/EN9600GTHTDI512M/40893165.aspx?navid=155438364  
Just admit that you have a poorly run company that doesn't care.

This review was modified by its author, tom1960, on 8/2/09 10:50 AM.

I ordered a bluetooth mouse and bluetooth adapter on 7/18/09. I received the mouse on 7/22/09, but not the adapter. I called e-cost and they informed me that the adapter was backordered so they canceled it. I convinced them to send me a different adapter at over twice the price. I received the order confirmation e-mail on 7/22/09 for the replacement adapter. Today, 7/29/09, I called and talked to Ryan in “customer service” and they did't have the adapter in stock at this warehouse so it was canceled. I asked to return the mouse, and Ryan says "we only accept returns if the item doesn't work". Let's see, how does the mouse work if there is no adapter. Ryan says, "I can order you a different adapter, or get the same adapter from another warehouse, but the price will be higher."  
 
Their sales tactics are deceptive and fraudulent. Even if an item is not in stock, their website shows that it is in stock. Even if their customer service rep tells you that an item is in stock and you place the order when them, the item probably isn’t in stock. I’ll be contacting the Iowa Attorney Generals office about my order.  
 
If you order from this place, then you need your head examined.  

This review was modified by its author, ScottH000001, on 7/29/09 9:00 PM.

I guess my luck ran out. I've used and even recommended Ecost.com for several years; for both personal and businesses purchases. For the second time this year, I have had a problem with a personal purchase. I attempted to order a replacement external hard drive case for myself at home at the end of June. As I needed the replacement quick, I paid extra for 2nd day delivery. Ecost left off vital addressing information, so the item was never delivered to me. Instead, it went back to their warehouse. No problem, simply refund me my money, right?  
 
I've e-mailed them, no avail.  
I've called them and was told that it would be refunded. (It hasn't yet)  
I even looked on here and saw both Ms. Dizon and Mr. Baker's extension numbers and tried to call (nobody answered)  
 
I give up with ecost. I've already shared my recent experience with the people I work with and the companies I consult for whom I know had ordered from them before.  
 
Luckily, I do all personal transactions through paypal, so at least I can dispute it through paypal.

Very good shopping experience. I was looking for a specific Multimedia Desktop and eCost had the item in stock and also had the best deal. I was initially hesitant due to the very poor overall ratings but I thought I'd give it a try. I was very pleasantly surprised. My order came in 6 days with no problems. The item was as advertised.

I have ordered a Buffalo Mediastation from ecost.com on July 18, 2009. In two days, I have received a voice message saying that I need to confirm credit card info. I called back the same day. A customer service representative said that all issues are resolved and I suppose to receive my order in a week. In five days after telephone conversation, I have received an e-mail from ecost.com that says " We have encountered a problem in processing your order... This issue has made it necessary to CANCEL the item(s) listed below". Customer support from ecost.com does not exist. Don't waste your time and order from somebody else!

Just a comment about the standard level of e-cost customer NONservice. I've posted elsewhere about my negative experiences with e-cost & those of people I previously warned about them. However -- what speaks VOLUMES is the same message I read over & over here from them:  
"We apologize for any incon..."  
Time after time eCost makes the same EXACT "apology" for these horror stories, but what is obvious is any HINT of resolve to fix the problems. "Dear customer, I apologize for breaking your teeth while swinging my arms, --but I swing my arms thousands of times every day successfully."

If you are reading this, you too have discovered how bad ecost is. I cant even begin to describe what happened and how bad ecost has been for me. It would take far to long. To make a long story short, I finally got my money back after 6 months of them basically scamming me and refusing to refund my money. cue the generic response from the CS rep who does not bother to read the comments any more because they know how bad their company is and dont care in 3...2...1...

I ordered 3 flash drives from ecost over a week ago now. Today I recieved part of my order without notice. I called to inquire about the partial shipment and they told me that it hasn't even shipped out yet and they don't know when it would. I asked the guy I spoke to if he could please tell me when they were going to ship and he said it would take 24-48 hours just to get a response from their shipping department before they could even answer my question. I was outraged as my personal flashdrive got ruined and I desperately needed one. I asked to speak to a supervisor or manager and the representative told me that there was no use in asking to speak to a manager because he would just tell me the same thing. Well, I'm calling American Express today and hopefully get compensated, but either way I'll never purchase one single thing from this online store ever again, and I would strongly recommend whoever reads this to do the same. There are plenty of other online stores that are reputable and will deliver what you paid for.

I purchased a Belkin Router that did not work. After spending hours on the phone with Belkin’s technical department it was found that the router conflicts with the ISP supplier and nothing can be done about it. I called eCost wishing to return the router for a refund and was told that ALL SALES ARE FINAL. So please note that this internet store will not refund your money if you later find that the item you purchased will not work for you.  
I asked the eCost representative on the phone to se if an exception can be made here as I have no use for the router. He told me that he’ll check and get back to me. If he does get back to me with a positive answer I’ll post again, but for now please be aware THEY DON’T TAKE BACK RETURNS FOR A FULL REFUND.  

I placed an order with eCost.com on the 9th of July. I live in the NYC area. So, it's customary to receive orders anywhere from 3-5 calendar days after purchase.  
 
I haven't yet received my eCost.com purchase and don't expect to receive it until the 20th of July.  
 
I called eCost.com. Got the usual run around in broken English.  
 
Here's what they say:  
 
1. Their receipt of my payment and issuance of an acknowledgment email does NOT constitute acceptance of my order.  
 
2. The delivery "clock" starts when their warehouse bothers to give the item to a shipper.  
 
3. The shipper then has TEN to FOURTEEN BUSINESS DAYS from when they tender the item to the shipper to deliver the item.  
 
4. eCost.com uses a hybridized private/USPS shipment system to save itself money. This adds to delivery time and provides inadequate tracking information (none after the post office receives the item).  
 
5. I tried to get eCost.com to refund the $9.99 shipping that it charged for the <$3 it actually cost to ship the item. Blown off from the beginning.  
 
In conclusion, I have two remedies:  
 
a) never do business with eCost.com again and  
b) contact my state's AG to complain after ecost's deceptive practices.  
 
*****The point about ecost.com is that it considers 10-14 business days "normal" for delivery. I do not. I typically get faster delivery from China.*****

This review was modified by its author, DonDerham, on 7/21/09 2:38 AM.

First, let me say i have had several good experiences with ecost in the past, but when things go bad, the go really bad! i ordered a couple of items back in early june. They arrived DOA. so i'm thinking no big problem...just call ecost and they will swap this out for working items. HAH! As several people on here have noted, in your first contact with the ecost "world class customer service department" (it is so hard to write that with a straight face!) you are told to contact the manufacturer to confirm the fact the product is not working correctly...not happy about it, but i did it. of course one of the things the manufacturer asks for is the serial number...but those have been scratched out or removed...not a good sign. Once i got the confirmation from the manufacturers that the products were indeed defective, i once again call that world class group at ecost and give them the verification numbers from the manufacturer. Then i'm told that in order to swap the product they have to charge me for the replacement products just as if it were a new sale...so they will have twice the money and i have zero working product...well, that aint gonna happen, so i decide to just get a refund. After being put on hold 7 times for well over 20 minutes i asked to speak to a manager...and am told they dont have managers that can come to the phone...that's world class! By now i am about to come unglued because i'm now told they cant authorize a refund, it has to go to their "resolution specialist". So i try to get someone in managment on the phone. About the only thing world class here is how they stonewall you from speaking to someone who can make a decision! I'm finally told someone will call me back in 24-72 hours. After 8 days of not hearing i call back and get the same story. this time i do come unglued and am finally able to get a supervisor on the phone who still cant make a decision but swears he has forwarded everything again and i will hear back within a day. heres a surprise...i didnt hear back. So i call back once again and really felt sorry for the young lady i got on the phone because i wouldnt let her spew her rehearsed lines when i was told i had only been authorized a refund for one of my items! i became a very unhappy customer! she put me on hold for about 15 minutes and finally returned telling me she had been authorized to refund me the full amount, but i had to get a return authorization number and a shipping label and those would be emailed to me. So i get the email and it's no surprise that the links to download the label are dead! That was all about 10 days ago and i'm still sitting here with equipment i cant use and they're banking interest on my money. I have been a consumer products marketing director for over 25 years and deal with customer service every day...this is by far the worst customer service i have ever had the displeasure to deal with! Even though i have had prior good experiences (bought my wife a dyson vacuum that works great!) i will no longer be a customer of ecost...the savings are just not worth the headaches.

I have never been treated so poorly by a vendor! I ordered a bed from ecost nearly a month ago. The reason I used ecost was because the delivery date was the shortest. To date, I STILL do NOT have even a tracking number. I was told I could NOT cancel the order. I phone every day and every day I am told... we will get you the information tomorrow. I will NEVER do business with ecost again.

I ordered 2 - 2GB SD cards at a great price along with a bunch of other stuff. They eventually canceled both of these cards and then tried to sell me them back at a higher price (although their bait-and-switch tactic was that it wasn't the same part number). Here's an idea - don't SELL what you don't HAVE. I called many times and got the same runaround, and never was able to speak with a supervisor. Guess they don't care about my future business, or the people I was referring to them. BAIT and SWITCH - beware.  
 
UPDATE:  
After posting here I saw that someone from ecost replied the following - "...happy to investigate this further. Please contact me at 1-877-8882678 ext 8145...". I tried calling this extension, and there was NO-ONE by that name. Then I called and asked for that person specifically via their general number, and they gave me the runaround AGAIN. After 15 minutes and constant irritation the rep reluctantly pushed me to that wrong voicemail. I left a voicemail, and.... NO RESPONSE. Unbelievable. Seems that their method is do whatever they feel like and run you around until you are annoyed that you can't address your issue and give-up.

This review was modified by its author, digitaljoe01, on 7/14/09 12:33 AM.