Every time Joe and I need to build a new computer, we order the majority of the parts from NewEgg because their prices are great. Their customer service, on the other hand, is not.
This last time we placed an order, the motherboard turned out to be defective. We shipped it back and they sent a replacement. I inquired as to whether I’d be reimbursed for the extra shipping cost (shipping them the bad board) and was told that their policy is not to reimburse for that. They explained it’s similar to the cost incurred if you had to take something back to the store. Not sure about you, but there’s no way in hell it’s gonna cost me $7 (what I paid UPS) to drive to a store to return an item. They did say, however, they’d make an exception and reimburse me a portion of the shipping cost if I faxed them a copy of the shipping receipt. Well I didn’t bother because a) they didn’t tell me what portion they would reimburse ($1, $0.50, $4 – how am I to know?) and b) the fax number was long distance. So that was strike #1 against them.
Then when we opened the box containing the replacement motherboard, we noticed the lack of mounting screws and pc speaker. When we called them, they said they don’t come with the motherboard. As far as Joe could recall, they did, so we argued the point. Finally, we realized we were in the wrong and that they came with the case (we always ordered a case at the same time as the motherboard) so we dropped the issue. The next day I called them anyway because the bottom line was we mistakenly shipped them parts that we had paid for, and I wanted them back. The supervisor I spoke to, by the name of Paul in case anyone is interested, was not very sympathetic to our situation and offered only to contact the RMA center to see if they still had our item, but given that a whole week had passed, he didn’t think they would have it.
I didn’t appreciate the way he stated that a whole week had passed as if we sat on our asses about the situation. True, a week had passed since they received our item, but we only received the replacement the same day we called. So how we were to know of the mistake beforehand? I just didn’t care for his attitude and stated to him that I felt it came down to what he felt I was worth as a customer to him. He shrugged off my statement and repeated there wasn’t anything he could do, so I told him I had my answer and hung up. Apparently it had never entered his peabrain that even if he gave me a coupon or small credit on my account, I’d feel satisfied. Obviously he’d rather lose a customer who spends a minimum of $500 every time they place an order. Whatever.
So anyway, I don’t know what possessed me, but I contacted (via email) the manufacturer of the case we bought, which is Maxtop, and explained to them what happened with NewEgg. I received a reply the next day and they offered to send the missing parts, no charge. How nice was that? And sure enough, they arrived in the mail today.
What a stark contrast between the two companies and how they handle their customers. NewEgg knew we spent a lot of money with them but had no problem essentially telling us they didn’t care enough to make us happy, but Maxtop, who didn’t even have proof that we really had bought one of their cases, was willing to go that extra mile to satisfy what they viewed as a customer of theirs. They didn’t have to do that by any means. I think NewEgg could learn a thing or two from them. And I will seriously consider whether I ever shop at NewEgg in the future. I have a hard time giving my business to a company that would sooner tell me too bad than help me so that they retain me as a customer.