Vendor That Lied

[Brent]

How long would you wait before going to your credit card company? I have been told my order has shipped twice but never have received a tracking number. Just excuses. card took a hit the day the order was placed a month ago Monday. It doesn't take 5 minutes to provide a tracking number if they actually shipped item. If you are truthful from the beginning I understand. No this isn't Curtis. My order from him came in a timely manner. If not received by Monday I will disclose the culprit after talking to my credit card company.

 

[Little Mike]

Based on a recent unfortunate experience, do it immediately and clearly communicate to vendor in writing to cancel the order.

if there was a misunderstanding or the issue is quickly resolved, re authorize the charges.

 

[SharkWhisperer]

How long would you wait before going to your credit card company? I have been told my order has shipped twice but never have received a tracking number. Just excuses. card took a hit the day the order was placed a month ago Monday. It doesn't take 5 minutes to provide a tracking number if they actually shipped item. If you are truthful from the beginning I understand. No this isn't Curtis. My order from him came in a timely manner. If not received by Monday I will disclose the culprit after talking to my credit card company.

A month, no tracking number & no delivery? Without a very reasonable excuse (even the cheapest Retail USPS provides a tracking number), one month would be about my limit.

I've had to cancel once with Firefox for a chems order--very similar story (Visa), once with a Chinese scammer for some remote control gadgetry (Paypal refund), and twice, years apart (Visa again), with the only two car rentals I ever booked in South Africa--Budget tried to bill me a grand (!) for "damages" but I had both pics and video of the return (I'd learned) and a smaller agent tried to sneak bs charges through several months in a row thinking I wouldn't notice.

It's easy. Better if you have e-comms, but not necessary. Call your CC company and tell them that you ordered over a month ago, nothing's arrived, the vendor will not provide evidence of shipping, and that you've tried to resolve this in good faith. They will technically put a "hold" on the charges while they do an "investigation", which will inevitably be found in your favor and the charges removed. You won't owe anything in the meantime. Every time, though, Visa has indicated that I will no longer be able to use that particular card to make purchases from company in dispute. No problem, never planned to. Once call. 10 minutes. Problem solved. I've never been asked to provide copies of email correspondence etc., though they might ask for it.

IF by some oddity, the package somehow does find its way to you eventually, and you are convinced that the vendor actually wasn't shady (beyond negligence in not sending tracking info) then you'll need to tap your conscience to decide what's next.

A month with no tracking + apparent excuses + no product=no confidence in vendor and a cancelled transaction.

 

[prfesser]

I fully agree with a one-month deadline before taking action. Even with COVID delays one month should be more than enough time for a package anywhere in the US to reach...anywhere else in the US.

FWIW first class mail does not necessarily have a tracking number unless you pay for it. Last two packages I sent 1st class didn't have one.

Semi-related fun fact: A warrant is required for a postal worker (or anyone else) to open first class USPS mail. A warrant is *not* required to open Priority mail (other than Priority Express, commercial Priority, and a few others).

Best -- Terry

A month, no tracking number & no delivery? Without a very reasonable excuse (even the cheapest Retail USPS provides a tracking number), one month would be about my limit.

 

[SharkWhisperer]

I fully agree with a one-month deadline before taking action. Even with COVID delays one month should be more than enough time for a package anywhere in the US to reach...anywhere else in the US.

FWIW first class mail does not necessarily have a tracking number unless you pay for it. Last two packages I sent 1st class didn't have one.

Semi-related fun fact: A warrant is required for a postal worker (or anyone else) to open first class USPS mail. A warrant is *not* required to open Priority mail (other than Priority Express, commercial Priority, and a few others).

Best -- Terry

That's odd about warrant requirements. But surprised about tracking because even large padded envelopes I send give me a tracking number on my receipt without paying extra. Hmm... But first class/full-rate postage should arrive faster than their (tracked always) Retail package category (used to be Parcel Post). Progressively less and less enthused with USPS, even considering all challenges they face.

 

[jimzcatz]

I GET A TRACKING NUMBER FOR EVERY LABEL I PRINT, excuse caps, not doing over

 

[SharkWhisperer]

I GET A TRACKING NUMBER FOR EVERY LABEL I PRINT, excuse caps, not doing over

All USPS packages come with free tracking, First Class Package-Retail, slower Retail Ground (former Parcel Post), and Media Mail included. You can get tracking on envelopes (First Class, Retail Ground, Media) at an extra charge, but they've usually assigned a tracking number to me for free for larger padded envelopes, but not for larger first class regular envelopes with documents over the past year at my local post office. Maybe they were just being nice or maybe they billed the padded envelopes as packages... Anyways, clarified on page 8 here: https://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm100/dmm100.pdf .

I can't envision too many rocketry things that come in envelopes and not packages that would require an extra fee for tracking, unless perhaps some o-rings or some thinner items, but I expect and have received a tracking number (often essentially worthless, though) for all chem and rocketry shipments I can recall receiving in recent years. Except of course from Firefox--from them I and others have gotten nothing but headaches. If a vendor is shipping me a package USPS and doesn't provide a tracking number, that tells me they haven't actually shipped my package, no matter what "explanation" they may try to offer. Not a good sign. Rare, fortunately--most vendors in model rocketry and fireworking are reputable and a pleasure to do business with. But not all...