I ordered 15 CAP duplex 220 outlets from this site, which has an OK (4ish/5 stars) on Google Shopper. I only checked the number of ratings and did not look at any actual reviews or comments.
Dumb move.
To start, any order under $50.00 is charged a $5 "small order fee". A tad insulting considering none of their shipping and handling options are any kind of a bargain. I paid less for shipping a much heavier 100A service panel only a week before. They both came from Cali, about an 8hr. drive away.
Usisu Inc. (the parent company for the site) also requires all orders be signed for upon delivery, which is ridiculous seeing as how I am gainfully employed and UPS/FedEx do not seem to offer 24hr. delivery services to my residence. I still am curious as to how that would have ever worked out.
I am a medical patient so I have nothing to worry about paranoia-wise but if I was not and had to sign for grow gear, especially in a non MM state, forget it.
My order languished for a solid week before I got an email stating it was just then being "processed". That was it. No further explanation. My debit card was surely charged the instant the order was placed but I guess updating me on my order was not as important as charging me for it.
Another week passed, I had heard nothing, no emails, phone calls, nothing.
By this time I am ready to drive to the big city for other errands and figure I will just pick up these outlets there. To me, these Usisu, Inc. hosers had their chance and blew it by:
1. failing to update me, much less in anything resembling a timely fashion
2. failing to send me my f$cking order, which is all I wanted to happen
Now is when the fun began. I no longer wanted to give these people a dime of my money, I wanted a refund on their overpriced receptacles and shitty shipping rates. This was like pulling teeth from a shark.
To begin, I emailed the company, Usisu Inc, and requested a refund for my order which was only around 75.00 total. I received no response for days. At this point I was unsure if they even still existed or were a reputable company due to their severe lag in communication.
Next, I called their customer service number. After carefully explaining the situation to the phone rep, I was assured my order would be canceled and I would receive an email and was offered a phone call as well to confirm the cancellation. I deferred the phone call, saying an email would be fine, just refund my money and be done with it.
again, a dumb move
Another day passed with no phone call or email. Now I am a bit perturbed to say the least. I called the phone number again, spoke to a different rep and made the same requests, all laid out very simply as I have been a phone rep and understand simple gets things done. Again, an email was promised me and a phone call was offered. I requested both to ensure the order was cancelled. This was now three weeks after I had placed the order and they gladly debited my card.
Shortly after the second phone call, I received an email stating the parts were on back order, with no ETA. The funny thing was, they offered me the EXACT SAME product I had ordered to replace it with. This confused me, but I was done with these clowns and only wanted my $ returned so I could purchase these receptacles in town for less and without shipping charges. Not to mention, who knew what I would have received had my order gone through and actually been shipped. It did not seem like they intended to send me what I originally ordered, but I digress.
I returned an email, stating I did not want anything but a refund, period. No reply was made for the rest of the business day, which was all afternoon and the company headquarters and I are in the same time zone, so no excuse there.
The next day I called again. This time I explained politely but emphatically EXACTLY what I wanted done. I was informed there was no chance of a confirmation phone call for my refund, only an email. Supposedly the first two reps I spoke with had offered it incorrectly (or at this point they just did not want to hear out of me anymore, either way = shitty customer service). I was told email was the only response I would ever receive back. This sucks, because they respond to emails slower than my octogenarian grandparents. The third and final rep I spoke to seemed to word the request to the company strongly enough so they got the point. Again, I had to wait another day to receive an email telling me my order had been cancelled.
In none of these emails from the company Usisu Inc. (HorticultureSource.com) did I ever receive an apology, an offer of 10% off next time (like there will be, hahahahahaha) or anything that indicated they felt the least bit remorseful about botching this seemingly simple order of ONE type of item. The refund took 5 days to be credited back to my bank. Every other refund I have received in the past has been near instant, so I have my doubts this long delay is to be blamed on my bank.
After going over many of HorticultureSource.com's reviews on Google Shopper, many of the "good" reviews seem a bit contrived. They seem to share a theme of brevity in detail and broad in scope. Many of the names of posters also seem to be related to the site or its products. Most of the seemingly normal names and posts seem to have encountered at least some of the issues I dealt with also. I am not saying they flub and pad some of their reviews, I am just saying there seems to be a big coincidence.
In the end, I went to an electrical supplier and purchased these components for less than they were offered online, hassle free.
Dumb move.
To start, any order under $50.00 is charged a $5 "small order fee". A tad insulting considering none of their shipping and handling options are any kind of a bargain. I paid less for shipping a much heavier 100A service panel only a week before. They both came from Cali, about an 8hr. drive away.
Usisu Inc. (the parent company for the site) also requires all orders be signed for upon delivery, which is ridiculous seeing as how I am gainfully employed and UPS/FedEx do not seem to offer 24hr. delivery services to my residence. I still am curious as to how that would have ever worked out.
I am a medical patient so I have nothing to worry about paranoia-wise but if I was not and had to sign for grow gear, especially in a non MM state, forget it.
My order languished for a solid week before I got an email stating it was just then being "processed". That was it. No further explanation. My debit card was surely charged the instant the order was placed but I guess updating me on my order was not as important as charging me for it.
Another week passed, I had heard nothing, no emails, phone calls, nothing.
By this time I am ready to drive to the big city for other errands and figure I will just pick up these outlets there. To me, these Usisu, Inc. hosers had their chance and blew it by:
1. failing to update me, much less in anything resembling a timely fashion
2. failing to send me my f$cking order, which is all I wanted to happen
Now is when the fun began. I no longer wanted to give these people a dime of my money, I wanted a refund on their overpriced receptacles and shitty shipping rates. This was like pulling teeth from a shark.
To begin, I emailed the company, Usisu Inc, and requested a refund for my order which was only around 75.00 total. I received no response for days. At this point I was unsure if they even still existed or were a reputable company due to their severe lag in communication.
Next, I called their customer service number. After carefully explaining the situation to the phone rep, I was assured my order would be canceled and I would receive an email and was offered a phone call as well to confirm the cancellation. I deferred the phone call, saying an email would be fine, just refund my money and be done with it.
again, a dumb move
Another day passed with no phone call or email. Now I am a bit perturbed to say the least. I called the phone number again, spoke to a different rep and made the same requests, all laid out very simply as I have been a phone rep and understand simple gets things done. Again, an email was promised me and a phone call was offered. I requested both to ensure the order was cancelled. This was now three weeks after I had placed the order and they gladly debited my card.
Shortly after the second phone call, I received an email stating the parts were on back order, with no ETA. The funny thing was, they offered me the EXACT SAME product I had ordered to replace it with. This confused me, but I was done with these clowns and only wanted my $ returned so I could purchase these receptacles in town for less and without shipping charges. Not to mention, who knew what I would have received had my order gone through and actually been shipped. It did not seem like they intended to send me what I originally ordered, but I digress.
I returned an email, stating I did not want anything but a refund, period. No reply was made for the rest of the business day, which was all afternoon and the company headquarters and I are in the same time zone, so no excuse there.
The next day I called again. This time I explained politely but emphatically EXACTLY what I wanted done. I was informed there was no chance of a confirmation phone call for my refund, only an email. Supposedly the first two reps I spoke with had offered it incorrectly (or at this point they just did not want to hear out of me anymore, either way = shitty customer service). I was told email was the only response I would ever receive back. This sucks, because they respond to emails slower than my octogenarian grandparents. The third and final rep I spoke to seemed to word the request to the company strongly enough so they got the point. Again, I had to wait another day to receive an email telling me my order had been cancelled.
In none of these emails from the company Usisu Inc. (HorticultureSource.com) did I ever receive an apology, an offer of 10% off next time (like there will be, hahahahahaha) or anything that indicated they felt the least bit remorseful about botching this seemingly simple order of ONE type of item. The refund took 5 days to be credited back to my bank. Every other refund I have received in the past has been near instant, so I have my doubts this long delay is to be blamed on my bank.
After going over many of HorticultureSource.com's reviews on Google Shopper, many of the "good" reviews seem a bit contrived. They seem to share a theme of brevity in detail and broad in scope. Many of the names of posters also seem to be related to the site or its products. Most of the seemingly normal names and posts seem to have encountered at least some of the issues I dealt with also. I am not saying they flub and pad some of their reviews, I am just saying there seems to be a big coincidence.
In the end, I went to an electrical supplier and purchased these components for less than they were offered online, hassle free.
