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de1pher

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#138372 1-Jan-2014 12:50
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Hey everyone,

I'm new to this site and I felt that I should inform people of activities of a company called ValueBasket. It is not an honest company and you may regret dealing with them.


I’ve purchased what I intended to be a Christmas present for my wife late in November through ValueBasket. The money were drawn from my account straight after I’ve submitted my credit card details, which I thought was odd, because most companies process the payment only when the item you’ve purchased is shipped.


I was later contacted by VB representatives who wanted me to provide them with more details before my item is shipped, they said they needed it to verify that I am authorized to use the credit card I’ve made the payment with. I thought it was suspicious that they wanted to verify it after deducting the money. In response, I’ve asked for a refund which they guaranteed within 14 days of any purchase. It has been well over a month since then and so far I’m still waiting for my money.

Based on my own experience and many similar online reviews, this is what I think may be happening behind the scenes (the other alternative is that it’s just not a well-run company):


VB has a problem with their supply chain and they offer products that they don’t actually have in stock. The credit card verification procedure is merely used to stall time. I’m guessing they also have a problem with their cash flow, and by advertising products they don’t actually have, they entice people like me to give them a free loan to fund their daily activities. Even though I’m not purchasing anything, they are using my and other people’s money to run their business until they can repay it. I’ve disputed the transaction with my bank and contacted Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, NZ Commerce Commission and the Australian Department of Commerce to see what they think about the matter.


I hope that they will take action about it, because the company is a fraud.

I hope you don’t fall into their trap.

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insane
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  #959871 1-Jan-2014 13:14
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I'd had PC stores need to 'validate' the purchaser on the first transaction with them, after that every additional purchase it's as you'd expect.

Can't speak for VB of course.



freitasm
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  #959875 1-Jan-2014 13:20
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I don't see a big deal here. If they were suspicious of the credit card use they had the right to come back and ask for more information.

If you don't like the procedure, instead of arguing with them just go back to your bank and ask for a chargeback, and inform ValueBasket you don't want the item anymore.

As for "not having the item" they clearly state in their pages that they ship from overseas, so no surprise there.




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Dunnersfella
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  #960087 1-Jan-2014 20:09
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They do advertise on this site, so I'll be careful.
But ValueBasket does give me the heebie jeebies... but of course, it's the buyers decision at the end of the day, and naturally, the old adage 'if it looks too good to be true...' still applies.



freitasm
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  #960088 1-Jan-2014 20:10
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VB doesn't advertise on this site. We do have an affiliate account but stopped promoting it earlier in 2013.




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charsleysa
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  #960166 2-Jan-2014 03:25
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I purchased a phone from them on Friday and have checked the status of the purchase today (1st Jan) and the stock has been allocated and will be shipped in about 2 days.

I've had no problems with them, they seem like quite a large company as they deal internationally with multiple branches in various countries.

And their stock is located overseas so yes it will take a while to ship and they do state in their T's and C's that it may take up to 30 days for the item to ship in certain circumstances.

I have a good opinion of them as they have not done anything to make me think otherwise. Charging for a product as soon as the order is placed is perfectly reasonable and I've experienced it from many other online retailers with good reputation.

One thing I like about them is they include GST for items more than for $400 and they include it in the display price that you see when you browse the website (according to their descriptions, I have yet to see if that's true, I'll wait until it gets to the NZ border to confirm that).




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Stefan Andres Charsley

braindead
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  #960206 2-Jan-2014 10:21
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More on ValueBasket's dishonesty:

 

 

Before Xmas I placed and paid for an order for a smartphone from VB. Less than an hour later I cancelled this order as I saw a slightly different model with a better feature set.

 

 

I doubt there was any time that ValueBasket had done any "work" on my first order.

 

 

I was duly refunded, minus $US70.00 with no explanation as to this deduction in their favour.

 

 

Many calls and emails later (all saying "we are investigating and will get back to you)" I've heard nothing, nor been fully refunded.

 

 

Stay well clear of ValueBasket is my advice.

johnr
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  #960208 2-Jan-2014 10:28
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Anything in the terms and conditions if you cancel a order?

 
 
 

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sbiddle
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  #960213 2-Jan-2014 10:37
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johnr: Anything in the terms and conditions if you cancel a order?


They can charge you, but don't specify a charge


Cancellation, Returns and Refunds : You can submit Cancellation requests by e-mail for your order at any time prior to the dispatch. Where the dispatch has been made, you may request for a Refund up to 14 days after the goods are delivered (unless where physical damage is found when your order is delivered, you must notify us immediately); to submit the request, simply email us to start the process. Where you are eligible for a Refund, Valuebasket.com will provide authorization and a returns address if appropriate. Most requests, that are within the 14 day period and that are (i) for new unopened items or (ii) found to be faulty will be eligible for a Refund. Goods returned for Refund must be in their original condition with all original packing, accessories and included materials. You must take all due reasonable care of the goods and return them in its original and undamaged condition. Where purchases are opened and are of usable software, consumable goods, or items impacted by hygiene, such items will not be eligible for Refund.

Any Refund approved shall be minus Refund Deductibles (comprising of a combination of, but not limited to, shipping costs incurred either by ValueBasket.com or you, restocking fees, and administration costs). Details of Refund Deductibles are determined at the discretion of ValueBasket.com, and shall be made available along with your refund eligibility information.   


charsleysa
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  #960299 2-Jan-2014 13:59
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I don't see anything dishonest in the charge as it is stated in their T's&C's. If you didn't read the T's&C's that's your fault.

Yes US$70 may be steep but they are well within their right.

Also it's odd that they would charge you in US dollars since the NZ website charges you in NZ dollars through their Australian branch even though they have an NZ registered company (http://www.business.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/4433858).

If you're purchasing from ValueBasket you should make sure to go to ValueBasket.co.nz




Regards
Stefan Andres Charsley

freitasm
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#960333 2-Jan-2014 15:20
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Dunnersfella: They do advertise on this site, so I'll be careful.


We don't run advertising for ValueBasket but they do run Google AdWords. After visiting their website to check the T&Cs I now see ValueBasket ads on Geekzone. So really, "They do advertise on this site, so I'll be careful" sounds to me like a warning in the lines of "don't say something bad because freitasm may not like it and remove the post|ban the user".

Do you really think that low of us admins/mods here?








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charsleysa
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  #961558 5-Jan-2014 16:17
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Just an update :

I may be starting to side with the OP as my order status was changed from being ready to ship to arranging stock.

This raised some red flags, a bit of digging shows this is not the first time the company has done it and has a high rate of negative reviews (about 25% of total reviews are 1 star reviews).




Regards
Stefan Andres Charsley

mckenndk
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  #961568 5-Jan-2014 16:39
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I tried to order a Nexus 5 from them on December 4th the phone was in stock so I ordered it.
They had a whole lot of changes of status until I got one that said please provide some other details though their contact us page and got the response back that it was out of stock around the 19th.

 

I put in for a refund after that and I got the refund yesterday with no dedications took two weeks (it was over Christmas and new years so cut them some slack for that) and 1 request for an update so I would take what they have on their site with a grain of salt when it comes to stock etc, I read plenty of reviews good and bad for them but I would recommend dealing with someone that has a store locally for warranty etc.

charsleysa
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  #961570 5-Jan-2014 16:45
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mckenndk: I tried to order a Nexus 5 from them on December 4th the phone was in stock so I ordered it.
They had a whole lot of changes of status until I got one that said please provide some other details though their contact us page and got the response back that it was out of stock around the 19th.
I put in for a refund after that and I got the refund yesterday with no dedications took two weeks (it was over Christmas and new years so cut them some slack for that) and 1 request for an update so I would take what they have on their site with a grain of salt when it comes to stock etc, I read plenty of reviews good and bad for them but I would recommend dealing with someone that has a store locally for warranty etc.


Would be nice but some things you can't get from a local store/supplier. I may turn to eBay if VB keeps stuffing around, even at the expense of a few hundred more dollars.




Regards
Stefan Andres Charsley

mckenndk
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  #961571 5-Jan-2014 16:50
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charsleysa:
mckenndk: I tried to order a Nexus 5 from them on December 4th the phone was in stock so I ordered it.
They had a whole lot of changes of status until I got one that said please provide some other details though their contact us page and got the response back that it was out of stock around the 19th.
I put in for a refund after that and I got the refund yesterday with no dedications took two weeks (it was over Christmas and new years so cut them some slack for that) and 1 request for an update so I would take what they have on their site with a grain of salt when it comes to stock etc, I read plenty of reviews good and bad for them but I would recommend dealing with someone that has a store locally for warranty etc.


Would be nice but some things you can't get from a local store/supplier. I may turn to eBay if VB keeps stuffing around, even at the expense of a few hundred more dollars.


No doubt about it that is why i went for them initially, I just fell into the 25% of people that they stuffed up with, the reviews had alot of people that are happy with their orders and I would not be surprised if the happy people don't fill out reviews.


reven
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  #961631 5-Jan-2014 21:18
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hmmm i was thinking about ordering a padfone inifinity from them in a few weeks...

they were quick to respond to my email regarding import gst, saying they take care of it and is billed to them, which is nice. but yeah...

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