MobyMemory: Not Quite As Advertised

[Guest Sogarth]

A couple of months back, I decided I wanted a 2 GB miniSD card, and ended up placing an order with MobyMemory because everyone seemed to insist they were great to order from. If only I'd known then what I know now....

If they decide not to delete the thread I've been having on their forums, you should be able to read it here, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if they do delete it. As a result, I'll post bits and pieces of the thread below:

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Sogarth (Posted 15/02/2006 10:13)

So... I placed an order just before 8 AM (GMT) on Monday, got the automated response. I wait a couple of days, nothing (especially since the claim is that if an order is received before 3 PM (GMT), it's shipped that day). Then, I send in an e-mail inquiry to find out whether anything's happening yesterday, a bit before 7 PM (GMT); I figure that I can wait until the next day to get a response.

But, it's now the next day, and I haven't heard anything at all. No confirmation of the shipping, no confirmation of the order, not even a response letting me know that somebody knows I exist.

What happened to MobyMemory's vaunted service?

Order number: 56137

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webmaster (Posted 16/02/2006 04:29)

Hi,

You have ordered from the US, and sometimes i'm afraid we do have to do some additional security checks prior to shipping goods overseas, due to the high number of fraud attempts received.

You should have received an email to your registered email address asking for some additional information, which may be because you wanted delivery to a different address to the registered card holders address.

Also, i am aware that our latest consignment of miniSD readers has been held up in customs, and this also may be delaying your shipment.

My apologies for the delay, and someone will definitely be contacting you today to resolve the issue so we may ship out your order.

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Sogarth (16/02/2006 10:19)

Hmm... I haven't received any correspondance as of yet...

I didn't specify a different shipping address at all *because* it was stated that there would likely be an additional delay, so I'm not quite sure what's happening there. And to think I ordered from here because I assumed everything would happen quickly and smoothly.... *sigh*

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Sogarth (Posted 17/02/2006 14:36)

So, I was finally told that MobyMemory was out of stock on miniSD card readers. Their explanation on why it took *5* days for them to let me know this? "We are sorry dor late response. We had issues with our internet connection and our outgoing emails." They followed by asking whether or not I wanted to continue with the order.

My response:

No, at this point, I'd like to cancel. My understanding was that Moby Memory's customer service was excellent, but taking five days to tell me this is unacceptable. If nothing else, I guess I'll take this as a sign that I should hold off on buying a 2 GB miniSD card.

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webmaster (Posted 18/02/2006 08:05)

There is a separate queuing system for overseas business, due to the additional checks we must undertake for security reasons.

Unfortunately in that time, the stock had been run down, and is due to be replenished this week.

We apologise for the delay, and for whatever the reason why you did not receive the initial email notification of the delay. we can understand you no longer wish to continue with your order.

We will organise the cancellation and refund.

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Sogarth (Posted 14/03/2006 10:17)

I was rather hoping that this was the end of it. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be.

I had noticed that I had not yet received a credit to my card, but I assumed it was just taking longer than expected (apparently, it can take up to 30 days for a credit). I just received a package yesterday.

It's bad enough that it took roughly 30 days for me to receive my purchase after having ordered it. What's worse is that I *cancelled the order* but still received it.

So. What happens now?

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webmaster (Posted 17/03/2006 09:57)

hi sogarth,

there has been a breakdown of communication there which i apologise for.

You were one of a number of customers who were kept waiting for the new miniSD Reader shipment that was delayed by the factory.

The message was passed on to cancel your order, but it seems to have been lost, or overridden since then and the item was dispatch when the new stock came in.

I am sorry for this. It was one of a few hundred orders on standby.

Can you tell us what you would like to do now. Hopefully you still need the reader and memory card.

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Sogarth (Posted 18/03/2006 23:45)

No, I don't need the memory card or card reader. As such, I'd like to return them (they're still in the unopened shipping envelope, actually). However, since this wasn't an error on my part, I don't feel that I should need to pay the shipping myself, although I don't know if you would agree.

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Sogarth (Posted 22/03/2006 11:25)

I've still not heard anything.... Are people there still reading e-mail? Are people there still reading the forums? Or should I just take this to the credit card company?

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webmaster (Posted 22/03/2006 15:14)

sogarth.

we are very willing to refund the order when it has been returned.

I hope you have received an email about this. If you can get the package back to us, the refund will follow as soon as the return is processed.

Apologies again for the mix-up.

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Sogarth (Posted 03/04/2006 11:58)

Normally, I don't like saying things like this. I try not to be overly confrontational. I only started this thread because of all the issues I was trying to get sorted out, and that was after I wasn't getting any kind of a response via e-mail.

I'm sorry, but your service is utter crap.

As you can kind of tell from the thread already, I was shipped an item that I had already cancelled. You promised me that I could ship it back for a full refund, and that my shipping cost would also be refunded.

Not so.

You see, originally, I was charged 94.28 pounds when I originally ordered the product. I was refunded 87.98 pounds. Obviously, 87.98 < 94.28, and that's even before the shipping.

This thread will probably be deleted, but I wanted to say this first publicly. You folks have screwed up not just once, but repeatedly.

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So, buyer beware, if you ever decide to order from MobyMemory. They seem to have built up a pretty good reputation on MoDaCo, but I can't say I agree that they deserve it.

[Guest hotphil]

It seems you had a bit of a bad time.

However, it may have been worth checking they had the item actually in stock before ordering it. Also, emails or postings on a forum are by their nature an asynchronous communication - the telephone may have been more appropriate. Or allowing more than just a few working hours for a response (query at 19:00, chaser at 10:13 the next day didn't give them a lot of time did it?)

I ordered a BT dongle, a miniSD card, and a reader from them and was quite happy. The reader was faulty when it arrived next day, but a quick telephone call to them and confirmation that I'd positively identified the reader as faulty (tried other cards/PC's/sockets etc) and I was issued with a returns number and shortly afterwards received a fully working replacement.

Every retailer will have problems at some point, from what I can see they may not have done their best to keep you informed, but to slate them when you may not have checked they had an item in stock and didn't bother to have a telephone conversation with them seems a little harsh.

I think they have a deservedly quite good reputation, hope you find another supplier who meets your expectations.

Edited April 3, 2006 by hotphil

[Guest shadamehr]

It seems you had a bit of a bad time.

However, it may have been worth checking they had the item actually in stock before ordering it. Also, emails or postings on a forum are by their nature an asynchronous communication - the telephone may have been more appropriate. Or allowing more than just a few working hours for a response (query at 19:00, chaser at 10:13 the next day didn't give them a lot of time did it?)

I ordered a BT dongle, a miniSD card, and a reader from them and was quite happy. The reader was faulty when it arrived next day, but a quick telephone call to them and confirmation that I'd positively identified the reader as faulty (tried other cards/PC's/sockets etc) and I was issued with a returns number and shortly afterwards received a fully working replacement.

Every retailer will have problems at some point, from what I can see they may not have done their best to keep you informed, but to slate them when you may not have checked they had an item in stock and didn't bother to have a telephone conversation with them seems a little harsh.

I think they have a deservedly quite good reputation, hope you find another supplier who meets your expectations.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hotphil - if I read his thread correctly, it WAS in stock when he ordered, but due to the 5 day delay in USA security checks, by the time they were ready to progress his order, it was OUT of stock.

Additionally, saying "use the phone" is a bit rich for a USA member, ordering from a UK site - that's EXACTLY why internet ordering was developed... Not so phone communication overseas.

So, to slate someone for slating a company for certain things, when he never checked, when actually he did check, seems MORE than a little harsh to me, to borrow your feelings on this.

[Guest hotphil]

Ah I hadn't realised he was in the US. However, I still think a phone call would have been the correct method of communicating/chasing/querying/complaining with them.

Personally, I avoid ordering kit from overseas websites precisely to avoid the sort of situation he found himself in.

It seems like an unfortunate transaction, but if you're going to order from overseas websites with all the complexities of shipping/stock/taxation/time zones/customs that that entails, then it's surely more likely to go wrong than a transaction in your own country.

[Guest]

When I was having problems with one of their memory cards, I did try phoning them, on all the numbers they publish, and they were very hard to get hold of.

Though they did refund me in the end, using the phone wasn't a good way to get hold of the company.

[Guest Confused Stu]

I've ordered about a dozen times from Mobymemory over the past couple of years, and I have yet to have any issues with them. Most of my orders have been for family and friends as I've never found prices to beat theirs and delivery has always been sharp.

Last year I ordered a cheap 2Gb SD card for my M500 off them, thinking they'd forgotten to add that phone onto the compatability list. Sure enough, it arrived and didn't work in the phone (worked fine in the PC). Phoned them (got through first time) and explained my mistake. They were happy to be sent the card back - even though it was opened - and fully refund me. I then ordered a card they did say was compatible and sure enough it's been working in my phone since the next day.

I realise every company will have good days and bad days, and my heart does go out to Sogarth for the problems he's experienced, but I just felt that Mobymeory deserved someone saying that this definitely looks like a bad day rather than a bad company.

[Guest Confused Stu]

Sorry - duplicated post! :oops:

Edited April 4, 2006 by Confused Stu

[Guest Sogarth]

Yeah, sorry if it wasn't clear about the ordering from the US bit... I tended to respond during my mornings (their evenings), and then check again the next day, which would give them an entire business day to respond (or in some cases, several).

I guess what got to me was that I could understand a mistake or two. But in this case, it was a series of mistakes, and I ended up being the recipient of the whole batch. Hence the high level of frustration.

[Guest Confucious]

MobyMemory have consistently been recommended by users here which is, presumably why you ordered from them. I guess even the best screw up from time to time.

Have you had a response from them as to why they have not refunded the full amount ?

@hotphil - I disagree - I would NEVER phone to complain. Dealing by email means you have a written record, dealing by phone you have no record. I'd certainly never phone a foreign company.

If I didn't live in the UK I would certainly think twice before using Moby now but I think all the pro comments (and my own experience) means I would still recommend them for UK customers.

@Sogarth - sorry your dealings with a UK company ( especially one so highly recommended) has proved so bad and hope it won't put you off - although I couldn't blame you if it did. Good Luck.