I bought online through eBay and when the merchandise arrived it was damaged because of improper packaging for shipping. Crazy Dave's apologized and said they would contact the manufacturer to send me a replacement for the damaged part. Over the next 1 1/2 months I would periodically check in asking for an update and was cheerfully told the replacement was on its way - the replies were always very polite (as were my queries) - that is the replies were very polite when they were still forthcoming. After 45 days I stopped getting any response from Crazy Dave's. Go figure - 45 days is the limit for starting an eBay dispute or leaving negative feedback. Smell a rat? I kept trying to contact them after that (asking for an update or a partial refund) and received no response. After another 1 1/2 months of no response I contacted the manufacturer directly. They had no record of Crazy Dave's making a request for a replacement. The manufacturer was super friendly and shipped me a replacement within days - above and beyond the call of duty as the damaged part was not their fault - but because of Crazy Dave's non-existent packaging for shipping. The moral? I'm sure a lot of people have great experiences with Crazy Dave's because nothing went wrong...and if something DID go wrong - it was covered under the manufacturer's warranty. In this case the buyer absorbs the shipping cost for a return and everything is hunky dory. In my case - the damage was their own fault - and they were probably scared the manufacturer would charge them for the replacement. So instead of coming clean - or coming to some kind of arrangement with me - they flat out lied to me - stringing me along until I couldn't dispute. Trust me - the communication I received when they were playing this charade had lots of emoticons oozing with a "look how customer friendly we are" feel. I find it incredible that a retailer with such a dishonest business approach could have such great ratings...but they obviously know how to play the Internet rating game. So my final advice is beware. You can buy from them at your own risk (I never will again) - I'm sure they have competitive prices and knowledgeable staff - but if it seems to you a refund/exchange etc is approaching the time limit of being legally disputed - start the process right away. Keep your eye on Dishonest Dave's.
more