From: evans@fos.stsci.edu
Newsgroups: rec.video
Subject: Re: Good experience buying big TV mail-order
Date: 21 Aug 92 14:37:20 GMT
Organization: Faint Object Spectrograph - ST ScI

In article <7852528@MVB.SAIC.COM>, meyerm@hp700.trg.saic.com (Michael Meyer) writes:
> In article <l93euhINNodm@gizmo.usc.edu>, kimd@gizmo.usc.edu (Kim Daugherty) writes:
> |> 
> |> I want to plug Power Video of Stafford TX.

[...deleted...]

> |> Needless to say, I am VERY satisfied with the product and the service.
> |> -- 
> |> +---------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
> |> | Kim Daugherty                   | PhD program in Computer Science   |
> |> | kimd@gizmo.usc.edu              | University of Southern California |
> |> +---------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
> 
> I want to represent an opposing viewpoint.  I recently bought several video
> components from Power Video.  They were OK on the phone -- I placed my
> order and was given a 5-7 working day delivery estimate.  10 days later...
> no equipment.  I called them and asked them to place a trace on the 
> shipment.  2 days later...no word.  I called them AGAIN..."Oh yeah, we heard
> it was lost, we'll be re-shipping tommorrow".  SORRY TO BOTHER YOU ABOUT MY
> $2000 ORDER, geez.  Another 5-7 day wait.  Finally the package shows (almost
> 3 weeks from when I initially called them), and to my horror the box is
> incredibly mangled.  I quickly surveyed the equipment and found no damage.
> 
> Bottom line:  I will never again patronize Power Video.  Their cavalier
> attitude about customer service and satisfaction is deplorable.  And their
> packaging and choice of mail carriers leaves much to be desired.
> 
> BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!!
> -- 
> ___________________________________________________________________________
> Michael S. Meyer                             meyerm@hp700.trg.saic.com
> Technology Research Group                               619-546-6097  voice
> Science Applications International Corporation          619-546-6777    fax
> San Diego, CA
> ___________________________________________________________________________


I would agree with Michael.  Power Video seems to have a very cavalier attitude
about customer service.  If you place a credit card order, they charge your
credit card when you order, not when they ship.  As a result, I had an
experience where they charged my credit card for an expensive item that they
could not ship.  They told me that they had several of the item in stock when I
ordered it, whereas in reality they did not.  They could not get more of the
item as it was discontinued by the manufacturer (they knew this was the case
before they told me they still had the item in stock - so they therefore knew
that they would be unable to obtain more from the manufacturer; they told me
they had stock anyway).  The first time I called their customer service line,
they explained the situation and said that I could cancel the order and the
amount would be recredited to my credit card.  That took nearly four months and
in the end I had to get the credit card company to intervene on my behalf. 
During that time, when I called their customer service line, the person "I
needed to speak to" was always unavailable or away from her desk or at lunch. 
She *never* returned my calls.  Their sales types did call me a few times
trying to sell me a replacement item from another manufacturer, however. 

In summary, I agree: I will never again patronize Power Video, either.

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Ian Evans                                        phone:       +1-(410)-338-4756
FOS Scientist                                    fax:         +1-(410)-338-4767
Space Telescope Science Institute                internet:  evans@fos.stsci.edu
3700 San Martin Drive                            bitnet:            evans@stsci
Baltimore,  MD 21218                             NSI/DECnet:      stfosc::evans
U.S.A.

Disclaimer:  The statements made herein reflect solely the views of the author, 
and should in no way be construed as representing the positions of the Space 
Telescope Science Institute, the Association of Universities for Research into 
Astronomy, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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