We were recently in the market for a new dresser for our daughter. After a great deal of research, we settled upon a particular Carolina Cottage dresser. Since we knew exactly which dresser we wanted, we decide to buy it on-line, which wouldn’t cost any more than a brick-and-mortar store, since we’d have to have it delivered in any case, and might cost even less.
After researching online prices for this dresser, we found one site, PriceFalls.com, with a price significantly lower than all of the others. It turns out that PriceFalls storefronts other merchants as well as selling its own stuff, and this particular deal was actually being offered by Unbeatable Sale, a.k.a. UnbeatableSales.com, Bon’Cui, PlayingKitchen.com, ComfortMarket, TechnoOutlet.com, FunToyMall.com, ToolsChest, GreaterMedical, TravelBagsMall.com, HalloweenMall, PetShopUSA.com, WeddingPartyMall, and lord only knows what else.
I’ll let the letter I sent earlier today to the Cyber Fraud Unit of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs pick up the story from here…
To whom it may concern:
On September 1, I ordered a dresser from Unbeatable Sale, 195 Lehigh Avenue, Lakewood, NJ 08701 (tel: 732-363-0606; email: david@unbeatablesale.com). The order was placed through pricefalls.com. A copy of the order is attached. Both pricefalls.com and unbeatablesale.com indicated then, and continue to indicate today, that the item is in stock; printouts from both web sites are attached.
Today, I received email from notifying me that my order had been canceled: “Due to high demand for the Carolina Furniture 415600 Cottage Double Dresser Furniture In White, it has become unavailable for the foreseeable future, so as a result we had to cancel your order.” A copy of this email is attached.
I called Unbeatable Sale and spoke to a woman who identified herself as Ashley. She put me on hold for about ten minutes and then came back and said she didn’t know why the order had been canceled but if I wanted she could give me the extension of a sales manager who would call me back later.
I told her that was not acceptable. Offering a product for sale, claiming that it is in stock, taking a customer’s money for it, and then refusing to deliver the product is an illegal bait-and-switch, and I did not have the time or inclination to play phone tag with a sales manager who would no doubt not, in fact, return my calls. I told her I expected her to solve the problem now and find out how to deliver to me the product that I ordered at the price for which they offered it.
She put me on hold for about another ten minutes and then came back with another story. According to her this time, my order was canceled because UPS refused to deliver the item because it was too large or heavy or something (I forget exactly what she said), and that the cost of shipping the item by freight instead would be $230, much higher than the $91.99 shipping charge I had been quoted when I placed the order. She offered at that time to reopen my order if I was willing to pay the higher shipping charge.
I told her that, too, was not acceptable. Unbeatable Sale was aware of the size and weight of the item when offering it for sale; if they calculated the shipping wrong, that was their problem, not mine. They were legally obligated to deliver the product for the price they offered, and if they refused to do so, I would file a complaint with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. I told her I wasn’t going to sit on hold for yet another ten minutes, and she had five minutes to come back onto the phone and tell me that Unbeatable Sale was, in fact, going to deliver my order as promised.
She put me on hold for another few minutes and then came back and told me there was no way they were going to reinstate my order unless I agreed to pay $230 for shipping, and if I didn’t like it I could go ahead and file a complaint with the government. Hence this letter.
When I search for “unbeatablesale.com” and “unbeatablesales.com” on the internet, which I should have done before I ordered something from them, I see that they have been scamming people like this for years.
This company is clearly engaging in unfair and deceptive business practices which are clearly illegal, and I hope that you will investigate their activities and bring the full power of your office to bear on stopping them.
If you wish to discuss this with me further, you can reach me at (___) ___-____ or by email (preferred) at jik@kamens.us.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Kamens
UPDATE [September 12, 2011]: Today, I received an email message from Unbeatable Sale saying they “would like to make this situation right” and offering to sell me the dresser at the originally quoted price. I responded as follows:
I have already placed a new order for the dresser from Linens N Things. Your offer is too little, too late.
Furthermore, since I am now convinced that your company knowingly engages in dishonest business practices, I would not willingly do business with you even if I hadn’t already ordered the dresser from someone else.
In addition, Unbeatable Sale is now showing a shipping cost for this item of $237.99 when purchased either directly from them or via PriceFalls.com, making them far and away the most expensive option for this item on froogle.com. This looks to me an awful lot like an ex post facto attempt to cover their asses should the AG decide to investigate my complaint.
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Tags: Bon'Cui, ComfortMarket, FunToyMall.com, GreaterMedical, HalloweenMall, PetShopUSA.com, PlayingKitchen.com, PriceFalls, TechnoOutlet.com, ToolsChest, TravelBagsMall.com, Unbeatable Sale, UnbeatableSales.com, WeddingPartyMall
I bought a 50 LED flashlight from Amazon.com who gave the sale to Unbeatable Sale, Inc. The Flashlight only would function with a maximum of 22 LEDs at the best switch setting. The advertisement and description said all 50 LEDs at one time.
I got an RMA and returned the flashlight. Unbeatable refunded $22.00 base price, but no shipping or return shipping. I am out $13.52 wasted expense, that is 61.45% of the $22 cost.
As a consolation they returned the falty flashlight to me which I threw away. This is the first absolute loser company that I have dealt with via Amazon.com, but it also shows that Amazon.com does not protect you when you order from them.
BUYER BEWARE!! UNBEATABLESALES.COM = SCAM ARTISTS!!
I too was taken by this company and their deceptive practices. We purchased an entertainment center from them and when placing the order, I confirmed, with not one..but two of their sales reps that the price being offered was for the entire unit (comprised of 4 separate pieces). The price was very low, but we assumed that it was because it was something we’d have to assemble (much like previous purchases from other companies like Sauder) Both reps said that the low price reflected on the site was indeed for the entire unit. We were excited and purchased the item. Even with the relatively higher shipping costs, it was still cheaper than anything else we had viewed. When the huge box arrived we were ecstatic…until we opened it. Inside was a completely assembled TV stand and nothing else. When I called the company to discuss this, their sales rep said that there must have been a mistake and that we should have recieved the other pieces as well and that she would take care of it.
Several days past before we received a call from a different rep (Patti) who said that their website and their reps had made a mistake and that the price quoted on the webiste was only for the TV stand and if we wanted the other three pieces we would have to order them separately and with additional shipping charges. I was furious to say the least and after much arguing, she said I could return the item (though usually against their policy) and they would refund our money. Sounded good, except the part where she finally added that they wouldn’t be reimbursing us for the original shipping costs AND that we would have to pay to have it shipped back to them. I WAS FURIOUS!!
After threatening to report them to numerous agencies and to plaster negative reviews through every venue I could possible think of, she finally agreed to sell us the remaining three pieces at a reduced rate and reduced shipping cost. We felt we were stuck either way, so we proceeded with the transaction. When the 3 items arrived, all three were damaged (2 beyond repair and one that could easily be fixed). I made note of the damaged boxies and while the shipping guy was still there we opened the smallest box to examine the damage and he even noted the damge on the delivery ticket.
Unbeatablesales.com says right on their webiste that they will replace damaged furniture. I contacted them immediately via email with photos of the damaged pieces. I heard back from a rep (Ashley) promptly the next day. She said she would look into it, but that it could take up to 4-7 weeks to file a claim with the delivery company. WHAT THE “H-E-double toothpicks!! ” We went back and forth for over 9 weeks (20+ emails & phone calls) only to keep being told, “As soon as we know something, we will contact you”
I finally had enough of the BS and called my credit card company to see if their was any action I could take. They said it was a good thing that I called when I did because the timeframe for filing a dispute was close to running out (Somehow, I think Unbeatablesales is aware of that timeframe!) and that I should act quickly, which I did. My Credit card company immediately refunded the cost of the 2nd shipment (of course we are still stuck with the cost of the 1st shipment because they were two separate transactions) but at least we didn’t get strapped with the entire cost and the TV stand is decent, though not what we wanted when you factor in the pieces that should be with it.
UNBEATABLESALE.COM (along with all of the other webnames they go by) ARE 100% DISHONEST SCUMBAGS.
Bait and switch seems like they would have called trying to get you to pay the extra shipping. Instead it looks like a screw up on their part and they refunded your money instead of sending the order and losing on shipping. Best of my understanding it is not illegal to cancel an order as long as you are not running a scam or intentionally trying to run a bait and switch. I would be happy that I got my money back. Really I guess it depends of if the customer service rep lied to you. Always remember the lower level customer service reps do not have the authority to do anything. Next time I would talk to the sales manager.
All of that being said it does look like the have a problem posting their shipping rates incorrectly. The only reason I posted this is because I own a webstore and understand the problems that come up when a customer doesnt talk to me or someone that can fix his or her problem. Had the same issue. I sent out 10 products that i priced incorrectly $24.99 and it actually cost me $65.00. I sent the 10 orders out and when i ran out i I put the item out of stock. Before I could i had a few orders come through. At that point i immediately refunded the customer explaining to them that i had no inventory and why the price was so low. I had to reorder to restock inventory. 2 weeks later i got items back in with the correct sale price.
Companies make mistakes but it is the COMPANIES job to communicate to their customer exactly what is going on. They should have emailed you an explanation.
Note: I dont even know this company other than looking at the site and all their other sites online. Seem to be a webversion of a wall mart or target. Remember when shopping online it is generally best to shop with small to medium size store that you can speak to the owner if necessary. Those stores have alot more riding on your happiness than the big-box type.
Great thing about reviews is there is no covering up bad customer service. Reviews are vital to any business. Helps you keep up with both the good and bad.
Joe
Unbeatablesales is deceptive through and through!! They know exactly what they are doing and it goes way beyond posting shipping rates incorrectly. They are making these mistakes purposely and then trying to take advantage of the customers in their weak attempts to “solve” the problem.
Glad to hear you stand by your customer service policies, but that doesn’t mean that all companies do.
Bait and switch seems like they would have called trying to get you to pay the extra shipping. Instead it looks like a screw up on their part and they refunded your money instead of sending the order and losing on shipping. Best of my understanding it is not illegal to cancel an order as long as you are not running a scam or intentionally trying to run a bait and switch. I would be happy that I got my money back. Really I guess it depends of if the customer service rep lied to you. Always remember the lower level customer service reps do not have the authority to do anything. Next time I would talk to the sales manager.
All of that being said it does look like the have a problem posting their shipping rates incorrectly. The only reason I posted this is because I own a webstore and understand when a customer only talks to a phone rep that has no authority to make special customer service decisions
There are many reports on the web of them doing exactly that to other people. Presumably the only reason they didn’t try the same crap with me is they knew the mark-up would be so obscene that there’s no way I would pay it.
Offering a product for sale at a specific price, processing an order at that price, and accepting the customer’s money at the end of the order process has all the required components of entering into a binding contract. Subsequently refusing to sell the product at that price is therefore a breach of contract.
That by itself is a civil tort, not a criminal act. It’s only criminal if there was intent to deceive the customer. There are enough reports on the web of this particular merchant engaging in this particular behavior that either (a) they are completely, utterly incompetent and deserved to be shamed far and wide on the Internet until their business collapses under the weight of their own incompetence, or (b) they’re doing it on purpose and engaging in criminal fraud.
I think (b) is more likely, but either way, I’m going to post about it when something like this happens to me, because I think merchants like this deserve to be shamed out of business, and I think consumers deserve to be warned not to do business with them.
Hit the submit button by accident. Reposted it correctly
I dont blame you. It seems something is going on to have this many people write in on it. if it was my store I would personally contact my customer and make it right whatever it took. I’ve done it before. Cost me but the guy walked away happy.
I bought a wine cooler refrigeration unit from this organization — well, actually, from pricefalls.com, which turned out to be unbeatablesales.com. Had checked out pricefalls online, and it got overwhelmingly positive ratings. Warm weather coming on, so time was of the essence. Nine days later my payment is suddenly refunded, with no explanation. I sent an inquiry, received a form-letter response: “due to a website error.” Now I start the process over again elsewhere. If they don’t have the thing to sell, or don’t want to sell it at the price they advertise, they shouldn’t offer it. As it is, it’s just a huge waste of everyone’s time, and I resent that. Steer clear of doing business with unbeatablesales.com or pricefalls.com.
dont get anything from this company, you will get screwed. They won’t let you return anything, not good for customer satisfaction..
BUYER BEWARE……….
I have to agree with all the posters on this site that hate unbeatablesale. I tried to “do the right thing” ordering an expensive American made toy for my child this year, instead of getting a cheap Chinese knock-off from Amazon.
It’s been over a week and UnbeatableSale hasn’t even bothered to ship it. How could they possibly have the item in stock if an entire work week has gone by and nobody bothered to take the item off the shelf, put it in a box, and ship it.
Avoid UnbeatableSale like they are the plague.
I also have had a major problem with Unbeatable Sales. I ordered an archway and gate for the price indicated, including a picture on the site. When it arrived there was only a gate. They told me they posted it incorrectly on their website and would not honor the price. I could pay more than double for the archway or return the gate. I returned it and they still have not refunded all of my money. It has been two months. They are a total scam!! Their customer service is completely useless.
So I am not the only one ripped off by these idiots and thieves. The scam they pulled on me was they claimed an item had free shipping. I placed the order and only after the order was processed and complete was a shipping charge included. By then, the credit card had been processed and the order was submitted. They did not give me a chance to review the order before it was officially placed! I called immediately and was told the order was not present in their system yet so nothing could be done and I would be given a call back. Yeah, like that happened. When I called later I was told customer service was closed for the day because it was Friday and they close early. “Caleb” told me he would take my number and someone would call today. Yeah, like that is going to happen. Worst online order site ever.
[...] sent a detailed complaint letter to the New Jersey Attorney General’s office about a company doing business in their state [...]
Next to this blog I right now see the sponsored link: “Department Stores are Ripping you Off, Save up to 90% Off, 32 GB Apple iPad, Price $799, Bid $30.67, SOLD, Save: 68%.” And more. Not sure whether others now and at other times see same sponsored link. Gotta love the dynamics of advertising. We shall refrain from judging the author by the company he keeps. Don’t take me wrong, Jik, I like your articles and I’m forwarding to family for instructional purpose.
I always always do a thorough search on any website from which I intend to purchase an item… *especially* if the price is significantly lower than everywhere else. If I don’t see enough *good* reviews, let alone any bad reviews, I don’t buy from that site. There’s just too many scammers out there like these guys. They probably don’t even have the items in stock, just get them drop shipped from somewhere else and pocket the difference.
I presume you have received your money back? You didn’t specify above.
You’re probably right that they drop-ship big items like this from the manufacturer rather than keeping them in their inventory, which makes their claim about trying and failing to ship the item via UPS all the more absurd.
I did get my money back. They refunded it to Paypal, which is how I’d originally paid for it. I’ve read horror stories from many other people who ordered items, the company shipped something different from what they’d actually ordered, and then the company refused to take back the errant product and refund their money. There are also stories online of the company charging to customers’ credit cards higher shipping rates than what was promised at the time of the order, and then refusing / failing to cancel the order and refusing to take the shipment back or charging an exorbitant restocking fee and refusing to refund the shipping.
All this makes me wonder why they refunded my money instead of pulling the same sort of thing with me. I suspect that it may be because I paid using Paypal… If they hadn’t refunded my money, I could have initiated a dispute with Paypal, and if Paypal gets enough disputes of that sort about a merchant, they cut off the merchant. Paypal doesn’t allow users to initiate disputes about transactions that have been refunded, so the refund could have been intended to prevent me from filing a dispute.