Complaint Review: Kingston Technology Company Inc

Kingston Technology Company, Inc
17600 Newhope St
Fountain Valley, California  92708

877/546-4786
714/435-2600
714/435-2699 – fax
800/435-0057

kingston.com
shop.kingston.com

Kingston Technology Company, Inc. a company supposedly in the business to sell RAM, Flash Drives, SD Cards and other Memory Drives.

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

Attempting to do business with Kingston Technology Company, Inc. will likely result in avoidable and preventable aggravation.  As a FORMER loyal customer of over 20 years with this company, it seriously disappoints me to report that Kingston has become nothing more than a swindler outfit!

AVOID Kingston!

Here is the disappointing account of events which changed an extremely happy loyal customer of over 20 years to one who will NEVER do business with them again and will do what is possible to prevent others from being defrauded or potentially defrauded by them.

I developed a need for extra RAM for my computers, additional high capacity flash drives and SD cards for my digital camera.  At the time I placed the orders I was still a loyal customer of Kingston and I placed two of them.  One on Saturday, 13 February 2016 – Order # SH0603666 and one on Monday, 15 February 2016 – Order # SH0603833.  Since this was over President's Day weekend the first business day would be Tuesday, 16 February 2016.  Together the orders totalled about $500.  

They sent me an eMail acknowledgment for each of the orders immediately upon my placing them.  Then I did not hear a word from them.  Historically, on the first business day I get another eMail informing me of the shipment.  I got nothing.

Tuesday, 16 February 2016 came and went. No word from Kingston.

Wednesday, 17 February 2016 came and went.  No word from Kingston.  However, my financial institution reflected payment for BOTH orders.  Not just holds – PAYMENT.

Thursday, 18 February 2016 came and almost went.  In the evening after Kingston's business hours I attempted to access their shop.kingston.com website; it was unavailable.

On Friday morning, 19 February 2016 I again attempted to access their shop.kingston.com website; again, it was unavailable.  So I called their order number 800/435-0057.  I got put on eternal hold.  After hearing the same recording for about five minutes I hung up.

At around 2:15PM I again contacted my financial institution.  There were NO reversals of the charges from Kingston.  (This is important for later on.)

At around 2:30PM I again called Kingston and finally got through to a human being – Stephanie.  I could barely hear her as she did not speak into the phone.  It was then that she told me that the orders were summarily cancelled on Tuesday, 16 February 2016.  I asked her first, how could the orders be cancelled when the money had already been taken from my bank account.  Second I told her that the orders needed to be uncancelled and sent immediately.  And Third, I demanded to know why I was not contacted.  I was told that they do not do that.  (This is NOT the Kingston I formerly knew which engaged in good customer service and would contact a customer via ALL contact methods.)  She put me on eternal hold as she lacked the authority to do anything.  After waiting for a long time I hung up.

I called back as my time is valuable – something businesses do not realize about their customers.    At about 2:39PM I finally got through again and I demanded to speak to a supervisor.  I then spoke to a Christy.   She again repeated that they do not contact customers if there is something wrong.  (Apparently, it is best to wait for a customer to wonder what is happening and in the process WASTE PRECIOUS TIME  to prevent specific needs from being met by some other more customer conscious entity that could and would fulfill the customer's needs.  This is NOT the Kingston I formerly knew which engaged in good customer service.)

Even AFTER I repeated to Christy that the money had already been taken out of my account, she started to tell me that NO financial transactions had been processed and that what I was referencing were holds.   I know the difference between a hold and a completed transaction.  With a hold the money is STILL in the account it is just inaccessible.  With a completed transaction the money is GONE.  The money was GONE and in favor of Kingston.  Debra then realized that this situation was above her authority level and connected me to her supervisor – Debra.  

Debra claimed she verified with her accounting department and claimed that no transactions were completed.  I asked her where the money was.  She did not answer.  Realizing that these three women considered me to be some kind of stupid idiot, I decided to let them know I saw through their lying and dissembling.  I then gave Debra a choice – 1. Send the merchandise for which I paid and immediately or 2. Refund the money, shut down the website, I will contact ripoffreport.com and I will contact California State Attorney General Kamala D. Harris for Kingston's business fraud.  Debra wanted to say “Basically, this” and “Basically, that.”  I told her there is “NO Basically,” and I repeated the options.  She then flatly stated that no merchandise was going to be sent.  Debra, started doing what a customer service representative should NEVER DO, and that is to try to speak over a customer.  Now, I am rather heated at this point.  First, I am angry that a once customer service friendly entity has now become hostile, incompetent and deceitful.  Second, they have my money and they REFUSE to send my merchandise.  Debra ended up hanging up on me.

I called back and demanded to speak with someone above Debra.  There was the claim (false as a listing of company officers can attest) that there was no one higher than Debra.  Again I gave Debra the choice – 1. Send the merchandise for which I paid and immediately or 2. Refund the money, shut down the website, I will contact ripoffreport.com and I will contact California State Attorney General Kamala D. Harris for Kingston's business fraud.   She again flatly refused to send the merchandise for which I paid.  It was my turn to hang up on her.

The choice was made.  I contacted my financial institution.  I have a good one.  The charges were reversed and an Alert – at my request – was issued by the financial institution against Kingston Technology Company.  When bank cards are refused processing then someone with some authority will have to take notice.  Kingston will also be charged a fee for the reversal of the money they fraudulently – as they had no intention of sending merchandise as Debra stated twice – got from me as they did not initiate the credit.  

At about 3:10PM I called back and spoke to Stephanie and I told her that the charges were reversed and an alert was issued against Kingston.  I also repeated that I will contact ripoffreport.com and the California Attorney General.  I said thank you, and goodbye.  

I will also contact California State Attorney General Kamala D Harris so she can take whatever legal action is necessary to protect consumers from this now fraudulently run outfit of Kingston Technology Company.

I ended up placing the order for RAM, Flash Drives and SD Cards with some other entity.  One that has served me well in the past.  The idiocy of this is that I wasted my time waiting for something that was NOT going to come.  Furthermore, I am annoyed that a once good company is now being run into the ground.  Businesses wonder why they are losing customers.  This kind of nonsense is why.

The sad part is that years ago Kingston sent me the wrong merchandise.  Then, the customer service people said, “I'm Sorry” and provided me with a shipping number so I could send the merchandise back at their expense.  Now THAT was customer service.  The Kingston of good customer service has now been replaced with a Kingston of fraudulent swindler outfit reputation.  This is a sad, sad day.  Again, AVOID KINGSTON TECHNOLOGY, no one else should have to go through what I did!  Furthermore, most people's financial institutions are not as customer oriented as mine.