Complaint Review: TigerDirect

I needed a USB server (a device that lets me access USB devices through my network, and share them between computers). After searching with MySimon, I found that TigerDirect had the best price. I ASSUMED that they were a reliable company, since they've been around for years and didn't have many negative reviews. So, I purchased my USB server from them. Their web site says that the item usually ships in 1-2 business days. That's baloney!

I ordered it early in the afternoon of this past Friday, and it is now the following Wednesday afternoon. I checked my order status on TigerDirect's web site, finding only: "Order Status: To Drop Shipper - Your order being submitted to third-party warehouse for fulfillment and delivery. Please allow 7-10 business days for processing and shipment." Why did the product page say that it usually ships in 1-2 days?

I called them to find out what's going on and found out that TigerDirect hadn't even ordered the item from their vendor until yesterday (Tuesday). They have no way of finding out when it will ship. The TigerDirect rep told me that the vendor usually ships the item on the same day that they receive the order. My response was: "Not if they do business the way you do." TigerDirect has no way of finding out what the order status is until their vendor notifies them that it has shipped.

I think that online stores should be required to disclose whether they themselves have an item in-stock. Evidently, at least in TigerDirect's case, the statement: "usually ships in 1-2 days", is meaningless.

Update: It's 9/21 (again, the order was placed on 9/16 and sent to the vendor, who's drop shipping on 9/20)- I sat on hold yesterday and again today for about 25 minutes listening to alarmist warnings about spyware, and their product offerings. When the rep finally got on the phone, he was polite but not helpful. They haven't been notified that the vendor has shipped it, and so they can't give me a tracking number.

If you are contemplating doing business with TigerDirect, my advice is to do it by phone, and confirm whether they have the item. After that it's up to you whether to believe them or not.

UPDATE 9/21/2005: I called and waited on hold to cancel the order. The rep I spoke to was named Edwin.

UPDATE 9/28/2005: I just received Email notification that the order has shipped (despite the fact that I had canceled it on 9/21). I waited on hold again, listening to alarming warnings about spyware and TigerDirect's product offering to eradicate it. Spoke to a rep named Jose, who told me that they had no record that the order was canceled. He gave me the tracking number, and told me that it was billed to my card on the 23rd (two days after I canceled it). The bank told me that the amount was charged to my card TODAY (9/28). The item is supposed to arrive tomorrow, and Jose told me to refuse it in order to get the amount credited back to my account. Based on my experience, though, it is unwise to believe anything said by this company or its agents.

Bill
Scottsdale, Arizona
U.S.A.