Complaint Review: ECampus.com - Internet

Thank you for your response.  I used to live in Lexington, KY where ecampus headquarters is located.  THey have a huge mega discount textbook store located there and I used to shop there a lot.  I had no clue that ecampus is primarily a 3rd party seller and I had no clue that I was buying from an outfit in China.  I thought I was purchasing from ecampus.  It is very deceptive in my opinion.  Ecampus made it clear to me when I spoke to them that they could not and would not assist me.  Since I received the book, they said that any and all returns are through the outfit in China, not them.

The outfit in China did answer 1 email I sent (but not subsequent emails) that said they could not allow a return because the international version of the book is exactly (page by page - their words - not mine) like the US version.  That is not true.  I compared the 2 and they are not the same.  The international version does not have the end of chapter exercises in it.  I cannot get the Chinese vendor to answer my emails where I explain that.

I would think that ecampus would be more helpful.  The credit card payment went to them.  THey collected the money - but the buck stops there.  THey won't help and I am left holding an expensive textbook that I cannot use.

I am in the process of working with the credit card company to get a charge back.  Maybe ecampus will be more willing to work with me and the Chinese company when that happens.

Anyway, I have washed my hands of ecampus.  I will NEVER use their company again and I urge people to shy away from them.

BTW - I have used half.com several times with success.  I understood that they were 3rd party sellers so I was made aware of how the system worked and watched carefully who I was buying from.  WIth ecampus, I was not aware of it and thought they would stand behind their buyers.  NOT SO!

Thanks for clarifying a lot of things.

Debbie

Greetings,

I'm an online bookseller.  In response to your complaint, eCampus is an online market place where buyers and sellers meet to exchange goods, much like eBay.  When you purchase an item on eBay, you are purchasing from a seller on eBay and not eBay itself.  Same thing with eCampus, although it does stock some of the books listed on its website.  Other websites, like Amazon.com, Half.com, Valore.com, and Alibris.com operate the same way.  They are marketplaces where buyers shop and knowingly are purchasing from a seller (the exception is Amazon, who in many instances also stocks the item.)  Individual sellers on these marketplaces are left feedback which will indicate their level of customer service.

eCampus makes this clear on many parts of their website.  They are correct that you need to resolve your issue with the seller you purchased from.  If the seller is at fault and does not allow for a return, you may contact eCampus and inform them of your issue with the seller.  Also note that eCampus does allow for international edition books to be sold by its marketplace sellers if the seller mentions "international edition" in the comments/description box.

I hope you're able to contact your seller and request a refund.  If they are difficult, try ecampus again.  I do agree they don't provide the best support, but they should come around for you if you try again.  I no longer use eCampus due to a questionable forfeiture of sales I made on their site as a seller, so for your future purchases, I'd use a more reliable website like ebay, half.com or amazon.com.

Chris Jenks
Happytime Books