J&R - not starting off well...

[Snurk71]

I ordered the T2i from J&R Thursday. The main reason I orderd from J&R was 1) I could get 5% back from Discover and 2) they had it in stock (I called to make sure, even though the site said it was still stocked). I've bought from B&H, 17th Street, and somewhere else before. So I thought I'd try J&R.

Well, I checked my order status today (Satuday) and noticed my order hadn't shipped or updated. After noticing they are now out of stock, I called to see what was going on with my order. The CSR looks up my order and says the credit department has held the order because I'm shipping to a different address than my billing address - and the credit department will call me if they have any questions.

WHAT?!?!?!?!? Am I crazy or is not commonplace for people to ship to a different address (work - where someone will be during work hours) than their biling address (home)?

So not only did I lose the shipping time over the weekend by them not starting my order (I was hoping to have the camera by next weekend) - I've now moved to the end of the line whenever the credit department decides to release my order and I'm on the backorder list now.

I plan on calling back Monday to get through the credit department. If I'm on backorder after this and they don't offer to either next day or 2 day shipping on them to compensate, I'll likely cancel with J&R and go somewhere else.

Rant over...

 

[VVFF]

I ordered the T2i from J&R Thursday. The main reason I orderd from J&R was 1) I could get 5% back from Discover and 2) they had it in stock (I called to make sure, even though the site said it was still stocked). I've bought from B&H, 17th Street, and somewhere else before. So I thought I'd try J&R.

Well, I checked my order status today (Satuday) and noticed my order hadn't shipped or updated. After noticing they are now out of stock, I called to see what was going on with my order. The CSR looks up my order and says the credit department has held the order because I'm shipping to a different address than my billing address - and the credit department will call me if they have any questions.

WHAT?!?!?!?!? Am I crazy or is not commonplace for people to ship to a different address (work - where someone will be during work hours) than their biling address (home)?

So not only did I lose the shipping time over the weekend by them not starting my order (I was hoping to have the camera by next weekend) - I've now moved to the end of the line whenever the credit department decides to release my order and I'm on the backorder list now.

I plan on calling back Monday to get through the credit department. If I'm on backorder after this and they don't offer to either next day or 2 day shipping on them to compensate, I'll likely cancel with J&R and go somewhere else.

Rant over...

::shrug:: It happens more often than you may think. I personally am glad that they go the extra step to protect credit card holders.

Also, you didn't lose any weekend shipping time...UPS/Fedex(I believe they use UPS) basically don't move over the weekend.

 

[ukcatfan]

Unfortunately, while being a legit company J&R has a pretty bad reputation for customer service.

 

[VVFF]

Unfortunately, while being a legit company J&R has a pretty bad reputation for customer service.

I don't know about that. I've had good service from them before. They are rated quite highly in customer service:

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/J_R_Computers

 

[ukcatfan]

I have seen a lot of complains on message boards about little frustrations like what the OP has. They are legit and not a bait and switch place, but I have seen enough people complain about frustrations that I will not consider them.

 

[ThurlFan]

Good to know. I've had two really great experiences with J&R (stereo stuff), but I'll be prepared for any future transactions.

 

[saturndb]

Credit card companies and online retailers holding payment/ shipping is common place, it's called theft prevention. I've had this done to me by KEH.com, Amazon and many other online retailers. Some online sites have the verified by Visa checkout and that will replace the CC department from calling your phone number on your account to do the verification.
Next time you will not have this issue, or just have it sent to your house in the future.

 

[GrillMouster]

That sounds reasonable to me. Yes, people ship to addresses different than their billing addresses, but you know who else ships to different addresses? Thieves. Cameras and electronics are especially popular items for thieves to buy with stolen credit card numbers.

Furthermore, J&R explicitly states on their site:

"Orders are processed upon receipt. Actual shipping time is contingent upon availability of merchandise and credit verification. Most orders are shipped within 2 business days of receiving your order. No orders are processed or shipped on Saturdays or Sundays. In the event of delays, every effort will be made to contact you by phone, e-mail or mail. If the delay is due to backorder, you will receive notice and be given the choice to remain on backorder, substitute to another item, or cancel your order.​

In this day of email, text messages, instant messaging, we expect instantaneous gratification. I'm guilty of getting impatient, especially when I'm expecting a new "toy". Calm down and be patient. If you want it NOW, go to your local Best Buy and pay tax. If you want it cheaper, without tax, without shipping charges, and with an additional 5% discover rebate, then you get it online, but be prepared for a little wait (or pony up a little extra for their Same Day Delivery).

 

[ukcatfan]

I cannot speak for the OP, but I suspect the problem is not so much that it needed to be verified, but more that he got bumped to the end of the line due to it resulting in being put on the backorder list instead of getting to keep the original spot. That is pretty bad customer service. I imagine it is a shortcoming of their order/inventory system, but they should get that corrected. You should get to keep your order spot no matter what verifications they needed to do.

 

[JJ71]

Just my 2¢ – I've never had a problem with J&R. B&H, Amazon, Adorama are others I tend to use and also recommend. Sadly, fraud is something that costs us all, so the vendors do have to take steps to minimize it.

 

[Snurk71]

I suspect the problem is not so much that it needed to be verified, but more that he got bumped to the end of the line due to it resulting in being put on the backorder list instead of getting to keep the original spot.

Yes, this is the crux of my issue. Holding the order for verification was a little annoying (I've purchased from other respected online retailers for higher ticket items and not had a verification hold), but I would have gotten over that little irritation of losing some transit time.

I work as a Controller/CFO, which includes oversight of inventory control/management. Good order/inventory systems move product through 3 stages - In Stock/Available Stock, Committed Stock, and Shipped. When J&R receives product from Canon, it should go into Available Stock. When I place an order, that item should move from Available Stock to Committed Stock (reducing the amount of Available Stock for future orders). When my order ships, the item should move out of Committed Stock. If my order cancels (for whatever reason), the item should move out of Committed Stock and back into Available Stock.

If J&R's system would work as I describe, I would be okay because the stock would have been reserved with my order and available to ship once credit released the order. Instead, after talking with J&R's customer service, it appears that they fulfill orders according to their "order release date" - and pay no attention to the original order placement date. This, I have a beef with. Even without moving orders through a Committed Stock like I described above, I would have had less of a complaint if they would have inserted me in line based upon my original order date. Instead, it looks like I move to the end of the line for backorder - which isn't good service.

So I speak as both a frustrated customer and business analyst.

 

[GrillMouster]

Good explanation, Snurk71. I can definitely see the other side, where "money talks". A business could say that until they have secured your payment they won't consider your order placed and won't move inventory to the "committed stock" stage. However, I'm fairly certain that in the vast majority of instances in which they must validate credit purchases the outcome is favorable. Instances of fraud are the minority. Therefore, I think it makes total sense to go ahead and commit the inventory at the time you place the order, but wait until credit verification is complete before shipping. They will still avoid fraudulent purchase, while keeping customers satisfied. From a customer service standpoint this just makes sense, and good customer service often translates into repeat business. You're right.

 

[ukcatfan]

I work as a Controller/CFO, which includes oversight of inventory control/management.

Great minds think alike! I am a financial analyst with fixed assets at a utility company. Inventory is a huge part of our business, but we do not sell any of it.

 

[Snurk71]

So I've called J&R a couple of times to check 1) if a new shipment was in and 2) to see where I'm at in the backorder line. The people I've talked to at J&R have been very professional and nice, but they weren't able to tell where I stood in line.

In the meantime I've been watching a few other sites to see if they had stock, and Adorama popped up as available this morning. I spent some time in their online chat with David, who was extremely helpful talking me through how they're set up through Bing (3% cashback - not quite the 5% through Discover at J&R), what shipping method I needed, etc. So I placed an order with Adorama. I checked out via Paypal and somehow goofed up my addresses - my shipping address (work) was in the billing address too. David was on it and called me at home (I wasn't home) and emailed me to call him asap to correct. David has essentially walked my order through to make sure it ships out tonight. Well, I have my fingers crossed that it will ship out tonight. So far I have been very impressed with the service from Adorama though.

Since Adorama had the stock, I called J&R to cancel my order - explaining that I could get the backordered item in stock elsewhere. The person I spoke with asked if I would keep my order if they offered it for a reduced price. I said that my issue was that I was on backorder and didn't have any idea when I might get the product. The CSR said they would check, put me on hold, and said they have an estimated available date of 3 weeks.

So a couple things on J&R. One, it was nice of them to offer a discount on before cancelling the order. I didn't ask what kind of discounted price they would offer since I'm so impatient. I should have asked to at least get an idea though. Two, I don't understand why no one was able to tell me where I was in line to estimate my time - until I was ready to cancel my order and then they could estimate the time. I understand the squeaky wheel gets the grease. And maybe they were just guessing/estimating far out on the 3 weeks to not set my expectations too high if I did keep my order. But that still turned me off a little.

Overall, I won't not do business with J&R after my experience (translation - I will buy from J&R). I don't like their order processing system, and might hesitate to buy from them on a hot item. But the people have been good to deal with.

Adorama - big thumbs up from me so far on this order.

In the end, hopefully I'll have my new toy to play with by the weekend. I just received my 2 Sandisk 8GB Class 10 SDHC cards today (bought through Amazon for about $25/each less than most places had them). Now all I need is the camera itself. Oh, and I went ahead and threw in the Canon 55-250mm IS for $250ish (I bought the kit with the 18-55 IS lens). I should be set for a while.