# Beware Pixmania



## Carmel

I had a message on this forum a while back looking for opinions on a Sony Cybershot P200. I ended up ordering one from Pixmania in a 'bundle' package with a case and 512MB memory stick. Thought it was a very good deal.

The camera and case arrived, but the memory stick didn't. Then I got an email to say that the memory stick had been sent, but when the parcel arrived it contained an adaptor plug. 

It is impossible to get through on the customer care line number given on the website and they aren't responding to emails, even though they say that they will within 24 hours.

I just did a search on the web for Pixmania complaints and have found forums warning people to stay away from them as their customer service is appaling.

A lesson learnt for me - always check out websites before you order online..........


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## podgerodge

Hi Carmel

It's not the first time I've heard a complaint about Pixmania recently but I have no doubt they will sort you out.  I've been ordering stuff from Pixmania for a couple of years now with not one mess up.  I may be alone in thinking this, but any huge (and Pixmania are European huge) webseller is bound to make some mistakes along the way.  Amazon make them sometimes too and they have been around a long time.  I think it has to be accepted in small doses.

You got good value - Pixmania are very good value normally on electronic goods.

If you do any search for complaints about any webseller you will find a lot of complaints.  People complain a lot quicker than they post compliments.  It's so easy to find complaints.  Ever heard of Ebuyer - a big webseller - try typing in "Ebuyer customer service" into Google.

Of course it's your choice not to use them again, but I and many many of my friends and acquaintances have ordered without problems.  If you got a bad meal in a restaurant you might not go back, but plenty of good meals may have been served.


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## Carmel

Fair enough.

I'll let you know when and if it gets sorted. At the moment, I'm not a happy customer, but I'll post again to be fair and report on how I get on with them.


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## CGorman

I'd have to agree with P.R. on this. I've order three digital cameras, three MP3 players, and lots of accessories from Pixmania and never had a problem.


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## euroDilbert

My experience wiht Pixmania has also generally been good. I have also recommended it to friends with similar results.

There have been a few minor glitches, but they were always resolved satisfactorily.

A relevant point (from someone who bought last week) is that they've apparently just moved warehouse, so that may be the cause of some moe recent issues.


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## SteelBlue05

also bought an mp3 player and an IPod from pixmania. There was a delay receiving the iPod as the website said it was in Stock but it turned out it actually wasnt. But it did arrive maybe 2-3 weeks later. 

So no bad experiences with them. Although yes the customer service wasn't brilliant.


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## machalla

They are always at that thing of saying items are "in stock".  Its often in stock as long as you're prepared to wait a couple of weeks or more for them to get the items.  Complete nonsense.  Having said that I haven't had problems getting stuff from them eventually. Don't order from them if its time dependent though.


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## thejudge

Complaints about Pixmania can be found here-



http://www.epinions.com/msg/show_~threads/cat_id_~22/id_~2568/forum_id_~145

Always read reviews to see if there is a pattern of behaviour associated with a particular company. 

Companies often post reviews about themselves to put themselves in a positive light.

Be warned, Internet shopping is anything but safe.


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## podgerodge

thejudge said:
			
		

> Be warned, Internet shopping is anything but safe.



A paranoid sounding and generalised statement to make.  



			
				thejudge said:
			
		

> Complaints about Pixmania



Yawn. As I said earlier, it's easy to find complaints about any webseller.  So you found a few complaints - did you stop to think about the number of these complaints compared to the thousands and thousands of products a big webseller sells all over Europe.


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## SteelBlue05

thejudge said:
			
		

> Be warned, Internet shopping is anything but safe.


 
Totally disagree. I have been shopping online for 8 years without having any of my money stolen etc. The worst thing that happened was a cd never arrived from a supplier via amazon.com but this was credited back to my credit card the following day after I emailed them.

I also always pay all my household bills online, bank online, book cinema tickets, flights, hotels, concert tickets etc etc. 

If "Internet shopping is anything but safe" then surely I would have experienced something bad by now?


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## thejudge

My point is that if you went shopping down the high street, you would be able to:-

1. Inspect the goods or be able to take them back once you'd discovered defective goods
2. Pick up the goods straightaway rather than wait for delivery
3. More easily be able to seek redress from the consumer law enforcement authorities.

You wouldn't:-

1. Receive defective goods many days after you were promised
2. Stay on the phone to the customer service for hours without a response
3. Have to send the goods back to the company at your expense
4. Have to wait for weeks for your money back

Due to the manner in which consumer enforcement is set up in the UK, there's no effective enforcement of the distance selling regulations, so you've got about as much chance of getting your money back from a dodgy company as you have of getting it from a dodgy trader on ebay or a trader at your local market. As the prices on the internet are only marginally cheaper than on the high street, I don't feel that they reflect the higher risk that the customer incurs.


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## thejudge

SteelBlue05 said:
			
		

> If "Internet shopping is anything but safe" then surely I would have experienced something bad by now?



It is when it does go wrong that you'll understand my point.


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## SteelBlue05

thejudge said:
			
		

> You wouldn't:-
> 
> 1. Receive defective goods many days after you were promised
> 2. Stay on the phone to the customer service for hours without a response
> 3. Have to send the goods back to the company at your expense
> 4. Have to wait for weeks for your money back


 
I understand, but this doesnt make internet shopping unsafe, you just were unfortunate enough to purchase from a dodgy crap company, thats hardly the internets "fault".

Once caveat about Internet shopping is to be careful to buy only from reputable sellers online. And bad customer service is more widespread than just internet based sellers, try NTL for example!


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## thejudge

SteelBlue05 said:
			
		

> I understand, but this doesnt make internet shopping unsafe, you just were unfortunate enough to purchase from a dodgy crap company, thats hardly the internets "fault".
> 
> Once caveat about Internet shopping is to be careful to buy only from reputable sellers online. And bad customer service is more widespread than just internet based sellers, try NTL for example!



I think we're singing from the same song sheet, here. Provided you buy from household name companies, then you are reducing your risk considerably. However, you still have less instant redress than if you'd bought it on the high street and could argue your case in person. 

So long as it's well advertised what the risks are, then the customer has the choice as to what level of risk he wants. 

If I just wanted cheap goods, I can buy hooky stuff down the local market for a fraction of the price that I see online and with no less risk than buying from a company that I've never heard of, trading on the internet.


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## quarterfloun

One thing about buying on the high street though......

Buy an item from Argos that is not supported by the manufacturer in Ireland you will be sent round the houses for support.

A work colleague worked for Panasonic and Argos imported many items that were NOT supported by Panasonic Ireland. ARGOS will refer you to the manufacturer....


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## Carpenter

quarterfloun said:
			
		

> One thing about buying on the high street though......
> 
> Buy an item from Argos that is not supported by the manufacturer in Ireland you will be sent round the houses for support.
> 
> A work colleague worked for Panasonic and Argos imported many items that were NOT supported by Panasonic Ireland. ARGOS will refer you to the manufacturer....


 
This is contrary to our statutory rights as consumers, surely?


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## machalla

More of Pixmanias unhappy customers (mostly unhappy)

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=50356548#post50356548


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## Sherman

Quarterfloun - you're wrong - in Ireland your contract is with the vendor - you have nothing to do with the manufacturer. If the good is not of merchantable quality, it's up to the vendor to remedy it. If they wish to pursue it with the manufacturer, they can do so, but the vendor must satisfy the customer's complaint themselves.


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## podgerodge

machalla said:
			
		

> More of Pixmanias unhappy customers (mostly unhappy)



Again, unhappy customers always post complaints.  Happy ones very rarely do.  Easy to find complaints.  If it was possible to find out how many unhappy customers of Pixmania as a proportion of their total customer base, I would guess it would be a tiny proportion.


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## etel

all these ecommerce laddies feck up at some stage, pixmania must be having their bad period, try them after christmas.

I think Expansys are as bad nowadays at showing phantom stock . 

I always found Komplett to be excellent 

I have no relationship with any company of that sort by the way


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## thejudge

podgerodge said:
			
		

> Again, unhappy customers always post complaints. Happy ones very rarely do. Easy to find complaints. If it was possible to find out how many unhappy customers of Pixmania as a proportion of their total customer base, I would guess it would be a tiny proportion.



It's impossible to tell what proportion of Pixmania's customers are unhappy. However, there are many consistent stories about them on the web. It's alleged 100s of times that they:-

1. Take money from customers
2. Fail to send out the goods for days and on occasion, weeks
3. Send out defective or the wrong goods
4. Pretend that they've not received goods back from customers
5. Ignore customer complaints
6. Only hand customer's money back after several weeks

I don't see the same level of complaints about Amazon.


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## zag

This is not good.  I am sitting here with a just-delivered-today 160g drive from pixmania and . . . there is not a squeak out of it.  Dead as a dodo.  I am not impressed.

z


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## pat

Well
I said that I would post again to be fair to Pixmania regarding the memory stick that never arrived.

About a month ago, I rang their customer services and after holding for 45 minnutes, got to talk to an agent. She told me that they would have the memory sticks in stock in about a week and would send one to me. I also got an email confirming this.

About a week after that I went on holidays, the memory stick hadn't arrived, so I ended up having to buy another one to use on holidays.

3 weeks later, I am back from holidays and no memory stick so I am back to chasing their customer services.

Carmel


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## Carmel

Well the memory stick finally arrived today, exactly two months after the payment was taken out my credit card and after a lot of frustrating email exchanges with Pixmania customer services. It took a long time for them to accept that they had sent me the wrong thing. 

Carmel.


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## zag

Further to my earlier post (regarding my non-working HD) I eventually discovered the problem - I hadn't plugged it in.  Seems obvious enough, but other external drives I had didn't need external power and the instructions didn't explicitly state that it should have been plugged in.  The reason I didn't try it first time was that the power supply came with a european plug on it and so I had to wait a few days and go buy an adapter before I could use it.  I have since heard that other people have had stuff shipped to Ireland with european plugs which I understand is in breach of some regulations or other - because it means the user has to go about cutting off plugs and attaching new ones and this carries an inherent risk.

z


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## Goldman

I ordered numerous items and never had a problem-if anything i would have sadi that they are v. efficient


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## MonsieurBond

zag said:
			
		

> Further to my earlier post (regarding my non-working HD) I eventually discovered the problem - I hadn't plugged it in.  Seems obvious enough, but other external drives I had didn't need external power and the instructions didn't explicitly state that it should have been plugged in.  The reason I didn't try it first time was that the power supply came with a european plug on it and so I had to wait a few days and go buy an adapter before I could use it.  I have since heard that other people have had stuff shipped to Ireland with european plugs which I understand is in breach of some regulations or other - because it means the user has to go about cutting off plugs and attaching new ones and this carries an inherent risk.
> 
> z



Normally Pixmania supply a 2 pin to 3 pin plug adaptor, in my experience anyway. I have never had a bad experience myself with Pixmania.


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## MandaC

I ordered a Canon A430 Digital Camera on Wednesday and it arrived this morning by DHL.  All in perfect working order.

I thought the customer service was great.  Ordered on Tuesday night shipped Wednesday afternoon and arrived with me this morning.  You could see the status of the order at all times.

When it was delivered to work this morning, another girl ordered the same camera and hers was also shipped today and will hopefully be here by the weekend.


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## sluice44

I ordered a digital camera from  on a Sunday night and it arrived on Wed morning.  I was very happy with this.

The downside was the extra  they required from me (_possibly because I used my home address for purchase and my work address for delivery_).... but now they know:
-- my home address, personal phone number, personal mobile, credit card, driving licence number, date of birth, my appearance (via driving licence),
-- my work address, work phone, work mobile, work fax, my job title

I'm not very comfortable about this.  I reckon they now know more about me than the Irish Government or anybody else in the world!  I can only hope their computer security is never breached, eg, the reg's 200,000 HP staff exposed as laptop loss party continues

Disclaimer: I've posted here before how other companies can use your 'private' information, e.g., google.


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## extopia

sluice44 said:
			
		

> but now they know:
> -- my home address, personal phone number, personal mobile, credit card, driving licence number, date of birth, my appearance (via driving licence),
> -- my work address, work phone, work mobile, work fax, my job title



It's all about trust. If you don't trust someone with this information, don't supply it. 

Trust is one of the biggest barriers to "ecommerce" (hey, how come no one uses that term anymore?) 

Personally I've been buying online since 1993 or thereabouts. Had a single bad experience in all those years. I've had more than one bad experience with bricks and mortar retailers in that time.


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## Guest107

sluice44 said:
			
		

> now they know:
> -- my home address, personal phone number, personal mobile, credit card, driving licence number, date of birth, my appearance (via driving licence),
> -- my work address, work phone, work mobile, work fax, my job title



LOL, ever heard of Identity Theft ? , they have more data than your mother or missus would  ??


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## extopia

I think he HAS heard about ID theft, 2pack. In fact I think that's his whole point.

By the way, I'd never give personal mobile numbers or driving license numbers or job titles. Who asked for them?


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## MandaC

The camera arrived today for he girl in my company who ordered the same camera as me on Monday.

Both of us had given personal addresses to pay with credit card and delivery address via work.  They never asked either of us for fax or job title, etc.

Given that there would be a huge element of fraud in the line of electrical goods, I can understand why they would need to verify additional information.  I can understand why people dont want to give it, either, but I suppose if you want to use the service, you supply the information requested.

Thats two of us in the same week very happy with Pixmania


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## MandaC

They never asked for driving licence details or photos for either of us either.


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## jellyshots

thejudge said:
			
		

> It's impossible to tell what proportion of Pixmania's customers are unhappy. However, there are many consistent stories about them on the web. It's alleged 100s of times that they:-
> 
> 1. Take money from customers
> 2. Fail to send out the goods for days and on occasion, weeks
> 3. Send out defective or the wrong goods
> 4. Pretend that they've not received goods back from customers
> 5. Ignore customer complaints
> 6. Only hand customer's money back after several weeks
> 
> I don't see the same level of complaints about Amazon.


 
I have used Pixmania a few times and found them great as have many friends who have ordered stuff and had no problem. However I do wonder how easy it would be to solve a problem if I received wrong or faulty goods I hope it's something I don't have to ever worry about. 

At the end of the day I personally am prepared to take the small risk of fraud and put up with the lousy personal service due to the considerable savings in comparison to what I would pay on the highstreet. Look at Ryanair I could quote plenty of websites knocking them, they sell exclusively over the web, their customer service reputation is sh*te you never know if the flight will turn up or if they will let you on and you sure as hell wouldn't be getting any money back off them in a hurry but people still use them.


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## extopia

It's all about price. If the price is right customers will forgive nearly anything!


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## eduardo

I ordered an ipod 60gb 
My order was placed on the 18 of August. On 25/08 after following up with DHL for few das they admitted that there was a problem with the parcel and the start a tracking research.I had called Pixmania on the 25/08 to made that aware that I did not received any parcel and they started and investigation
Finally on 29/08 the DHL tracking office called me. They stated that the parcel was definitely lost and I should call Pixmania to ask a replacement.From then on almost every day I only get all time the same answer: that the investigation is still going on even if DHL has admitted the packet is lost. The same answer when I officially request my money back


I had to raise a complain via Isis, via my bank (to get the money back) and via the European consumer center but at the moment after 3 weeks no sign of my money.

1) The fact that Pixmania advertise 24-48 hours delivery and after 3 weeks I still do not see the chance to understand when I will see my ipod (or at this stage my money ). The European Consumer center made me aware of the following
“Under the Distance Selling Regulations consumers are protected when a contract is entered over a distance i.e. consumer and seller are not in each other's physical presence. If you entered into a contract online both the seller and the consumer are bound by the terms and conditions provided. In your case the website stated up to fourteen days for delivery. The seller is said to be in 'breach of contract' when a term of the contract cannot be fulfilled, that is, he or she cannot supply the goods at the specified time. You are entitled to cancel your contract and expect a full refund. This should be done in writing. So the first step would be to contact the seller by either email or writing stating your case. If you do not receive any satisfactory response from the seller, contact your credit card company. Your credit card company should be able to intervene and possibly approach the seller to try and resolve the situation. If this does not solve your dispute contact the European Consumer Centre for assistance”

2) The fact that Pixmania does not respect not even their own policy publish on their website . 
This is what is published on Pixmania website if a parcel is lost
*What happens if the courier misplaces my parcel? *
If the courier misplaces a parcel during the delivery, we will follow a standard process of opening a search file with the courier. This investigation normally takes 3-5 working days, and if the parcel cannot be found, your order will be re-shipped.


Meanwhile this is the mail received from Pixmania after they started the investigation
Mr. ***,
Further to our previous email, I would like to confirm that an investigation has been opened by DHL.This investigation will end on 2006-09-04. The procedure for this carrier takes 7 to 10 working days to complete. During this period, we will unfortunately not be able to send you another package or refund your order”
I complained but waited until the end date but at this stage Pixmania customer service and management had the courage to answer to every complaint that I could claim the money back only when the investigation was over and that the investigation was still going on. After more than 20 mails and more than 3 weeks since the oder was placed I still receive the same answer

This is a break of Pixmania written and advertised policy and of consumer rights and I raised this issue with Pixmania management with no success. I even wrote to Fotovista chief executive with no answer.


Avoid this shop , I am almost lost the confidence to shop on internet again.


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## Grifter

Some advice - learned the hard way:
I bought a Mini iPod over the internet from Amazon .co.uk. Worked fine for a few days then it only held its charge for 2 hours. I returned it to Amazon  -at my cost-  stating that it was faulty. Several days later my credit card account was credited with the cost of the item. No problem. Amazon are good in this way. I then decided that I would order the same item from Apple direct ( from Cork). It arrived and was faulty straight away. It was a similar problem in that the battery would not hold its charge. I contacted them and went through hell, being referred to technical support in India! I gave up and contacted them again (in Cork), this time I got a very helpful person. Next day a courier arrived at the house and collected the unit. Again, my credit card was reimbursed a week later. Finally I visited Argos and bought a mini iPod again. After a week the screen became corrupted and the unit was getting very hot. Returned it to Argos and got a full refund on the spot. Brilliant service. 
A week later, pissed off with Mini iPods, I bought a 30GB proper iPod from Argos. No problems - 10 months later.
Lesson learned?  You might pay a bit more in Argos, but they have a great returns policy.
P.S. I have a piece of equipment bought for me from Pixmania. I hope it never goes wrong!


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## Grifter

jellyshots said:


> I have used Pixmania a few times and found them great as have many friends who have ordered stuff and had no problem.


 
If you order something from a company you expect to receive it. If you do receive it then the company has fulfilled its obligation. If you do not receive the goods or there is a problem of some sort, then how they handle the situation is how you should judge the company.


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## ClubMan

Grifter said:


> If you order something from a company you expect to receive it. If you do receive it then the company has fulfilled its obligation. If you do not receive the goods or there is a problem of some sort, then how they handle the situation is how you should judge the company.


What has that got to do with the positive experiences of _jellyshot _and his/her associates? They ordered their goods and received them and (presumably) they worked fine. Surely it's fair comment and relevant to mention this just as it is to mention negative experiences with orders not being flufilled or delivered products not working properly?


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## Grifter

jellyshots said:


> I have used Pixmania a few times and found them great as have many friends who have ordered stuff and had no problem. However I do wonder how easy it would be to solve a problem if I received wrong or faulty goods I hope it's something I don't have to ever worry about.


 
I rest my case.


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## ClubMan

Grifter said:


> I rest my case.


Your case is based on consideration by a satisfied customer of what might happen in hypothetical circumstances of there being problems with an order? Good luck in the court of public opinion!


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## tiny

I agree with Carmel, when I ordered on-line it indicated camera was in stock, checked status of order and camera now not in stock, althought accessories have been issued. Accessories are no use without camera, tried to contact them by e-mail, phone, an absolute disaster, customer service non existant. Have no way of cancelling order as given wrong e-mail address, also I have received e-mail responses in French.  STAY AWAY FROM PIXMANIA


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## jellyshots

Grifter said:


> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *jellyshots* http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?p=195454#post195454
> _I have used Pixmania a few times and found them great as have many friends who have ordered stuff and had no problem. However I do wonder how easy it would be to solve a problem if I received wrong or faulty goods I hope it's something I don't have to ever worry about._
> 
> 
> I rest my case.
> .


 
Eh...Am I missing something Grifter. As I previously stated my own experience of Pixmania has been nothing but positive I recommended the site to friends who have used them too and had no problems. I merely wondered aloud what the customer service was like with an online retalier in the event of a problem, I would say the same about a high street retailer but I haven't had any and fingers crossed I don't. Until such time as I encounter a problem I can only offer a positive opinion of this particular company.

Some people are happier walking into a high street shop and walking out with their purchase in the knowledge it can be returned the following day if there is a problem but you pay a price premium for this service. I'm quite happy to buy online and save myself a few bob I bought a camera off Pixmania for €1200 the best deal I could find in the shops here at the time was €1500 so for me it was a no brainer.

I have no affiliation with Pixmania by the way just a satisfied customer.



Just as a side note after your experiences with the iPod I would have been more annoyed with apple rather than the companies selling the product if I had bought 3 dodgy ones!!! I personally wouldn't have gone back for a fourth Ipod but hey everyone can have different opinions about the same company can't they


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## MonsieurBond

Grifter said:


> Some advice - learned the hard way:
> I bought a Mini iPod over the internet from Amazon .co.uk. Worked fine for a few days then it only held its charge for 2 hours. I returned it to Amazon  -at my cost-  stating that it was faulty. Several days later my credit card account was credited with the cost of the item. No problem. Amazon are good in this way. I then decided that I would order the same item from Apple direct ( from Cork). It arrived and was faulty straight away. It was a similar problem in that the battery would not hold its charge. I contacted them and went through hell, being referred to technical support in India! I gave up and contacted them again (in Cork), this time I got a very helpful person. Next day a courier arrived at the house and collected the unit. Again, my credit card was reimbursed a week later. Finally I visited Argos and bought a mini iPod again. After a week the screen became corrupted and the unit was getting very hot. Returned it to Argos and got a full refund on the spot. Brilliant service.
> A week later, pissed off with Mini iPods, I bought a 30GB proper iPod from Argos. No problems - 10 months later.
> Lesson learned?  You might pay a bit more in Argos, but they have a great returns policy.
> P.S. I have a piece of equipment bought for me from Pixmania. I hope it never goes wrong!



Some comments on this:

If you return something to Amazon because it is faulty then they should refund the postage. I have returned an item to Amazon because it got delivered outside of their stated delivery time and by the time it arrived I no longer wanted it; they refunded me the cost of the item and my return postage. You should talk to them in person before returning the item if unsure. In any event, you should follow their online return policy to get an RMA number before sending the item back.

This advice applies to all online retailers - Komplett, Pixmania etc.

My own view is that if the cost of the saving is insufficient to offset the potential for increased hassle (postage, emails to customer support) in the event of a problem then you are better off buying it from a (more expensive, usually) retailer locally.

While the consumer protection may vary with jurisdiction, in general, you have can read the Ts and Cs before you purchase an item and satisfy yourself as to how the return policy, cooling off and other complaint handling will work. It is in the interest of the supplier to protect its reputation as much as possible so they will in general always try to sort out a genuine customer complaint.

As other posters have mentioned, faulty iPods is an Apple quality control issue (and I am surprised that you had so many) in all likelihood not down to Amazon.

In relation to Pixmania, I have bought from them several times with no problems. I don't recall ever having to return anything to them but apart from the fact that they are not the fastest to respond to emails, I have no particular concerns here. Several work colleagues have from them before and have no horror stories to report either.

On the other hand, colleagues have bought external hard discs from Lidl / Aldi and had to return them for repair after 1 month with no recompense whatsoever for loss of data and I am not sure they were refunded the postage. So it does not go without saying that physical retailers are necessarily better than virtual ones; it very much depends on the actual trader.

Just by 10c worth as an active consumer of both online and offline products.

Finally, I agree that Argos' return policy is particularly good, so as I said above, if local price is not too much higher than online, you are probably better buying it locally because of the ease of return and customer satisfaction / aftersales service.


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## BobbyFowler

Yep, the Customer Service is Muck.  I was waiting over 2 months to get my camera back.  My issue wasn't with the time it took, rather there was no reply to my queries from week 5 onwards.  I had changed my address in the meantime & there was no way of informing them of this.  I got the camera in the end (delivered to my parents address).  Anyway - the deal was great - would I use them again - Yes.


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## Aesop

I ordered a camera off them 12 months ago. Took nearly two months for the camera to arrive. After the first month delay I tried to cancel the order and they told me they could not and I would have to post it back at my expense. This despite the fact it took another month for it to arrive.  Website order details was crap. Customer service was utterly useless. Worst online shopping experience ever (one of the only times I have had a bad experience shopping online).

On the plus side their prices are very reasonable. Also when the camera  finally arrived I had no problems with it TG. The thought of having to deal with their after sales service would make me weak. I won't be using them again. Too many other online shops to put up with their rubbish.


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## SirOurs

Did you call you credit card company and say you haven't received your order.  Could the credit card company have cancelled the transaction?


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## jbbcie

I came across this topic while searching for problems with another large e-tailer (more of that in a moment).
I have used Pixmania for a number of years now and have never had any kind of problem with them.  Delivery has usually been quick (with this, you're generally at the mercy of couriers, a few good, so many bad).
Now, of course there will always be problems, I've just been lucky so far.  If there is a trade-off against the low prices these companies offer, service will always be it.  So usually a local shop will do better in this area, because you're dealing a human being who may only have to deal with a few problems a day/week (and of course the face-to-face threats of physical violence are a great advantage .... only kidding .

Now, I recently made a purchase from dabs which is my first one and oh dear, nothing but trouble.  However, at this stage I'm guessing most of the trouble is with Parcelforce and GLS here in Ireland.  However, it is very frustrating to get no reply to emails after days.
I did a search on dabs complaints today and I was shocked at the amount.
Personally, I feel I made an error by not checking out a company as thoroughly as I usually do.
The parcel eventually arrived (2 weeks, not 3 days!), just left on the doorstep, I hadn't even signed for it (now that is down to GLS entirely).
Well, two items were missing (SD cards, very small) and now I have the (I expect) painful experience of trying to get dabs to replace them.
Something tells me that I will give up (bearing the cost of these items) before it is resolved, but let's wait and see.   I won't speak badly until I see no resolution forthcoming.
Then I'll probably order the same SD cards from Pixmania, as I'm pretty sure they'll arrive!


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## mjkearns

Carmel,  I have been using and purchasing from Pixmania for a number of years now and have never had a problem with them other than on one occasion where an item was stated to be in stock when I ordered it and after I ordered it I was informed that it would take two weeks to fill the order and it eventually was filled five weeks later.  Otherwise I found them to be utterly straightforward and their prices I found to be unmatched at the date of order.  I am perfectly forgiving in relation to the one mishap and would have no hesitation in transacting with them again which I fully intend to do.  Incidentally, in relation to the "late" order I was advised by a retailer to use Pixmania as they could beat the best price any street retailer could offer for the item I sought!  If a retailer reposed this confidence in Pixmania then need more be said?????


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## hansov

Ah yes my friends in Pixmania  . Ordered a camera in November 2006; (A) camera shipped two/three days later; (B) wrong camera; (C) contacted Pixmania who arranged the return courier; courier picked up two days later; delivered back to Paris per tracking notes; (D) eventually acknowledged by Pixmania; correct camera shipped and arrived just before Christmas. 

I was very impressed with the service: (A) and (C). Everybody can make a mistake, give the benefit of the doubt: (B). Not ver yimpressed with the service: (D). And then.............

(E) Invoice arrives from courier company in January as Pixmania refused to pay the freight, 50 odd euros. I have been since January 2007 contacting Pixmania to have this sorted out. I followed their T&C's and under those they are liable for the cost of shipping back, to them, incorrectly shipped products. My fingers are worn calling 0818 244 100 pressing 2 four times and at this stage I know the names of the customer care reps in the UK. However the story I keep getting is that they have passed it to Paris and etc.... Meanwhile the courier firm are sending me threathening letters to pay the bill. But the battle will be won even if I have to go to the Small Claims Court which I think has to be my next step.


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## droileen

I have had both good & bad experiences with Pixmania.  
Their goods are usually much cheaper than anything similiar that can be bought retail here in Ireland.
Their delivery can be very slow - up to 10 days sometime.
Their manuals are in french and english versions can only be downloaded and printed-off at one`s own expense.
The most annoying thing about them is that they take payment for an item and then keep moving the "in stock" dates forward repeatedly, without any reference to the purchaser.  For instance, this date has been changed by them on at least 4/5 occassions for a USB stick that I ordered & paid for 6 weeks ago but has not yet been delivered.


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## Froggie

My order was placed on 9/5/07, I paid for express delivery but it did not arrive in Dublin until 23/5/07. I have been charged twice for this order due to a system error and will not get my money back for 30 days. The order has since been "mislaid" by DHL. DHL told me to contact Pixmania who would in turn post out another order without delay and charge DHL for the loss. But pixmania told me that an investigation will take 5 to 10 days. Investigation complete but Pixmania dont have all the items on my order any longer. Today (14.6.07) I got an email to say that the order is on its way to me but when I clicked on the DHL link I am informed that someone called Magda signed for the delivery 2 days ago in SPAIN...!! I am very unhappy with this service. No one has even said sorry. Maybe this happens all the time at pixmania but I expect a better service from a company that makes such a boast of their Commitments. NEVER AGAIN.​


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## roodog

HAVE DEALT WITH PIXMANIA FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS AND HAVE HAD NO ISSUES WHATSOEVER.HAVE RECOMMENDED THEN TO FRIENDS AND THEY ALL HAVE BEEN VERY HAPPY WITH SERVICE. One person i know ordered a nikon camera and got two for price of one. Funnily enough he couldnt enlighten me about his experience with their customer service.
The one time I ventured away from pix was last year when I purchased an MP3 player on Ebay 6 weeks prior to going away on a month long trip. After finally threatening legal action after 6 weeks of non replys and generally been sent round the block i Finally got my refund. But was forced onto the high street to purchase as i had no time before trip to buy online. But the whole experience has definitly enhanced my opinion of pixmania....
oh yeah my fujifinepix s5600 camera.    pixmania 170euro     my local highstreet shop tried to flog same cam to me for 389euro.......surely its worth the wait of a few days when the other option is dealing with one of Rip off Irelands finest.


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## Froggie

well they still owe me €236.40 and now they are contesting that.


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## Celt_Phoenix

Help!  Have used Pixmania for the last 3 years - no problems. Ordered a new Creative 8 GB MP3 player from then in July.  Delays with the delivery, when the item arrived I had several problems with freezing.  After a couple of days and checking the problems out on the internet I returned it.

I sent it registered post two weeks ago.  Despite over a dozen emails to Pixmania no one has replied.  The status on the website says still waiting for item to be returned.  I've tried the telephone number but it doesn't appear to work.

I want to buy a replacement but can't until I have my refund.  Any suggestions on how to get Pixmania to reply to my mails?

Cheers

CP


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## Froggie

3 months later and they still owe me €181.50, its like drawing blood!


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## carbonf4

I don't usually make complaints about anything, but...after dealing with pixmania.com I feel obliged to warn others.

1. "In Stock" does not mean 'in stock' at pixmania.com. During this time the pixmania.com website consistently showed the item I was waiting for as "In Stock" so presumably others were placing orders in good faith, only to be disappointed, as I was.

2. Your credit card is charged immediately, not when the order is shipped...in my case it was shipped a month after my credit card was charged.

3. Pixmania customer service staff continuously give you the run around: "lost in transit", "referred to our After Sales Dept.", "Under Investigation", etc., etc.,...

4. Dishonesty: if they just told me there was a delay (for whatever reason), and did not charge my credit card until the order was shipped, I would not be making this complaint today.

Be careful consumers! Pixmania.com is not an honest, reliable consumer, but many others will get burnt before they eventually get caught.


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## gebbel

carbonf4 said:


> Be careful consumers! Pixmania.com is not an honest, reliable consumer, but many others will get burnt before they eventually get caught.


 
With all due respect that is a very generalised comment. Many others (myself included) have been more than satisfied with Pixmania's service, and always recommend them to others.


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## Bonafide

I have to say I am surprised at the poor treatment some customers have received from Pixmania. I have use them a on a few occasions in the past and have found them to be excellent. Once, I even bought a digital camera that I just wasn't happy with and wanted to change even though I opened the packet and used the camera. I returned it under their quibble free return policy (it just had to be in the original packing and within a specified period). I had to wait about ten days until someone in the service dept checked that it was still working and not damaged but then got my full refund.


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## butterfly08

When shopping for the first time on pixmania were you asked for your passport/driver's license details? I tried to buy a camera on weds and received an email on thurs morning asking fro the above info for validation purposes????


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## euroDilbert

Yes.


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## butterfly08

Had you any reservations about faxing that info or am i just bein over cautious?


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## euroDilbert

No real reservations.

They are an established company.


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## allthedoyles

i bought Sony N2 camera 10MP from Pixmania Ireland , however it was posted in Paris , cost 350 euro , and was not of the quality i expected .
Ebay are way cheaper


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## soy

allthedoyles said:


> i bought Sony N2 camera 10MP from Pixmania Ireland , however it was posted in Paris , cost 350 euro , and was not of the quality i expected .
> Ebay are way cheaper



Unless it was damaged in some way, you cannot blame pixmania for that. You should have researched if the Sony camera met your requirements before you purchased. Ebay may be cheaper but you are at higher risk of purchasing 'fake' goods.


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## SecretGarden

The previous emails where old so I felt it necessary to inform readers that nothing has changed with Pixmania.  

I ordered an item before I checked out the aftersales service.  As soon as I realised that there was NONE I cancelled my order - within 24 hours, BEFORE they took the money from my credit card and BEFORE despatch (according to their tracking).  Yet they shipped the item 24 hours AFTER CANCELLATION.  

I have since being attempting to make contact with them but I'm only receiving automatically generated emails in response.  This situation has has been going on for 2 weeks now.  I'm not sure where I take it to next as I'm owed a very substantial sum of money by Pixmania


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## kada_fd

i got a dvd player and laptop cooler off them recently and i was very pleased with it...but i had tried to cancel the order when their confirmation email said my address was wrong but when i tried canceling it their instructions were to not accept the delivery of the items, i think its if you accept the good you get charged for it..so when they sent an email verifying  my address after all that and when the goods arrived i happily accepted them


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## SecretGarden

I'm legally allowed a 7 day cooling off period and can withdraw from the contract in that time without giving a reason.  I took this option within 24 hours and as I previously said, before they shipped the item (according to their tracking system) I refused the package when it was delivered - I didn't sign for it, yet I subsequently received an email from Pixmania stating that according to their records I had received the item and signed for it.  They provided instructions for returning the item to them.  Again another automatically generated email.  NOBODY ANSWERS EMAILS THERE.  There is NO customer service!!  

Although I made this purchase on pixmania.ie there was no mention of the company being outside of Ireland, in fact there was no address or contact details of any description on the website.  I'm still wondering how I could have behaved so stupidly!  

Does anyone know of any consumer law which extends to a company with an address in France which is where they are asking to to return the item.


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## Pablo74

Hi all,
I bought a camera bundle from Pixmania yesterday week. Even thought the website says "in stock" i got an email back that day after the transaction went through saying " camera is currently out of stock, we will send it a.s.a.p".
This was no good for me as i needed the camera for my holiday next week so i mailed back to cancel the order. They replied again that evening to say that the order had been dispatched and i got a tracking number and all. There has been no movement from the tracker since last Wednesday.
I rang the parcel crowd today and they have no idea about the parcel saying that they have not got it.
I phoned Pixmania after and they have said that it has not been dispatched yet ?? and to wait a few more days !!!!!!
What can i do, my hands are tied. I ordered them to investigate the dealings but what good will that do....
Where do i go from here ?

p.s i have an e mail saying that it has been dispatched, but pixmania have no record of that email.....
I have bought from them before and am so disappointed.
What do i do ?


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## Deisce

Hi Guys,
I bought a panasonic camera before my wedding and honeymoon last August from pixmania. After been lugged around the inca trail and skiiing and other weekends away it worked fine. But in March it gave up the ghost and lens wouldn't extend when it was switched on. I sent it back to pixmania and after a little bit high jinks where they claimed it haven't been delivered; (they use this to give themselves extra time) a month and half later I got the camera back in working order. Only peeve I have is they should have paid me back the postal charges I incurred by posting it back to them.

So message is if you got patience then they do have a good returns policy.


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## luap_42

ClubMan said:


> What has that got to do with the positive experiences of _jellyshot _and his/her associates? They ordered their goods and received them and (presumably) they worked fine. Surely it's fair comment and relevant to mention this just as it is to mention negative experiences with orders not being flufilled or delivered products not working properly?


 
Absolute rubbish. No it is not. It is not fair to balance good reviews with bad. 

When you pays your money you EXPECT your goods, you expect them on time, and you expect them in working order. You also expect proper customer service that many large online retailers can provide if necessary. That is the what the retailer should be providing in order to stay in business and compete. If they provide all of the above, then they have ONLY done what they are expected to do as a business, nothing more.

If they do not provide all of the above, then only bad reviews will unmask this. What is a good review going to tell? That nothing went wrong? That the correct goods were delivered? That the product worked? That the customer is willing to accept: delays, being charged before delivery, being lied to about the stock status? At most a good review will show that they are doing their job, as expected in order to deserve your business.

If any of the above go wrong they deserve a bad review, and considering the amount of bad reviews pixmania have gotten over the past four years, I'll be staying miles away from them. Komplett are far more straightforward to deal with, especially if there's a problem. Never touch Dabs, total disaster case. Not sure about Expansys. Elara seems okay also.


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## luap_42

luap_42 said:


> Komplett are far more straightforward to deal with, especially if there's a problem. Never touch Dabs, total disaster case. Not sure about Expansys. Elara seems okay also.


 
I take everything back I said about Komplett. They are a company that do not deserve to exist in their present form. Biggest retail disaster of 2010.


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