Placed order for Siemens S450 base unit and S45 second handset on 03/06 via phone after seeing ad on company website. The second handset was backordered.
Received base unit and base handset, but it was defective. (Key backlights did not work, speakerphone did not work, phone rang for no apparent reason.)
Emailed company to arrange a return. Asked if I could replace it with a different phone (Philips DECT) advertised on their website.initial email reply confirmed that this would be fine. I emailed to ask if they would meet Amazon.com's price (as their website says they will pricematch) and received no reply. On Sellcom.com's website, there is a text-to-retailer feature, where I messaged Steve Winter (owner) regarding this. He was very rude, and said that he would NOT sell me a different phone, we'd just arrange for this return. He said I would have to sign a contract (to follow in an email, no mention of what was in this contract) and fax it back, then receive an RA number in order to send in the return.
In this "contract" I had to sign, it said that he would charge 15 dollars, plus 10 dollars (reimbursement for the initial free shipping), and I'd have to pay to return the product (another 10 dollars). (Total charge of nearly 35 dollars to return a defective phone that cost 79.99.)
I was forced to follow the directions, or I'd be stuck with the phone.
When I emailed him to tell him that I thought that this was ridiculous, he became rude, and would not tell me how much he was going to credit me in the return.in fact, he said that if the phone was not in perfect working condition, he wouldn't credit me even the balance after his "fees". (The phone is DEFECTIVE, and is obviously not in working condition.)
Meanwhile, I returned the phone via DHL (tracking number 26464111553, received 03/24). When no credit arrived (and no communication), and he still refused to tell me how much the credit would be, I emailed him and told him that I'd be forced to report him to the FTC, etc.
He replied with a phone message on my machine (from telephone number 919-246-4007) calling me disgusting names, threatening me, and still refused to answer my question regarding the refund. This message was followed with an email, saying "You are incompetent trash, vicious incompetent trash apparently..." and still gave no specifics on the refund. (I have the recorded message and transcript, plus the email.)
My husband was very upset about his messages to me, and called him (at 919-246-4007) to see if he could work something out, to clear up any misunderstanding. Mr. Winter derailed on my husband, threatening him using similar (and worse) language as he used with me. (My husband's employer records all phone calls as a matter of course, and he is in the process of requesting a copy of the call as well as a transcript.)
I have never been treated by a retailer in this way before. I called the Roxboro Sheriff Department (where the website lists his location—925 Frank Street, Roxboro, NC, 27573-5716), wherein Sgt. Cash recommended I put a dispute on my credit card to dispute the payment. (Which I did.) He took a report and stopped by the address listed on the website. It turns out that the address from the website is an abandoned house in a residential neighborhood. The City Hall in Roxboro holds no license for a business called "Sellcom" or any business at the said address.
On the invoice (mailed seperately from the delivered telephone), a different address is listed: the one above, in Durham, NC. (which is also a residential neighborhood).
The City Hall in Durham lists no business at the address listed on the invoice, but the tax records office shows that business tax records were paid by Sellcom/Mr. Winter. While the business is listed as "Incorporated", it is not registered with North Carolina Secretary of State, so they are doing business as a "Fly By Night" (according to a representative from the Sec'y of State's office).
At this point, I am filing complaints with the FTC, BBBOnline, BBB of East North Carolina, NC Attorney General's Office, Secretary of State, Roxboro and Durham Chambers of Commerce, Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IC3), and various internet retailer review sites such as this, Citisearch, ResellerRatings.com, BizRate, and Storeratings.org. (So far.)
This company is happy and friendly when they take the order (Nancy Winter took my order), but if you have any problems, they turn mean, nasty, and threatening.
It seems to me that they knowingly sell faulty products, and charge to return them. Most people do not have the time to "deal" with this unfair business practice, so simply comply and chalk it up to "a lesson learned". Perhaps they resell the very same faulty items to the next unsuspecting customer, and repeat the cycle of charging to return the same item.
I keep meticulous records when I do any business on the Internet, and while at times it seems copious and time-consuming, it is at times such as this that said fastidious recordkeeping is imperative and most useful.
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