On June 19, I placed an online order (#29274) with The Antenna Farm for a GRE PSR 800 radio with an extra antenna (100-001) and requested it be shipped United States Postal Service Priority Mail with a shipping time from two to three days. The radio was $429.95, the antenna was $18.95 and $11.50 for shipping, for a total order price of $460.40. On June 20, I received an email from John Holbrook (owner) that my order had shipped.
On the evening of June 23, I sent John an email that my shipment did not arrive in the two to three day delivery window and I would have to refuse the package when it arrived the following week due to my receiving it outside the seven day returns window stated on his website. He sent me back an email stating that the returns window was within seven days of my RECEIVING the package not seven days from the PURCHASE date as stated on his website under the returns policy. This sounded suspicious to me.
On Monday, June 27, at 9:39AM, I emailed John again and told him I was refusing delivery of the package, because I felt a bad omen about accepting it and that I have never had a package take so long when mailed Priority Mail. I did not feel comfortable accepting the package beyond the seven day time frame listed on his website.
John sent me back another email suggesting I not refuse delivery and instead ship it back to him insured. I sent him another email stating my reasons for not doing things his way, which was due to postal regulations in their Domestic Mail Manual. So, I refused delivery of the package and never took possession of it at any time. The tracking record confirms I refused delivery and it was processed back through Nampa, Idaho en-route to John.
John sent me a stinging email that ridiculed me and suggested the package would be lost and he would be screwed if the package was lost. On June 28, at 4:36PM, I sent him a cordial email citing the specific postal regulations to which I was referring and requesting a prompt refund of my $460.40 when he received the package.
My return of the package was based upon my concerns about John and his website. More specifically his returns policy and shipping rules which I explain as follows:
Johns website specifically states on his main page that a person will never be charged any more than $9.95, regardless of how large the order. I was charged $11.50 and feel John should be more truthful about his charges. It seems he is baiting people with advertising a low shipping fee and implying it is for all orders and then he switches prices once the order is placed.
Johns website also states under his return policy that if a person is not 100% satisfied with the purchase they may return it within seven days of PURCHASE. I refused delivery of the package because it did not arrive within the seven days. As a result there was no time for me to check and evaluate the contents to ensure the radio was cosmetically acceptable and that it synchronized properly with the software. Since software issues and incompatibilities are not considered defects by the manufacturer I would be stuck with the radio had I not refused delivery. I was not 100% satisfied.
When I notified John of the return policy statement on his website he told me in his email that the return period was within seven days of RECEIPT not within seven days of the PURCHASE. This was totally contradictory and gave me concern about Johns not knowing what his website states or arbitrarily changing things to suit the situation.
Because of the reasons cited above and due to my concerns about Johns email behavior I felt I could not trust him and so I searched the web for other problems he may have had. I found numerous complaints about him complete with email threads that show a trend of deception, intimidation of customers and unethical business practices that are fraudulent. Also, not being 100% satisfied I chose not to do any business with him now or in the future.
I feel that the Montana Department of Justice should do something to control John HolBrook and his business behavior before something serious happens. It is obvious to me that John is intentionally skirting the law by the shipping and returns policies he has posted on his website and his obvious changeable positions.
His shipping statement should be changed to properly reflect exactly what is shipped for $9.95, instead of being vague and ambiguous. His returns policy should reflect exactly what he means, either seven days from PURCHASE or seven days from Receipt of purchase, but not the ambiguity he has displayed on his website and via emails.
John is giving the State of Montana a bad name and has made me reluctant to ever patron any business in the state again, chiefly because he conveys the message of a fly-by-night operation and that businesses in Montana are a law unto themselves. He is capricious and as changeable as the weather in both his mood and business policies.
I am awaiting my refund for $460.40 and can only hope that he provides that to me once he has his package. But, should he not give me a full refund or only a partial refund, I will file a BBB complaint, a Consumer Affairs complaint and a charge back complaint with my credit card company. However, the pressure your agency can exert upon this individual would go a long way in curbing any future transgressions and help protect the public from this unnecessary nuisance.
On June 30, at 7:49AM, the postal service attempted a delivery of the package and left a notice. There has been no change in that tracking update and I feel that John is stalling, just as he has done with numerous other customers.
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