if you’re a cell phone geek like me you’d probably know that the nokia n93 should be released pretty soon. in fact, nokia’s initial press release indicated “july 2006″, but there are rumors flying around the ‘net that could have it delayed anywhere from august all the way to the september-october timeframe. being the avid phone geek that i am, i started jumping the gun at the beginning of the month by looking for online retailers who might be selling the n93 slightly earlier than the predicted release. well, my search results turned up 3 different vendors, 2 of which were “pre-order” only and were running $899.99 (yowza!). the 3rd was an outfit that called itself “Auction Mania Online”, and they were selling the n93 for $799.99.. a little more than i expected to pay (MSRP is supposed to be around $650), but i figured it was the premium of being an early adopter. just for the record, and so we don’t confuse anyone we are talking about the “Auction Mania Online” that resides at http://www.auctionmaniaonline.com

the dupe

if you’ve read this far you probably already know what’s going to happen, but i want to chronicle my dealings with this “company” to warn would-be buyers of the scammers this company is. please note that i’m not writing this story to get sympathy, these are the kinds of dangers we live with in the internet age, and especially the item in question being such a hot item, i should have been extra-extra-careful. this story is to here to serve as a warning.

before i threw my $800 at them expecting an N93, i made sure to contact their customer service and settle any doubts i had about trusting them. so naturally i asked a few questions:

• - how can they have the n93 when no one else has it yet? they gave me a good answer saying they have contacts in china and the UK who are able to get the phone early..
• - is this a preorder or an actual order? they made sure to calm my fears here that i was buying the real deal and should not have to wait
• - how did they feel about online scammers? their answer was suprisingly well thought-out, as they claimed a “longer holding period” on purchases since they got so many scammers.
• - if i order “today” (july 3rd), how long will it take for it to arrive on my doorstep? they told me if all goes well by “monday” (july 10th)
• - do they offer any expedited shipping? luckily they ship overnight for *free*! wow what a deal!
• - do they have enough n93 in stock to fill my order? they did, so i wouldn’t have to wait on filling stock.

at this point i was happy with their answers and ready to trust the company with my money. so i used their website (that was listed on froogle, but isn’t anymore.. clever. more on that later.) to place the order for the N93, and was content on sitting and waiting. after receiving the order confirmation, i noticed that the address was wrong (the state was noted as “Alabama” instead of “Texas”), so I made sure to contact their customer service and get it changed.

monday comes around

naturally, on monday nothing arrives on my doorstep and I am getting very anxious/worried that something is going on. i contact customer service to try and figure out the status of my order, and i was notified that the n93 would actually be shipped out monday night, and i should receive it tuesday (july 11th). this was acceptable, if not slightly off-putting. certainly i can wait 1 more day. well tuesday comes and goes, and again, nothing on my doorstep (not to mention they keep dancing around giving me a tracking number or an actual shipping company). i contact customer service again, and this time apparently the n93 never shipped because they didn’t have enough stock! this is in direct contrast what they told me over IM before i bought the phone! well naturally at this point I was getting quite angry… and more and more skeptical. oh did i mention they also moved their entire website as well? their old site was on the store-portal “buyitsellit.com” and was transferred to a new domain in the middle of my order.

hurry up and wait

the next things they told me were what really cemented in my mind the fact they are running a scam operation over there. in order for me to receive my N93 i was going to have to place a new order after they refund my original $799.99. well, as george bush puts it; “fool me once, shame on you, fool me — you can’t get fooled again”. i certainly wasn’t going to drop down another $800 without receiving the initial refund. they initially claimed it would be back into my account by friday (july 14th). surprise, surprise.. friday passes and no refund is received. i contact them again about the refund i was suppoesd to get and apparently it was “placed on wednesday” (july 12th) and should be in my account in “5 business days from then”, aka the next wednesday (july 19th). at this point i am beyond furious and tired of being dicked around, so i figure it’s time to call up the bank and file a dispute.

good customer service defined

compass bank customer service couldn’tve been any more accomodating. these guys deserve an award or something for customer support because not only are they ruthlessly getting my money back from these scammers, they were as nice and courteous to me as if i was making a deposit of $10,000. they even issued me a provisional credit for the original $799.99 while they do the gruntwork of bringing the hammer down. what a great company.

conclusions

when wednesday came around and still i hadn’t received the refund, i contacted their customer service twice (once on wednesday, once on thursday), and never received any responses. today i am still without refund or n93 17 days after my original order. i contacted them again today (july 21st) asking why i hadn’t received my refund.. well, let’s let the IM log speak for itself:

(02:48:28 PM) Marshall: hello, i still have not received teh supposed refund for $800 i was supposed to get
(02:51:33 PM) Marshall: did you guys ever plan on giving me the refund?
(02:52:40 PM) AuctionManiaHelp: The refudn was issued
(02:53:35 PM) Marshall: well it was supposed to take 5 business days and it never came into my account
(02:53:45 PM) Marshall: we’re now on business day number 7
(02:55:31 PM) AuctionManiaHelp: I can contact billing to make sure it was issued to the correct account
(02:55:31 PM) AuctionManiaHelp: One moment
(02:55:33 PM) AuctionManiaHelp: What is the name of your bank?
(02:55:37 PM) AuctionManiaHelp: I can call them and find out what has happened
(02:55:51 PM) Marshall: don’t worry i’ve already filed a dispute..
(02:56:01 PM) Marshall: it will be coming back to me somehow either way
(02:56:17 PM) Marshall: you guys have a nice scam goin’ i have to admit
(02:56:33 PM) AuctionManiaHelp:Oh then you dont need our help then
(02:56:38 PM) AuctionManiaHelp: Not a problem
(02:56:46 PM) AuctionManiaHelp: I will note the account for billing
(02:56:52 PM) AuctionManiaHelp: one moment
(02:57:09 PM) AuctionManiaHelp: All noted
(02:57:18 PM) AuctionManiaHelp: We dont scam miss
(02:57:21 PM) Marshall: heh
(02:57:27 PM) AuctionManiaHelp: Or sir
(02:57:46 PM) AuctionManiaHelp: In any event it will be cleared
(02:57:47 PM) AuctionManiaHelp: Thank You