What do you do if a company screws you?

[ortjay]

If a company sends you a faulty motherboard, and they sound sketchy and dont standy by their 30 day return policy or DOA warranty policies. Is there anyone out there, besides an attorney, that can help you. Or are we, the consumer, just at their mercy. any help would be appreciated. thanks.

[Mntsnow]

Contact the BBB (better business bureau). If you paid by Credit card contact your card issuer and follow the steps that they have inplace to handle situations such as your.

Next visit www.resellerratings.com (http://www.resellerratings.com) and put in your evaluation of the reseller! as well as the forum by that name here (bottom of the main forum listings page

[ortjay]

thanks. i didnt even think of my credit card company.

[M1pilot]

I went through a similiar problem not long ago with a webcam. The store I purchased it from pulled the same stunt, saying that it was the manufacturer's responsibility to prove that they would credit the store before I would receive my money back!! Well, I got a hold of the manufacturer, and explained the situation, and they could'nt quite believe the store's response either. Needless to say, the manufacturer (a major company) was a little concerned how the store was representing their products, and had a little talk with the owners. I got my money back pronto, the store I made the original purchase from (a fairly major computer parts supplier in my area) has lost my business, and the manufacturer of the webcam still gets my full fledged support through the purchase of their other products from other more reputable suppliers.

Try contacting the manufacturer of the product first....IMO most of them don't appreciate their suppliers tarnishing their names from various excuses to refuse valid returns.

-M1pilot

[Brian48]

File a formal, online complaint with one or both of the below:

Better Business Bureau (http://216.46.242.4/complaints/consumerform.asp)

Internet Fraud Center (https://www.ifccfbi.gov/)

[Axel]

A few notes on the better business bureau - all they can do is keep your complaint on file and ask the offending company to shape up.... Coca-cola has literally hundreds of complaints a year.....

Companies who aren't members of the BBB and don't care about their image will laugh at you....


If you received the board through the mail - you can also complain to your post-master and file fraud charges - that's got federal weight behind it. Those they have to answer to, but again, you could end up in court.

Reseller ratings like we have on this board are a good way to voice your discontent, but stay well within the facts and to what you can prove or, depending on how far this goes, you could look at a liable charge and, win or lose - only the lawyers win those....

Best thing you can do - look at on-line ratings of both the product and the vendor. If they aren't listed - probably not a good idea to spend too much money there at first.

With-holding payment on your credit card isn't a bad idea, except it will also go on your credit report and follow you around for a while. Some vendors will deny you service if it's a large purchase and they bother to look up your credit record.