Overstock Reviews

After researching the product and referencing their product web page that indicated that a battery would be included, I sent another e-mail and received the following reply on May 17, 2004: We are sorry to hear your purchase of Olympus Camedia C-50 5.0MP Digital Camera was unsatisfactory. We will stand behind our service guarantee and instead of sending you a full replacement; the missing part(s) will be shipped from our warehouse within 2 business days. My office received the replacement battery on May 27, 2004 while I was on vacation. Upon my return on June 2, 2004, I realized the camera did not work and it would not even power on. I sent an e-mail and was directed to their web site for returns.

There I learned that it had been over 20 days and I would have to contact customer service directly. I contacted Overstock.com again via phone on June 21, 2004 to return the item, but was advised that since it had been over the 20 days allowed to return the item they would not take it back. I explained the situation with the missing battery and was advised by Adrian (customer service rep.) that someone would contact me within 2 business days to send me a return shipping label and a reference number. On June 25, 2004, I received the following e-mail reply: I have received your e-mail and I am truly sorry that you have had problems with your Olympus Camedia C-50 5.0MP Digital Camera. Unfortunately we cannot accept the return on this item because we are outside the terms of our return policy. Our policy is established so we can accept returns under reasonable circumstances and exceptions. After this much time has passed, there is no way for us to establish that the defect you are reporting was directly a result of the product itself. In reviewing the circumstances, I did not find any indication that this product has failed to stand the test of time for many of our other customers who ordered the same item. I replied stating I would be contacting my attorney, the BBB, and any other organization I could to report my dissatisfaction with Overstock.com. At this point, the money is not the issue, its principle! I am now waiting on their reply.

So I contacted overstock.com for RMA information. They told me they would send me an RMA number and a return shipping label to print out. It took almost three weeks and numerous phone calls from me for them to send these items. In the meantime, they promised me several times over the phone and once by email to replace the scanner for the same price I paid for it originally.

On Tuesday, Nov. 20, I received an email from a Wes Alford saying that my Visa had been credited $122.95 because they wanted to "compensate" me for the difficulties I'd had in dealing with them. I wrote back to him and said I didn't want my account credited, I wanted the replacement scanner. I specifically told him, in my email reply, that I was authorizing overstock.com to charge my Visa card in the amount of $102.95. The next day, a credit from overstock.com in the amount of $102.95 appeared on my online banking statement, plus I got an email from overstock.com saying that my new order was confirmed and my card was being charged $119.45, "which includes shipping."

I called the bank to tell them not to honor this charge because I had only authorized $102.95. the bank told me there's nothing they can do about this and I'd have to take it up with overstock.com and/or contact the BBB or some other consumer protection agency or hire a lawyer. I sure won't hire a lawyer over $16.50, and talking to overstock.com gets me nothing.

Overstock.com had the use of my money for over 5 weeks while I had no scanner. I told them that I was not able to just go out and buy another scanner. Mr. Alford wrote to me that they had a lot of other scanners available but only one left of the scanner I originally ordered. Their overcharge on my debit card will result in a fee from my bank because it will take my balance down below their minimum for not having a service charge.

This might not be a big deal for most people, but it is for me. I was cut off of my disability pension in August and have been trying to start a home business. I need a scanner in order to proceed with that business, and I did a lot of research on scanners before deciding on the one I ordered from overstock.com. It is still the scanner I want, and I told them so, and they want to squeeze a little extra out of me because they say, "It's the last one we have" and they think I'll just go ahead and accept the higher price because even at the higher price it is still the lowest price I could find on it.