All Refunds Not Sent Yet

[Zor Prime]

Okay lets try this one.

Hey Chip, have you any idea if the upcoming CC reorder page will allow you to specify a sum that someone was refunded as payment for reorder, or will it be an across the board single sum as before?

 

[Chip]

Hey Chip, have you any idea if the upcoming CC reorder page will allow you to specify a sum that someone was refunded as payment for reorder, or will it be an across the board single sum as before?
I don't know. I would think you would pay the exact amount you were refunded, but I do not know for sure. I just sent Craig another email with a couple very specific questions, and this was one of them. Hopefully I'll have a definite answer for you soon.

 

[jakewastaken]

Just got my refund today minus the expected transactional charges.

Count me in as just waiting for that link to show up so I can risk a big wad of money again for the third time in a row. You'd practically think they didn't want me as a customer

 

[TaG]

The reorder page will be up as soon as all the refunds are processed. Craig doesn't want another server crash, so the regional pages will be brought up one at a time, a day or two apart. Just like the refunds themselves, the UK page will be first, then continental Europe, then North America, then the rest of the world.

Apparently the plan was always to take reorders only after all refunds were sent, but it was never expected that the refunds would take this long. That's why all I kept hearing was "soon".

I'm still waiting for an answer as to why the emails continued after we had been told the refunds were finished two weeks ago.

Typical. Make those in the UK pay first. It's not fair. j-k, but I thought I might as well say it in jest before somebody says it's for real Anyway, lets hope you are able to put the answers up soon it is such a shame that this is souring some people's experience of Pandora and the team,regardless of 'blame'.

 

[Nailz]

I got my email on the 26th of November.
Got a partial refund on the 5th for the added cable and battery.
Have yet to see the rest of it for the Pandora and case.

Needless to say, it's been a long 3 days.

 

[Asmo]

The reorder page will be up as soon as all the refunds are processed. Craig doesn't want another server crash, so the regional pages will be brought up one at a time, a day or two apart. Just like the refunds themselves, the UK page will be first, then continental Europe, then North America, then the rest of the world.

Apparently the plan was always to take reorders only after all refunds were sent, but it was never expected that the refunds would take this long. That's why all I kept hearing was "soon".

I'm still waiting for an answer as to why the emails continued after we had been told the refunds were finished two weeks ago.




Word from the top implied the CC facility was a week or so away or even delayed by a dud laptop (2 weeks ago this week). How could the (latest) truth not have been told sooner, especially if it was 'always the plan'? Surely it would have exposed the servers to the least load to have the CC facility up as soon as possible, so people could repay as they received their own refunds - any longer and everyone still inclined to do so will be trying to do it at the same time.
From the outside, 'we' have no way of knowing how many remain to be refunded and therefore how long this can be dragged on for. Credulity is stretched. Alarm bells begin ringing.

 

[gaterooze]

Asmo: it does add up. I'm not saying this is all true, but from what we were told, in a rough chronology:

* Craigix was told by the bank that all refunds had been processed.
* Chip informed us of this fact.
* Craigix indicated that the credit card reorder would be up almost immediately (note that at this time he thought the refunds were all done, so what Chip just said about 'always the plan' jibes with this).
* The OpenPandora team started sending out reorder e-mails to the final areas affected (North America and Australia, in particular). These obviously took a few days as some e-mails didn't arrived for a while.
* At the same time, it became obvious that the bank had not sent out all of the refunds when they said they had, instead they seemed to be doing them in a piecemeal fashion. This would have delayed the CC reorder page, going by what Chip says.

So it all fits.

 

[gorman]

Hey Chip, have you any idea if the upcoming CC reorder page will allow you to specify a sum that someone was refunded as payment for reorder, or will it be an across the board single sum as before?
I don't know. I would think you would pay the exact amount you were refunded, but I do not know for sure. I just sent Craig another email with a couple very specific questions, and this was one of them. Hopefully I'll have a definite answer for you soon.
Chip, you should ask for a formal statement, not a post on a forum.
After all that's happened, a "Craig told me in an e-mail that this is what's gonna happen" really won't cut it.
I know it's not your fault, but tell this to Craig.
This is still a business after all, and people losing money on exchange rates need something more than hearsay to make them comfortable in believing in this business.
Just saying...

 

[BenTolputt]

Chip:QUOTE
I'm still waiting for an answer as to why the emails continued after we had been told the refunds were finished two weeks ago.
Thanks Chip. Addressing this directly and letting us know you asked (just have yet to receive an answer) speaks volumes on your dedication/credibility.

As I'll probably be chasing this up should the answer not be forthcoming, I just wanted you to know I appreciate the fact you are also querying this and that I'm not "pissing into the wind" so to speak

GunPei2X:
The time-lines and everything line up, true. However, the only thing that doesn't is the fact we were told all refunds were sent and emails were sent at least a week after said announcement. Chip is chasing this up for us though, so I am confident that there will be some announcement on this "soon"

 

[Chip]

Chip, you should ask for a formal statement, not a post on a forum.
Well, I suppose I could write up a press release and post it on the website. It's still going to be information I got from Craig in an email, and it won't contain anything that a post here would. Is formality really what you're after, or just honest information?

However, the only thing that doesn't is the fact we were told all refunds were sent and emails were sent at least a week after said announcement.
Another question I hope to have answered today.

 

[gorman]

Chip, you should ask for a formal statement, not a post on a forum.
Well, I suppose I could write up a press release and post it on the website. It's still going to be information I got from Craig in an email, and it won't contain anything that a post here would. Is formality really what you're after, or just honest information?
At this point formality would go a long way toward reestablishing a bit of trust. And I really doubt I'm alone in feeling like this.
Formality together with honest information, this is what I'm after.

 

[BenTolputt]

I don't think it's so much "formality", Chip. There are alot of people that ordered that don't frequently visit this forum (if they do at all). As such, an official post on the website is likely all they will see.
QUOTE
Another question I hope to have answered today.
I know this... something I am grateful for you chasing up (rinse, repeat )

 

[White Demon]

Here's my advice to usa customers, go ahead and do a charge back.
The problem with that is that we get charged a sizable fee for every chargeback. A paranoid person might suspect that deliberately slowing the refunds to encourage chargebacks and generate fees might explain the bank's reluctance to process the refunds, but I would certainly never make such a potentially libelous insinuation.

QUOTE
A note on exchange rates etc.: Those of us from the US dont agree with the explanation that "you are getting back what you paid essentially" argument because our purchasing power has decreased. Like I mentioned before goods and services are never pegged to the second by second fluctuating rate
Agree or disagree, it is the logical truth. Please re-read some of my many, many explanations of how currency exchange works. Your inability to understand the situation likely stems from your inexperience with international purchasing. Please read some of the more rational responses from others who, not living in the US, are used to these types of transactions. If a product has a set price in currency A and you pay in currency B, then yes, the cost in currency B will change day by day based on the exchange rate. This is perfectly normal, it just seems strange to you because it is outside of your limited scope of experience.

I think there's some confusion here.

For US orders, Craig fixed a set amount of money - USD$330. When people were charged however, there money was being converted from USD to GBP.

Herein lies the problem I believe, as people thought they were being charged in USD since they were set a price in USD. Now they are not getting back what they thought they should be, and in the refund email it does not state that they only need to reorder the same amount that they were refunded, which is why I believe some of them are thinking they ill be charged the full USD$330 when they re-order. The situation here on the forums doesn't make it much clearer, since despite everyone trying to assure them they will pay no more, confusion still reigns.

In other countries we're a bit more savvy than most Americans, since most of us would be more knowledgeable with overseas orders, exchange rates etc (not trying to put them down - the simple fact is everyone else orders stuff from overseas a lot more than they do, and it sounds like for some this is their first overseas order ever).

Craig should have been up front about the price being charged in GBP no matter where you order from from the beginning, he should have stated the price in BRITISH POUNDS ONLY and never quoted a USD price. This may not have caused nearly as much confusion in case a problem arose (which it did in a major way).

The reorder page will be up as soon as all the refunds are processed. Craig doesn't want another server crash, so the regional pages will be brought up one at a time, a day or two apart. Just like the refunds themselves, the UK page will be first, then continental Europe, then North America, then the rest of the world.

Um, due to problems with differences in exchange rates, surely in would be better to get the Europe, US and ROW pages up BEFORE the UK page, since they don't have to worry about exchange rates?

 

[eksasol]

Ouch I didn't really expect this, I opt out and not reorder since I needed the money, but I didn't realized it would cost so much for the enchange rate. I remembered the order was something more than $350+ and only getting $289 back.

 

[frefol]

Craig should have been up front about the price being charged in GBP no matter where you order from from the beginning, he should have stated the price in BRITISH POUNDS ONLY and never quoted a USD price. This may not have caused nearly as much confusion in case a problem arose (which it did in a major way).

I agree that the price should never have quoted in USD but, at least on the page I ordered from at GBAX, the price was clearly listed as 199 GBP not 330 USD. I am in the US and totally expected to get back 199 GBP for the refund and expect to pay 199 GBP to reorder no matter what the USD price happens to be at the time.

By the way I got my reorder email on Dec 5 and the refund on the 6th.

 

[White Demon]

@frefol: Which shows you, most people didn't read every screen of the order process carefully.

At least you're one of the smart ones who knows about the exchange rates and so forth. But unfortunately most Americans, who otherwise would never order anything from overseas, aren't when it comes to this (note again - I AM NOT PUTTING ANYONE DOWN IN ANYWAY - it's just the way it is).

 

[gp32rich]

I have not received an email, I would like a confirmation notice on my current status.
I also suggested this, but as per usual, it gets lost / ignored in the gp32x noise. <_<

Besides, after the speed of other emailings I wouldn't be surprised if it just caused more noise & confusion.

Anyone know if they'll take a cheque? jewellery? magic beans?

 

[Prometheus]

Craig should have been up front about the price being charged in GBP no matter where you order from from the beginning, he should have stated the price in BRITISH POUNDS ONLY and never quoted a USD price. This may not have caused nearly as much confusion in case a problem arose (which it did in a major way).

Are you sure about that? :lol: I seem to remember confusion occurring about the price anyway, due to people from outside of the UK not knowing that part of the £199 included VAT, which they didn't actually have to pay, and then complaints about the machine costing $400 or more as a result (since the pound was stronger back then, if memory serves), because they were including the VAT in their calculations... :lol:

(Note: I'm just being light-hearted, here, but I do recall this stuff. )

 

[White Demon]

@Prometheus: Craig could have quoted prices for UK customers and non-UK customers and still quoted them in GBP.

 

[rmm2131]

@frefol: Which shows you, most people didn't read every screen of the order process carefully.

At least you're one of the smart ones who knows about the exchange rates and so forth. But unfortunately most Americans, who otherwise would never order anything from overseas, aren't when it comes to this (note again - I AM NOT PUTTING ANYONE DOWN IN ANYWAY - it's just the way it is).

Yes White Demon, some Americans have never dealt with such a dynamic change in the value of their money when purchasing overseas products in these circumstances today. Since i'm so worldly too, I could say that most Australians are used to purchasing everything from other countries since they are a desert island with only clusters of cities that only produces and exports tasty but of limited use vegemite, but the truth is i've only known one Australian and she didn't talk about her country much. :rolleyes:

In other fun news, still nothing on my refunded money and it is disheartening and another hard kick to the balls that Craig plans on putting the Credit Card reorder page up first for UK customers who don't have to worry about the exchange rates. I hope I can still have kids after all this.