5/11/10

AND ANOTHER THING!

Ok, Let me climb up on my soap box for a second here.
All right. Everyone here? Can you hear me in the back?
(tapping on mike)
Ok.
I'm not sure about the niceties, or legalities of bitching on a blog, so let me change the names to protect the not so innocent.
To keep the blog interesting, and my blood pressure low, here's some pictures of Princess Petunia.
I had joined a site. A fabric - buying site.
It rhymes with Slab-Slanatic.
Let me tell you, I was so excited about this site. They billed themselves as a "Costco" for fabric. You would place an order, and once they had enough orders they would buy a bolt, and divvy it up amongst the people who had ordered, passing the savings on to you!
Fabulous.
Sign me up.
I ordered some fabric, it came, life was good.
I joined the "Stashbuilders" club, where they would automatically send me eight half yard pieces each month.
Terrific!
I was in heaven. I made a quilt out of the fabric they had sent.
Then one day, I accidentally ordered a big bundle of fabric. I say accidentally because I was never all that comfortable with their website, and one day was checking out what was available, and put some in my "cart". I clicked
to the next page, thinking I would find a summary, or an "Are you sure" page, but no. I had just ordered $52 of fabric.
Now yes, it was Dolce, which I loved, but $52 is a lot of money for something I wasn't sure I wanted.
Don't you go through the sites and pile things up in your cart, only to cancel it all out at the end?
I do.
So fine, I had accidentally ordered a big chunk of Dolce, but at least it was fabric that I loved, so no harm, no foul.
I'm rambling, I know. Bear with me.
So I had ordered this fabric in FEBRUARY.
That's right,
FEBRUARY.
And it never came.
I emailed, politely requesting an update, and didn't get a response.
I emailed again, and again,
and finally got an email that said "Will send it right out."
But no fabric came.
Now, in the meantime, my April auto-delivery came, money was taken out of my account for it, but no fabric showed up.
I emailed.
And emailed.
AND EMAILED.
Now, I am a patient woman.
I really am.
If they had just answered my emails, I would happily wait forever.
But with no answers, I started thinking scam, and shadiness, and bad thoughts.
AND RIGHTLY SO!
Because I never did get that fabric, and I never did get my April shipment, and I never did get an answer to my emails!
I disputed it through PayPal, and they got me the money for the April shipment returned, but told me that since it had been longer than 45 days, I was out of luck with that $52.
Hmm.
Well THAT would have been a good thing to know up front.
So for my patience, I was rewarded with losing $52 and never seeing that fabric that I had ordered, and I now have an unfair hatred of Dolce, (which is totally wrong, because it wasn't the fabric's fault, and it really is a beautiful, beautiful fabric line), and a mistrust of ordering things online.
A couple of weeks ago I was sick with the stomach flu. The night before. I had been drinking a lovely Riesling.
Then I barfed.
Last night I tried to drink that same lovely Riesling, and the smell took me immediately back to the bathroom.
That's how I feel about buying fabric now.
Thank you, Slab-slanatic.
Thanks a lot.
So here is my public service announcement.
You may now resume your regularly scheduled life.

8 comments:

shabby girl said...

I would just say the name of that dastardly place, so some other angelic buyer, like you, doesn't get TAKEN!!!
The photo of your lovely princess does make me feel a tad bit better...especially with the bankey over the head! :)

Leslie said...

man...every bit of that stinks. too bad it ruined dolce for you.

Sequana said...

You're not the only one. I got the first three shipments of fabrics for Jan, Feb, and March. Then comes April...I emailed and emailed - finally I have sent a dispute to PayPal.

I didn't know about the 45 days to dispute, but I was just under the line, thankfully.

I'm pretty sure I know a little more about them - email me if you want to discuss it more.

Brenda said...

You still have recourse. You can call you CC company, not paypal...your actual CC company and dispute the charges. Just thought you'd like to know...

Barb said...

I am so sorry this has happened to you...so frustrating....

Robin said...

Wow that is terrible!!!! Thanks for sharing and possibly saving others from this same problem. Good idea from Brenda regarding the credit card company. Keep us posted!

And your dog is cute!!

shabby girl said...

Um, Miss Pep, she is the queen, correct???

JB and Jane said...

I too have been scammed by FF, I lost $75 and now have to hope that I can still find the stinkin fabric Ive been waiting 6 months for. I cannot believe they took advantage of so many people.
Just to let you know you can file small claims against them even if you are out of state and you can contact econsumer.gov to file a complaint against them.