PriceUSA experience - please help me!!!

[darkorchid]

Hi All

I'm seriously needing some help/advice in this situation - I do not know what to do. Let me explain my situation...
PriceUSA (based in Victoria) is a company that facilitates the ordering and purchasing of products from the USA and then has them shipped to you here in Australia (so basically a forwarding service).

I have been unable to find some specific Neutrogena products here in Sydney so I thought I would try and purchase it from the USA - plus it was going to be hella cheap. Looking back now I probably should have just bought the stuff off ebay but I thought "No Ill give this service a go as it looks like it might be cheaper". So off I went and placed my order for 2 bottles of toner through PriceUSA and I paid my money to them and waited for my package to arrive.

About a month later I got an email from PriceUSA saying that my package had returned to the agent (shipper/buyer person) in the US saying that it was 'undeliverable'. They double checked the address with me and it was all correct, there had been no mistake with that. Then they sent me an email telling me that I would have to pay the shipping costs again in order to get my order.

I was like..."What? Why do I have to repay the shipping costs? I didn't make it return, it wasn't my fault - why am I repaying?"

I replied to them with this and scans of my license showing I had provided correct details and that I didn't feel I should have to repay these costs (especially since I had already paid for the shipping the first time!). Basically a string of emails later PriceUSA told me that it was up to the agent in the USA whether I would have to repay the shipping because I actually ordered the stuff through them, not her...which made me think then why the heck did I pay you and what exactly do you do??? I asked why exactly it was returned and they told me they didn't know and that I would have to contact my post office....But with what?! I don't have any tracking numbers, no date of deliver, no notice of undelivery - nothing!

So then I thought, what can I do? I have since approached the Dept of Fair Trading to see if they can help me resolve the issue - basically I want either a refund (as much as is possible) or I want my goods without having to pay for shipping again.

PriceUSA has ignored/not responded to the contact attempts by the Dept of Fair Trading

At this point I have been told I'll have to apply for like a hearing and stuff in order to force PriceUSA to respond, but when I looked up information on this last night its going to cost me more money! :S

So at this point, I do not know what to do. I have emailled PriceUSA last night requesting a refund for the goods ... but I am sure they will either ignore this request or simply tell me they cannot do that, they have already purchased the products so I simply have to pay. I feel really helpless - I am pretty sure I am being ripped off here and I am so upset there seems to be nothing I can do about it!

Any advice ladies? Am I being stupid? My bf says I shouldn't repay the shipping because what if it gets returned again! Then I'll be so out of pocket...

 

[sambibabe]

Oh my.. I am so sorry to hear you have to go through all these. Last year, I had a problem with FedEx that they charged me $230 for the mistake THEY made. I rang them, I emailed them and they kept blamed it on me.. So I contacted Consumers Affair and they solved the problem! I got $230 back. It didn't cost me a cent either. How much did you pay for the products and shipping, if you don't mind me asking? They need to provide a proof that it was indeed returned to the agent in USA. Otherwise, they could just pretend they placed an order and shipped to you and lie that it was returned.

 

[darkorchid]

Not that much really ... well sorta. If i pay for the reshipping Ill be out of pocket near $100 - which seems a lot to me considering its for 2 bottles of Neutrogena toner which totaled $20USD...
The problem seems to be mainly that since PriceUSA aren't responding, there isn't anything further that Dept of Fair Trading can do - they cannot force them to respond to the complaint :S

 

[sambibabe]

In that case, I would just leave it

Did you pay it with a credit card?

 

[darkorchid]

No

Direct to their accounts. I should have paid through PayPal or something now looking back so that I would have been more protected, but I didn't

 

[sambibabe]

Damn! I was going to say if you paid it with cc, then you could dispute the charge.. I just checked their FAQ page and it says the order is insured? So your package should have some kind of article number at least. This really sucks. Lucky you didn't order iphone or something!

 

[darkorchid]

Well she replied to my email requesting a refund and basically said she can refund the service fee I paid her, and she will see what money she can get back from her agent, but it depends if he has encountered any costs - pft what costs? I paid for all the shipping and everything....looks like I'll get about $10 back...I spoke to my contact at the Dept of Fair Trading again and I am thinking about going ahead with the Tribunal - I would prefer a full refund.

 

[darkorchid]

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL

If you ever, EVER consider buying through this 'company' please do consider it thoroughly beforehand. From my experience, PriceUSA has not provided me with ANY satisfactory customer service whatsoever, and just to be advised if anything EVER goes wrong with your purchase through her, she will put all responsibility for the product, for the shipping and for all correspondence and liability onto an unknown, unlocatable company called iForward in the USA.

Please ladies I would encourage you to think hard before using this woman's service. I have been left very out of pocket and unable to do anything because she is in VIC and I am in NSW.