Small Joes = BAD

Gusthebus · Post by **Gusthebus** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 3:41 pm

I recently purchased a set of the German SS Figures from Small Joes for $101 and when I received it, it was damaged. The black collectors box the figures came it was ripped up and Small Joes put tape on it to keep it together. I didn't open the box because I wanted a refund. When I contacted them they said send it back and we'll send you a new one or give you a complete refund. Well, my last bank statement came and I was only credited $76!!!!! Remember, I paid to ship it from Small Joes and I paid to ship it back. I contacted them again but what can we do to pressure companies to keep honest??? I WILL NEVER USE SMALLJOES AGAIN. Any advise would be great.

Post by **aferguson** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 4:44 pm

i've never dealth with them but i believe several board members have and are quite happy with their service. Like any business, no one is 100% satisfied.

Have you tried to communicate with them directly? ie telephone?

toyktdlgh · Post by **toyktdlgh** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 4:48 pm

Sorry to hear about your problems. I also bought the SS set from Small Joes but had no problems to mention. As a matter of fact I had some pretty good service. Unfortunately different retailers have different policies on refunding shipping. I have always been a firm believer that if it is the companies fault then the consumer should not be punished for their mistake. Having to suck down a double shipping charge when you no longer have the merchandise is a tough cookie to swallow. Did you get to speak with someone at Small Joes yet??? Maybe once you explain it to them they will fix the problem. I bought an airplane off of Amazon.com a while back. They sent me the wrong plane and then sent me another one and it was wrong as well. I sent the one back but kept the other because it was a great deal. They sent me a packaging slip to send the other plane back, free of charge. That’s the way it should be…

Grunt · Post by **Grunt** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 5:51 pm

I think that all of the reputable sellers (like smalljoes) fully intend to be honest. The goal of their policies is to be fair. They shouldn't incur a penalty if a buyer makes a mistake(orders wrong item, doesn't like it when it arrives, whatever) , you shouldn't be penalized if they make a mistake (wrong item sent, item damaged, etc..).

My experiences with them have been good.

Gusthebus · Post by **Gusthebus** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 6:34 pm

I did have one set of the figures from Small Joe's already sent and it was perfect but the second set was unacceptable. The box was ripped and only held together by tape. I have had great service with them in the past but when I asked for this refund they said send it back and we will send a new set out or refund you completely. With that in mind I sent it back only to get a 75% refund and no shipping. I have emailed them back and forth and they have no intention of giving me a full refund. I'm going to have to eat the $35 or so with not product to show for it. I would have kept the figures if I knew they were not going to fully refund me. Either way I'm not going to use them in future and I just wanted to warn everyone here about their refund problems. Thanks for the replies

coreystinson · Post by **coreystinson** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 7:22 pm

I will make one statement about this situation, then you can either drop it or argue on with the other board members about it as you see fit.

The originator of thread has made a couple of of misrepresentations about what he says "we said." Also, the condition of the item was not anywhere near as bad as he implies in this post, not that it makes any difference.

In any case, the core of the problem is as follows:

1) customer wanted refund, not happy with condition of packaging

2) we asked customer if he had opened the merchandise, and he would not answer us on the question (note our return policy on opened merchandise), instead issued threats "I'll tattle on you to discussion forum", etc. etc.

3) we went ahead and authorized the return, but upon receiving it we found that it had been opened then re-taped by customer with a different kind of tape.

Sorry, but not an acceptable return scenario. If you don't like the condition of the item's packing, you don't go ahead and open it THEN demand to return it. Well, we took it back anyway but he was accessed a 15% restocking fee. Them's the breaks.

P.S. In the email I got this evening, he claimed a loss of $25 in shipping charges. Now it has turned into $35. Also will note that product was returned via FedEx on someone else's dime, so complaining about any return shipping costs seems a bit silly.

mediump · Post by **mediump** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 7:37 pm

Just to chime in here, I have ordered from smalljoes several times and they are my favorite place to do business with. I have not ordered the SS set, but also I do not keep any of the boxes, so for those of you that do keep them and prefer them in mint condition my opinion probably doesn't matter.
P.S I run a small business (flooring) and our restocking fee is 20% plus freight both ways on any canceled orders and returns.

Post by **aferguson** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 7:42 pm

ok, both sides have said their piece. Thread locked.