Megabuy Reviews 28

In 2011 I was subjected to a the most appalling treatment from these guys regarding the return of a faulty i5 CPU.

It'll take too much time to explain the story in full, but in brief it required taking my grievances to Whirlpool before I even got a response from them and after that they stuffed me around with broken promise after broken promise for nearly a year before I gave up.

I was considering going to the QLD Office of Fair Trading, but my understanding is that they could not order Megabuy to repay me, but only supply a judgement of wrongdoing, which I could then use as evidence in a civil action. Not worth it for a $350 CPU.

Prior to this, Megabuy had a history of claiming they had items in stock, accepting your order, charging your credit card and then telling you it would be 8 weeks or whatever delivery. Meanwhile the item would still be showing "in stock" on the website. Any attempt to cancel the order or ask for a refund would be met by delay after delay. In effect they were using their customers as interest-free credit providers.

I understand it's a cutthroat business supplying computer gear at minimum price and you shouldn't expect Rolls Royce treatment. I have honestly tried to give these guys the benefit of the doubt and kept using them even after a number of bad experiences, but there comes a point you have to say that the company has systemic problems.

I do not know whether they have improved since I stopped using them in 2011 - obviously they have managed to stay in business - but I would not risk using them again until such time as their managing director is replaced.

I have my own entirely negative experience with Megabuy but before I delve into this I'm going to post some useful information.

According to the ACCC:
The retailer who sold you the product or service cannot refuse to help you by sending you to the manufacturer or importer. You can approach the manufacturer or importer directly, however, you will only be entitled to recover costs from them, which include an amount for reduction in the product’s value and in some cases compensation for damages or loss. You cannot demand a repair, replacement or refund from the manufacturer.

Also The NSW Fair Trading has backed this up and has advised me that going forward companies that receive repeated complaints and fail to address them will get a strike against them, and when it hits 3 they will be investigated. So I strongly urge you to file complaints with Fair Trading so that these guys can get dealt with as they deserve.

So, onto the issue. On the 1st of July we ordered 4 new Dell screens. They arrived around the 18th (albeit from an entirely different supplier and this was understood as they were on back order) and we opened them and plugged them in. 1 was effectively DOA with the panel faulting badly. The second (which I still have as of the 24th of August) has a warped bezel so it separates from the left hand side of the panel.

The following week we lodged an RMA request. One week later 25th they finally got back to us and advised that I would have to go to Dell to RMA. As detailed above – this is entirely illegal.

After both advising them that they were legally obliged to resolve this issue according to Australian Consumer Law (Just to be sure I contacted both ACCC and NSW Fairtrading to get advice on this and they confirmed that who/where you pay your money has the legal responsibility to resolve the return/replacement issue) and also contacting Dell and supplying the reference number to them, they flatly declined to assist stating I have to deal with Dell directly.

After chasing this repeatedly I finally got another response on the 28th of effectively that they can't help me bacause they lack the expertise to troubleshoot which is patently untrue (how hard is it to request a photo of both screens and confirm that they were faulty?) and even if it were then Megabuy would still be under a legal obligation to resolve the issue themselves. Oddly though their website 'STILL' has as a return status of "Expecting Replacement Direct". i.e. Dell is going to replace it which is counter to the "all we need is the Dell reference (which I might remind you I supplied days ago) and we'll deal with the rest".

Meanwhile Dell had dealt with the faulty monitor and sent the replacement then organised for a courier to pick up the faulting one. In all of this shambles that is Megabuys Support Dell has stood out as a shining example of customer service. Oh you have a problem? We'll send you a replacement and pay for the return courier. Amazing what good customer service looks like...

After again advising them that they were under a legal obligation to address this I got that they were entitled to an assessment before RMA which again is untrue and legally no they are not entitled to the assessment.

Following from AGAIN advising them of their legal obligations they told me that it was me that was failing to comply to their requests to which I pointed out that not only were they doubling down on this issue but I had already given then the dell reference number two weeks previous!

Fair Trading have contacted them and then me to which I complied by contacting Megabuy to AGAIN seek a resolution however they have again fallen silent till this morning when we received another email stating that I still had to go back to Dell!!!!! (24/08/2016)

It is this that has finally prompted me to write on here and strongly advise anyone having issues with Megabuy to lodge a complaint with Fair Trading and make sure that a strike is lodged against them if it is considered pertinent by them. This kind of behavior and business practice is simply not good enough and is in no uncertain terms considered illegal by Australian Consumer Law. The ONLY way this is going to get stopped is if we as consumers use the system to hold companies like Megabuy accountable.

Took my money and did not Receive any item it has been 3 months now DO NOT BUY FROM THIS STORE !

The first time I have used this company, item listed as 5 in stock, placed my order, and advised the following day unable to fulfil the order! They certainly need to get their act together in regards to what their stock is.
Must say the refund was received the very next day so no complaints there, just a disappointment they were not able to deliver.

I have been amazed by the efficiency, speed, capabilities and logic portrayed by Megabuy with my recent order placed on 7 January 2014. Five items, all marked >5 in stock on the website, were ordered on Megabuy's Order Number 238537.

1. 1 x Asus GT630 Video Card
2. 1 x Gigabyte GA-970A-D3P motherboard
3. 1 x AMD FX-9370 CPU (with bonus 8GB USB Thumb Drive)
4. 1 x Kingston 240GB SSD Hard Drive (with bonus Bracket and Cable)
5. 1 x Windows 8.1 Professional 64-bit operating system.

The first delivery arrived on 10 Jan, but only contained the SSD Hard Drive and Windows 8.1 Pro O/S. I queried the whereabouts of the Bracket and Cable for the SSD, and was eventually told (on 14 Jan) these would be shipped separately.
The second delivery, a few days later, contained only the Gigabyte motherboard.
The third delivery, on 17 Jan, contained the missing Bracket and Lead.
The fourth delivery, on 20 Jan, contained only the Asus Video Card.

The fifth, and final, delivery arrived this morning (22 Jan) contained the CPU.
This was the supposed second attempt to deliver this item, and according to Toll Ipec's website, the driver had left a card. But that is also a blatant lie because they NEVER got here because some sub-moronic neanderthal with the IQ of an amoeba employed by Megabuy decided to change my address. See attached scans of the package and packing slip for verification.

Please get rid of this idiot! Had I not contacted Toll Ipec, my order would still be sitting in a warehouse.
 
In total, that's five deliveries for five items and taking more than a fortnight for items that were marked In Stock.
This service was supported by emails detailing the status of my order. These stated (in sequence) that my order:
1. Needed Verification
2. Shipped
3. Processed
4. Partially Shipped
5. Shipped and Dispatched
6. Shipped and Dispatched

My client, who attempted to wait patiently, first laughed and then cried, as pieces for this puzzle arrived, supported by the encouraging, accurate emails.

I sincerely congratulate Megabuy on their complete incompetence, inefficiency and ineptitude. Never before have I dealt with such an amateurish, unprofessional bungling company.

There should be a special category in the Guinness Book of Records for this company's unenvied mismanagement.

I am still awaiting a response to this email which I sent back to R Ayers on 8 January:

Hi Ron,
Thankyou very much for your order,
As this is your first order with us we would just like to ensure that you made this purchase and your details are protected.
The easiest way to do this would be if we could receive an email from an ISP email address (like Bigpond, Optus, TPG etc) or a company email address.
Or if you can provide the details of the company you work, we can then call to verify.
Alternatively there is also a bank transfer option, let me know and ill explain what needs to be done.
Look forward to hearing from you
Kind Regards,
Russell Ayres
Purchasing Officer
MegaBuy Pty Ltd

G'day Russell,
I do not understand what you need from me.
Fact: This is my second order from Megabuy (refer your order number 238025).
Fact: rong1@iinet.net.au is my email address, where iinet is my Internet Service Provider.
Fact: I work for myself, trading under the name Laser Sounds, this name also appearing on my first and latest order.
Fact: My previous order was paid for per PayPal without any problems.
Fact: My current order has been paid for per PayPal and appears as such in my bank statement.
Fact: I use PayPal because I do not want to disclose my banking details to everyone. PayPal also offer insurance against rogue dealers.
I reiterate - I do not understand what you need from me. What requires verification ????
Regards,
Ron
 
May I suggest you have an immediate staff retraining course for all your employees and cull the no-hopers.

I thought I should share with you MY WORST SHOPPING EXPERIENCE EVER.
I’ve ordered a $1200 laptop & external HD bundle from Megabuy after confirming its availability by phoning the store. Paid by direct deposit and was supposed to receive it in 1-3 days. Never received the laptop. After 4 days I received an e-mail saying it was shipped and received the external HD that day, but not the laptop. I’ve called the store and was told that the laptop will arrive from a different warehouse. After another few days, I’ve called again and was told, sorry the product was discontinued. So I was left with a $1200 external hard drive.
I’ve been offered another laptop in exchange for the discontinued one, but could not accept it as it was way inferior to the one ordered. I’ve called them just about every day to organise a refund. They did pass me from one department o another, without resolving the problem. Finally, I went to the store to return the external HD and get the refund. BIG SURPRISE. They did not refund my money. When I’ve insisted, they asked me to leave the store, threatening to call the Police.
Since I did not leave, they eventually made me another offer for replacing the laptop, this time with a different brand and different size laptop. Long story short, my money has not been refund. I have to contact them again tomorrow, but I am not optimistic. It is 2 weeks now and I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. The next step would be the ACC and the court.
Guys, it is really a bad idea to shop with Megabuy. Don’t trust me, just do an online search for “Megabuy & review”.

Never got the wireless access point that I ordered.

After more than 4 months, 50 emails and a lot of phone calls with very unfriendly support staff, I finally got my money back.

Do not use MegaBuy.com.au - It is not worth the pain.