Beware Pixmania

I have used Pixmania a few times and found them great as have many friends who have ordered stuff and had no problem. However I do wonder how easy it would be to solve a problem if I received wrong or faulty goods I hope it's something I don't have to ever worry about.

I rest my case.
 
I rest my case.
Your case is based on consideration by a satisfied customer of what might happen in hypothetical circumstances of there being problems with an order? Good luck in the court of public opinion!
 
I agree with Carmel, when I ordered on-line it indicated camera was in stock, checked status of order and camera now not in stock, althought accessories have been issued. Accessories are no use without camera, tried to contact them by e-mail, phone, an absolute disaster, customer service non existant. Have no way of cancelling order as given wrong e-mail address, also I have received e-mail responses in French. STAY AWAY FROM PIXMANIA
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jellyshots http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?p=195454#post195454
I have used Pixmania a few times and found them great as have many friends who have ordered stuff and had no problem. However I do wonder how easy it would be to solve a problem if I received wrong or faulty goods I hope it's something I don't have to ever worry about.


I rest my case.
.

Eh...Am I missing something Grifter. As I previously stated my own experience of Pixmania has been nothing but positive I recommended the site to friends who have used them too and had no problems. I merely wondered aloud what the customer service was like with an online retalier in the event of a problem, I would say the same about a high street retailer but I haven't had any and fingers crossed I don't. Until such time as I encounter a problem I can only offer a positive opinion of this particular company.

Some people are happier walking into a high street shop and walking out with their purchase in the knowledge it can be returned the following day if there is a problem but you pay a price premium for this service. I'm quite happy to buy online and save myself a few bob I bought a camera off Pixmania for €1200 the best deal I could find in the shops here at the time was €1500 so for me it was a no brainer.

I have no affiliation with Pixmania by the way just a satisfied customer.



Just as a side note after your experiences with the iPod I would have been more annoyed with apple rather than the companies selling the product if I had bought 3 dodgy ones!!! I personally wouldn't have gone back for a fourth Ipod but hey everyone can have different opinions about the same company can't they ;)
 
Some advice - learned the hard way:
I bought a Mini iPod over the internet from Amazon .co.uk. Worked fine for a few days then it only held its charge for 2 hours. I returned it to Amazon -at my cost- stating that it was faulty. Several days later my credit card account was credited with the cost of the item. No problem. Amazon are good in this way. I then decided that I would order the same item from Apple direct ( from Cork). It arrived and was faulty straight away. It was a similar problem in that the battery would not hold its charge. I contacted them and went through hell, being referred to technical support in India! I gave up and contacted them again (in Cork), this time I got a very helpful person. Next day a courier arrived at the house and collected the unit. Again, my credit card was reimbursed a week later. Finally I visited Argos and bought a mini iPod again. After a week the screen became corrupted and the unit was getting very hot. Returned it to Argos and got a full refund on the spot. Brilliant service.
A week later, pissed off with Mini iPods, I bought a 30GB proper iPod from Argos. No problems - 10 months later.
Lesson learned? You might pay a bit more in Argos, but they have a great returns policy.
P.S. I have a piece of equipment bought for me from Pixmania. I hope it never goes wrong!

Some comments on this:

If you return something to Amazon because it is faulty then they should refund the postage. I have returned an item to Amazon because it got delivered outside of their stated delivery time and by the time it arrived I no longer wanted it; they refunded me the cost of the item and my return postage. You should talk to them in person before returning the item if unsure. In any event, you should follow their online return policy to get an RMA number before sending the item back.

This advice applies to all online retailers - Komplett, Pixmania etc.

My own view is that if the cost of the saving is insufficient to offset the potential for increased hassle (postage, emails to customer support) in the event of a problem then you are better off buying it from a (more expensive, usually) retailer locally.

While the consumer protection may vary with jurisdiction, in general, you have can read the Ts and Cs before you purchase an item and satisfy yourself as to how the return policy, cooling off and other complaint handling will work. It is in the interest of the supplier to protect its reputation as much as possible so they will in general always try to sort out a genuine customer complaint.

As other posters have mentioned, faulty iPods is an Apple quality control issue (and I am surprised that you had so many) in all likelihood not down to Amazon.

In relation to Pixmania, I have bought from them several times with no problems. I don't recall ever having to return anything to them but apart from the fact that they are not the fastest to respond to emails, I have no particular concerns here. Several work colleagues have from them before and have no horror stories to report either.

On the other hand, colleagues have bought external hard discs from Lidl / Aldi and had to return them for repair after 1 month with no recompense whatsoever for loss of data and I am not sure they were refunded the postage. So it does not go without saying that physical retailers are necessarily better than virtual ones; it very much depends on the actual trader.

Just by 10c worth as an active consumer of both online and offline products.

Finally, I agree that Argos' return policy is particularly good, so as I said above, if local price is not too much higher than online, you are probably better buying it locally because of the ease of return and customer satisfaction / aftersales service.
 
Yep, the Customer Service is Muck. I was waiting over 2 months to get my camera back. My issue wasn't with the time it took, rather there was no reply to my queries from week 5 onwards. I had changed my address in the meantime & there was no way of informing them of this. I got the camera in the end (delivered to my parents address). Anyway - the deal was great - would I use them again - Yes.
 
I ordered a camera off them 12 months ago. Took nearly two months for the camera to arrive. After the first month delay I tried to cancel the order and they told me they could not and I would have to post it back at my expense. This despite the fact it took another month for it to arrive. Website order details was crap. Customer service was utterly useless. Worst online shopping experience ever (one of the only times I have had a bad experience shopping online).

On the plus side their prices are very reasonable. Also when the camera finally arrived I had no problems with it TG. The thought of having to deal with their after sales service would make me weak. I won't be using them again. Too many other online shops to put up with their rubbish.
 
Did you call you credit card company and say you haven't received your order. Could the credit card company have cancelled the transaction?
 
I came across this topic while searching for problems with another large e-tailer (more of that in a moment).
I have used Pixmania for a number of years now and have never had any kind of problem with them. Delivery has usually been quick (with this, you're generally at the mercy of couriers, a few good, so many bad).
Now, of course there will always be problems, I've just been lucky so far. If there is a trade-off against the low prices these companies offer, service will always be it. So usually a local shop will do better in this area, because you're dealing a human being who may only have to deal with a few problems a day/week (and of course the face-to-face threats of physical violence are a great advantage .... only kidding ;).

Now, I recently made a purchase from dabs which is my first one and oh dear, nothing but trouble. However, at this stage I'm guessing most of the trouble is with Parcelforce and GLS here in Ireland. However, it is very frustrating to get no reply to emails after days.
I did a search on dabs complaints today and I was shocked at the amount.
Personally, I feel I made an error by not checking out a company as thoroughly as I usually do.
The parcel eventually arrived (2 weeks, not 3 days!), just left on the doorstep, I hadn't even signed for it (now that is down to GLS entirely).
Well, two items were missing (SD cards, very small) and now I have the (I expect) painful experience of trying to get dabs to replace them.
Something tells me that I will give up (bearing the cost of these items) before it is resolved, but let's wait and see. I won't speak badly until I see no resolution forthcoming.
Then I'll probably order the same SD cards from Pixmania, as I'm pretty sure they'll arrive!
 
Carmel, I have been using and purchasing from Pixmania for a number of years now and have never had a problem with them other than on one occasion where an item was stated to be in stock when I ordered it and after I ordered it I was informed that it would take two weeks to fill the order and it eventually was filled five weeks later. Otherwise I found them to be utterly straightforward and their prices I found to be unmatched at the date of order. I am perfectly forgiving in relation to the one mishap and would have no hesitation in transacting with them again which I fully intend to do. Incidentally, in relation to the "late" order I was advised by a retailer to use Pixmania as they could beat the best price any street retailer could offer for the item I sought! If a retailer reposed this confidence in Pixmania then need more be said?????
 
Ah yes my friends in Pixmania :rolleyes: . Ordered a camera in November 2006; (A) camera shipped two/three days later; (B) wrong camera; (C) contacted Pixmania who arranged the return courier; courier picked up two days later; delivered back to Paris per tracking notes; (D) eventually acknowledged by Pixmania; correct camera shipped and arrived just before Christmas.

I was very impressed with the service: (A) and (C). Everybody can make a mistake, give the benefit of the doubt: (B). Not ver yimpressed with the service: (D). And then.............

(E) Invoice arrives from courier company in January as Pixmania refused to pay the freight, 50 odd euros. I have been since January 2007 contacting Pixmania to have this sorted out. I followed their T&C's and under those they are liable for the cost of shipping back, to them, incorrectly shipped products. My fingers are worn calling 0818 244 100 pressing 2 four times and at this stage I know the names of the customer care reps in the UK. However the story I keep getting is that they have passed it to Paris and etc.... Meanwhile the courier firm are sending me threathening letters to pay the bill. But the battle will be won even if I have to go to the Small Claims Court which I think has to be my next step.
 
I have had both good & bad experiences with Pixmania.
Their goods are usually much cheaper than anything similiar that can be bought retail here in Ireland.
Their delivery can be very slow - up to 10 days sometime.
Their manuals are in french and english versions can only be downloaded and printed-off at one`s own expense.
The most annoying thing about them is that they take payment for an item and then keep moving the "in stock" dates forward repeatedly, without any reference to the purchaser. For instance, this date has been changed by them on at least 4/5 occassions for a USB stick that I ordered & paid for 6 weeks ago but has not yet been delivered.
 
My order was placed on 9/5/07, I paid for express delivery but it did not arrive in Dublin until 23/5/07. I have been charged twice for this order due to a system error and will not get my money back for 30 days. The order has since been "mislaid" by DHL. DHL told me to contact Pixmania who would in turn post out another order without delay and charge DHL for the loss. But pixmania told me that an investigation will take 5 to 10 days. Investigation complete but Pixmania dont have all the items on my order any longer. Today (14.6.07) I got an email to say that the order is on its way to me but when I clicked on the DHL link I am informed that someone called Magda signed for the delivery 2 days ago in SPAIN...!! I am very unhappy with this service. No one has even said sorry. Maybe this happens all the time at pixmania but I expect a better service from a company that makes such a boast of their Commitments. NEVER AGAIN.​
 
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HAVE DEALT WITH PIXMANIA FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS AND HAVE HAD NO ISSUES WHATSOEVER.HAVE RECOMMENDED THEN TO FRIENDS AND THEY ALL HAVE BEEN VERY HAPPY WITH SERVICE. One person i know ordered a nikon camera and got two for price of one. Funnily enough he couldnt enlighten me about his experience with their customer service.
The one time I ventured away from pix was last year when I purchased an MP3 player on Ebay 6 weeks prior to going away on a month long trip. After finally threatening legal action after 6 weeks of non replys and generally been sent round the block i Finally got my refund. But was forced onto the high street to purchase as i had no time before trip to buy online. But the whole experience has definitly enhanced my opinion of pixmania....
oh yeah my fujifinepix s5600 camera. pixmania 170euro my local highstreet shop tried to flog same cam to me for 389euro.......surely its worth the wait of a few days when the other option is dealing with one of Rip off Irelands finest.
 
Help! Have used Pixmania for the last 3 years - no problems. Ordered a new Creative 8 GB MP3 player from then in July. Delays with the delivery, when the item arrived I had several problems with freezing. After a couple of days and checking the problems out on the internet I returned it.

I sent it registered post two weeks ago. Despite over a dozen emails to Pixmania no one has replied. The status on the website says still waiting for item to be returned. I've tried the telephone number but it doesn't appear to work.

I want to buy a replacement but can't until I have my refund. Any suggestions on how to get Pixmania to reply to my mails?

Cheers

CP
 
I don't usually make complaints about anything, but...after dealing with pixmania.com I feel obliged to warn others.

1. "In Stock" does not mean 'in stock' at pixmania.com. During this time the pixmania.com website consistently showed the item I was waiting for as "In Stock" so presumably others were placing orders in good faith, only to be disappointed, as I was.

2. Your credit card is charged immediately, not when the order is shipped...in my case it was shipped a month after my credit card was charged.

3. Pixmania customer service staff continuously give you the run around: "lost in transit", "referred to our After Sales Dept.", "Under Investigation", etc., etc.,...

4. Dishonesty: if they just told me there was a delay (for whatever reason), and did not charge my credit card until the order was shipped, I would not be making this complaint today.

Be careful consumers! Pixmania.com is not an honest, reliable consumer, but many others will get burnt before they eventually get caught.
 
Be careful consumers! Pixmania.com is not an honest, reliable consumer, but many others will get burnt before they eventually get caught.

With all due respect that is a very generalised comment. Many others (myself included) have been more than satisfied with Pixmania's service, and always recommend them to others.
 
I have to say I am surprised at the poor treatment some customers have received from Pixmania. I have use them a on a few occasions in the past and have found them to be excellent. Once, I even bought a digital camera that I just wasn't happy with and wanted to change even though I opened the packet and used the camera. I returned it under their quibble free return policy (it just had to be in the original packing and within a specified period). I had to wait about ten days until someone in the service dept checked that it was still working and not damaged but then got my full refund.
 
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