Warning! Abcanada (Abu Distributer)

[diapdj]

Well, I never do this... but I find myself posting a warning about my experience as a customer from abcanada (aka ITR, http://abuniverse319.corecommerce.com/), a Canadian distributer of ABU products.

As a returning customer I had never had any issues, until I ordered my case a couple weeks ago. When I received tracking information, the destination city was different than my shipping address, so I politely e-mailed asking for them to verify they had the correct address (even though it was correct on my invoice). I received a response telling me that they contacted fedex, and that the package routes through that city but will go to the correct address. I thought all was well until I received delivery confirmation from fedex.

I hadn't received anything. I go into the tracking details, and the item was delivered, but to a city 2 hours from the shipping address I provided. I moved a couple months ago and hadn't changed my billing address, and they shipped it to my billing address. I had contacted them before placing the order to make sure having a separate billing and shipping address wouldn't be an issue, and they told me it wouldn't be. I contacted them, and never received a response. On the third attempt within a week I finally received a response, and I will quote it here:

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Let me say that I appreciate the tone of your e-mail. I am contacting FedEx regarding YOUR issue everyday. Short of showing up at their offices with a gun in hand, I cannot force them to respond. Once I receive ANY information, you will be the first one I message.

Please remember, YOUR issue is with FedEx, NOT ABCanada!!! I don't have to attempt to resolve YOUR issue with FedEx but, because you are a good customer with us, I am doing everything I can to resolve the for YOU!

Your welcome!

If you wish to return your unopened product, you may do so at YOUR expense (once again, this issue is between FedEx and Y O U I ... Not ABCanada)

I apologize that you are having this issue with FedEx and am doing everything in my power to resolve the issue for YOU.

BabyGiz ...

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I have no idea how they thought it could be my issue, I correctly provided my shipping address, it was correct on the invoice, and they apparently put the wrong address on the shipping label. I contacted fedex myself and verified that yes, they had put the wrong address on the shipping requisition. After responding (obviously frustrated) demanding a refund, I finally received another response from someone else at the company who informed me that they would be willing to pay for the shipping for fedex to bring the package to me from the wrong address, but would not give me a refund. The catch? I had to contact the people now living at the address it was delivered to organize a fed-ex pickup.

I have no idea how they expect me to be able to do that, or why it should be my responsibility for that matter. What if I lived at home and was away at college and they had sent it to my parents house (which would have been a billing address, in all likelihood). What if my parents had opened it? How do I explain that? How do I explain the package to my old landlord? (thats the only way I know of how to track it down, and I don't even have their contact information any more).

I responded to their e-mail saying that even if I manage to get the package (somehow), I still shouldn't have to pay for (AT LEAST) the $55 shipping, as it wasn't even shipped to my house. It has been a week and I haven't received a response.

To sum it up, a bunch of irrisponsable crooks who won't give you an ounce of customer support. When a company screws up it should be fixed by the company quickly, with an appology, and compensation due. I have received nothing of the sort... Don't bother buying from them, its possible you won't receive your package and will be throwing $150+ down the drain.

[DailyDi]

Dispute the charge with your credit card company. YOU did not recieve the package, and they (creditcard) can confirm that with FedEx.

A Box of diapers showed up on the wrong doorstep, they likely went in the garbage by now since it seems they didn't call FedEx to have it picked back up.

[diapdj]

I thought about that... but I still have my billing address as that old address. I don't know what the credit card company would make of that.

[Guest]

Sounds to me like YOU need to change the billing address on YOUR credit card so that it matches your shipping address. I mean seriously? you didn't consider that when you moved from this old address with no plans of returning there? Sorry to point the blame at you, I'm just calling it as I see it.

[diapdj]

Yeah well I didn't really see an urgent reason to, I do online banking, not like I need to change it to get my bills or anything. And even still, no part of it is my issue, I gave the correct shipping address, and they didn't ship it to the address I told them to... Thats not acceptable.

[diapdj]

And besides like I said, what if I was a kid away at school? I wouldn't have changed my billing address, but I certainly wouldn't have wanted a big case of diapers shipped there. Its not acceptable for any company, let alone one who deals with sensitive merchandise, to be so neglegent.

[Guest]

This is not the first time I've heard of something like this, ups, fedex, etc. Delivered to the billing address, because card holder didn't change there status, even if you do all your bill paying online, you still need a physical address that they can use to confirm who you are. Update your credit card info, and all other important things with your new address, that should stop any future mix ups.

[diapdj]

This isn't fedex making a mistake, I contacted fedex, the shipping address they were given was not the one I gave ABCanada. Fedex should not even have been given my billing address. Bottom line is the person who set up the shipment copied over the wrong address, and I end up paying $150+ for a case of diapers that wasn't dilvered to the correct address. Why should I have to have to go out of my way to contact people, have awkward conversations, and go through all the trouble when I paid for to-my-door shipping that was never provided? And like I keep saying... it could have been a lot worse. They could have shipped it to a parent's house or something. You can't be this careless with this type of product.

[diapdj]

And why is nobody else uphauled by the condescending e-mail I received? Or the fact that it took me over a week to receive it? Or the fact that they have stopped responding all together?

[DailyDi]

And why is nobody else uphauled by the condescending e-mail I received? Or the fact that it took me over a week to receive it? Or the fact that they have stopped responding all together?

I thought all that was assumed in my dispute it suggestion

CC company won't care about your old address ( though they will update it un you call). You did not get the shipment... That's the bottom line.

[diapdj]

Thanks Admin, I am just so frustrated that this company is being so balligerant in not fixing their mistake. It doesn't make sense... I think they are thinking that I won't request a chargeback out of embarassment so they can exploit me like this. Well... I have the evidence I need, and if they don't come through I will have no choice. Thanks for your support!

[Guest]

Well, why did they have that old address to begin with? Answer: you didn't update your billing address, if you would have updated it to begin with when you moved from that address like a responsible person would do when it comes to financial institutions, you probably wouldn't have this problem. Am I the only one with basic common sense here? End of rant

[diapdj]

That isn't any issue... Whether or not I update my billing address is my business. If I don't file my taxes on time does that give someone the right to cut me off on the freeway? They are seperate issues. The fact is, I gave them a correct shipping address, and they didn't send it to it. The fact that it was my old billing address is incidental and irrelivant. Even if the situation were that I still maintained residence there, it is 2 hours away and it would not be acceptable for them to ship it there when I expressly asked them not to. I paid $55, asked it to be shipped to an address, and they shipped it somewhere else. Thats the common sense, thats the issue. Period.

[Guest]

Your credit card company still has your old address on file, that is why your package was delivered to your old address, you didn't update your info with your credit card company, therefore, your old address is still on file, regardless of what you told ABC, their computer still has that listed as your address. A judge would agree with me on this 110%. You have nobody to blame but yourself, you were too lazy to update your info, and now your paying the price. My shipping and billing address are the same as the address on my state ID card, see how easy that is?

[diapdj]

You are confused, billing address and shipping address are seperate things all together.... They aren't required to be the same. I use the example of a student who has a perminant address at their parents house, but is out of town at college. Are you saying they aren't allowed to have anything shipped to their college address? Thats rediculous... I don't think you understand the logic of this. What I have for a billing address is my business. Bottom line is, I gave them a shipping address, they shipped it somewhere else without my permission. Their fault, not mine. On top of that, when it looked like it was going the wrong place in transit, I e-mailed them to confirm, and they said they contacted fedex and it was going to the city I intended. They either didn't call, or were lying to cover their butts.... There is nowhere that says you need to have matching billing and shipping addresses, thats why every online site asks for BOTH.. It wouldn't make sense for them to do so if they had to be the same.

[Guest]

You still have an address that is no good to you for anything on your credit card. Why? You can give as many excuses, or hypothetical scenarios as you want, but you knew you had a bogus address on your credit card, regardless of what you told them, that address is still on there. They go with what's on file to help prevent fraud, otherwise people would be ordering all kinds of stuff, and sending the bill to god knows where. I know I'm not the only one who agrees that this is your fault for not updating your info. I ask for 2 things: diapdj, update your info and man up to your mistake. And 2 is for dailydi, please lock this before others join in and it becomes a useless flame war. I made my point.

[Diapered Jason]

You still have an address that is no good to you for anything on your credit card. Why? You can give as many excuses, or hypothetical scenarios as you want, but you knew you had a bogus address on your credit card, regardless of what you told them, that address is still on there. They go with what's on file to help prevent fraud, otherwise people would be ordering all kinds of stuff, and sending the bill to god knows where. I know I'm not the only one who agrees that this is your fault for not updating your info. I ask for 2 things: diapdj, update your info and man up to your mistake. And 2 is for dailydi, please lock this before others join in and it becomes a useless flame war. I made my point.

Omg, have you ordered anything before online. The billing address is completely irrelevant for delivery, because you have to provide a seperate shipping address if they are different.

Anyways, that message they sent you diapdj is a complete lie. I can see right through their attempts to cover their own asses. It is after all quite easy to contact the FedEx office. What's worse is they continue the charade by offering absolutely no assistance whatsoever. Don't sweat it diapdj, these guys are complete fuck ups. Is there something you can do to report them? That email you recieved alone is grounds for a formal complaint to both a pertinent business association as well as to managment of ABCanada no matter whose mistake it was for the delivery mix-up.

Remember folks, the customer is always right. Don't let them patronize you.

[Bettypooh]

Come on people- think about this a minute If you use your credit card to make a purchase online, and ask the seller to send it to your sister in another town for a Christmas present, where would expect the gift to go to? The credit card had nothing to do with this; the payment could just as well have been a money order with the OP's address listed on it as buyer of the money order And Fedex sent it where they were told to, and tracked it too so they did their job Now who is left?

And yes, the tone of their email doesn't appeal to me; however I do not know the tone of the OP's communications with the seller- but that shouldn't matter either. In my business I have to deal with the occasional idiot, but at no time am I less than nice with them because my business reputation rides on that and every deal I'm involved in. Even if I know they will never recommend me to someone else, I am not about to give anyone a valid provable argument to use against me

Now I see that the OP is a newbie here. I do not know them, or the company they are speaking of. All I can do is take this at face value believing what they say is true. But I also know this is the internet where anyone can say anything and where there are a contingent of ABU bashers- we've seen them here, haven't we? So in conclusion I think DailyDi once again hit the bullseye- at this point it is time to contact someone who can and will resolve the problem; ie the credit card company. With the OP's proof, they should have their money restored quickly

As to the company, well I would hope this is a hoax, but if it isn't then this is exactly what I would want people to do- to let everyone know about things not being done well (or the reverse) with the companies selling to us If we did not tell others of our experiences with the sellers knowing this, it is likely that they would exercise less care with us But they too can and likely do read the posts here concerning them- it's pretty easy to google your company and see what's new. So let's quit the OP. As far as I can see they did nothing to cause this even if they would have done well to update their CC addy sooner.

(note to myself: what a he!! of a way to wake up, going to your favorite site and seeing such venom when you expected to see something nice to start your day)

Bettypooh

[KittenAB]

Okay, two things. They were wrong for their attitude toward you, that cannot be ignored. I deal directly with ABU and they bend over backwards, I have never dealt with an outlet though. However, while companies do allow for shipping to non-billing addresses in general (it's virtually a standard), there are sometimes mix-ups, so it's best to keep a billing address that's active. Active doesn't mean it's the same as the shipping, I mean one that you have control of, just in case. Technology is a wonderful tool ... until humans muck things up.

One thing to consider is training of new employees, the main ABU had such a problem with one recently who messed up at least my order, but they fixed it and even gave a refund of the difference without adding in the shipping charge. But again, the treatment you got from the distribution you dealt with was a bit uncalled for, and these aren't a cheap brand, you can just forget the money you're out. They should have looked at your first message and verified it, since it's actually easier for the shipper to correct the destination than the receiver.

Anyhow, my 2 cents. But I would hope you wouldn't completely give up on the brand because of this, you could try to reopen discussion with them, try to be diplomatic.

[Guest]

Yes, I have ordered online, and it showed up, no complaints because I stay on top of my finances. Why does he need an address that is no good to him whatsoever on his credit card to even begin with? You could have kept it simple, updated your info, and get that old address off your card. Weather or not your billing address is different than your current shipping address, your the one who failed to have that old address removed from your credit card. And your college buddy can have 2 addresses on his card because he has a contact at the billing address, you stated that you don't know the people at your old address, why are you still using it at all? Oh well, I'm sure after this your still not going to update your info, and the cycle will start again. Have a nice day.

[Guest]

Everyone seems to miss the point, why does he use an address that is no good to him for anything? Oh well I'm done, it's not my problem.

[Bettypooh]

Everyone seems to miss the point, why does he use an address that is no good to him for anything? Oh well I'm done, it's not my problem.

And you are equally missing the point that he did not ask them to send to that address- he gave them the address it was to be sent to clearly and the billing address was not it!

On every place I have ever seen where you order anything (online or via mail) they always ask for a shipping address in case it is different from the billing address, so the billing address does not matter as long as the bill gets paid and the CC owner approves of what is being billed! Which they most certainly did here. You fail to consider that even if the billing address had been updated, it still might not have been their home address (or wherever else they wanted them sent to). The updated billing address might have been their business address because they used their business CC to pay.

So if that the were the case, should the diapers have shown up on their receptionist's desk instead? I don't think so and I doubt that anyone else does either.

Bettypooh

[missyD]

I am sorry Smokey, I think you are wrong on this one. I often buy stuff and have it shipped to other than my billing address, usually gifts. That is the whole reason for having a separate billing and shipping address section when you order! The courier should never have anything to do with the buyer's billing address. They are given an address to ship to and they do just that, with remarkable accuracy. It appears in this case that the merchant made an error, in shipping to the customer's billing address rather than the requested shipping address. It is the merchant's responsibility to fix this, assuming of course that the customer did indeed provide the correct shipping address. End of story. I did,however, have a bit of trouble when I moved and hadn't updated my billing address - but in that case it was with PayPal, and they, understandably had a flag go up when there was a mismatch - my mistake, my problem. The lesson: it is best to take care of business promptly!

Personally, I like to know about what merchants are doing - anybody can make a mistake, it is what is done to correct the mistake that speaks to a company's worth. Thanks dj for sharing your experience- I will certainly be VERY careful should I decide to ever order from them........

[diapdj]

baby smokey i dont know what you are struggling with, even if the address was legitimate, it didnt have to be the same as my shipping address.... I gave them a shipping address, I gave them a billing address, how do you think its more reasonable for them to send it to the billing address? Why would they ask for both if they sent it to the billing address only? Actually I don't even know why I'm arguing with you, maybe you are babygiz and are taking this personally or something.... fact of the matter is, the package was supposed to be shipped to an adress I gave them, and they shipped it to the wrong address. Thats the issue--the validity of my billing adress is irrelivant.

And no, I am not an ABU basher. I contacted the ABU company and they were very empathatic, and I could tell they wished there was something they could do to fix it. They agreed with me that it was ABCanada's error, and that if they don't refund my money I should request a chargeback from my credit card, as the services paid for were not delivered.

[diapdj]

Just as a side note and in the interest of disclosure, the owner e-mailed me today offering a partial refund. I will keep you posted...