Pixmania Disaster

Biff11

Hi,

I ordered a camcorder yesterday from Pixmania. At about 4pm i recieved an email asking me to fax my driving licence/Passport and a copy of a utility bill to them. I thought this a bit strange as i paid with a paypal account so it should have been secure as it's a verified payapal account. I asked the question as to why would i need to send this info and i then recieved an email saying that my order was cancelled.

It states on their website that they do not take payment untill the item is ready for dispatch and they took my funds straight away.

I called them this morning to discuss this with them. Firstly they pretty much weren't able to help me. No team leaders were available etc etc... I eventually got a team leader who was also unable to answer my questions as to why this info was needed, why my order was cancelled and as to why my money was taken. Funnily enough i got an immediate refund 3 minutes after the phonecall finished. The team leader was unable to contact a supervisor but she could email them. They couldn't though gurantee me a response.

I have read so many negative comments about this company since they messed me about and only wish i had of read them all before hand.

Now i want revenge. I think my next option is to contact one of the radio stations to listen to my story.

Can anyone else maybe suggest something?

Pegasus15

Biff11 wrote: »

Now i want revenge. I think my next option is to contact one of the radio stations to listen to my story.

Tbh, I don't think many Joe Duffy fans will have even heard of Pixmania...

Biff11 wrote: »

I called them this morning to discuss this with them. Firstly they pretty much weren't able to help me. No team leaders were available etc etc... I eventually got a team leader who was also unable to answer my questions as to why this info was needed, why my order was cancelled and as to why my money was taken. Funnily enough i got an immediate refund 3 minutes after the phonecall finished. The team leader was unable to contact a supervisor but she could email them. They couldn't though gurantee me a response.

Anyway, I think you're best to just leave it be. You have your money back and if you wanted to, you could attempt to purchase the item again from them or from another retailer. If you're seeking any form of redress or compensation, you've nothing to stand on as you have your money back.

As for why they wanted ID, I can't help there. If you paid by Laser, maybe it has something to do with this: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=61228621&postcount=5

Gamesnash.ie (Pat) wrote:

However most retailers will not want to accept laser cards for the same reason that a lot of the merchant bank account providers in the UK etc will not offer the option at all. The security or lack of security on laser cards is a massive issue. From a retailers point of view they are a nightmare to deal with. Visa and mastercards have authentication systems built in where the cardholder can be verified etc - all laser does is checks the balance and says there are funds in the account. There is no way to verify the cardholders name and address match the shipping address etc and you as a retailer are liable for any stolen card usage on your account.

Biff11

No i paid by Paypal. A verified account by paypal. All my information has been confirmed by paypal.

Either way they should have communicated correctly before cancelling my order.


I suppose i just want to make it known that they don't conduct their business very well and other potential consumers should be aware of them. Had i have heard before hand how bad they are i would never have used them.




Joe duffy would be last on my list!!!!!

jayteecork

This happened to me, **** em.

They debited my card then decided to ask me to fax them passport and utility bill.
This was only for an external hard drive worth about 80 euro.

Muppets.

They can go to hell, worst company I have ever dealt with.

leeroybrown

Pixmania are essentially the same company as Currys/Dixons. Most people don't realise that. They're fine until something goes wrong and then you're left in a mess. Be thankful that you came out of this so well.

Kensington

Was the address you wanted the item shipped to different to your billing address on your PayPal account? Even if your PayPal account is verified, if the address tied to the account and the destination delivery address don't match, this sets alarm bells off in the online retailer.

That said, there's no denying their after sales is nothing short of brutal. I would never even consider purchasing something off them again due to them messing me around before, and all the horror stories that are going around about them.

MagicMarker

OP, be thankfull that it was sorted so quickly.

Move on and purchase somewhere else.

Biff11

Address matched on paypal and pixmania. No problems there!!

Call centre is in Romania. WOuldn't be too keen to fax my ID there....

NilByMouth

Biff11 wrote: »

Call centre is in Romania. WOuldn't be too keen to fax my ID there....

wouldnt worry too much about that ,all the roma are over here!!If any site asks for that type of ID stay well clear of them especially if your Paypal or credit card details are up to scratch

gaz wac

In fairness OP, if you had done your research beforehand, you would see how many people on Boards had problems with them. At least you got your cash back, could have been alot worse. Ive never used them and defo dont plan too !! thanks for the heads up.

the_syco

What camcorder, and for how much?

jor el

Biff11 wrote: »

Address matched on paypal and pixmania. No problems there!!

That's fairly meaningless, as it's very simple to add a new address to Paypal, and the merchant has no way to verify that this is a registered card holder address. That's why they would have asked for further proof of address, and it's a common enough practice.

Biff11 wrote: »

Call centre is in Romania. WOuldn't be too keen to fax my ID there....

Leaving aside the irrelevant fact that the call center is in Romania, what exactly do you think they're going to do with a photocopy of your passport and ESB bill? They already know your name, address, Paypal account, etc, a Passport photocopy isn't going to tell them anything more.

You got your money back, so I don't see any problem here.

Cabaal

Looking for ID, to be honest this is pretty normal with alot of companys on-line especially with large purchases.

While it can be a pain I'd rather companys do it then not as it can prevent fraud.

Biff11

the_syco wrote: »

What camcorder, and for how much?

Panasonic SD20 for €505

Soundman

As Cabaal said, it is to prevent fraud. If it is your first time purchasing with them, they look for proof that you are who you say.

So many people use internet cafes and forget to log out of sites that it is simple for thieves to use details quickly to purchase expensive items.

I have used Pixmania countless times now with NO issues. First time I used them, they requested a copy of some ID and I asked why over the phone. They explained the reason. I emailed them in a photo of my ID and within 6 hours the goods were winging their way out to me.

Purchases I have made have ranged from:

Printer Ink costing ~€30

up to

Camcorder package costing ~€700

penexpers

Biff11 wrote: »

It states on their website that they do not take payment untill the item is ready for dispatch and they took my funds straight away.

FYI, if you make a paypal payment, the money is transferred straight away. There is no such thing as "holding" funds with paypal.

In any case, it states this on the website

http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/faq-2-5--is-money-withdrawn-from-my-account-directly-after-i-have-placed-an-ordery.html

Is money withdrawn from my account directly after I have placed an order?

For security reasons, your card is charged on the day of your order.