Pixmania - "Zen Agreement"

oneweb

What a rip-off! Goods are meant to be suitable for the use for which they are intended, are for a reasonable amount of time. These chancers are trying to make €10 on every sale by 'providing' this right.



PIXMANIA has created the Zen Engagement so that faults of your product are no longer any problem.

What is the Zen Engagement?
The Zen Engagement allows you to receive a purchase voucher in the value of your original purchase (shipping costs excluded) if your product develops a fault during the first year after your purchase. This voucher is valid for a 3 months period on the entire Pixmania.com catalogue.

An example :
You buy a brand new digital camera on January 1st, 2003. You Pay 200£. Unfortunately, 10 months later this product develops a fault. After a technical warranty evaluation, Pixmania immediately sends you a purchase voucher with the value of 200£, the value of the new product you purchased 10 months before. With these 200£, you have the liberty to buy another digital camera of the latest generation or any other article of your choice from the entire Pixmania catalogue.



With the Zen Engagement, the unforeseen is already thought of!

BLA BLA BLA

Sponge Bob

Will they be around in 10 months ??

Guy:Incognito

If you buy something and it develops a problem 10 months later, you are NOT ENTITLED to a refund. The store are obliged to get it fixed for you. They are bascially offering to swap your broken product for a credit note, for an extra tenner, its a good deal that you wont get elsewhere.

Plus pixmania are a French company are they not? How exactly is that rip off IRELAND?

OfflerCrocGod

Don't go near these people they require a photcopy of your drivers license or passport to do business with them, I have never come across a ruder and incompetent bunch of fools in my life - oh and the Zen thing is OK but feel it's slightly pointless. Afterall I'm sure most of us would want replacements not money.

Sarsfield

OfflerCrocGod wrote:

Don't go near these people they require a photcopy of your drivers license or passport to do business with them

Pixmania? No they don't!

bonkey

oneweb wrote:

What a rip-off! Goods are meant to be suitable for the use for which they are intended, are for a reasonable amount of time.

Reasonable being generally defined as no less than 6 months, IIRC.

These chancers are trying to make €10 on every sale by 'providing' this right.

In fairness, they're supplying far more than your statutory rights require, so they are not "providing" a service you're already entitled to.

jc

chump

OfflerCrocGod wrote:

Don't go near these people they require a photcopy of your drivers license or passport to do business with them, I have never come across a ruder and incompetent bunch of fools in my life - oh and the Zen thing is OK but feel it's slightly pointless. Afterall I'm sure most of us would want replacements not money.

Another "no they don't", from me.

They are a very reputable company and I've never had trouble with them.

I personally wouldn't opt for that 10E voucher option, but thinking about it

Camera worth 300E, breaks down 10months later, (value then, 200E).
They send you a voucher for 300E, you buy something better.

Sounds fair to me...

ednwireland

funny one of the writers in pcpro magazine was complaining about driver licence photocopies been required for pixmania, he didn't buy from them either

OfflerCrocGod

Sarsfield wrote:

Pixmania? No they don't!

I was asked for this info to prove I was not commiting fraud, shipping to the SAME house as the address as the CC. Idiots. If you are a returning customer I don't think you will be asked but if you are new they will, damn rude about it too on the phone "Only you British and Irish ever complain our French customers are fine with it". I really don't want to try do business with a bunch of arrogant Frogs

Sarsfield

I really don't want to try do business with a bunch of arrogant Frogs

They obviously picked up on your dislike for the French and decided to wind you up

I can only speak from my own experience. First time to purchase from Pixmania, delivered to work address, not home. Camera arrived in 1 working day. No request for additional ID.

WizZard

Ditto with a new printer. No ID needed.

BrianD

A bit cheaper then some of the insurance products that the UK multiples try to shove down your throat when you purchase a product from them?

OfflerCrocGod

WizZard wrote:

Ditto with a new printer. No ID needed.

Well it was a first time purchase for me, I'd say they dont ask for ID from repeat costumers or for purchases of small value. Read the FAQ:

What is the security check?
For your security, every single order goes through a security check. Complementary information will be required by e-mail or fax in order to validate your order.
Consequently, in order to proceed with your order, we would need one of the following from you:
- An alternative e-mail address (for security reasons, we cannot validate orders with anonymous email addresses attached, eg: Yahoo, Hotmail, etc...)
- A landline telephone number (company or home line) that can be checked on the directory (Electoral roll , BT White pages, Yellow pages, etc.) Please note that mobile phone numbers are not acceptable.
- For all orders, we ask you to send us a fax of a piece of ID (driving licence, utility bill, or equivalent) to the following fax: +33 1 45 01 36 78.

Not Cool.

The tax man

NEver had a problem with Pixmania either.
My first order was €300+ never asked for I.D.
The Zen thing is optional so I don't see your point about it being a "Rip off".
Ordered a digital camera last night and it's already in the postal system.
And I'm saving nearly €200 on prices here.
Sorry but Pixmania get a thumbs up from me too.

OfflerCrocGod

The tax man wrote:

NEver had a problem with Pixmania either.
My first order was €300+ never asked for I.D.
The Zen thing is optional so I don't see your point about it being a "Rip off".
Ordered a digital camera last night and it's already in the postal system.
And I'm saving nearly €200 on prices here.
Sorry but Pixmania get a thumbs up from me too.

I think I've figured it out, if you pay for the Zen thing you dont get asked for ID if you dont you get asked for ID. Maybe. They don't mention it in the email they sent me. Zen is a ripoff because it's asking you to pay for something you should get as part of the service i.e a return guarantee.

Dear Mr XXX
In our bid to reduce fraud on the internet, we have issued new measures of security.
To proceed with your order we will need some extra details from you.

* If you are opting for delivery to the same address as your invoice address, please send us something that has your name and address on it from the following :
o A copy of your driving licence, OR
o A copy of your social security card, OR
o A copy of your bank statement, OR
o A copy of your council tax bill, OR
o A copy of a recent utility bill.

* If you are opting for delivery to a work address, please send us :
o A copy of your passport, driving license or recent utility bill, AND
o Company letterhead or business card, with switchboard number that we can call to verify that you work there.

* If you are opting for delivery to a private address that differs to your billing address, please send us:
o A copy of your passport, driving license or recent utility bill, AND
o A copy of a driving licence, recent utility bill, or something else that has the name and address of the person who will accept delivery.



This can be sent to us either by fax on 00 33 1 4501 3678, or by replying to this email with either jpeg, pdf or gif attachments.

We do not accept mobile phone bills or online statements. If you have not already done so, please provide us a daytime landline contact number.

Guy:Incognito

OfflerCrocGod wrote:

Zen is a ripoff because it's asking you to pay for something you should get as part of the service i.e a return guarantee.

But thats the thing, you are NOT, read it, NOT entitled to a refund after a couple of weeks have passed. Electronic goods have a doe period, usually a week or two, where a good is deemed to be faulty straight out of the box and manufacturers usally swap the item. After that you are entitled to a repair of the good. Sometimes shops offer refunds as a good will gesture if a lot of hassle has been caused, but they are in no way required to give you a refund, especially afer somethign like 10 months.

So with the zen thing you could break your item with a day left on the year warranty and get a full refund, then just go buy the update dmodel. With your standard guarentee the shop will get it fixed for you.

Oh, and i'll ask again. What has a French website got to do with rip off IRELAND.

OfflerCrocGod

Stekelly wrote:

But thats the thing, you are NOT, read it, NOT entitled to a refund after a couple of weeks have passed. Electronic goods have a doe period, usually a week or two, where a good is deemed to be faulty straight out of the box and manufacturers usally swap the item. After that you are entitled to a repair of the good. Sometimes shops offer refunds as a good will gesture if a lot of hassle has been caused, but they are in no way required to give you a refund, especially afer somethign like 10 months.

Fantastic but that's NOT what Zen is - Zen is a credit note, that's valid for Pixmania only and lasts for 3 months. It's not your money back (at least that's what the first post says). I think you'll agree that in the light of those facts that it really is a bunch of crap; don't forget that you return the faulty product and then Pixmania return it to the manufacturer (getting a credit note or refund) so in the end they lose NOTHING.

Stekelly wrote:

So with the zen thing you could break your item with a day left on the year warranty and get a full refund, then just go buy the update dmodel. With your standard guarentee the shop will get it fixed for you.

I think that if you break it on purpose that Zen doesn't cover you.

product develops a fault

Is not the same as:

you get bored of product and smash it with hammer

Stekelly wrote:

Oh, and i'll ask again. What has a French website got to do with rip off IRELAND.

I don't know I didn't start the thread but maybe the fact that us Irish costumers can shop at Pixmania has something to do with it.

secret_squirrel

Sponge Bob wrote:

Will they be around in 10 months ??

They've been spamming me for more time than that! :rolleyes:

Mutant_Fruit

Maybe i'm confused, but i was under the belief that all goods sold in Europe come with at least a 1 year warrenty (where applicable, i.e. NOT milk and butter) as required by law.

If the goods develop a problem within that year, the shop you bought it off must replace the item for you (at the minimum). They can of course offer you a full refund, but thats entirely optional.

ZEN is an optional extra. For €10 instead of just replacing it, they give you a credit note to the value of the product and allow you to buy whatever you want. Personally, i think this ain't a money-making idea for them. They're going to lose money on it.

sceptre

Mutant_Fruit wrote:

If the goods develop a problem within that year, the shop you bought it off must replace the item for you (at the minimum).

Repair, not replace.

nesf

It's completely reasonable for a site to require a copy of ID and a house bill to prove address if they have either a problem with fraud or there is a strong potential for such.

Yes it is hassle, but it is completely reasonable for them to do this. A CC number does not prove your identity sufficiently for many sites. Poker sites for instance require a passport scan and a scan of the back of your CC as standard in the bigger ones.

They are essentially offering you refund at original price within a year on products where their price drops considerably in the first year. If you buy a newly released top of the line camera, in a year it might have dropped hugley in the following year as newer cameras are released.

That for a tenner is pretty decent for expensive items, and terribly for cheaper ones that hold their value well. A warranty will repair a fault, this allows you to upgrade camera, I know which I'd pick.


If you think that it is a rip off then you have no idea of what you are talking about tbh.

Roen

Hi,
Recently got about €1900 worth of camera gear from them and I gotta say that the fact they looked for some form of proof of identification provided me with great peace of mind. I'd have absolutely no hesitation on recommending them to anyone.
Also got a €600 lens from urgalaxy on ebay.ie and had no probs with them either.

ambro25

Not really related to the topic, but... reading OfflerCrocGod's posts in this thread made me realise that maybe this attitude towards rejecting a bona fide request to prove one's particulars (name/address/etc.) is a typically Anglo-Saxon culture-thing, and the reason why national ID cards have yet to (will ever?) become a standard fixture in the UK and Ireland.

I certainly understand the risks (and corresponding fear) associated with a 'virtual' store in possession of every detail required to very easily make a clone CC of yours when in possession of all relevant details, but I'd expect (i) the shopper to do their homework before any purchase to reasonably ensure that the store is reputable and (ii) the Bank/CC issuer to cover any fraud anyway.

I haven't shopped with Pixmania, but would not have any particular qualms about a request to provide them with the req'd info, as it is indeed standard practice for a lot of FR online stores (Neo Ayato springs to mind), as well as FR brick stores (particularly when you pay by cheque, for instance). Perhaps you need to shop with a few more FR stores, OfflerCrocGod

ambro25 (Frog extraordinaire )

jdey

I did not sign up for the Zen Engagement and was asked for ID.

My camcorder arrived 5 days after I placed my order, was broken on arrival, and showed signs of wear and tear consistent with use by another person. Also my camcorder bag was missing.

I contacted Pixmania who told me initially that I would have to send the camcorder back to France where the engineers would check to see if it was really broken and then would refund me the money. This could take several weeks. I insisted that I wanted a refund immediately and was told that this wasn't possible. When I quoted UK consumer law at them, I was told that they would pick it up, and would send me an email with the details. I didn't receive the email. After blasting all the companies on the web who I've seen promoting them, 1 of whom took up my case, I was rung by one of their managers who did agree a refund and to pick up the defective order.

Googling for "pixmania complaint", I can see that I am in good company. There are similar reviews going back to 2002.

One of the many steps I took was to contact www.imrg.com who are the e-retail organisation who endorse Pixmania with the "Internet Selling is Safe" logo. I initially received no reply, so I emailed some of the companies who took part in the creation of their Trust Whitepaper. imrg then contacted me to tell me that they'd investigate Pixmania and they did take my complaint seriously. I've not heard back from them, so far, however.

You should bear in mind when shopping on the internet that:-

1. Buying goods from abroad means that it's difficult to get anybody to fight your corner if things go wrong. Most national enforcement organisations (who normally prefer that industries police themselves anyway) don't want to get bothered in trans-national disputes. Foreign companies will also try and mislead consumers in to thinking that domestic laws aren't applicable - This isn't true, domestic laws apply to traders who sell to consumers of each country, and an umbrella of EU directives allow enforcement organisations to take traders to court under European laws.

2. If you get defective goods, it's much harder to confront the trader directly

After my recent experience, I certainly won't be buying from the internet again.
:mad:

bmm

my mrs. got a dodgy mp3 player off these guys, she had to pay for postage and it took 4 months and loads of emails before she got her money back! Pixmania are b**t***ds

Freddie59

WizZard wrote:

Ditto with a new printer. No ID needed.

Same here with umpteen products. Excellent company. Delivered in three days always.:)
But I have to admit I would be very reluctant to give ANYONE a copy of my driver's licence or passport under ANY circumstances.

Duiske

I bought a PVR from them about a month ago. Ordered on Friday morning and it arrived following Tuesday. I had heard that they would ask for copy of i.d., but they didn't ask. I would recommend them.

Banjo

I've noticed that anyone who's had no problems is happy to recommend them, but is there anyone who has had a problem with an order who would recommend the service, and do they have comparable experience with any other well known internet traders to gauge it against? After all, it's how they deal with your issues that defines the quality of their customer service and so far there have been no positive experiences when problems occurred.

frameless59

Banjo wrote:

I've noticed that anyone who's had no problems is happy to recommend them, but is there anyone who has had a problem with an order who would recommend the service, and do they have comparable experience with any other well known internet traders to gauge it against? After all, it's how they deal with your issues that defines the quality of their customer service and so far there have been no positive experiences when problems occurred.

Fair point. I've never had to deal with it - but their delivery is first class. Ordered a camera at 20:30 on a Monday night - arrived 11:45 Wednesday morning.:)