Valuebasket.co.nz
Their site appeared well presented and they had a local phone number but I couldn't shake the feeling that something might be up. The difference in price was considerable but believable which kept the too good to be true alarm from going off. With no other signals left I turned to the internet and a deeper investigation of the website itself.
The first thing to understand about Valuebasket.co.nz is that it isn't really a .co.nz at all. While they own the webdomain their contact page makes no real mention of NZ. In fact Valuebasket.co.nz is part of ValueBasket.com, a Hong Kong based company shipping products worldwide from a number of dispatch centres. This is common practice and, while a tad annoying, there's nothing really wrong with doing this. As long as their service is good who cares where the company is based and where the products are coming from right?
Wrong... ish. Given the value of the item that we're talking about it would be great to know that there was a physical location for ValueBasket somewhere in NZ where I could go if something goes wrong. While there is a phone number that's not really enough to satisfy the sceptic in me.
Given that there is nowhere for me to physically go in the event that something goes wrong ValueBasket's online reputation becomes very important. Unfortunately that reputation isn't a good one at the review site below the pie chart of reviews is dangerously red and full of warnings to stay away. While the odd negative review is acceptable 1 star ratings in over 25% of cases is super concerning.
http://www.trustpilot.co.uk/review/valuebasket.com
As a reference point sites that you would expect to score well do so and have far far fewer 1 star reviews
http://www.trustpilot.co.uk/search?query=amazon
You forgot to mention the problem of customs when buying from overseas.
ReplyDeleteFee + GST + delays.
They claim that local taxes are included in their prices but I would need to see that to believe it.
DeleteThanks a lot for this post. I visited the site looking for a good deal on a tablet, and it gave me the same suspicious feelings :/
ReplyDeleteI tried to call them on a Auclkand number they have registered, but it was just a message saying I'd called out of normal business hours (1pm NZ??).
I'd say avoid. Seems way too good to be true...
I purchased item online on the 09/12/2012 as they promised pre xmas delivery, nothing was mentioned about items being shipped out from hong kong until i contacted them last week, item not in stock and delayed 3 weeks they said. but when i ordered it said it was in stock so i have requested a refund............no response as yet grr
DeleteDon't hold your breath! I have been waiting for my refund for more than 2 weeks after they failed to deliver my phone within 12 working days (in stock online) & then cancelled order. A least I'm only out of pocket $220, as it seems some have lost $2000... They are not genuine traders it seems.
DeleteThe phone number in Auckland actually connects you to a call centre in Hongkong.
DeleteThey asked me to call back at 4PM while it was 7PM NZ time.
When I asked if they were in NZ they said they were in Hongkong.
My personal experience with another company in Hongkong is that it may take 20 days or more for the product to arrive and they keep on making fake promises.
Buyer be aware !
Claimed they had item in stock and ready for dispatch. 20 Days and countless emails later it still has not been dispatched and their response continues to be "next week". Still shows in stock and ready to ship on item page. They view the customer with contempt and seem not to care that they are in clear breach of Australian consumer law. Would be interested in launching a class action.
ReplyDeleteI have complained to the authorities about them (NZ) & suggest you do the same ASAP. They are breaching the Fair Trading Act in NZ and will be shut down. The sooner the better. Looking at these reviews it seems they do deliver to some countries, but not ours...
DeleteDO NOT order goods through Valuebasket. I'm relieved though. My goods ($160 worth) finally arrived today - 42 days from date of order and payment and after countless emails. Their customer service is shockingly bad and has the hallmarks of a scam. Tracking that doesn't work cos the server has closed down. What appear to be standardised email responses that NEVER address your direct questions. I was told twice that the goods had been dispatched when in fact they hadn't been. I had got to the point where I cancelled the order and asked for a refund (I disputed the transaction through Visa), and still the standard apology emails came through. On each "Ticket" they send they note it as "closed" and status as "normal" simply because they've sent you a pro forma response. And each time they communicate they send another email asking you to complete a survey cos they so concerned about customer service! I repeat DO NOT use Valuebasket.
ReplyDeleteDon't have anything to do with this bogus site. I received no goods, so cancelled and to date have no refund. I also tried Charge Back through visa and I got my money back only to find Value Basket re-taking the payment again. I disputed this to be told they refunded through bank transfer. No, you guessed this was a complete lie, I've never had anything from them. It is likely I never will.
ReplyDeleteI can't stress enough, DO NOT HAVE ANY DEALINGS WITH VALUEBASKET!