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CPL Online

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  PlayerOne on 22/07/2013 - 19:37

  +1

  Negging for poor customer service.

• 

  birnie on 22/07/2013 - 19:44

  +2

  Just out of interest, with the amount of readers here and customers, is there Anyone who can give me an example of good customer service for broken/faulty goods from CPL?
  Even if it was a 2gb Hello Kitty usb stick, i wan't to hear it.

  • 

    WV1 on 22/07/2013 - 20:11

    +1

    Yes good point because I have never heard of it. Posts here and on Whirlpool in support of CPL are from people who have not had to return an item and suffered there bullying tactics and denial of consumer rights.

• 

  Shwayne on 22/07/2013 - 19:46

  +5

  I don't have enough information to believe either side of the story, but I know for sure CPL is handling it incredibly unprofessionally.

  I would not do business with them based solely on their reaction to the accusations.

• 

  Star Paws on 22/07/2013 - 20:01

  Buyer Beware, seems a tad dodgy.

• 

  Advv on 22/07/2013 - 20:03

  +3

  The tone of the CPL rep makes me not want to buy from them.

  You're out of another sale unfortunately, CPL.

• 

  fungi79 on 22/07/2013 - 20:03

  +8

  By REP's own admission they've shipped 700+ units on ozbargain. Then they go and ruin their reputation by having a highly visible spat with a customer. Well played CPL.

  • 

    UFO on 23/07/2013 - 00:48

    +4

    "ruin their reputation" ???

    Ok, I'll bite ;).

    As you said, 700+ plus units and 1 problem. Now, my math isnt great… but I believe that's 99.85% success rate- a figure a lot of EBay sellers would envy.

    Anyone who doesnt buy based on what appears to be a remote failure is just cutting themselves short on what looks like a great deal.

    I've never bought from CPL, but I am in the market for a PC and I really dont think this factors much into my decision to be honest. Different story if it's like 10% of orders (70+ people) who are ready to complain, but it doesnt look like its even SEVEN people.

    Now, going back to the whole 700+ units on OzBargain…. what about all the other sales they make out of this realm? If they were so bad, they'd be hundreds of complaints elsewhere. But all I read on here and other forums is isolated cases, and then everybody else jumping on board to bag them out with absolutely no first hand experience.

    Those doubting CPL need to also read all of the OP's comments in this very thread. Even with this experience he's still not entirely negative on them, which highlights just how far this whichhunt has gone.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 23/07/2013 - 07:14

      I see whirlpool is full of complaints. Not sure about 99.85%. Also is it OK to treat 1 customer every so often like a dick?

      • 

        UFO on 23/07/2013 - 09:50

        +2

        Not at all…

        But again, if we are going to count the negative posts on whirlpool, then you have to include all those people who had a positive experience as well.

        The thing with the internet is that people are more inclined to go hunting for somewhere to vent when things go wrong moreso than when thins go right. So everything you read on the internet needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

        Plus, there's always two sides to a story.

        Dont get me wrong, OP sounds like he's managed to sort out things with CPL and thats great, but things arent always so clear cut where some customers are far from angels and actually deserve to be treated like dicks because they are trying to steal of businesses. Again, not saying this happened here- but you know what I'm saying right?

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 23/07/2013 - 10:10

        I get your point UFO but I'd just like to point out though that there are loads of WP'ers who don't get involved in the OzB discussions but do still find the deals here. CPL claim hundreds of sales here, who's to say that the customer found out here and not at WP or somewhere else yet chose WP to air their grievance's?

        Anyway its quite irrelevant now. Hopefully CPL look after Lucksmith properly this time and don't try backtracking again like they began to with the photo. That's what I found quite alarming tbh. I looked as close as I could on the pics (before Lucksmith posted newer close ups) and I could see no signs of holes in the box. Can't believe the rep was so unprofessional as to post what he did in the forum regarding the pictures and falsely implying that Lucksmith had opened a thread here before waiting for a reply, that should have been done away from the forums via private messaging or email. That's why I won't be shopping there personally. I dislike the rep's attitude immensely.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 22/07/2013 - 20:15

  +4

  can we get an indication of how many sales/$$$ cpl have lost because of their pathetic approach

  personally I can account for: 2 sales = $1000

  • 

    zone on 22/07/2013 - 21:15

    +2

    Three

  • 

    King Steuart on 22/07/2013 - 21:16

    +2

    I've worked numerous retail jobs in the surrounding area of south east/east melbourne over the past few years and have told customers not to shop at CPL. I'd probably/hopefully account for a lot more than the amount that they screwed me over.

• 

  p1 ama on 22/07/2013 - 21:21

  +13

  This is actually getting so silly. I'm not going to make any accusations of a "mob" mentality, but the truth is everybody seems to be having a go at CPL even though they've taken a reasonable approach, which is to ask the customer to send back the computer to them. Everything else is based upon baseless accusations, so if we leave them aside, CPL seems to be doing what any other retailer would do.

  It's easy to point the finger at CPL and make accusations, but try to see it from their point of view, what else can they possibly do? They've been attacked by a huge number of people on this thread, they've responded to posts and there seems to be a degree of anger and mistrust here. If I were in CPL's shoes, I wouldn't be too keen on apologising to a group of people who keep attacking me.

  I know that there are certain issues where there is a point of conflict. I'm not defending CPL, but I do think it's unfair to simply "believe" the customer's account of what has happened. It's the whole schoolyard mentality of "he said, she said", with the customer saying they contacted CPL at X time and CPL saying they contacted them after posting a thread on the forum. It just seriously looks like a witch hunt.

  What is ostracising and attacking CPL going to do? Well it probably means that they will be less likely to post deals on OzBargain in the future. I think that's just a loss for everybody. I think the best way to go about this is to let CPL and the customer work it out. The computer should be sent back to CPL and they should be allowed to look at it and see what has happened.

  At the moment, CPL haven't had a chance to take action yet, yet everybody seems to be keen on jumping on the bandwagon and attacking them. They're a business who probably ships out hundreds of computers a week that work fine. If they get one phone call out of the blue about a broken computer, yeah, it's understandable that they'd be skeptical. Either way, the customer could have had a bad sales rep answer the phone when he called. He also didn't mention what he explained to them and how the conversation progressed. There's a lot of missing pieces to the puzzle right now.

  TL;DR, look, CPL might not have the best reputation, but neither does MSY, nor Centrecom, nor any other computer stores really. They all work on very fine margins to bring best prices. It's not excusable, but let them have a chance to sort this out with the customer before hunting them down.

  • 

    bich.light on 22/07/2013 - 21:43

    I agree with you.
    This might simply be a mistake as well on behalf of CPL. They haven't been given much time in being able to respond and the post that's been raving in the forums was posted on a Sunday. Pretty sure Sunday is a working day or more of a relaxed day. Also, CPL has been providing a fair few deals on OzBargain lately that have been worthwhile and definitely a bargain. I do not see why one mistake should cause such a big ruckus especially when CPL has offered a solution to this issue.

    As Paul mentioned as well, not all the facts have been given out and there is missing information that we may never know. But as it stands, this is one of a minority of issues that CPL has had but is offering a solution which I believe is great for the customer.

  • 

    PresidentClinton on 22/07/2013 - 22:05

    +18

    I'm not sure you understand the situation at all. Let me make it simpler for you with a He Says vs She Says substitution.

    Lucksmith says: Hey, my computer is all damaged inside, I want a replacement please.
    CPL says: You're going to have to prove our shipping partner/you didn't cause the damage. (best case scenario)

    Lucksmith may or may not have sent pics to CPL

    Lucksmith posts to ozbargain/reddit showing pics of damage and undamaged box

    CPL says: Hey, you posted on ozbargain before you contacted us, why? (Stop telling people about what happened to you!)
    Lucksmith says: No I didn't, I called you, and sent email correspondence. You said you wouldn't be able to do anything.
    (Which one makes more sense?)

    CPL says: Hey, someone pointed out that the box might be damaged and you're covering it up with a CD paper case. Prove to us that there isn't any damage on the box. (Like it even mattered)
    Lucksmith: Theres my pics of the box uncovered and undamaged.

    CPL says: Okay, we'll offer you an exchange (even though it wouldn't have mattered if our shipping partner was who damaged the product, since we had the contract with them, not you. But we'll pretend like we're doing you a favour). Also we wont apologize for accusing you of covering things up.
    Lucksmith: Wow, what a shitty attitude, I'm going to tell everyone about how your store treated me in your future ozbargain posts.

    Enter the devil's advocates and naysayers

    "I bet he dropped it on purpose and now is trying to get them to pay for it."
    "CPL never had a chance to respond! Give them time!"
    "I'm glad they managed to sort this out amicably."
    "You should've got shipping insurance"
    "Now this company won't post more great deals for the rest of us, because you complained!"

    Here's what they should have done (IMHO)

    1. Asked him to come into the store with his damaged computer OR send it back after viewing photographs of damage.
    2. Apologized for the inconvenience.
    3. IF they were suspicious about this customer- taken photographs before sending out replacement computer AND ensuring he checks it before signing for the delivery person. (An explanation to the delivery person may be warranted)
    4. Post successful mediation on ozbargain and reddit for karma.
    • 

      BlazinPast on 22/07/2013 - 22:44

      In the very first post CPL made, they said they would offer a replacement - great job missing that part of the convo.

      To comment on the damaged box situation, I think CPL wanted to know if that dent was on the box because it would mean that AP mishandled the postage. This would allow CPL to claim some money from them. So it does make a difference.

      Overall, they did the right thing. They offered a replacement straight up in their first post. They then wanted to investigate if AP was at fault so they could make a claim. That failed, and they are still providing the replacement. Did you want them to throw in a Playstation 3 along with it?

      • 

        fungi79 on 22/07/2013 - 22:51

        +8

        Did you miss the whole forum post about how CPL emailed him and said "they can't do anything about it"? Think about it, if CPL offered him a reasonable resolution straight away would he go to all the trouble of making a forum post and posting here?

        Don't let it get in the way of a good story though.

      • 

        BlazinPast on 22/07/2013 - 22:54

        -4

        Yet, Locksmith didn't provide any sort of evidence. If I phoned you and asked for a thousand dollar refund, would you just agree? If you look at when the pictures were uploaded, it looks like he didn't show them to CPL until posting it on Ozbargain/Reddit. So you just expect them to give a refund based on a telephone call alone? It's not that easy, buddy.

      • 

        fungi79 on 22/07/2013 - 23:09

        +3

        If I had a reputation to protect in one of my major sales channel, yes of course I would deal with it better. The issue isn't with an instant refund, it's the fact that CPL straight away said they can't do anything about it and denied responsibility when the sensible thing would be to stay professional and ask if they can help. Then find a way to assess the damage. If you accept that when you buy things online and you want a refund you get a no straight away, then that's the service you deserve. I want better than that.

        Also, funny that CPL only offered to help AFTER the forum posts and people mentioning the issue on this deal.

      • 

        kwchaz on 22/07/2013 - 23:11

        +3

        That actually wasn't their first post…

      • 

        BlazinPast on 22/07/2013 - 23:17

        -3

        They couldn't do anything because all they had was just an email with no pics… That's not enough to issue a refund….

      • 

        kwchaz on 22/07/2013 - 23:25

        +3

        That would be all well and good if they'd asked for any pictures… the allegation here is that they told the buyer that there wasn't anything they could do, and didn't want to hear any more about it.

        It's things like that, that make people say they don't like how CPL handled this.

        EDIT: Other things are like saying the issue has been resolved, telling us OZBs that they will be paying for the return BUT not actually sending a message to lucksmith's email telling him this, so there isn't actually any official paper trail saying they have agreed to this, posting about the 'hole' without phrasing it as a query asking for more info and instead as a statement to cast doubt on lucksmith's story… a fair amount of this 'poor attitude' would have been saved had they just kept their mouth shut and kept the discussion in their emails with lucksmith, and merely provide status updates in public.

      • 

        BlazinPast on 22/07/2013 - 23:33

        That's up to the customer, how could you get upset over that?

      • 

        kwchaz on 22/07/2013 - 23:34

        +1

        Pardon? I'm afraid in the context of the discussion, I don't actually understand your reply.

      • 

        lucksmith on 23/07/2013 - 02:06

        +1

        I've mentioned this in a comment below, bust just to clarify things, I attached the photos along with my initial complaints and request for a refund. I never posted the photos anywhere else until CPL themselves said they could do nothing for me. It was only after then that I posted in the forums and asked for advice from fellow ozbs.

    • 

      p1 ama on 22/07/2013 - 22:49

      +1

      1. I think CPL are well within their rights to ask the customer to prove that he didn't damage it himself. Imagine if you were a store selling products on very fine margins, what would you do?

      2. This is perfect "he says, she says", it's the customer's word against CPL's and as I said, the customer might have spoken to a bad sales rep, no details were given about what was said and what was explained, whether they tried calling again…etc.

      3. I completely agree with what CPL has done, another member points out a valid point and they asked the customer to prove it, it's not like it's unreasonable.

      4. Well that seems fair enough to me, that CPL offers an exchange after going through all the information provided. They have nothing to apologise for, as far as the information presented is concerned, they should only apologise if it was them who damaged the system. They didn't "accuse" the customer of covering things up, they asked.

      5. I don't think they gave a shitty attitude, even if they did, that was in part due to the fact that a whole group of people here started attacking them. Yeah, sales reps are people, they will get angry when people attack them, it's normal to.

      6. Devil's advocates and naysayers - that's ridiculous, they are all good and valid points. It seems as if being skeptical about CPL is okay, but not the customer. That's not very fair.

      About your points regarding what they should have done:
      1) Okay, fair enough, but they did accept to have it returned in the end.
      2) That's getting technical now, the moment you start demanding apologies from people, things start getting out of control.
      3) That's their business and they should talk to the customer about that, it has nothing to do with the community and doesn't belong on a forum.
      4) I think with the amount of crap they were getting, nobody was really open to listening to them anyway.

      • 

        PresidentClinton on 22/07/2013 - 22:59

        All your points are based on the assumption that an individual has equal standing with a business. They have a much higher standard in regards to even questioning a customer's motives. If any business questioned me like that after I bought a $1300 computer from them, I would demand my money back immediately.

      • 

        p1 ama on 22/07/2013 - 23:04

        If you were running a business would you give out refunds and replacements at the click of a finger? Like this is over a thousand dollars we're talking about here, is it unreasonable for CPL to try and clarify?

        If anything CPL were probably helping the customer when they asked him to show them pics of the box, as it would implicate AusPost and clear the customer of simply dropping the PC.

      • 

        PresidentClinton on 22/07/2013 - 23:11

        I wouldn't be able to say no. If this happens every single day at CPL, I would be worried and skeptical. But turns out they sell hundreds and hundreds without a problem. Remember, this is not a total loss of $1300, this is more like $100 loss in shipping and parts destroyed.

        It's part of risk- we're living in a relatively low-crime country so big retail outlets can calculate an annual loss in earning due to theft-into their pricing system. They wouldn't even question a returned item.

        But since this is a small business, sure, question the guy. But don't keep questioning him after you agreed to replace the product! And then use nuanced language to try and discredit him!

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 23/07/2013 - 00:59

        -1

        Ill take "Who doesn't actually own a business but feels the need to educate people on how a business should be run without actually having any experience whatsoever" for $600 thanks Alex.

  • 

    onesandtwos on 22/07/2013 - 22:42

    +3

    It may be an understandable reaction to be skeptical if you have a great track record, but defensiveness is also the worst reaction to have if you want to have even a modicum of customer service, because it's borne out of pride rather than seeking a solution; it's not just about which party said what, but how they said it.

    No one is denying CPL's right to ask questions and investigate before offering a replacement/refund but there are certainly better ways to word it rather than all but accusing the customer of lying. So, I really have no opinion on which side is telling the truth (haven't +ed or -ved), but no matter how good their deals are, people are well within their rights to call CPL out for poor customer service because of their responses, without it being called a witch-hunt (the complaints about their time to respond is a separate issue).

  • 

    ThadtheChad on 22/07/2013 - 23:09

    +2

    That was a very well thought out and articulate post. I commend you sir. :)

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  nadan on 22/07/2013 - 21:49

  Quite interesting what people are saying here and jumping all over, when CPL have posted deals in the past everyone has jumped on the bandwagon and drummed up the deal and how good of bargain they have got. Here we have got a single instance of whatever it might end up being and everyone is putting down the business and the deal. We the keyboard warriors are a bit too eager to yay or nay. Give people a chance and don't be so quick to judge.

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  GreatWhiteHunter on 22/07/2013 - 21:50

  +1

  CPL I reckon you have been bullied online by a customer who dropped his PC cold, probably after he couldn't figure out where to plug his 14" CRT monitor into it….

  You then got gangbanged by a bunch of "me too" Ozbargainers…

  How does the OP explain a massive dent in the metal tower, yet ZERO damage to the cardboard box it was shipped in??
  If this happened in shipping, there would be a very, very obvious hole in the cardboard box.

  No hole in the cardboard box means either CPL dropped the system before they put it in the box, or the user dropped it after they removed it from the box. My money is on the latter. Either way, the shipping is not the issue here…

  I hope you stay an active participant on OzBargain. I for one will keep buying from you - I don't have butterfingers….

  Perhaps you could offer an INSURED shipping option to prevent similar issues???

  • 

    fungi79 on 22/07/2013 - 22:57

    +2

    How would you like it if you bought something online and it's DOA then the store/other people accuses you of breaking it yourself. Sounds like a slippery slope to me. I won't be beating the "customer is wrong" drum that loudly if I were you.

    • 

      GreatWhiteHunter on 22/07/2013 - 23:03

      +1

      Look at the pictures.

      http://imgur.com/a/L6kmn#XiZ1gGE

      Either the massive dent in the enclosure was there before CPL packed the enclosure in it's custom designed cardboard box, or the buyer dropped the PC after they removed it from the cardboard box.

      This didn't happen in shipping.

      CPL has sold thousands of systems, this guy seems to be the only person complaining about this sort of issue. For me, on the balance of probabilities, it far more likely the buyer is at fault here…

      • 

        kwchaz on 22/07/2013 - 23:06

        +4

        I think the reason people were more willing to jump on the 'Hate on CPL brigade' is because of their apparent plethora of poor customer reviews on Whirlpool. To the casual reader, this was just another sale where CPL was trying to get out of their legal responsibilities.

        They certainly didn't endear themselves to me when they claimed the buyer had not contacted them nor given them time to repond… when the OP had, and had received multiple replies from CPL representatives. I'll occasionally tolerate incompetence, but lying is certainly not welcome.

        That said, I'm not voting on this deal…

      • 

        fungi79 on 22/07/2013 - 23:11

        +2

        Exactly. Given that CPL flat out LIED about what happened, who do you trust more?

        So you say the dent is from the buyer dropping it, why? Because it can't possibly have happened at the store where an employee has dropped it and didn't want to get into trouble?

        Like you said, they sold 1000's of systems. So what would you say are the chances of someone dropping a system and shipping it? Never, or 1/1000.

      • 

        lucksmith on 22/07/2013 - 23:43

        +2

        I understand why others like you could be skeptical about all this. However,I've been as transparent about all this as I can, and have had no need to hide anything from CPL nor from the other members of the OzBargain community. I've invited others to come to my place and have a look at the box and its contents themselves. I've already covered all of my bases by contacting CPL as soon as I received the package and notified them of the situation.

        As for your accusation of my case of "butterfingers", and accidentally dropping the case, yes, that probably could happen. However, considering I've been wanting a PC for a while, and took forever to save up for this system, I would like to think that I not only the common sense to handle everything properly and carefully, but also be able to appreciate what I had in my hands. Also, I would like to think that should I have caused the damage in the case myself, I would have the integrity to accept my own mistakes, and deal with it the best I can. Why would I try to rip off a company that has provided good service and products to the entire OzBargain community? A community which I'm not only a part of, but has also been so good to me. If you would have a look at the comments that I've made about CPL, I have made it clear that I would like to resolve this issue with them in a calm and adult manner. I have even urged them to contact me so that we would be able to discuss the situation privately. I never attacked them in any way. Sure, I posted the photos on Reddit, but this was not an attack against CPL or any members of their staff. That was meant to show others what happened to the package I received from CPL, and hopefully would help others decide should they want to pursue further business with CPL.

        The volume of business that CPL has done with no complaints has never been the issue here. I respect the fact that the company is a successful business. More than anything, it gave me confidence in the operation they had running. That due to their success, and their attempts to reach out to the OzBargain community, they should be a reputable business. That I should have no qualms about putting my money in their hands. However, like I said earlier, their reputation and successful business operation has never been at fault here. What matters is how they deal with the problems that arise should the minority of those thousands of systems sold be defective.

• 

  spychiatrist on 22/07/2013 - 21:59

  +5

  Wow! The MODS let the MOB neg this deal to the hilt due to ONE issue not related to the deal which could have been discussed in the forums.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 22/07/2013 - 22:49

    There is a report button for invalid neg, should you think appropriate

  • 

    Moderatorneil on 23/07/2013 - 00:00

    Actually the mods have been bombarded with loads of reports. Some votes the community has revoked, some we have revoked for a lack of reason, and some fall within the voting guidelines, specifically "Major issues with retailer".

    It is concurrently being discussed in the forums.

  • 

    ode1online on 23/07/2013 - 09:24

    Its a real mess isn't it. The Mods should have locked it down.
    I gave up making my point , it just gets negged into the abyss

• 

  pmupsinep on 22/07/2013 - 22:02

  +1

  ACCC page for businesses
  http://www.accc.gov.au/business/treating-customers-fairly/co…

  You do not have to pay for damages or losses that:
  are not caused by your business or the goods you supplied
  relate to something independent of your business and outside your control, after the goods left your control.

  If Australia Post damaged the box then it appears that CPL may not be obligated to do anything as the goods are out of their control….

  • 

    PresidentClinton on 22/07/2013 - 22:09

    Wrong. They have the contract with Australia Post, they seek for damages from AP.

    • 

      pmupsinep on 22/07/2013 - 22:21

      Can you please provide a link to something which states a business is entirely responsible for damage that occurs during shipping?

      Since you're claiming to be a legal expert, a link to the actual legislation would be good. Thanks.

      • 

        PresidentClinton on 22/07/2013 - 22:28

        +3

        I'm not a legal expert. Its just a basic contract. You made a contract with a business to purchase a good and have it shipped to you. You didn't make a contract with the shipping company; thats with the other business. If Australia Post fails to deliver an item without damaging it, then CPL can make a claim on it. If CPL failed to adequately package an item, their claim might become void because AP does state in their terms that it needs to be packaged appropriately. This has nothing to do with the consumer.

        ALSO can i add, this is why much of business is carried out using GOOD WILL. If everyone started doubting each other…

        CPL: Hey lucksmith we dont believe you. Suck it
        Lucksmith: Hey CPL, i'm bringing in the ACCC. Suck it
        CPL: Hey AusPost, you damaged our goods. Suck it
        AusPost: Hey CPL, you didn't package it properly. Suck it

        Thats when business effectively breaks down and lawyers win

      • 

        kwchaz on 22/07/2013 - 22:28

        +2

        Isn't that more regarding unforeseen circumstances such as terrorist attacks, or some fourth party who crash into the courier's truck, causing it to burst into flames?

        The courier is performing a service under contract to the seller, and that contract has very little to do with the one the buyer has with the seller.

        As such… that wouldn't be independent of the business. Otherwise you could claim all those subcontractors delivering for Australia Post mean AP aren't at all liable for all those lost parcels…

      • 

        OzBrogains on 22/07/2013 - 22:31

        +3

        @ pmupsinep - So by that logic, imagine you pay for a new car. The car dealer says "No probs, it'll be in next Saturday. We have to order it from our Sydney dealer". You arrive next Saturday to pick up your new car, which has a 1 meter crater sized dent on the bonnet.

        The car dealer goes "Sorry mate, one of our drivers hit a kangaroo on his way here. We're not reeaaaaaally responsible for the damage though, thanks for understanding!".

        What will your reply be?

      • 

        pmupsinep on 24/07/2013 - 17:50

        -4

        PresidentClinton on 22/07/2013 - 22:28
        I'm not a legal expert.

        Good, then don't make statements like they are fact, or correct people. Because you're in no position to.

        jas0nt on 22/07/2013 - 22:31
        @ pmupsinep - So by that logic, imagine you pay for a new car.
        You arrive next Saturday to pick up your new car
        What will your reply be?

        2 different scenarios - you're picking up the car vs getting the shop to mail the PC.

      • 

        PresidentClinton on 24/07/2013 - 18:38

        +3

        @pmupsinep

        I guess we should all forget to use our logic before we get that piece of paper in our hands.

      • 

        pmupsinep on 24/07/2013 - 19:47

        -4

        I always knew you had no idea, but thanks for admitting it in your previous post :)

    • 

      GreatWhiteHunter on 22/07/2013 - 22:25

      AP will not pay for any damages unless the parcel was insured…

      • 

        kwchaz on 22/07/2013 - 22:28

        +1

        Even if it was insured, it wasn't packaged properly.

      • 

        GreatWhiteHunter on 22/07/2013 - 22:35

        +1

        In what way wasn't it packaged properly?

        You are sending a tower case with added internals. The tower case was shipped in the shipping container made for the tower case. This is the logical way to ship it. What else would you use?

        Dell ship their systems in the same way… I really cannot agree with your suggestion it wasn't packaged properly… The cardboard box it was shipped in has custom shaped foam inserts designed specifically to protect that particular metal enclosure during shipping…

        What do you want, air foam inside the tower??? The OP would have to open the tower and remove it…

        http://imgur.com/a/L6kmn#XiZ1gGE

        If you look at the pix of the cardboard box it was shipped in, and the external damage to the tower (massive dent in what looks to be the top of the enclosure) - given the cardboard box isn't damaged, the damage to the tower was caused either before CPL shipped it or after the customer took the tower out of the cardboard box.

        The former is unlikely because even if CPL wanted to ship a dented tower to the customer, surely they would at least bother to make sure the internals were OK. Lets face it, they've shipped a lot of systems and this is the first complaint of this nature…

        Much more likely is the OP dropped the tower cold AFTER he removed it from the box it was shipped in. This would explain why there is external damage to the tower, but none to the box.

        Whatever happened, it appears it didn't happen during shipping…

        Having seen the pix on Reddit supplied by lucksmith himself, I would draw the conclusion lucksmith is a liar and has cheated CPL by using the power of an angry mob against them. Anybody who sees the pictures would come to the same conclusion…

        I'd also guess by lucksmith's approach that he is male, less than 30. I'd say he dropped the case while holding it, it hit the side of his table/desk and then the floor… If lucksmith is lying I hope he screwed his desk/table too because he has screwed CPL's reputation.

      • 

        kwchaz on 22/07/2013 - 22:52

        +1

        We can't see much, but we can see there isn't any padding between the top of the case and the box. That is already insufficient packaging as far as AP is concerned - they'll do anything to go Ah-ha! You didn't package it well enough! We won't pay out.

        You have to overpackage when AP is concerned… well, where any courier is concerned.

        As I've stated elsewhere, my beef is not actually with the damage to the PC - it's with how CPL handled the complaint.

      • 

        GreatWhiteHunter on 22/07/2013 - 22:56

        Have you actually looked at the damage to the PC??

        http://imgur.com/a/L6kmn#XiZ1gGE

        This couldn't have occurred during shipping because for a dent like that in a metal enclosure to occur, there would have to be a mighty big hole in the cardboard box it was shipped in, padding or not…

      • 

        kwchaz on 22/07/2013 - 23:01

        I did… I'm merely answering your question regarding the packaging and how it relates to AP and their extra cover.
        Whether or not AP caused the damage is a completely different matter.

        The whole point of what I've been discussing with you is 'Even if AP was the cause of the damage, they will not pay'. Not whether or not they caused the damage, just a comment regarding their policies.

• 

  GreatWhiteHunter on 22/07/2013 - 22:08

  +1

  One last comment from me.

  For the love of God, the sweet Lord Jesus Christ, can you PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP stop bundling an OS in your system builds.

  Anybody with technical skills greater than the guy who can't even unwrap a PC without dropping it would prefer to pay $100 less for the system and instead install a $30 Windows 8 Pro Upgrade themselves - banking $70 in the process….

  You are losing a lot of sales by forcing people to buy a $100 copy of Windows. This is not 2005 when Microsoft can pursue system builders for not selling Windows with their systems….

  I have no problem with it being an add-on for whatever price you think is fair, but forced bundling Win 8 is preventing me buying any system you advertise here…

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  wog_ta on 22/07/2013 - 22:43

  +2

  My personal experiences dealing with CPL is when they are making a sale they are a pretty nice bunch to deal with and when asked will actually offer some sound advice, but when it comes to a return/ exchange despite whatever reason they are IMPOSSIBLE to deal with. Never thought i would say this but even worse than MSY.

  Also if the rep does not know how to respond to comments professionally and in a timely manner maybe someone else should be managing their ozbargain account.

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  nadan on 22/07/2013 - 23:25

  -1

  I suspect something fishy is going on, it could be competitors trying to bring down CPL. How on earth can so much damage be done by CPL? I seriously doubt that is how it was put together by CPL.

  • 

    GreatWhiteHunter on 23/07/2013 - 11:49

    -2

    That is a real risk in these situations.

    Competitors don't like someone doing a good deal, so they trash their reputation to restore price parity.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 23/07/2013 - 12:08

      +3

      Yes, we should all be wearing I agree completely, we should form a gang to counteract these heinous crimes.

  • 

    andysa on 23/07/2013 - 17:17

    +1

    Fishy? you've read the replies on this forum right? CPL just seem a bit useless.

    They need to do damage control and haven't come close to it.

    • 

      nadan on 23/07/2013 - 18:01

      Yes, fishy, how a business would ship something like that? They have every reason to be skeptical about the claim.

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  PresidentClinton on 22/07/2013 - 23:54

  +3

  So to wrap up, it will never be known whether lucksmith dropped the pc or whether it was dropped by a courier or in the fabled Computer Parts Land.

  But there is one precedent I want people to think about. A few years ago, apple designed their iPhones with little 'litmus test' water damage sensors hidden in the headphone jack and 30-pin connector port. If it turned Pink- that meant your phone was no longer eligible under warranty (due to contact with water). Even if the parts inside were dry as a bone and you just wanted to fix an unresponsive home button/poor battery/wifi signal.

  They never open your phone, they just check for pink dots. This is similar to this case- "We know you damaged your PC because we're perfect and never damage it. The packaging looks fine, therefore you dropped it."

  Well after a long lawsuit in the US, it was found that what Apple did- presuming water damage- was illegal and they were ordered to compensate. They weren't perfect indicators of water damage.

  So even if Lucksmith DID drop his PC, it didn't warrant no action by CPL. They shirked their duties and said 'tough'. So this 1 in 400 computers sold consumer was basically left trying to explain (or lie about) his innocence on a public forum.

  If only CPL thought this through…I certainly wouldn't deal with a company that doesn't think things through.

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  Herbse on 23/07/2013 - 00:16

  +4

  This used to be about the bargains

  • 

    PresidentClinton on 23/07/2013 - 00:23

    +7

    With great bargains, come great responsibility..

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  Sober Thoughts on 23/07/2013 - 00:50

  Think it best to lay low for awhile CPL. At least until the dust settles….

  • 

    UFO on 23/07/2013 - 01:09

    +4

    I think the opposite…. smash out a couple of awesome bargains, and get customers who purchase to leave positive feedback (twitter, facebook, oh dont know…. particular online forums?).

    CPL had a right to initially be sceptical on goods received as damamged, even though outer packaging was ok. If it was my business I'd be thinking someone was trying to rip me off and then hold me to ransom online.

    Now, not saying this is what happened here- but everyone is looking at it from the customer POV (as you would expect from fellow consumers- perfectly normal). But unfortunately there are A LOT of dodgy people out there looking to rip off businesses because of a mistake they themselves made. And businesses (especially pc vendors) make very little profit on hardware, and it wouldnt take very many dodgy customers to send them to the wall.

    Anyway, this is getting old.
    Customer is getting what he wants, and CPL seem to be doing the right thing. Build a bridge.

    If you want to shop with them fine. If not, fine as well. But they DO offer pretty damn good deals, and have served us well here on OzBargain. It would be a shame to scare them off.

    And just a final note… anyone reading this in the future, take a glance at the vote tally above. Vast majority of positive votes, even though there is a very vocal minority giving their opinion as loud as possible.

    • 

      BlazinPast on 23/07/2013 - 01:19

      I don't know what these CPL haters expect. Initially, no photos were provided so CPL didn't provide the refund. The customer then made a thread with pictures and got the refund as soon as CPL made this deal. They then questioned if Australia Post was at fault to see if they can claim back some money. What's the issue in that? I'm guessing the haters are upset they didn't get a free foot massage and tickets to New York. Locksmith, though, has been quite mature about the issue.

      • 

        lucksmith on 23/07/2013 - 01:59

        +3

        To clarify things, I attached the photos to my email to CPL along with my initial request for a refund. I did not post the photos anywhere else until CPL refused to cooperate. I have a copy of this email, along with all other correspondence I've had with CPL. I would post them here, but i would very much like to discuss things with CPL first to try and sort everything out.

      • 

        kwchaz on 23/07/2013 - 07:19

        +1

        You've made the claim twice that lucksmith didn't provide photos in his initial discussions with CPL. You haven't stated that claim as 'maybe CPL weren't shown the extent of the damage', but rather an out and straight claim that there were no photos.

        Where are you getting this 'information' from?

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 23/07/2013 - 07:53

        +1

        He's pulling it outta his (hat?)

        But seriously, I've read him spout the same thing everywhere. He's feeding false information around which only leads to more confusion.

      • 

        BlazinPast on 23/07/2013 - 17:02

        +1

        Alright, my bad. I let my induction get ahead of myself there.

• 

  letthiswork1 on 23/07/2013 - 01:50

  +3

  I have been following this all day because its been fun so thanks guys :)

  But one thing i have to say is Locksmith hasn't done anything wrong. He had a legitimate issue and didn't feel like he was getting any response form CPL so he asked for advice. The mob that followed is angry people behind a keyboard who love to start something :)

  I will be upset when this is resolved as it was fairly interesting thanks CPL i will buy from you guys :)

• 

  [Deactivated] on 23/07/2013 - 01:59

  +7

  I can't believe that the "rep" is really a rep of CPL. I get better customer service at MSY for god's sakes!

  • 

    UFO on 23/07/2013 - 02:48

    +3

    see…. now I know you are joking ;).

    I can honestly say that MSY does not employ based on customer service skills!
    The staff know tech, and know it well. They know where to find it on the shelf out the back, and they know how to swipe your credit card.

    But they dont know customer service….. but that's ok, I still go there for the prices. And so does everyone else. It's actually funny now, when there's a queue in front of you and everyone is laughing at the same thing. It's like a "yeah mate, I feel your pain… lets just get what we came here for and then leave" :).

• 

  ankor on 23/07/2013 - 09:18

  +1

  Thanks for the heads up. I had been on the fence about CPL because they sound like good prices, but that question of freight, handling and risk had always popped up. My gut instinct told me to just play it safe and go umart instead. Glad I followed that instinct, and i hope you get a good resolution luckysmith.

• 

  auna on 24/07/2013 - 00:38

  +1

  It seems cpl has a few problems. People are overblowing it though.

  They use australia post, don't put premium protection for shipping and they dance around the issue for a while hoping you will give up.

  Personally it's pccasegear or scorptec for a full pc build.

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