Buying Online From Amazon and Unexpected Problems People Face

This was a rough week. Something killed my last computer. Maybe it was an update from Microsoft or maybe it was just old. So I had to go scrambling for a new PC fast since working from home. But due to this pandemic, there are shortages in stores for what you may need such as a desktop PC. As easy as online shopping is, there are problems people face when buying online you may not expect such as delivery.

I bought a decent system for a reasonable price with what I thought were good specs. Just buying and getting it home was the problem! I found it on Amazon. It’s an ASUS D340MC Desktop PC. I bought a fair amount of stuff on Amazon over the years. It’s convenient with fair prices for online buying. I figured well Amazon would be like most retailers who could literally tell me when I call their toll-free number when it was shipped and when it would arrive.

The first time I called their number the automated system told me my computer had shipped. The computer told me I should expect it on Sunday, October 10. Being paranoid, I called again to check up to see if that changed. This time the computer transferred me to an actual human. And this person would not access my account. I had enabled two factor authentication to safeguard my account. Even though I explained the order was for a computer and my old one was dead, this Amazon customer service woman refused to help me by asking additional security questions. Most companies will have procedures to handle this scenario.

Look at when you need to reset a password and you no longer have the email account or phone number you used. They give you alternatives. And when you are talking to a human they can ask you questions. I even offered the order number. I offered to tell them other purchases from Amazon. They could have helped me. I just wanted to confirm the date. And she said she wouldn’t help me.

Then sure enough this new computer arrived early. I had no idea it was sitting outside my door. I was even home in the house. The idiot Amazon driver didn’t ring the door bell or even knock on the door. He just dropped it off and ran. There was a doorbell right there. And the worst part it rained and it rained hard. The box was really wet. Granted the PC box was inside another box that was intended to provide some protection. But the inside box got wet too. And the packing paper inside the box was soaked!

Then I opened it fast to assess the damage. Furthermore, this computer wasn’t even as described on Amazon.com. It said I would get two sets of video ports so I could hook up two monitors. I have an older, smaller monitor which I could have hooked up next to my big monitor. But when I opened the box the computer had two small gold colored terminals for a WiFi antenna. This is a desktop sitting right next to my cable modem. But Amazon has this same ASUS computer on their site with these video ports right now. Here it is!

In addition, ASUS on their site shows the same back of the computer with the extra video ports. Just look at Amazon’s picture and you’ll notice that there are no gold terminals, sort of like tiny cable TV hookups. No, Amazon and ASUS both advertise the one with the extra blue VGA, DVI-D, & HDMI ports. Clearly this was false advertising. More than that, I have bought three computers from Amazon over the years. I will think twice before I buy from Amazon.com! Be careful. Maybe if Jeff Bezos spent more time on Earth looking at how they deliver products when buying online maybe fiascos like this wouldn’t happen!