"How could I have missed the reviews about these crooks before I ordered?!! They say they have the product, they charge your card and you get nothing. Zero communication and there is no customer service whatsoever. Avoid these thieves at all costs. Thankfully I used my Amex card and have disputed the charge - Instawares doesn't even contact me. F-"

"I have had the WORST experience ever purchasing on-line with Instawares. The product never came nor was I ever notified that it was on permanent backorder. Their communication is HORRIBLE. I ordered the product in August and even now at the end of December am still waiting for the refund on my cancelled order. It has been promised to me via several emails yet I have to remember to keep in touch with them as weeks and months slide by without any communication from them or any refund arriving. DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS RETAILER. THEY ARE THE WORST!"

"Avoid them like the plague. This operation must be run by Tony Soprano and friends. They take your money and never ship anything. Then they won't refund your credit card. Finally, if you threaten to dispute it with your credit card company, they ship your product even after you cancel it. In my case they shipped my flatware over a month late even though I had canceled the order and bought the flatware at Walmart. So now I have two sets. I'm too afraid to attempt a return so I'm stuck with it. This is the first time I've dealt with real crooks.
"

"I placed an order on the internet based on the picture shown and the description. When the item arrived it was nothing like the item I ordered. After 2 phone calls, 8 emails back and forth, I was told that if I retracted my dispute with the credit card company, I could return my item for a credit. After retracting my dispute, I was then told by Instawares that 30 days had elapsed from the time of my order and they could no longer take the item back. The only reason it took 30 days was because there would be 3-4 days in between each response from them."

"The absolute worst internet purchasing experience in 10 years of buying off the net. These people are crooks. I regret the day I found their web page. If someone starts a class action suit, let me know."

"Do NOT purchase from Instawares!!!!! I submitted a $1600 order (paid by check). Part of the order arrived OK. The rest was repeatedly delayed. I finally cancelled the order in early June. Despite NUMEROUS calls and emails, the $990 balance has not been refunded (always a different excuse). I have referred my probem to the BBB and the Georgia Attorney General. "

"This is the first and last time I order from them. I ordered 100 folders from the office supply section of the site which takes you to www.instaoffice.com. Shipping was 7-10 days. Over the next week I received 3 different boxes shipped from different places. If they had tracking information available where they said they would it might have been less confusing. Recently I was suspicious as to whether we really got all the folders. I collected what paperwork had been given to me and there were only 73. A week ago I e-mailed them to ask for proof of delivery of the other 27. Today I got an e-mail The jist of it was "We do apologize for the delay in shipping ...Instawares has just merged with an investment company...all orders from Instawares are in the process of shipping right now. Once your order has been shipped, you will receive a separate email with the tracking number."

It took a week for this lousy reply which sounds suspiciously automated. I replied asking for proof of delivery or a refund. I received an e-mail with two tracking numbers listed- which were exactly the same number. I looked up the tracking and it was for a box which I had already received!
I e-mailed back and said I need ALL the tracking numbers.
This morning I did receive an e-mail saying you have received 73 folders. (DUH!) the remaining 27 will be delivered to you. I got the folders this morning. They delivered - but I would still never risk buying from them again. I am waiting for a reply from them to my last e-mail asking why I wasn't notified 2 months ago that I wouldn't get my full order for over 2 months?

"

"Avoid these crooks. Placed an order, but cancelled it a day later. Cancellation was confirmed, but two months later no refund has been issued in spite of several calls and a promise it would happen. Finally had to file a dispute with my credit card company to get the money back. These guys should be in jail."

"Placed an order on 9/9/06. It was supposed to be shipped out the same day (a service for which I paid extra). Today (9/14/2006) it still hasn't shipped. Customer service is deplorable."

"Placed an order for an item their website claimed was in stock and paid extra for fast shipping. Interesting how nothing on their website is out of stock. After 2 weeks had to call to find out where my items were. They claimed that some items were not in stock and the order was put on hold. Received the order finally but not as described. Got an RMA # and haven't seen a refund after 90 days. They suck and have no customer service."

"Horrible customer service. I ordered a product and PAID EXTRA for two day shipping. Product never showed up. Never received a phone call or any emails to notify me about the product not shipping. I called and found out that it was on backorder. The website was never updated to notify anyone that the product is on backorder. I was told they would refund the extra shipping amount and that never happened. I wrote them a letter explaining the situation and asking for a refund and I never received a response. Today I finally read the rest of the reviews on reseller ratings and canceled the order. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!"

"Wrong products shipped twice after waiting 2 weeks to ship. I was told items had shipped, called back for a tracking number and was told the items had not shipped and would ship tomorrow, always tomorrow. Finally cancelled the order after the 2nd wrong product arrived. Instawares says it would take 2 billing cycles (60 days) to credit my card. B_LLSH_T!!!! I disputed the charge with AMEX. Game Over.
Instawares sucks. STAY AWAY!!!
"

"Never buy from here! When I placed my order the item showed in stock and ready to ship. After waiting a week with no update to my order history I called and was told it was out of stock and won't be available for 60 days. Funny how my credit card was charged. Most won't charge until the item ships. After almost two weeks of no credit I called and was told it will take two billing cycles to process. I'm pursuing this with my bank as an unauthorized transaction. I order online a lot and have never had such a poor experience. "

"Avoid this company like a plague. Their service is a disgrace.

Update on July 21th, 2006:
I called them again today, and was told the item was NOT in stock. I finally gave up, canceled my order. That is after all the headache, a dozen of phone calls, and emails. They won't credit me back until one or two full billing cycles.

-- Original post:

I ordered a Dutch style baker's rack on June 17. My credit card was charged instantly. Ten days passed by and I heard nothing from them. I went to their web site, sent them an email asking about the status of my order. No response. Two days later I called. The lady on the phone told me she could not find ANYTHING about my order in their system. However she assured me that usually the rack should be shipped in a couple of days. Two days passed. Nothing happened. I went to their web site again, sent them this message to report a problem:

"I want to know the current status of my order. I placed it two weeks ago, sent you an email, and haven't heard anything from you. Please let me know when you are going to ship it. It has been two weeks since you charged my credit card. Thanks."

No response. I called again last Friday. A gentleman picked the phone, and said the warehouse was closed for the holiday. He would check the status for me the first thing July 5th. As expected, nothing happened. I tried to call them during the posted business hour, a message said I must call back during the business hours.

Worst on-line company I ever dealt with. Avoid at all cost!"

"Do not buy from this company! I wish I
had read the reviews before I handed my
money over to them (money which they
will keep for several months before
they return it!) I orderd a product, they charged my credit card, the product never shipped, and they will not refund my money for SEVERAL BILLING CYCLES of my card!
I ordered a product,
paid for expedited shipping, over a week later when no product came, I
used their "report a problem with the
order" email on their site. I received
no response. I called and was told the
product was backordered and that it
would be another week before they would
have it. More time went by,
I "reported a problem" again via email,
again received no response. I called
again, and was told a different
story...that the warehouse was behind
in shipping the orders. More time
elapsed, I called again, and this time
was told they had a problem with many
of the orders from this warehouse. At
no time did anyone from Instawares
contact me or reply to my emails. I
was then told I could cancel the order
and get a refund (yes, they had charged
my card the moment I placed the
order). the next week, there was no
refund on my card, so I called and was
told it would take up to 2 BILLING
CYCLES of my charge card for them to
issue a credit (even though it took
them a nanosecond to charge the card in
the first place and no product was ever
even shipped!), and that their website
had clearly stated that it was their
policy. Now I have no product and no
money. So do not order from this
company. They will take your money,
give you no product, but keep your
money for months! And they will never
tell you a word about it unless you
call and harass them."