- STORE REVIEWS
- PRODUCT REVIEWS
2012-12-06
1/5
"I ordered two items for a custom PC build on 08/10/12 because they were the cheapest prices around and the website appeared to have good ratings on Google and other review websites - I have since found out why this is, of course...
On 17/10/12 (the latest possible delivery date) one half of my order was delivered by UPS, the other was nowhere to be seen. After telephoning WAE+ and speaking to their customer service advisor after a long delay I was advised the second item was out of stock (despite STILL showing as “in stock” on the website) and would be with me in 3 weeks.
By this point I had read enough legitimate reviews to know this was likely to be ambitious at best and misleading at worst and so I cancelled the second part of the order.
After going through another retailer and receiving the missing part within two working days (for no extra delivery cost) it was time to put my PC together, but lo-and-behold the part WAE+ had sent out to me was faulty. Fantastic. I had been slightly suspicious of the dog-eared manual and the unsealed packaging when it had arrived, but the motherboard itself had looked new enough upon closer inspection. However, I do fear someone else had been through the same process.
So it was back to the telephone, where WAE+ were actually pretty prompt in sorting things out for me. They advised I fill in a return form and arrange a collection with UPS, all of which took place in a very swift timescale, but of course when it came to getting a replacement item more problems arose.
Firstly, I was specifically told by one of their two customer service representatives that there were “many motherboards in stock” and so getting a replacement would not be a problem. Three weeks and three frustrating calls later ("it WILL be with you by next week") though, and I was still empty-handed. At the completion of the third week (now five weeks after I had made my initial order) I asked for a refund for this part of the order – although the first still had not arrived.
Weeks came and went with no money appearing in my bank account until finally the 30 days expired and I took things further. I felt I had no choice but to report WAE+ to the Police (Action Fraud), Trading Standards (Birmingham), Internet Shopping Is Safe (via their own website) and BBC Watchdog.
I forwarded as many of the negative reviews I found on this review website and others to all concerned parties, I dug-up issues related to their previous company which went very much the same way and began robbing customers by asking for bank transfers as payment (WAE without the +), I informed them of the Guardian articles about both companies and finally about the investigations into their use of fake positive reviews (paid-for) to offset the truthful ones which seemed to prove conclusive. All of this is available to find easily enough with an online search engine, should you be so inclined.
After two months I have just got my money back thanks to pushing a chargeback through my bank (with the help of a crime reference number from the police) and I’m now here to share my experiences of this awful company.
I could forgive it if it was just incompetence, but I think my experiences allied with the hundreds of others I have found related to the people who run this company show that this goes far deeper than that. They appear to be untrustworthy, unscrupulous and quite possibly criminal. I would not advise that you shop with them at any cost and if you have the time, I would urge you to do whatever you can to ensure that they are shut-down and prevented from trading again in the future."
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