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Do some on-line shopping experiences drive you nuts? A recent experience with BT Shop left me wishing that I’d not even bothered.

The Great Camera Quest

The Olympus u770SE is a great little camera for diving trips and holidays. Not only does it take great photos but it can go to 10m without a case!

On a diving trip this weekend, our digital camera packed up. I’m not sure what the problem is but it rattles now

Pending warranty repair (which usually takes ages!), I decided to purchase a second u770 as a backup for last minute holidays / events etc.

A search in town for several hours yielded no hope of finding this camera. The later model (u790) was available in several shops but this isn’t waterproof to 10m and moreover I already have a waterproof case for the u770!

BT Shop Mess it Up

Searching on-line showed some options, with BT Shop being cheapest at £197 including free next day delivery. The camera was in stock, so I ordered. 1 hour later I get an email as follows:-

Thank you for your order placed on 01/10/07

You have received this email because we were unable to confirm the details
of your address with third party agencies.

***Please note that if you do not action this email within 5 working days
we will not be able to process this order and will cancel it on your behalf***

Possible reasons for this could be:

1) Cardholder address entered not as shown on your statement
2) CVV details (3 digits from the back of the card) being entered incorrectly
3) Entering an incorrect telephone number for your cardholder address or leaving it blank

Please email the following details to webaccounts@shop.bt.com

1) The address to which your credit/debit card is registered exactly
as shown on your statement.
2) A landline telephone number as which you can be contacted during the day.
3) If you do not have a home telephone line, then please tell us how you connect
to the internet including which internet service provider you have used
to place the order
4) Full confirmation of the delivery address including recipients name, company name
if applicable, and relationship with this address.

Please ensure you check your details online before emailing us, if you find that amendments
are needed please do as follows:

Log on to your online account, in the account options section select the
‘edit contact details’ option to amend your card registered address.
To change your delivery address select the ‘Manage address book” option.
Once you have made these amendments (if applicable) please e-mail us
with the correct information to enable us to complete the processing of your order.

We apologise for any inconvenience you have experienced, however these checks are put in
place to ensure card holder protection is at a maximum and to reduce the incidence of fraud.

Thank you for your co-operation.
Regards

Card Security Department
BT Shop

Having already supplied ALL this information during the ordering process (as well as extra security required from Capital One), there was no way I was going to waste half an hour replying to this email. Also, having provided both my phone and land line number during ordering, I was at a loss as to why no-one bothered to phone me to ask me for whatever information was needed to complete the transaction.

Amazon to the Rescue

After cancelling my order with BT Shop, I went to Amazon.co.uk and ordered the same item in about 10 seconds using “one click” ordering. The camera was a little more expensive but I didn’t mid paying another 20 or so quid if it meant removing the extra hassles of completing the transaction with BT Shop!

BT Shop Fails to Play with The Big Boys

BT Shop lost my business this time. Furthermore, now I know what a hassle ordering is, I’ll be reluctant to shop there again any time soon.

One interesting thing is that my on line business is an affiliate reseller for BT shop. It has to be said that BT Shop sales for me are disappointing to say the least. Perhaps I’ve just discovered one of the contributing reasons?

Amazon is a giant and a pioneer in online retailing. It’s turnover is the envy of many of its “wanabee” competitors. Its online ordering system is the winner of many awards and is the model of a successful “e”tailer system. As long as rubbish ordering processes and customer service (as per my experience with BT Shop) exists, I don’t see any serious competition for Amazon in the near future.

My camera will be delivered tomorrow.

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Rowland :: Oct.01.2007 :: Uncategorized :: No Comments »

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