Why Google Checkout Sucks. (And PCBuyIT aren’t much better)

I’m peeved. I saved up some money so that I could treat myself to something nice during the week I took a week off. I finally decided to get an Archos 5 ( http://www.archos.com/products/imt/archos_5it/hdmulti.html ) Expansive, but then I work for it!

I placed an order with a company called PCBuyIT ( http://www.pcbuyit.co.uk ). They had a good price on it and had the exact model I was looking for. They seem to recommend Google Checkout. You can place payment by credit card directly with them. But for some reason I thought “why not place the order through Google?”. I think it was because I like the work Google do with supporting Open Source. Whatever, there was some brand loyalty.

It turns out that using Google Checkout was a big mistake. Everything suggested on the website that If I placed my order, I’d get my goods today. WRONG! What neither Google Checkout nor PCBuyIT don’t tell you, is that for reasons they don’t mention, it can take up to 24 hours for them to clear your payment. And this happened to me.

So, it’s now Friday, the last working day of my Holiday. I only found out about the delay this morning when I was basically expecting to receive my goods. I phoned PCBuyit this morning. Their attitude was pretty much that now they have my money, I can whistle for my stuff. When I suggested (politely I might add) that it would be really cool it they could do a Saturday delivery, I didn’t even get to finish my sentence before they stopped me and basically told me to stop kidding myself.

So there you have it, City Link will try to deliver the goods I paid to have delivered today on Monday. I’ll be back at work on Monday so I won’t be in to receive them. So after paying for next day delivery, the First chance I’ll have to get my goods is Tuesday, from City Link’s depot in Bristol. Meaning that because I’m working in Bath on Tuesday, my drive home will be across three counties. Thanks PCBuyIT and Google Checkout. You’ve made what should have been a pleasureable experience, horrible. What would it have cost to get it delivered to me tomorrow and kept a new customer happy? A few quid. I hope the few quid you saved will be very happy together.

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1. Another go at the BBC for Proprietry Bias
2. The First Pawn Moves in the Novell Game
3. More train fail.
4. January rant campaign!
5. Bad Habits