My TZD experience..

[zektor]

It's a semi-long story, bear with me. Over the weekend I tried to win a Kisado adapter on ebay (the converter to enable the card games made for the Japanese PC Engine to be played on an American Turbografx 16) because I got ahold of some great PCEngine game cards that I just can't play on the TG16 alone. Needless to say I lost the auction, so I had to go another route. I have been long informed about the availability of a new adapter in from Australia that is being distributed by Turbo Zone Direct (http://www.tzd.com) and figured this is a good option. I have never ordered from TZD, but I do know quite a few people that have over the years and will swear by them as being honest and overall good in business ethic. I even have a TZD flyer right here in my hands that I have had for a long time. So, on Sunday, I said "the hell with it" and placed the order through their online order system. On Monday (which was yesterday now) I went to work and when I came back home for lunch I checked my Paypal account (the card I used to order) to see if the $105 (the price of the adapter and shipping) was taken out. It wasn't. I then figured I'd just call them and make sure everything went through ok with the online order. I am in NJ, calling Van Nuys, CA. Not a local call, but I have to find out if all is good. I get a guy on the phone and ask him if my order has been processed, and he is pretty snotty and says: "We just opened". I say: "Ok, no problem. My time zone is different, but I wanted to make sure you received my order, as I don't see it charged to my card". He says "Oh yeah, Bruce, I see your order here. You'll receive the adapter sometime this week". "Is that all?". Well, I said yes, and hung up. Just the way he said "Is that all?" didn't sit well with me. He said it kind of like "I don't need to talk to you anymore"...if you know what I mean. And I am the one spending cash calling long distance!!! Well, I periodically checked the paypal to see if the money was taken out throughout the day. I waited up till 9pm EST (which I believe would have been 6PM in Cali) for the transaction to be completed. Well, they didn't charge me. So what I did was email them and cancel my order. Instead I ordered a Core Grafx Japanese unit on Ebay and will play my games fine. I am sure many people have had good experiences with them as I hear alot of good things, but what the hell happened here? I am giving the guy $100 for a freakin' adapter for a 14 year old game system. I am calling long distance to check on my order. Then I basically get a scumbag with a nasty attitude. Forgive me if I am out of line, but I deal with bad service pretty much everywhere I go nowadays. It's like people couldn't care less about their jobs or businesses anymore. And then when I order something through a supposed reputable company for my leisure, I get the same crap.

[maxlords]

Yeah, that guy, he's a dick, but he always comes through. Just don't expect him to be polite. I think what a lot of us forget is that the net shields us from most people's attitudes. :)

[Achika]

Yeah a few months ago I also got so so service from them. I ordered the docking station, a spare manual, and a System card. I got my package and only the docking station and manual were in it. So I called back to see where the system card was. He told me to look through the packing materials again (which I already had) and the space around where I opened the package. I don't find anything, so I call back and then he gives me the real story. One of his employees forgot to put it in, so he stuck it in the top flap of the box, but didn't put another piece of tape on to keep it from falling out. :/

So, with a 'irked' voice he said he would send me another one. He did, but it just came in a regular envelope with no extra packing except the Hu-card sleeve.

[Bratwurst]

I think they're shitheads because I've asked them before if they had replacement rubber pads for their controllers, and their response was 'We might have some for sale if you buy something else.'

Duh, I would have ordered something else to pad the shipping costs, but screw that tone.

[Tempest]

Funny, I never had a problem with them. In fact I got my Kisado adapter there (a loooong time ago mind you). I also got some great package deal for 5 controllers and a Turbo Tap for like $30 a few years ago.

Tempest

[hamburgler]

I ordered from them a couple of times and I have not had a problem with them until they had called me to tell me about them replacing a game that I wanted but they didn't have it all for free for no charge.Other then that, I have had no problems ordering from them.

[stargate]

Guys................ we should be happy that there is still a company selling ANYTHING TG-16 related. Shit, I had trouble finding parts and games for my TG-16 back in 1989.

I'm sorry to say this, zektor, but I think you are dead wrong. I mean you placed the order Sunday, called to check for a status when they just opened the next day and then cancelled the entire order Monday night. Are you kidding me? You gave them a whole day before giving up on them?

I think with any company a little common sense and patience is expected. You were calling the guy first thing Monday morning (in CA) to see if the order you just placed on Sunday "has been processed". What did you expect? And then the guy tells you that he does see your order and you should receive it in the week. And you are mad?

[zektor]

Guys................ we should be happy that there is still a company selling ANYTHING TG-16 related. Shit, I had trouble finding parts and games for my TG-16 back in 1989.

I'm sorry to say this, zektor, but I think you are dead wrong. I mean you placed the order Sunday, called to check for a status when they just opened the next day and then cancelled the entire order Monday night. Are you kidding me? You gave them a whole day before giving up on them?

I think with any company a little common sense and patience is expected. You were calling the guy first thing Monday morning (in CA) to see if the order you just placed on Sunday "has been processed". What did you expect? And then the guy tells you that he does see your order and you should receive it in the week. And you are mad?

Well, it was more the lack of courtesy that bothered me. I am really not going to take a snotty attitude from someone I am paying my good hard earned cash out to, even if they were the last person on the planet selling the stuff. That doesn't make it ok for the guy to be an asshole. I am actually glad I did email cancelling the order, as I never got a email reply and my card was never even charged. I gave them a full business day to charge the card and process my order. It is not like they are overwhelmed with Turbografx orders. I can't think of any other company I have dealt with that waits 2 or more days to charge your card after receiving the info and the order. Oh well...it's done and over with now. I just know that I personally will not be ordering from them again.

[chadtower]

I agree with Stargate, I think the level of speed, asskissing, and everything else many people expect now is just totally unreasonable. Just because someone has ordered something doesn't mean the seller is responsible for kissing their holy behind as well as dropping their entire life in order to get that buyer their item as fast as is humanly possible.

[IntvGene]

I agree with Zektor. It's his cash, and he should give it to someone who wants to treat him like a valued customer. Too many people these days are just too lazy to bother, so they accept crappy customer service. I don't mind paying more money if I get the treatment I expect and deserve. But, I am not paying for attitude.

Go to Japan, the level of customer service over there far exceeds anything I've ever experienced in North America. Too many minimum wage workers doing the job here.

[chadtower]

I understand not dealing with poor attitude... but he placed his order on a nonbusiness day, then called first thing on the next business day to confirm it. I'm willing to bet he wasn't as courteous as he says he was considering the way he's talking about them now. Attitude goes two ways.

[zektor]

I understand not dealing with poor attitude... but he placed his order on a nonbusiness day, then called first thing on the next business day to confirm it. I'm willing to bet he wasn't as courteous as he says he was considering the way he's talking about them now. Attitude goes two ways.

Well, I was and am always courteous to a person I am selling or trading something with, as well as someone I am buying something from. Ask anybody who has ever dealt with me before. I do however expect that level of courtesy in return. I don't expect any customer service rep to kiss my ass, but considering I am giving them money and business I at least expect to be treated with some sort of courtesy. Maybe I'm just turning into an old fart, but I really believe the level of good service almost everywhere has gone down bigtime. With alot of places I deal with it just seems the employee doesn't even want to be there, so the service is just garbage. These people should be lucky they HAVE a job. And as for ordering on Sunday, yes, I placed the order then, and I called on Monday just to confirm that the credit card info was received ok. I was giving it out through the net and this is a good reason to call and make sure. I gave them the courtesy of waiting out the whole business day of Monday to charge me, and they didn't. So they lost a sale, period.

[Atari7800]

I'm split... :/

Zector was a bit hasty in cancelling his order so quickly... remember back in the "good old days" when something took 6 to 8 weeks to arrive? Now we get antsy if something isn't on our doorstep in a week...

However, I am very intolerant of poor customer service... I'll cancel an order just because someone was rude, and then I'll raise hell with management. Prpbably can't do that here, but Zector might want to send an e-mail letting him/the company know that they lost a sale over a bad attitude.