DX customer service: "Just wait longer, maybe it will arrive."

At what point do I file a PayPal dispute?

DX “customer service” has (IMO) jerked me around for the last 5 weeks, telling me the order shipped - for real this time, we swear! - and providing a different tracking number 3 times. None of the tracking numbers worked (they did not ever register as valid numbers on the tracking websites). Yesterday the 4th tracking number they gave me finally resulted in a “hit” on 17track.net - “the package is pre-advised”.

I interpret “the package is pre-advised” as “shipping information has been submitted”, which doesn’t even mean that the shipper has the package yet (this is how UPS and FedEx work, they will notify when a shipment is created, and the again when it is received by them).

I contacted customer service after the first two weeks with no tracking number provided, then they proceeded to tell me the item had shipped, and give me a tracking number that didn’t work. After a week I would ask was the issue was, and they would tell me the package had actually shipped now, and give me another non-working tracking number. That happened once again, then finally they gave me a working tracking number but after so many non-truths, I don’t even believe that this tracking number is my shipment, I don’t believe it will actually ship to me.

At this point I’m pretty unimpressed and not interested in giving DX any of my business. I really want to file a dispute with PayPal.

Thoughts?

Edit: this was DX customer service response to my last message, it is nearly the EXACT same thing they said the last 3 times: “please wait, and see if it arrives”

Please don’t worry,maybe your package was delayed in transit, we will follow up it until you receive your package. Would you mind waiting another week with patience and see if its arrival. Your understanding and patience is highly appreciated! Thank you for your patience

you can claim to paypal up to 180 days.

It sounds as if you’ve already been more than patient. IMO you gave them more than a fair shot at making things right. I’d file a Paypal dispute. Being giving fake tracking #s is just wrong.

(& don’t worry you aren’t alone most (or many?) of us are probably getting the run around from some vendors too. Just this weekend I had 3 cases.)

I always wait a week or 2 after contacting Dx for an item not received(ie you've already waited 8 weeks etc and the item still hasn't arrived) and then say "I've waited long enough, I can't wait any longer, if you could please do the refund or failing which I will rather open a Paypal dispute.

You typically get your refund from Dx quite soon thereafter.

I didn’t think people even used DX anymlre they fell off a long time ago.

Save all your emails send them to paypal

I still use them though less frequently since FastTech and MtnE came online. Still use kaidomain too. Gearbest I’ve only ever used for BLF special editions. For me, all orders from China used to take six to eight weeks but that’s improved in the last few years. Still, you occasionally hear of longer shipping times so try not to get anxious. Vendors do not run the shipping companies and are just as much in the dark as you are once the item leaves their hands. Prematurely opening paypal disputes out of spite is not sound advice, the 180 day limit was implemented precisely because it was necessary to cover temporarily misplaced items that eventually did turn up. It should not be used as a club with which to beat on the vendor. Opening one before then should be reserved for items recieved that were not up to snuff and customer service was not responsive to polite negotiations. If you can’t be nice then you probably shouldn’t be buying on the net. Not having face to face contact isn’t an excuse to suspend your own humanity. Everything you communicate is stored somewhere so snide, vindictive, rude, or otherwise abusive comments are there for paypal referees to see as well, not to mention anyone else that might end up having a bone to pick with you. I say “you” but this applies to all of us, me included. It’s not intended as a criticism but as a reminder that the polite behavior that SB insists on here should be standard behavior everywhere.

How exactly does opening a dispute via Paypal work after say 4 months?

I've never actually needed to do that(only really had issues with eBay sellers and those were resolved by ebay) and I'm not sure I'm comfortable leaving it up to chance hoping the Paypal system which I don't really know very well finds in my favour months down the line.

Is it the same basis as eBay - seller must provide tracking showing delivery failing which the seller must do a refund?

180 days is six months but the longest resolution I had was 8, mainly because email is not the slam dunk sure thing I thought it was and somehow communications were simply lost on both ends. Finally solved using the BLF pm system to communicate. I learned from that experience as it was frustrating in the extreme but not from any fault of the vendor beyond shipping wrong items in the first place. I never did open a dispute but just kept at it since it was obvious that both sides were working on the resolution.
How to open one after 4 months? Same as at any time, state the nature of the issue and what steps have been taken to resolve it by you and the vendor and how they are short of your expectations.
While not countless there are a number of stories on BLF alone of orders delivered months late after that vendor already reshipped a second item, a cost borne not by the shipping company at fault but by the vendor instead, I can understand why both vendors and consumers alike would want increased open time. Just use it appropriately.

Honest question -> I’ve read all that in minute detail but was wondering what your take was on OP being given false tracking numbers multiple times? For me I take that to heart because personally I would rather go hear something like “…we don’t have any updates yet but please bear in mind that transit times from China to you may take weeks…” Or something to that effect.

When dealing w/ overseas vendors (or domestic ones for that matter) I throw out all personal hourly rates & such & give an honest effort in resolving any issues w/ orders w/ the vendors (i.e. videos, troubleshooting, blah, blah…) BUT I don’t see how the vendor gets a pass about lying with false tracking information. I personally won’t stand for this. What’s your take on this?

THX,
AZ

Without knowing the whole story and hearing from both sides, it’s not fair to pass any judgements one way or the other as is done all too often. There’s already too much vitriol flying around the Internet without adding fuel. If it happened to me I’d probably get pissed, frustrated, impatient, and all the rest but for you, me, or the op, it’s important to remember that anger doesn’t help resolve the problem so I’d try to remember that when it came time to do my correspondence. Not always easy, I admit, but try to remember to try. We know too little about what CS did or didn’t do or what procedures were or were not followed, what training or supervision, any of that. The whole litany of false tracking numbers is a black box of data in terms of were it came from or why. I gave up many years ago trying to guess at the why’s so all that remains is what to do and for a lost shipment(and remember if it’s lost by the shipper the vendor won’t have a clue and is dependent on the shipper for info) I would wait as long as possible before filing a dispute in case it does turn up. By all means contact the vendor after an ordinary amount of time has passed so they know there’s an issue that could well be them and not the shipper but we buy stuff because it’s dirt cheap rather than local and that carries consequences. We have to be able to deal with those consequences when they arise.

You have been MORE than patient. After the 2nd phony tracking number I would have filed a dispute w/ paypal. It is pretty clear from what you expressed to us that they are manipulating, BS’ing and basically NOT telling you the truth! Three phony tracking numbers,what a joke!

I commend you and some others with all the patience you have,but in a way that gives them more of an opportunity to take advantage of you and in the meantime nothing is resolved.