Hi, first I should say I have already emailed BG and I am waiting to hear back from them, and was hoping someone familiar with them could educate me in the meantime.
I noticed I do not have a tracking option for the flashlights when ordering other items at the same time. I guess what has me really curious is that the tracking option is available on the batteries I ordered at the same time but not the flashlights. I always pay for tracking and insurance when I have the choice so I can feel confident I have all my bases covered.
I’m probably concerned for no reason. What does have me baffled though is the flashlights are U.S. direct while the batteries are being shipped from China. Can I safely assume each and every shipment is tracked as long as it is all part of the same order#, regardless of multiple shipping origins? Probably so, but I need to hear it so I can rest in peace. lol
Thank you for your help and Happy Monkey Year :party:
I ordered some drivers from Banggood U.S. and a Flashlight from China. They split it to 2 order numbers. I didn’t get tracking on the drivers, but did on the flashlight. I think I’m going to recieve the flashlight 1st, lol.
Why? Doesn’t Paypal or your credit card reimburse you if you never receive your order?
I don’t understand the benefit to the consumer when you pay extra for insurance. I can certainly understand the benefit to the vendor (they don’t ever get Paypal reversals), but why should the consumer pay for that?
They didn’t give you an option to track them both once it was split? It doesn’t seem very customer friendly IMO, considering the U.S. also deals with its share of lost packages. I’m just in the habit of tracking any important items I order, and wonder if it isn’t a glitch in the ordering software.
For now I guess I would be more comfortable having the tracking option on the 3 flashlights instead of the batteries ($90 vs $25)
I hope to hear from BG before tonight and will post their response. Maybe in the meantime another member will share an update. I am always ready for good news!
I guess that depends on your relationship with the vendor.
If you’re just out to protect your interests, then go ahead, rely on the hammer (PayPal) to get the merchant to compensate you for your loss.
Otherwise, if you value your relationship with the vendor; then consider the price of insurance as not just protecting yourself, but protecting the vendor against losses that are not the fault of either of you.
You are correct, thank you. I did overlook my Paypal benefits, and cheers to you for saving me some unnecessary expense!
I seem to remember reading in a thread about not having to pay insurance if using Paypal and already forgot it, having scrambled my mind with information overload in the BLF world. Thanks again for the reminder!
I still hope to hear more about the tracking options/practices of BG (and other commonly used suppliers of interest).
Point well taken. I will sit back and observe, absorb the incoming opinions ( greatly appreciated ) and weigh the facts as presented.
FWIW IMHO, Insurance “may” be compared to a “tip” in the sense that if something isn’t right with your meal, you are in a more favorable light when having to address a concern. Of course it helps if you frequent the establishment. Just another angle to view a smaller part of a bigger picture.
I just dbl-checked my email and haven’t heard back from BG yet, It was Quite Late last night when I emailed them so it may be another 8 hours or so before their reply time-frame of 24 hrs expires.
That makes the most sense and says a lot about Banggood and other similar retailers. Great to hear! Thanks
I’m not going to bother disputing a charge over a few dollars. But, if we’re talking $50 or more, sure, I’ll dispute that with Paypal if I never receive my order. That’s what the dispute mechanism is for. If a vendor doesn’t want to deal with that, they should pay for their own insurance, or not accept Paypal. Why should the customer pay for the vendor’s insurance?
As for my relationship with a vendor, it’s a simple customer relationship. If I don’t receive the stuff I ordered, I’m not too worried about spoiling the relationship. Me sending them money and getting nothing in return isn’t much of a relationship. Sure, it’s good for them, but not so good for me.
I think you might be worried they refuse to sell to you in the future, if you dispute a charge. In that case, there’s about a million other vendors that will happily do business with you in the future.
FWIW, I’ve never had to dispute a Paypal charge. I’ve been tempted a couple of times, but it wasn’t worth it for the small amount of money.
YMMV, if you think that giving them a couple extra bucks for insurance makes them happy, then go for it. But I suspect if you use that “insurance” for goods not received, you’ll spoil your relationship with them just as much as if you threatened to dispute it using Paypal. In both cases, they have to refund you or ship you new a new flashlight, and the extra money you gave them up front is long gone.
I consider myself part of this community. My concern is with maintaining the vendor’s relationship with BLF, not myself as an individual. As you so state, as an individual, why should I care when there are a million other vendors?
As to the insurance, the third party contracted to provide the insurance pays for the loss, not the vendor.
EDIT: Now, the thought of “how does the vendor know I belong to BLF?” That’s a good question. But then again, whenever I’m traveling I always try to put my best foot forward as a representative of Hawaii and of America. I never think of it in terms of “how would anyone else know that I’m from Hawaii or that I’m an American?”
I think people act the way they act, not because of how other people view them, but how they view themselves. 0:)
I haven’t got a long history with BangGood, but in the Nine orders I have placed since September, Four have been split by BangGood. I’m not sure how many I specifically asked for tracking on, but NONE of the orders that were split came with tracking on both parts of a split order. All of my orders have come in eventually (tracking on the most recent 2 claim delivery by Saturday). I think you have to FORCE tracking on all shipments.
I think tracking is the default and you have to remove it so they don’t charge you for it. My most recent order charged $1.36 for tracking and I didn’t notice it. That wiped out all my lucky monkey points I had used. :~
The US order was USPS First Class. I had just assumed it would include tracking, as there was no option. Still not here. The only other option for shipping in US is USPS expedite, or something like that. It’s not even listed on USPS website,lol.
The CN order was Priority Direct, and cost $1.30 extra. It came with tracking, and will be delivered tomorrow.
Both ordered on the 23rd of Jan.
I might just stick to ordering from China.
I think as a respectable business, which I’m sure BG is, they wouldn’t take a valid charge-back personally against you, and certainly not against the entire BLF community. Part of a vendor’s agreement with Paypal is that they agree to refund purchases that were never received. They get benefits by using Paypal, but they also have responsibilities.
If someone were to abuse the Paypal guarantee or act fraudulently, that’s a different issue. But if 1% of parcels go missing, that’s something a vendor should budget for. I presume a vendor would flag a customer account if they made several claims, but a single claim shouldn’t raise any red flags for a respectable business.
I’m not saying don’t pay for their insurance. I’m just saying it isn’t necessary.
I was hoping to hear back from BG but so far no response. I am not in a great rush anyway and it is what it is, so, I expect and hope it will all be good.
A positive attitude and the fact that this isn’t the first time I have been confused since joining this BODACIOIUS forum, compels me to say “I may as well plan on being confused many more times in the near and distant future”. lol for sure!
Until the verdict is in on the tracking question, one consolation may be this simple fact: Any worthwhile addiction demands from the addict a certain tolerance to any resulting confusion and/or headaches, and I freely concede I am already a flashoholic. OH the pain, hehe
Should I hear anything definite from BG I will share. Also a fellow member may post some shipping protocol in the meantime :bigsmile:
PS,If I get a spurt of energy I may search for an answer to the tracking puzzle within BG’s website. OR, I may just have a beer and take a nap. Hhhmmm
The GB for the X6-X5 and was at near panic mode so I sent a message to customer service and they replied back very quickly within 24hrs as is usually my personal experience and said I would be able to track it in like 4 days, well I can tell you that really didn’t make me feel that great but right at 4 days later I am literally camping on BG’s My Orders page and then it showed up, what a relief.
I love BG’s tracking it has always been spot on for me and right to my door, just wonderful.
But I’d ask them about it right away… Hope that helps?
Edit: Here is BG direct CS email address cservicesz@banggood.com, make sure your up on your Chinglish skills and make sure you put in the order # You know make sure your specific, and if it’s shipped tell them the day it shipped, things get really confusing when attempting to explain anything to them but I’ve had great success, really hope I’m helping and not hurting… Good luck friend
Edit 2 Here’s a good tracking that always shows my my BG shipments … ALL-IN-ONE PACKAGE TRACKING | 17TRACK
If on your page at BG you see a number usually reads like LS53785077 that’s a usual tracking but you’d know already I believe, how messed up, sorry… Edit again and agreeing with post #11 sometimes I don’t know with BG or why but it does seem you have to make an issue sometimes about tracking, some stuff I don’t care other stuff I REALLY care…
I can’t say I have anything figured out for sure but what I think I have learned is this:
Since not hearing back from BG customer service I tried again. This time I used the customer service link for the INDIVIDUAL ITEM listed in my “orders account”. This is more specific and not a general question. My original email to BG CS was when my order was confirmed and it contained 3 different items.
GOOD NEWS: As stated above in an earlier post, it seems USA Direct automatically uses a tracking service is correct. Nice!
In future orders at checkout, if the item does not offer tracking (other than USA direct) it is not available from that particular supplier. With that knowledge in mind, I now have the choice to look for the item elsewhere or wait and hope the package is properly handled start to finish. Also I realize Paypal will stand behind non-delivered items and this is good, however for my own peace-of-mind I find comfort in viewing the shipping trail in real time, and acting on any issues asap.
Question: Does BG work similar to Ebay or Amazon by giving you different retailers to choose from for the same item? I haven’t noticed any similarity so far and Multiple Sellers is the impression I get from BG’s response today.
Thanks again for everyones help. This BLF forum is a cherished place in a complicated world
EDIT 2-2-16 MY order automatically provided tracking thru US Direct. I hope this is normal procedure and welcome any input.
Curious as to why you say USA Direct automatically uses a tracking service. Did you confirm that with someone?
I still haven’t received my split order from US (no tracking #), but did receive the other order from China.
