Fishpond is definitely disappointing. I have ordered several products, all which have been marked as "dispatched' but some of which never, ever arrive. And yes, the visa card has been debited on day 1. It's not cheap if you never receive it.
Any problems are meant to be notified within a close off period of 60 days, which puts the onus on the customer to diarise what was ordered, when etc. I have done so a few times, but a couple of times I didn't keep track of time - so I've lost the money.
Be very, very careful what is ordered. My personal experience is that the books usually arrive; but DVDs and LEGO toys don't.
There is no facility on their website to raise general queries or to alert any concerns or issues.
I also buy on ebay, and use book depository. I;ve never experienced problems with delivery with either organisation. But Fishpond? Constant. I've given up - burnt too many times now.
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This New Zealand based internet company trades in Australia and NZ as Fishpond.com.au or fishpond.com.nz. It sells books, cds, dvds, toys, household items etc.
However, it rarely carries stock on hand and orders from suppliers, usually abroad (UK, USA). As such, it often cancels orders after a month of disappointing emails. The emails start by saying your items will be delivered by XXXXXXX date, followed by apologetic delayed item emails, followed by cancellation emails. This can keep you on your toes for a month or more. Meanwhile, your credit card has been debited. This is bad practice as getting a refund is not always easy especially if you have had previous cancelled orders and your have "fishpond credit". They won't refund "fishpond credits" and your money is stuck at fishpond. You can dig yourself into a large hole as you try to order something you can actually get!
I ordered a book that was much better priced on Amazon. Fishpond has a "guarantee to beat amazon" policy. They refund you the difference. What they don't say is that you get it in fishpond credit, so you end up having to spend it with them anyway. Bad bad bad! The book is one of the few things that I have managed to get. I've spend over a year trying to use my remaining credit on something that is the cheapest online and they can source it. Not many items I want fit these two simple criteria.
Another unsavory practice this company employs is it's pricing policy. You will see a product at a very good price. You add it to your wishlist, a day or two later, the price has increased. If you remove the item from your wishlist, the price drops about a week later. I'm not sure how they do it but prices will also increase the more times a page is looked at.
I advise people to stay away from fishpond. Don't be duped by their sensational prices. You are more than likely to have your order cancelled, your credit card debited and have difficulty getting your money back. Look for more reliable sources such as book depository and amazon.
There are many other bad things about fishpond. Please use your web browser to search other forums to read more about this awful company.
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