This is really just meant more as an alert to people but I thought it was still worth posting. Early today I called Microsoft to cancel my Surface order since it was obvious that it would not be received on time. No one disputed my position that it would be impossible for them to deliver by 10/26 and they promptly cancelled the order, gave me a cancellation number, etc.. No big deal - it happens and you move on. This all changed about an hour ago when I learned that there was a FedEx tracking number issued in China for the shipment. Upon looking it up, sure enough, they shipped it anyway AFTER the FedEx cutoff today for delivery next week, not 10/26. In saying it was shipped that should be taken very loosely though since it was still at the Microsoft facility due to the package missing the FedEx pickup cutoff.
Being very annoyed about this, I called customer service who insisted at first that it was cancelled and (after pressing them) that they really didn't know. I then pointed again that I was in possession of a tracking number and scheduled delivery date so it was hardly the case that the status was unknown. After being put on hold while the case was escalated, customer service then repeated that they did not know if it was shipped but that if it had been, I would need to accept it and then ship it back unopened; then they would process a refund within 3 to 5 days after they received it. Upon hearing this, I informed them that I would not accept the package under any circumstances and as soon as the charge shifts from pending to real, my bank was going to place a hold on it as a disputed charge. I also informed them I would file complaints with the appropriate consumer protection agencies. They then reiterated that there was no way that they could stop the shipment etc., etc..
After I got off the phone with customer service I immediately called FedEx to see if there was anything that they could do to intercept the shipment and return to the sender before it left China. Again, the joke is that it is still sitting at the Microsoft facility in China because they missed the cutoff for the day. That, of course, means it would not only not arrive this week but the date listed for next week is also not valid. FedEx confirmed that, contrary to Microsoft's statements, as soon as the package shifts to being in transit tomorrow, I can call FedEx and they will immediately issue a declined delivery notification; intercept it before it gets on a plane; and send it back to the Microsoft facility.
This ranks up there with Nikon shipping me (and charging me) for two DSLRs earlier this year after an order was cancelled (an insurance claim gone wrong). That BTW, also involved Digital River as the intermediate agent. The long and short of it is don't believe the information on status unless it is backed up by a tracking notice; check that tracking notice very carefully; and in speaking to customer service don't just accept scripted answers, ask for details. Even in cancelling an order, the person was reading a script and providing appropriate reference numbers without ever actually issuing the cancellation back to the facility in China. In addition, for those who are hoping for that Friday delivery for a Chinese shipment, if it did not physically ship before the late afternoon Chinese FedEx cutoff, you will not receive it this week. That is not an assumption or inference - it is just physically impossible.
Being very annoyed about this, I called customer service who insisted at first that it was cancelled and (after pressing them) that they really didn't know. I then pointed again that I was in possession of a tracking number and scheduled delivery date so it was hardly the case that the status was unknown. After being put on hold while the case was escalated, customer service then repeated that they did not know if it was shipped but that if it had been, I would need to accept it and then ship it back unopened; then they would process a refund within 3 to 5 days after they received it. Upon hearing this, I informed them that I would not accept the package under any circumstances and as soon as the charge shifts from pending to real, my bank was going to place a hold on it as a disputed charge. I also informed them I would file complaints with the appropriate consumer protection agencies. They then reiterated that there was no way that they could stop the shipment etc., etc..
After I got off the phone with customer service I immediately called FedEx to see if there was anything that they could do to intercept the shipment and return to the sender before it left China. Again, the joke is that it is still sitting at the Microsoft facility in China because they missed the cutoff for the day. That, of course, means it would not only not arrive this week but the date listed for next week is also not valid. FedEx confirmed that, contrary to Microsoft's statements, as soon as the package shifts to being in transit tomorrow, I can call FedEx and they will immediately issue a declined delivery notification; intercept it before it gets on a plane; and send it back to the Microsoft facility.
This ranks up there with Nikon shipping me (and charging me) for two DSLRs earlier this year after an order was cancelled (an insurance claim gone wrong). That BTW, also involved Digital River as the intermediate agent. The long and short of it is don't believe the information on status unless it is backed up by a tracking notice; check that tracking notice very carefully; and in speaking to customer service don't just accept scripted answers, ask for details. Even in cancelling an order, the person was reading a script and providing appropriate reference numbers without ever actually issuing the cancellation back to the facility in China. In addition, for those who are hoping for that Friday delivery for a Chinese shipment, if it did not physically ship before the late afternoon Chinese FedEx cutoff, you will not receive it this week. That is not an assumption or inference - it is just physically impossible.