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iFixit a scam?

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I have an older iPhone that I use as a security camera. The battery has swollen, so I needed a replacement. iFixit has batteries and tools to do the replacement, so I ordered one. They quite happily took my money.

The ONLY shipping they offered was "standard." That turns out to be USPS. I got a "shipped" message on July5. USPS tracking site showed it scheduled to be delivered last Monday, July 9. It wasn't delivered. Now USPS doesn't offer a delivery date, just shows it as "in transit." I visited the local post office and they checked and say they cannot find anything about the alleged shipment in the system at all.

So, has iFixit scammed me? I say that because when I sent them an email about it at their support email, I got a form letter email back that basically said, "too bad." That's not what I call service.

I tried calling them, but the phone was answered by a machine and then it hung up on me. Twice.

So, has anybody else been ripped off by iFixit?
 
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I haven't, but I only ordered tools from them. I usually, get the parts and pieces where I can find them cheaper. I had no issues with getting the tools.
 
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What bothers me is the "who cares" attitude when I tried to email them. No human has responded in two days. And when I call, the phone just says "Thanks, we're busy, goodbye."

Lousy service.
 
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Ah, we have some progress. I finally got an email from them. They indicted that others have had problems with the shipments of batteries lately and offered to ship a new one by UPS Ground instead of USPS. It would take 5 days to get here that way. What I suggested back was to wait to see if it comes in by Monday, and if not, I'll take them up on the offer. We shall see.

So, they have responded. I'll keep you posted.
 

chscag

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I have never ordered anything from ifixit but did have a similar problem with OWC. I ordered memory from OWC which did not arrive when it was supposed to. However, when I called support at OWC they immediately sent out another shipment and this time sent it by speedy UPS rather than US Mail.

I do not trust the US Mail tracking and usually try to avoid that method of shipment whenever I can. Although insured, certified, or registered US Mail is very reliable. Mainly because it requires a paper trail and signature.
 

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Sorry to hear that Jake. As you know...iFixit.com is one of our favorite places to head to when we need DIY instructions to work on our electronic devices.

- Nick
 
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The thing is that the option of UPS Ground was NOT offered at the time I ordered. They have a page on the website that talks about how shipping lithium batteries has gotten more complicated, but then say the ONLY shipping is what they called "standard," i.e., USPS Priority. I did suggest that if UPS Ground is an option that I would have taken it if offered. Again, we'll see what they do.
 
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Nick, iFixit is a good place to see HOW to do it. This is the first time I've ordered from them and the fact it took two days to respond to my first email was disappointing. I think what triggered them was that they sent me a "Congratulations! Tell us how it went," email with a link to esselerate ratings. I emailed them back and said "Are you kidding? You haven't responded to my email. Does esellerate do negative numbers?" and that triggered a response.

But I'm going to see if USPS pops up with the package between now and Monday.
 

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I hate to say it (I've had family members that worked for the USPS). But deliveries were always much more reliable & trackable when UPS and Fed Ex delivered items door-to-door. Now that some shipments are a "hybrid" (part of the delivery is UPS...then handed off to USPS for final delvery)...not as good.

Hopefully this shipment isn't lost in a USPS black hole.

- Nick
 

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I hate to say it (I've had family members that worked for the USPS). But deliveries were always much more reliable & trackable when UPS and Fed Ex delivered items door-to-door. Now that some shipments are a "hybrid" (part of the delivery is UPS...then handed off to USPS for final delvery)...not as good.

Hopefully this shipment isn't lost in a USPS black hole.

- Nick

Nick, 100% agree. I always had great luck with FedEx and even UPS but now and especially with some smaller lighter items they do that UPS to USPS or FedeX to USPS and sometimes it takes a while. Once USPS lost my package and my adopter brother went there and raised the roof and the package Mysteriously appeared! :D Grin

I just got a 21.5" iMac and it was sent 100% Fed Ex. Showed up in 24 hours from 150 miles away in perfect shape.
 
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Our local post office is pretty good, and they know me personally because I go there several times each week with packages to send from my wife's business. So when I said "where is it," they really did try to find it. No luck, nothing in the system other than "in transit" from two days ago. Which is what the online site said, so they don't know any more than I do at this point. But, as I said, they know me and if it comes in, I'm sure they will get it out as quickly as they can. Just wish the "tracking" system actually knew where it is.
 
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Woke up this morning to have a text from USPS saying the package is due to be delivered today. We'll see. No indication of where it's been for the past week.
 
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The package has arrived! Unceremoniously left in my mailbox. Have no idea where it spent the last week, and the tools were all over the place, but everything seems to be there and I am about to swap out the battery.

Lesson learned? Shipping LiIon batteries is a dodgy activity because of the concerns about exploding/burning/whatever that might happen. Also, the USPS estimate of delivery date is a joke, and the tracking system is pretty much useless.
 

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Also, the USPS estimate of delivery date is a joke, and the tracking system is pretty much useless.
Some time ago my wife ordered something that had to come from China. We used the USPS tracking system to follow the progress so we knew when to expect the package. The following sequence of events occurred which amazed us to no end:
1. Package cleasrs customs on the west coast (San Francisco I think) and enters the US Postal service system. Makes sense.
2. Package tracking says the package is en routefrom the West Coast to New York.
3. Package tracking says the package is en route to regional facility in Texas.
4. Package tracking says the package is en route to North Louisiana.
5. Package tracking says the package in our city and delivered that day.

Everything except step 2 maakes sense. If the packge was indeed sent to New York, and the arrival time suggests that it was, it was flown past one or more sorting facilities in the midwest and sothwest while en route to New York. The package was then flown/driven loaded on oxcart whatever back to a facility in Texas. For our members who don't have a US map handy, the trip to New York covered some of the same territory that woould have been covered on the trip from New York to Texas.
 
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Some time ago my wife ordered something that had to come from China. We used the USPS tracking system to follow the progress so we knew when to expect the package. The following sequence of events occurred which amazed us to no end:
1. Package cleasrs customs on the west coast (San Francisco I think) and enters the US Postal service system. Makes sense.
2. Package tracking says the package is en routefrom the West Coast to New York.
3. Package tracking says the package is en route to regional facility in Texas.
4. Package tracking says the package is en route to North Louisiana.
5. Package tracking says the package in our city and delivered that day.

Everything except step 2 maakes sense. If the packge was indeed sent to New York, and the arrival time suggests that it was, it was flown past one or more sorting facilities in the midwest and sothwest while en route to New York. The package was then flown/driven loaded on oxcart whatever back to a facility in Texas. For our members who don't have a US map handy, the trip to New York covered some of the same territory that woould have been covered on the trip from New York to Texas.

Their routing often seems to make no sense. I live in Alaska, and it's always fun when you see in the tracking that something clears customs in Anchorage, then goes down to a sorting center in the lower 48 before coming back to Alaska....
 
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In this particular case, it just showed as departing Valencia, CA, then three "In Transits to next facility" and nothing. Then yesterday and today a flurry of sorting, out for delivery, finally "Delivered" from my local post office. In between, it originally had an expected delivery date of last Monday, but it actually arrived on Friday, with no explanation of why the added four days. So who knows where this thing has gone? The package was unopened, sealed from the sender, so nobody inspected it or delayed it for that sort of nonsense. Just a First Class shipment that took 10 days to cross the country. Must have taken the scenic route, maybe stopped over at a relative's place for a couple of days to play with the cousins.
 

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Hey Jake....

That's why they call it "snail mail". LOL. Hey, I know it can be frustrating but glad to hear you finally received it. :)
 

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Hey Jake....

That's why they call it "snail mail". LOL. Hey, I know it can be frustrating but glad to hear you finally received it. :)

Where is that picture of a Snail I have! :D Grin

I have had very similar issues here with USPS. Some of the tracking makes no sense but on some orders had the item get here from the east coast in 1-2 days! My favorite overall over the years has been FEdEx.
 

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Great to hear your package arrived Jake...and arrived ok.:) Albeit longer than expected.

- Nick
 
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Also, the USPS estimate of delivery date is a joke, and the tracking system is pretty much useless.


Just be thankful you're not stuck with Canadapost for offshore shipments but they're stuck because of Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)!!

I've been trying to get delivery info on an epackage from China that arrived in Burnaby June 30, but they have to send it to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to check and and clearance and there's no way to access any info from them. It's like the CIA!!!

The tracking info shows a blue ? that's "in transit" and "Expected delivery 2018/07/06".

That's 16 days now from a place that's only a day away at most!!!

Thank gosh it's not a battery!!




- Patrick
======
 
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