Warning about Coastal eTech

I bought a Lockpick 3 from Coastal Etech before Christmas; as I clicked the button to place my order, however, I realized that I'd ordered the wrong one, so I immediately sent them an email asking them to change my order to a different (and more expensive) one.

However, the order arrived, containing the product I didn't want; I never heard anything from them, nor did I ever receive any response to my request to change my order.

So I packaged up the item, without opening it, and shipped it back. This was back in December; in the box I asked to be sent the higher-priced item if it was compatible with the Vais SoundLinq, which I already have (and which I highly recommend).

In early January, I did receive a call from Coastal, and was told that they didn't know if it would work with the Vais product, so I asked to have my money refunded for my original purchase.

It's now January 24th, and I haven't heard a word; they don't return calls, they don't return emails, and I haven't seen a credit to my credit card.

Does anyone have a physical address for this company? Unfortunately, when I sent back the device, I didn't think to keep their address written down. I'm now going to contact my bank and dispute the charge, since they don't return any communications, and all you get on the phone is their answering service.

I will never do business with this company again, and will tell everyone I know to avoid them. Their method of doing business is worse than anything I have ever experienced. One has to wonder about a company that doesn't post its address on its website.

 

So I received 2 emails from them yesterday, after days of calling; rather than do the honorable thing and immediately process my credit, I got this:

"we give 30 days for processing refunds, as is stated on your invoice, and we were closed until Jan 3rd."

This, in spite of the fact that I tried to prevent this order from going through two weeks before, and they never responded to repeated emails.

So I fired off a response, demanded my refund, and today I got this: "Our policy is up to 30 days for a refund. If you have a refund due you-you will get it. Every return must go thru a process-its electronics, not a shirt. "

So what is the difference between refunding for a shirt or a piece of electronics that hadn't been removed from its packaging?

Anyone thinking about buying any Prius accessory would be well advised to avoid these people, who are the reason some folks are hesitant to make online purchases. In my opnion, they are a lousy company with non-existent customer service.

Fortunately, the Vais iPod products are excellent, and their customer service is superb. I recommend the Vais products without reservation, and their tech support was excellent. They also have a physical address on their website, unlike the low-rent Coastal people.

 

Well, I did get my refund.

I'm glad there are other companies where Prius accessories can be purchased, because this one is definitely deleted from my bookmarks.