R
RickW
Guest
I was recently ripped off by an internet retailer. I live in IN, the etailer is based in NC.
I think I may have a fraud and/or discrimination case, but I'm not sure. Please read on, although I apologize that this is somewhat lengthy....
I am a member of a DVD forum website. An employee from DVDLair.com recently came to our website and posted a coupon for $10 off a $30 purchase to promote sales at their site. When I went to use the coupon code to make a purchase on August 1, the coupon showed up as "expires on August 1" and the site wouldn't accept it. To me, it should have been good through August 1 (this is how coupons normally work).
I called their customer service phone number and got hold of a CSR who gave me another code to use. This code was far better in that it was good for 50% off the lowest price on any and all items (but could only be used once per customer). I thanked the CSR for the code and proceeded to place a large order using the
coupon since it was such a great deal (and since I only had one shot at using the coupon.)
I had some DVDs ordered through other etailers at significant discounts, but nothing that was nearly as good as this. So, I cancelled those orders and placed my order with DVDLair. (This was a large order that totalled nearly $700 after the discount was applied.)
The next day, my order was cancelled. I was sent an email informing me that the order had been cancelled because I used a code that was only valid for employees. I argued that it was their employee who gave me the code and that no mention was made of it being an employee-only code. They stated that they have the right to cancel orders for "any reason." I looked around their website and it doesn't state that anywhere on their site.
This is where it gets interesting...
I sent an email to the DVDLair employee who posted the $10 off $30 coupon at the DVD forum site. They stated that this was not an employee-only coupon code and that they even sent the
coupon out to some customers via email! This employee stated that the coupon was only good for a single item, though -- something else I was not informed of. Also, the coupon read
"50 off With Minimum Purchase of $0.00". Note that there's no mention of a maximum purchase or that the coupon "can only be used on one item."
Furthermore, before my order was cancelled (back when I still thought that DVDLair's customer service was excellent) I told my sister about the deal. Both she and her boyfriend placed large
orders using the coupon code. Both of their orders were processed and both of them have received most of their order (some of the items from each order are on backorder or are
pre-orders, meaning that they're not yet available).
The orders I cancelled at other websites can no longer be reinstated at the old discount. My order with DVDLair was cancelled. I am now out money as a result of this website's dirty
business dealings.
Since
(1) they gave me the code,
(2) there's no mention of employee-use only,
(3) there's no mention of a maximum purchase,
(4) their employees contradict each other on the coupon's proper
use,
(5) there's no mention on their website of their ability to cancel orders "for any reason",
(6) they processed other similar orders without cancelling them, and
(7) I'm out money as a result of their incompetence, do I have a case?
I should also mention (although this may not be relevant) that several of this company's employees went out to the DVD forum site that I frequent, posed as "customers" and falsely claimed that they received great service when shopping with DVDLair. They also "verbally" attacked me via forum postings and email. One even sent me emails containing vulgarities.
If I do have a case, what type of case is it? How can I find a lawyer that will help me take care of this problem?
Thanks for your assistance!
I think I may have a fraud and/or discrimination case, but I'm not sure. Please read on, although I apologize that this is somewhat lengthy....
I am a member of a DVD forum website. An employee from DVDLair.com recently came to our website and posted a coupon for $10 off a $30 purchase to promote sales at their site. When I went to use the coupon code to make a purchase on August 1, the coupon showed up as "expires on August 1" and the site wouldn't accept it. To me, it should have been good through August 1 (this is how coupons normally work).
I called their customer service phone number and got hold of a CSR who gave me another code to use. This code was far better in that it was good for 50% off the lowest price on any and all items (but could only be used once per customer). I thanked the CSR for the code and proceeded to place a large order using the
coupon since it was such a great deal (and since I only had one shot at using the coupon.)
I had some DVDs ordered through other etailers at significant discounts, but nothing that was nearly as good as this. So, I cancelled those orders and placed my order with DVDLair. (This was a large order that totalled nearly $700 after the discount was applied.)
The next day, my order was cancelled. I was sent an email informing me that the order had been cancelled because I used a code that was only valid for employees. I argued that it was their employee who gave me the code and that no mention was made of it being an employee-only code. They stated that they have the right to cancel orders for "any reason." I looked around their website and it doesn't state that anywhere on their site.
This is where it gets interesting...
I sent an email to the DVDLair employee who posted the $10 off $30 coupon at the DVD forum site. They stated that this was not an employee-only coupon code and that they even sent the
coupon out to some customers via email! This employee stated that the coupon was only good for a single item, though -- something else I was not informed of. Also, the coupon read
"50 off With Minimum Purchase of $0.00". Note that there's no mention of a maximum purchase or that the coupon "can only be used on one item."
Furthermore, before my order was cancelled (back when I still thought that DVDLair's customer service was excellent) I told my sister about the deal. Both she and her boyfriend placed large
orders using the coupon code. Both of their orders were processed and both of them have received most of their order (some of the items from each order are on backorder or are
pre-orders, meaning that they're not yet available).
The orders I cancelled at other websites can no longer be reinstated at the old discount. My order with DVDLair was cancelled. I am now out money as a result of this website's dirty
business dealings.
Since
(1) they gave me the code,
(2) there's no mention of employee-use only,
(3) there's no mention of a maximum purchase,
(4) their employees contradict each other on the coupon's proper
use,
(5) there's no mention on their website of their ability to cancel orders "for any reason",
(6) they processed other similar orders without cancelling them, and
(7) I'm out money as a result of their incompetence, do I have a case?
I should also mention (although this may not be relevant) that several of this company's employees went out to the DVD forum site that I frequent, posed as "customers" and falsely claimed that they received great service when shopping with DVDLair. They also "verbally" attacked me via forum postings and email. One even sent me emails containing vulgarities.
If I do have a case, what type of case is it? How can I find a lawyer that will help me take care of this problem?
Thanks for your assistance!
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