Take time to report AU to Internet Fraud Complaint Center

[andrewgd]

http://www.ifccfbi.gov/cf1.asp

Take the time and do this, maybe the people who have been overcharged can get a sense of justice out of this.

Here's some of what I posted:

Contact History:
On 3/4/2002 I visited Anotheruniverse.com and placed a pre-order of $20 for the My So-Called Life Box Set. This was said to be shipping 6/18/02. On 3/25/2002 they realized they needed to charge the remainder of the total to the accounts, and sent emails asking permission to do so ($69.98). I ok'd this, but months later, it still had not taken place. They had also said in the email that I would recieve a paper receipt in the mail confirming my order, which never arrived. On 5/30/2002 I contacted them and they claimed that my account had been charged, and I was in good standing. It became obvious that they did not charge my account, and shipment of the item was pushed back even further. I waited until 7/11 and called them again, trying to clear this up. They finally successfully charged my account ($69.98) and recieved a confirmation email. They did not know at what point the item would ship, and would not even give me an estimate. On 7/23 I recieved the same confirmation email that had been sent on 7/11. On 8/12 I noticed they had charged my account another $69.98. I wrote an email, and called them up, and left a message that day, and had not yet heard a response by 7/14 when I called them again. They were very dismissive to me, but finally said they would credit my account back $69.98 that I was double charged that day. They did do this.

I don't know when, but they announced on their webpage (http://www.anotheruniverse.com) that the disks would be shipped 9/17. This day came and went, and now their webpage reads "Early October". I emailed the CEO about the status around 9/25, and he did not reply for a week, so I emailed him again, and he wrote that AnotherUniverse still didn't have the product to ship.

How you were defrauded:
AnotherUniverse has misrepresented their delivery date over and over. They have double billed me, only to return the money after I complained multiple times. They still have yet to state exactly what will be in the shipment that I ordered. They have deliberately misrepresented what they knew to be true about their product to bill (and rebill) my debit card. They have stated that they are the only sellers of the product, when multiple retailers are selling the same thing. They have made multiple promises of contacting me and keeping me updated on the product, only to fail at every single one.

Please please please, if you feel like you've been defrauded, take the time and do this for yourself.

[Ross Rojek]

Not to get into an argument about this, but you and I have exchanged several e-mails about this.

How you were defrauded:
AnotherUniverse has misrepresented their delivery date over and over.

Delivery dates change. We should have been faster about telling people, but often we were stuck waiting for BMG to finish doing something out of our control. Even now I'm still waiting on information from them about the status of the boxes being collated.

They have double billed me, only to return the money after I complained multiple times.

You did get your credit back. I'm sorry it was a a major problem and I'm trying to fix it so it doesn't happen any more. In the same way there have been no other double charges in about 2 months is a result of our changing our computer systems so it can't happen again.

They still have yet to state exactly what will be in the shipment that I ordered.

No, you know what is in the shipment you ordered. We will be adding other stuff to the product you already ordered, but you will still be getting the exact same thing you ordered.

They have deliberately misrepresented what they knew to be true about their product to bill (and rebill) my debit card.

Nope. We only took what we were told by BMG. I won't be doing that again, until I actually know a product is at the manufacturing facility.

They have stated that they are the only sellers of the product, when multiple retailers are selling the same thing.

We are still the only ones selling the complete bonus set. If the items included are not worth the difference in price from Amazon (where for you it is the same suggested retail (89.95)) then cancel the order and place it with them.

They have made multiple promises of contacting me and keeping me updated on the product, only to fail at every single one.

Nope, I did tell you I'd get back to you the next day with an answer and then apologized when I wasn't able to get back to you. The following business day you sent me two e-mails, one pissed off because you hadn't heard from me that day. The last one was at 3:53 PM on the 4th. You received two replies from me (as I answered your e-mails in the order received) at 6:05PM and then your status update at 6:22PM. You were the first person to get any e-mail from me that day on that account.

[andrewgd]

Since you took the time to state your viewpoint, I'll take the time to state why I think I'm completely justified in what I reported.

Delivery dates change. We should have been faster about telling people.

I have not recieved notice of a delivery date change since 3/26/2002 when the delivery date was supposed to be 6/18/02.

You did get your credit back. I'm sorry it was a a major problem and I'm trying to fix it so it doesn't happen any more.

I'm glad to hear it won't happen again, but that doesn't change the fact that it should have never happened in the first place.

No, you know what is in the shipment you ordered.

So what's on the bonus disk exactly?

Nope. We only took what we were told by BMG.

Well, I'm sorry that you were lied to by BMG, but I'm not dealing with BMG, I'm dealing with AU.

Nope, I did tell you I'd get back to you the next day with an answer and then apologized when I wasn't able to get back to you.

You forget that I sent you an email a week before that, which I never got a reply to.

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Delivery dates change. We should have been faster about telling people.

I have not recieved notice of a delivery date change since 3/26/2002 when the delivery date was supposed to be 6/18/02.

I have to agree with Andrew - posting updates on this forum or even at the AU website is NOT an acceptable way of informing customers of changes. It is not OUR responsibility to read this forum or the AU website every day - it is AU's responsibility to notify their customers of these changes.

[Ross Rojek]

Since you took the time to state your viewpoint, I'll take the time to state why I think you're wrong.

You forget that I sent you an email a week before that that was ignored.

Nope, we discussed that as well. I showed it replied to, you said you didn't get it. Ever other e-mail you've sent me has also been replied to.

We have sent out more than a few change of shipping date e-mails. We will send another one when BMG (yes I still have to wait for them to do the theng) gives me one. I've got a hotmail account like you and sometimes it sticks e-mail I want into the junk folder. I don't know why you haven't gotten any from us.

You are correct. The double charges shouldn't have happened. They did, and they won't happen again.

As stated several times (and commented on by you as well) the bonus disk will have an original interview with the producers and writer, the Museum of TV and Radio seminar on MSCL and possibly the bits from MTV's airing of MSCL.

And yes, we are dealing with BMG and not you. Regardless, we cannot ship product that they haven't delivered to us. When they do, we'll be able to deliver all the orders outstanding. Until then, we are just in a late shipping status.

[fnordboy]

Regardless, we cannot ship product that they haven't delivered to us. When they do, we'll be able to deliver all the orders outstanding. Until then, we are just in a late shipping status.

On this point i would have to go along with Ross. I know i personally don't want another bullshit shipping date for them to miss. I like the small status updates we have been getting, it is some assurance. And i would be a lot happier that when they do announce a feasible ship date they would make it. If they pass another announced ship date i think it would get even uglier in here, and go to places none of us want it to go. And i think Ross now realizes that.

Overall, yes i am pissed about the excessively late shipping as compared to the June 18th date i thought it would be when i ordered it. Granted i havent been waiting as long as most people on here have.

What pisses me off the most about everything is the outrageous overcharges. As i have said too many times, i was triple charged. How they could allow someone to get overcharged AGAIN after being overcharged once is just amazing to me.

The other thing that infuriates me is the lack of real updates that was given over the last 4 months. I've gotten 7 emails from AU since i ordered the set (not counting correspondence abotu my overcharges). 5 of those emails are the multiples i got that they billed me over a two day period. And another of those is initial email that you get the minute you order the set. Leaving the one email they sent out that nearly everyone got last month or whatever it was. That is deplorable. Yes there has been info posted on this forum, but not everyone visits here, and no one should HAVE to visit here to get info on a product that AU is selling NOT mscl.com.

I fully understand that ship dates are missed. Maybe i am more used to this because i am a big anime fan. Anime dvds are always delayed.
And like we have all said before its better to have all the music in it then to have a not-so My So-Called Life set. But if we were warned in a mass email sent out before each of the proposed ship dates that there will be a delay i think we all would be a lot calmer about this now. Lack of communication causes a lot of distrust. Hell, how many posts up until the last month were people trying to figure out if this was real or a scam? And there are still a lot of people out there that still dont believe it i am sure.

I wrote too much so i will end it here.....

[Bitterman]

"We have sent out more than a few change of shipping date e-mails"

I've never had one.

"the bonus disk will have an original interview with the producers and writer, the Museum of TV and Radio seminar on MSCL and possibly the bits from MTV's airing of MSCL."

Possibly??? POSSIBLY??? We are here and now three weeks AFTER the latest release date that was announced. We are here and now at a time, when we were told that the bonus disc and lunchbox would be sent out seperately to arrive "early october".

And you still don't know what is on the discs??????????????