iGem Instruments

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: I am rejecting this response because: 1.There is evidence of ambivalence, incompetence, non-accountability, and/or deception regarding this return on behalf of the seller-- AThe letter that I received from the seller that contained the instructions for returning the product was addressed to " [redacted] " That is not even me!! Who is that? Did [redacted] get the refund that was due to me? Why was this letter addressed to the wrong customer? This is evidence of total incompetence-- intentional or otherwise BThe Address on the label is markedly different from the address included in the letter-- The letter includes "ATTN: RETURNS; the label does not Again- total incompetence and confusionI used the label that was sentIt was not even completeThis seller did not intend for the package to reach the company C There are two separate addresses listed for IGEM-- IGEM Instruments and IGEM Corporation I purchased from IGEM InstrumentsMy return label was to the IGEM CorporationWhy? The attached instructions clearly state IGEM INSTRUMENTS, but the label is addressed to IGEM CORPORATIONIGEM Instruments is [redacted] ? Hmmm According to [redacted] at [redacted] office, the package had not been returned According to [redacted] at [redacted] Office, Englishtown is the office that handles the delivery for [redacted] According to the tracking information, the package is still at EnglishtownAccording to *** at Englishtown, the package was probably picked up by seller w/o notification formThat's why no record of it leaving Englishtown The seller mentioned that I did not contact them until a month later as if I had been lax in my concern or my responsibilityIn my trust in the integrity of the company (or at least [redacted] , I merely gave Igem/Amazon enough time for the refund to be reflected on my next [redacted] account statementWhen I saw that it had not been refunded, I contacted [redacted] While there was no ultimate delivery, the tracking information indicates that there was an attempted delivery and a notification leftSo, the package indeed had arrived at the location instructed by the sellerThe seller mentioned their policy of non-responsibility for non-received packages However, no where does it state that they do not retrieve packages that arrive, but were not delivered because of their non-availability Why did they give the buyer a label that makes it impossible for the package to reach them? Because they did not want to give the refundThe seller states that they advised the buyer to use *** or *** and that the label was prepaid They did not give any such advice and the label was not pre-paid(See the Attached Sheet with 'post office' clearly written on itI sent the package using PRIORITY MAIL by [redacted] If the seller knew that *** mail arrives after hours, then why did it not advise the buyer (since it was going to be a problem)? The package arrived at the location instructed at 4:47pm according to the initial tracking information that was disseminated by the postal service, not after hours as indicated by the seller I don't know where he got that informationDid he close up early that day and therefore was unavailable when it arrived? (I believe the seller has someone on the inside working with him at the post officeCan anyone say "Kickback"?) Why would he not go and retrieve the package with my name on it? Because he did not want to give me my refund The seller mentioned the buyer's right to a refund within thirty days I did thatEven if it had arrived after the 7th of August, it still would have been within the thirty days, as I placed the order on August 15th Yes, this is a gross inconvenience, and no, I do not accept your apology What I will accept is a full refund of $for the faulty product and $for the shipping Regards, [redacted]

To whom it may concern,
The customer placed an order from our company on *** marketplace on 7/15/2014, and contacted us on 7/28/wishing to return the item for a refundAs we offer 30-day money back guarantee, we issued a return authorization to the customer, which clearly
states, that the item has to be returned within days since RMA is issuedCustomer supposed to return the item to us on or before Aug 7, 2014, but we received nothing from the customer, and received no communications from the customer until 9/11/2014, when we received *** message from the customer reading: "I have not received my refund for this order, which I mailed back to you on August 5, Please advise on what is the hold-upThank you. *** ***
We asked for a tracking number, as we were not in possession of the returned packageThe tracking information was provided by the buyer, but it did not show the delivery to usWe were puzzled by the fact that the last tracking record was "August 7, , 5:pmNotice Left (No Secure Location Available)ENGLISHTOWN, NJ 07726"
Our location is opened until 5pm every work day, and we receive our mail by mailman, who stops at our location for pickups and deliveries, and nothing was given to us that dayWe are confident, that if the customer would contact us soon after the botched delivery by *** we would be able to contact local *** office and resolve this issue, but as more than a month passed since the item was shipped, we were not able to resolveWhile we are not responsible to assure the delivery of return package to us (the buyer is, as per our return policy posted here (among many other places, including the sales receipt included with each and every package we mail to our customers) - http://www.igem.com/returns-policy.html), we contacted our local *** office after the customer finally contacted us, but they were not able to find the package, telling us, that most probably the package was sent back to the shipper
We cannot accept responsibility for any items, which we did not receive, as per our return policy (this is clearly stated in our posted return policy as it reads below):
"After you've received an RMA and have made sure you've packaged the item along with the aforementioned contents, you (the purchaser) will be responsible for prepaid shipment on any returned merchandise through a traceable carrier, such as *** *** or *** *** *** *** as well as insuring all merchandise for its full purchase price.Please, be aware that iGem Corporation is not responsible for any item that it does not receive or returned merchandise that is not in accordance with these terms."
We are very sorry for any trouble the customer experiences, but unfortunately they contacted us only after more than a month since they shipped the item back, and they did not track their return to promptly notify us about an issue with their return packageThey seem not to follow our advice of insuring the return package, as they would be able to recover the cost of the item from *** as it seems that the package was lost by ***
Also, customer complains about us not issuing a return label, but while we do not provide prepaid return labels as per our return policy, *** always provides return labels (no postage applied) with proper return address, so the customer clearly had a chance to use *** provided return label
Feel free to contact us in case any additional information is needed
Best regards,
*** ***
igem

To whom it may concern,The customer files dispute with *** *** and it has been declinedThen they have contacted Revdex.comThere was a reason *** declined customer's complaint - it was baseless.Here're main points which prove the facts:Customer agrees to our terms and conditions of sale at
the checkoutTerms and conditions of sale state, that the return period for any product is days since the purchase dateThe item was purchased on 27th of November, and first contact from customer occurred after New Year's day (I believe it was 2nd or 3rd of JanuaryCustomer threatened with filing dispute with their credit card provider, if we woudn't do exactly as they wanted provider right awayWe agreed to accept the merchandise back, but we received nothingWe issued a credit according to our returns policy anyway (returns policy says, that any items returned beyond days will be assessed 35% restocking feeCustomer used 11% off coupon (they probably forgot about that!), so effectively they paid $for the item, and we refunded full amount minus 35%, which is $216.93.We refunded $for the item we never received, to the customer which did not follow any of our terms and conditions of sale, and returns policy, so I believe we have done everything we could...Feel free to ask any questions.Best regards,*** M***

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:[redacted] M[redacted] is a LIAR!The request return item was placed within 30 days of receipt of defective item.  IGem used delay tactics in allowing return of the defective item.  They did not issue me return authorization until 2 weeks later with instructions to return within 10 days...which it was.  Once the defective item was received by iGem and signed for by representative, it was several days before credit for partial refund was processed.  The credit was short by a large amount that reflected a "surcharge."  All documents have been provided to [redacted] and the dispute is currently under review, with projected resolution May 28, 2016.  I will gather the documents once again and send them to you within the next couple days.  You will see that the item was indeed returned and signed for.The manner in which paying customers are treated by iGem is reflected by the state of the business, which I understand has now closed.     
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
I am rejecting this
response because:
1.There is evidence of ambivalence, incompetence, non-accountability, and/or
deception regarding this return on behalf of the seller--
A. The letter that I received from the seller that contained the instructions
for returning the product was addressed to "[redacted]" That is
not even me!! Who is that? Did [redacted] get the refund that was due to me? Why
was this letter addressed to the wrong customer? This is evidence of total
incompetence-- intentional or otherwise.
B. The Address on the label is markedly different from the address included in
the letter-- The letter includes "ATTN: RETURNS; the label does not.
Again- total incompetence and confusion. I used the label that was sent. It was
not even complete. This seller did not intend for the package to reach the
company. 
C.  There are two separate addresses listed for IGEM-- IGEM Instruments
and IGEM Corporation.  I purchased from IGEM Instruments. My return label
was to the IGEM Corporation. Why? The attached instructions clearly state
IGEM INSTRUMENTS, but the label is addressed to IGEM CORPORATION. IGEM
Instruments is [redacted]? Hmmm...
2.  According to [redacted] at [redacted]
office, the package had not been returned.  According to [redacted] at
[redacted] Office, Englishtown is the office that handles the delivery for
[redacted] According to the tracking information, the package is still at
Englishtown. According to [redacted] at Englishtown, the package was probably picked
up by seller w/o notification form. That's why no record of it leaving
Englishtown. 
3.  The seller mentioned that I did not contact them until a month later
as if I had been lax in my concern or my responsibility. In my trust in
the integrity of the company (or at least [redacted],  I merely gave
Igem/Amazon enough time for the refund to be reflected on my next [redacted]
account statement. When I saw that it had not been refunded, I contacted
[redacted].
4.  While there was no ultimate delivery, the tracking information
indicates that there was an attempted delivery and a notification left. So, the
package indeed had arrived at the location instructed by the seller. The seller
mentioned their policy of non-responsibility for non-received packages.
However, no where does it state that they do not retrieve packages that arrive,
but were not delivered because of their non-availability.  Why did 
they give the buyer a label that makes it impossible for the package to reach
them?  Because they did not want to give the refund. The seller states
that they advised the buyer to use [redacted] or [redacted] and that the label was
prepaid.  They did not give any such advice and the label was not
pre-paid. (See the Attached Sheet with 'post office' clearly written on
it. I sent the package using PRIORITY MAIL by [redacted]  If the seller
knew that [redacted] mail arrives after hours, then why did it not advise the buyer
(since it was going to be a problem)? The package arrived at the location
instructed at 4:47pm according to the initial tracking information that
was disseminated by the postal service, not after hours as indicated by the
seller.  I don't know where he got that information. Did he close up early
that day and therefore was unavailable when it arrived? (I believe the seller
has someone on the inside working with him at the post office. Can anyone say
"Kickback"?) Why would he not go and retrieve the package with my
name on it? Because he did not want to give me my refund.
The seller mentioned the buyer's right to a refund within thirty days.  I
did that. Even if it had arrived after the 7th of August, it still would have
been within the thirty days, as I placed the order on August 15th.
Yes, this is a gross inconvenience, and no, I do not accept your apology. 
What I will accept is a full refund of $412.40 for the faulty product and
$15.80 for the shipping.
Regards,
[redacted]

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience possibly caused, and thank you for pointing out couple of issues we would definitely have to address:
1. Wrong name on RMA sent due to a software glitch, while very important to fix (and we are working on it already), has no relevance to the return, as return was addressed to iGem Corporation. Our legal name is iGem Corporation dba iGem Instruments, no difference for delivery purposed. The address you shipped your item to is absolutely correct, as per the shipping label provided. Inclusion of "ATTN: RETURNS" is for our convenience only, and would not affect the delivery of the package.
2. We cannot speculate on where the package is, but we never pick up packages from any post office, the only way for us to receive it is to be delivered to our location, and it wasn't, sorry. There is only one address for our company, unit 721. The address you looked up at unti 400-401 used to be our address before 2011.
3. The return authorization you sent as evidence clearly states that "we cannot be responsible for items we did not receive", and our return policy clearly suggests that: "After you've received an RMA and have made sure you've packaged the item along with the aforementioned contents, you (the purchaser) will be responsible for prepaid shipment on any returned merchandise through a traceable carrier, such as [redacted] or [redacted]), as well as insuring all merchandise for its full purchase price.Please, be aware that iGem Corporation is not responsible for any item that it does not receive or returned merchandise that is not in accordance with these terms."
We did not receive any notifications, and unfortunately [redacted] is using this wording sometimes, when there is something else preventing them from delivering the package. Even if notification had been left, it would be [redacted] responsibility to re-deliver the package next day, which never happened.
4. If we were contacted earlier, we would have much better chance of recovering the return, and after more than a month it is not easy, if at all possible.
I am sorry, but we cannot refund the purchase due to the following issues:
1. We have never received the return back, and as per our policy - we cannot be responsible for items we haven't received. If return package was insured as recommended, [redacted] would have to pay for the loss of package
2. No issue pointed to by our customer directly relates to the delivery of the return package to us. That said - we are looking into one of them as an important one to fix.
Feel free to contact us if any additional information is needed.

Review: Ordered products for Christmas gifts from iGem Corporation on 11/26/15. After gift exchange I was notified by recipient that one product (Tri Electronics Gemolog Professional colored Gemstone Tester) was defective and appeared to have been used. I notified iGem customer service right away and they were not pleasant. After several days of email correspondence, they finally issued a return authorization and they were slow to process my return once it was received by them. I was billed $375 for defective item - credit they issued was for $216.94. They kept $158.06 as a SURCHARGE. (???)Desired Settlement: I would like either a new gemstone tester that works correctly or credit equal to 100% of the amount that I paid for the unit.

Business

Response:

To whom it may concern,The customer files dispute with [redacted] and it has been declined. Then they have contacted Revdex.com. There was a reason [redacted] declined customer's complaint - it was baseless.Here're main points which prove the facts:1. Customer agrees to our terms and conditions of sale at the checkout.2. Terms and conditions of sale state, that the return period for any product is 30 days since the purchase date. The item was purchased on 27th of November, and first contact from customer occurred after New Year's day (I believe it was 2nd or 3rd of January. Customer threatened with filing dispute with their credit card provider, if we woudn't do exactly as they wanted provider right away.3. We agreed to accept the merchandise back, but we received nothing.4. We issued a credit according to our returns policy anyway (returns policy says, that any items returned beyond 30 days will be assessed 35% restocking fee.5. Customer used 11% off coupon (they probably forgot about that!), so effectively they paid $333.75 for the item, and we refunded full amount minus 35%, which is $216.93.We refunded $216.93 for the item we never received, to the customer which did not follow any of our terms and conditions of sale, and returns policy, so I believe we have done everything we could...Feel free to ask any questions.Best regards,Greg M[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:Greg M[redacted] is a LIAR!The request return item was placed within 30 days of receipt of defective item. IGem used delay tactics in allowing return of the defective item. They did not issue me return authorization until 2 weeks later with instructions to return within 10 days...which it was. Once the defective item was received by iGem and signed for by representative, it was several days before credit for partial refund was processed. The credit was short by a large amount that reflected a "surcharge." All documents have been provided to [redacted] and the dispute is currently under review, with projected resolution May 28, 2016. I will gather the documents once again and send them to you within the next couple days. You will see that the item was indeed returned and signed for.The manner in which paying customers are treated by iGem is reflected by the state of the business, which I understand has now closed.

Regards,

Review: I purchased a gold testing kit from IGEM instrumentsWhen I received the product I found that it was defectiveIt recorded my silver jewelry as platinum, and the gold jewelry at different quality levels than they wereI contacted [redacted] who put me in direct contact with the seller, IGEM instrumentsI am formed I GM of the defect and they sent me a label to the [redacted] at the [redacted] addressI returned the item as instructedHowever about days later, I realized I had not received my refundI contacted the merchantI called the tracking number for the post office and it's stated that the package had been attempted to be delivered on August 7, and a notice was left with the sellerWhen I contacted the seller the seller indicated that he did not receive a noticeThe tracking information indicated that the package was still at the post officeHowever the seller has not gone to retrieve the packageWhen I contacted the post office, they do not have the packageOne postmaster indicated that the tracking information is as it is because the seller picked up the package without the noticeIn that case the tracking would remain the same as having the package remain in New JerseyThe seller only indicated that he did not receive my product the product was $The seller made no attempt to help me retrieve this packageThe seller has not gone to the post office to try to retrieve the packageHe only told me that I can get my moneyback through insuranceIt is my belief that the seller had no intention of refunding my moneyAnd the seller knew that he was going to retrieve money they can retrieve his package without the noticeAnd then there would be no paper trailNot only did this seller miss represent himself or herself by selling a defective, faulty product, but he/'s she also misrepresented the sincerity or the integrity of their service by not giving me a reliable label to ensure that my package would arriveback to the sellerI am out of my moneyAnd I would like to have it back.Desired Settlement: I would like an apology from this seller for not providing me with a label that would ensure the delivery of this productI would also like a refund of my money as promised by the guarantees of both [redacted] and this merchant
Business
Response:
To whom it may concern,
The customer placed an order from our company on [redacted] marketplace on 7/15/2014, and contacted us on 7/28/wishing to return the item for a refundAs we offer 30-day money back guarantee, we issued a return authorization to the customer, which clearly states, that the item has to be returned within days since RMA is issuedCustomer supposed to return the item to us on or before Aug 7, 2014, but we received nothing from the customer, and received no communications from the customer until 9/11/2014, when we received [redacted] message from the customer reading: "I have not received my refund for this order, which I mailed back to you on August 5, Please advise on what is the hold-upThank you[redacted]
We asked for a tracking number, as we were not in possession of the returned packageThe tracking information was provided by the buyer, but it did not show the delivery to usWe were puzzled by the fact that the last tracking record was "August 7,5:pmNotice Left (No Secure Location Available)ENGLISHTOWN, NJ 07726"
Our location is opened until 5pm every work day, and we receive our mail by mailman, who stops at our location for pickups and deliveries, and nothing was given to us that dayWe are confident, that if the customer would contact us soon after the botched delivery by [redacted] we would be able to contact local [redacted] office and resolve this issue, but as more than a month passed since the item was shipped, we were not able to resolveWhile we are not responsible to assure the delivery of return package to us (the buyer is, as per our return policy posted here (among many other places, including the sales receipt included with each and every package we mail to our customers) - http://www.igem.com/returns-policy.html), we contacted our local [redacted] office after the customer finally contacted us, but they were not able to find the package, telling us, that most probably the package was sent back to the shipper
We cannot accept responsibility for any items, which we did not receive, as per our return policy (this is clearly stated in our posted return policy as it reads below):
"After you've received an RMA and have made sure you've packaged the item along with the aforementioned contents, you (the purchaser) will be responsible for prepaid shipment on any returned merchandise through a traceable carrier, such as [redacted] or [redacted] as well as insuring all merchandise for its full purchase price.Please, be aware that iGem Corporation is not responsible for any item that it does not receive or returned merchandise that is not in accordance with these terms."
We are very sorry for any trouble the customer experiences, but unfortunately they contacted us only after more than a month since they shipped the item back, and they did not track their return to promptly notify us about an issue with their return packageThey seem not to follow our advice of insuring the return package, as they would be able to recover the cost of the item from [redacted] as it seems that the package was lost by [redacted]
Also, customer complains about us not issuing a return label, but while we do not provide prepaid return labels as per our return policy, [redacted] always provides return labels (no postage applied) with proper return address, so the customer clearly had a chance to use [redacted] provided return label
Feel free to contact us in case any additional information is needed
Best regards,
igem
Consumer
Response:
Review: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
I am rejecting this
response because:
1.There is evidence of ambivalence, incompetence, non-accountability, and/or
deception regarding this return on behalf of the seller--
AThe letter that I received from the seller that contained the instructions
for returning the product was addressed to "[redacted]" That is
not even me!! Who is that? Did [redacted] get the refund that was due to me? Why
was this letter addressed to the wrong customer? This is evidence of total
incompetence-- intentional or otherwise
BThe Address on the label is markedly different from the address included in
the letter-- The letter includes "ATTN: RETURNS; the label does not
Again- total incompetence and confusionI used the label that was sentIt was
not even completeThis seller did not intend for the package to reach the
company
CThere are two separate addresses listed for IGEM-- IGEM Instruments
and IGEM CorporationI purchased from IGEM InstrumentsMy return label
was to the IGEM CorporationWhy? The attached instructions clearly state
IGEM INSTRUMENTS, but the label is addressed to IGEM CORPORATIONIGEM
Instruments is [redacted]? Hmmm
According to [redacted] at [redacted]
office, the package had not been returnedAccording to [redacted] at
[redacted] Office, Englishtown is the office that handles the delivery for
[redacted] According to the tracking information, the package is still at
EnglishtownAccording to [redacted] at Englishtown, the package was probably picked
up by seller w/o notification formThat's why no record of it leaving
Englishtown
The seller mentioned that I did not contact them until a month later
as if I had been lax in my concern or my responsibilityIn my trust in
the integrity of the company (or at least [redacted], I merely gave
Igem/Amazon enough time for the refund to be reflected on my next [redacted]
account statementWhen I saw that it had not been refunded, I contacted
[redacted]
While there was no ultimate delivery, the tracking information
indicates that there was an attempted delivery and a notification leftSo, the
package indeed had arrived at the location instructed by the sellerThe seller
mentioned their policy of non-responsibility for non-received packages
However, no where does it state that they do not retrieve packages that arrive,
but were not delivered because of their non-availabilityWhy did
they give the buyer a label that makes it impossible for the package to reach
them? Because they did not want to give the refundThe seller states
that they advised the buyer to use [redacted] or [redacted] and that the label was
prepaidThey did not give any such advice and the label was not
pre-paid(See the Attached Sheet with 'post office' clearly written on
itI sent the package using PRIORITY MAIL by [redacted] If the seller
knew that [redacted] mail arrives after hours, then why did it not advise the buyer
(since it was going to be a problem)? The package arrived at the location
instructed at 4:47pm according to the initial tracking information that
was disseminated by the postal service, not after hours as indicated by the
sellerI don't know where he got that informationDid he close up early
that day and therefore was unavailable when it arrived? (I believe the seller
has someone on the inside working with him at the post officeCan anyone say
"Kickback"?) Why would he not go and retrieve the package with my
name on it? Because he did not want to give me my refund
The seller mentioned the buyer's right to a refund within thirty daysI
did thatEven if it had arrived after the 7th of August, it still would have
been within the thirty days, as I placed the order on August 15th
Yes, this is a gross inconvenience, and no, I do not accept your apology
What I will accept is a full refund of $for the faulty product and
$for the shipping
Regards,
Business
Response:
Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience possibly caused, and thank you for pointing out couple of issues we would definitely have to address:
Wrong name on RMA sent due to a software glitch, while very important to fix (and we are working on it already), has no relevance to the return, as return was addressed to iGem CorporationOur legal name is iGem Corporation dba iGem Instruments, no difference for delivery purposedThe address you shipped your item to is absolutely correct, as per the shipping label providedInclusion of "ATTN: RETURNS" is for our convenience only, and would not affect the delivery of the package
We cannot speculate on where the package is, but we never pick up packages from any post office, the only way for us to receive it is to be delivered to our location, and it wasn't, sorryThere is only one address for our company, unit The address you looked up at unti 400-used to be our address before
The return authorization you sent as evidence clearly states that "we cannot be responsible for items we did not receive", and our return policy clearly suggests that: "After you've received an RMA and have made sure you've packaged the item along with the aforementioned contents, you (the purchaser) will be responsible for prepaid shipment on any returned merchandise through a traceable carrier, such as [redacted] or [redacted]), as well as insuring all merchandise for its full purchase price.Please, be aware that iGem Corporation is not responsible for any item that it does not receive or returned merchandise that is not in accordance with these terms."
We did not receive any notifications, and unfortunately [redacted] is using this wording sometimes, when there is something else preventing them from delivering the packageEven if notification had been left, it would be [redacted] responsibility to re-deliver the package next day, which never happened
If we were contacted earlier, we would have much better chance of recovering the return, and after more than a month it is not easy, if at all possible
I am sorry, but we cannot refund the purchase due to the following issues:
We have never received the return back, and as per our policy - we cannot be responsible for items we haven't receivedIf return package was insured as recommended, [redacted] would have to pay for the loss of package
No issue pointed to by our customer directly relates to the delivery of the return package to usThat said - we are looking into one of them as an important one to fix
Feel free to contact us if any additional information is needed