How Xtreamer is trying to fuck with me

This is not supose to be a big post. I will just point the facts about an order that is not going well with Xtreamer.

Basically it seems, despite the fact they are a German company, they started shipping their products from Hong Kong, and we clients are supposed to guess that on our own.

Why pay more? Because Xtreamer has fucked up! That’s why!

Here are the facts:

• I already bought another product from Xreamer Shop before and it was shipped from Europe.
• I won the Ultra Xtreamer Deal on Facebook so that I could buy this new product cheaper.
• I’ve received the cupon and password to make the order.
• I’ve made the order and paid it on March the 2nd with my credit card, to an European company, Xtreamer, based in Germany.
• I’ve exchanged a few emails with Xtreamer in order to confirm invoice and shipping address details and status on the order.
• May 28th I receive and email saying the order is shipped.
• May 29th I receive a call from DHL Portugal saying that I was receiving a package from Hong Kong and customs have to be dealt with.
• NEVER until DHL called me, Xtreamer informed me, via a warning on the shop, during the buy process, or on emails we exchanged that the order is coming from Hong Kong.
• I’ve logged in to the shop and printed the invoice that was issued by Xtreamer Germany and VAT was already paid in Germany.
• I started to go to their forum where a Moderator is now saying to me this was a know fact, and information exists on the forum.
• I’m NOT, make no mistake, NOT obliged to come to the forum to inform me where the shipment is made from (and I didn’t because it never crossed my mind that this would happen, based on the 8 points above this one).
• Another moderator says that it is stated on the shop that the item is shipped from Hong Kong.
• Until yesterday no information regarding Hong Kong was on the shop, as you may see on my screenshot belloow, and that I already sent via email to Xtreamer.

The shop on May 28, 12:00 GMT
Another product had the information that it was shipped from Hong Kong but not Ultra

The shop today

I’ve sent a formal, digitally signed, complaint to Xtreamer on May 28 and I’m now waiting for a reply.

Here’s the complaint:

Subject: Complaint about order #36754

Dear Sirs at Xtreamer UG (Germany),

My name’s Marco Almeida and I’ve won an Xtreamer Ultra Deal on your website, via a promotion you made on Facebook. This consisted in me paying only 100€ for your Xtreamer Ultra product.

On February the 23^rd you sent me an email to <email removed> from [email protected] stating that I’ve “won the crazy deal” and sending me a password, and cupon number (XtreamerUltraDeal) in order to be able to make the order on your website with this special price.

On March the 2^nd I’ve placed the order, as confirmed by the email I got from you from [email protected] and paid with my credit card, ending in <numbers removed>, as can be easily proved by my bank records. A contract is now made between me and Xtreamer.

On May the 26^th I’ve received another email from you stating that my order was, finally, shipped.

Today, May the 27^th, I got a phone call from DHL saying that I had a package coming from Hong Kong and that I would have to pay around 130 to 140 euros, including customs taxes and fees and also DHL own fees. This was a surprise for me because I ordered an Xtreamer Ultra From GERMANY, not CHINA!

So let’s review the facts:

• I’m in Portugal, buying a product to a German company, so I’m NOT importing anything from outside Europe;
• You invoice, annex on this document, clearly states your company details:
  • Xtreamer UG
    Am Krautgarten 4
    91717 Wassertrüdingen
    Germany
    Tax Number: 203/143/00042
    Vat Number: DE274382927
• No matter what your terms and conditions say about customs or other costs, I was NEVER clearly informed during the order process that the item would be shipped from anywhere outside Europe;
• I was already your client. In June the 3^rd of 2010, I’ve bought you and “Xtreamer with free antenna” using my email <email removed>(order #29413). This order was shipped from Europe and, obviously, no customs were necessary;

So, as I’m sure you understand, there’s no way I could ever imagined that this specific order was going to be shipped from outside Europe, Hong Kong in this particularly case. That’s your problem that your stock is in Hong Kong, not mine!

I will NOT accept the order from DHL, so you may as well cancel it fast in order to save money yourself. I’m not going to pay all customs and DHL taxes and then wait you would eventually sometime in the future pay me this.

I’m not asking for a refund here! We are bonded to a seller-buyer contract, and I’m sure as a European company you do know the law, you are obliged to provide me with the product I bought. Being so, I expect you to send the me Xtreamer Ultra and all things included in the box, as stated on https://shop.xtreamer.net/products/Xtreamer-Ultra.html from your headquarters in Germany, or anywhere else in Europe you want, so that no customs or DHL fees are due on a product bought by a Portuguese consumer from a German company. I repeat: I did NOT buy a product from China.

As I already told you above, this is my second order to your company. I’ve been a happy Xtreamer client and a lot of Portuguese friends of mine have bought your products on my advice. I’m quite a known person on twitter and blogosphere in Portugal and people listen and care about my opinions. These opinions made them buy Xtreamer products.

I expect your company to fulfill with his obligations in a maximum time of 1 week starting from today.

I do not want to go legal on this, as my lawyer advised me to do immediately. I’m giving you a chance to solve this, but if you do not do it in the period of time I’ve given you, make no mistake: I will get this solved by legal means. A complaint will be filled to the European Consumer Centre (http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/ecc/index_en.htm) through its local branches both in Portugal (http://cec.consumidor.pt/) and Germany (http://www.evz.de/).

Sincerely yours,

<digital signature on PDF file>

Marco André Nunes Almeida

Pinhal de Frades, Portugal, 2011-05-27

(This document is digitally and legally signed using the Portuguese, government issued, Citizen Card digital signature)
On the next page is a copy of the Xtreamer invoice.

So be very careful when buying from this company! I used to ALWAYS endorse their products to my firends, and a lot of them bought them, because they are really good products. It’s just the company that’s not being able to deal with problems they created in the first place. Not very good costumer support, as new I’m seeing on their forum on other non-related issued.

UPDATE (2011-05-29 19:00): Just noticed that Xtreamer sent me a message, today at 9:35 AM, via their shop internal messaging system saying, amongst other things: “As we have mentioned in our official website and the deals website , this product will commence shipment from Hong Kong , unlike the previous Xtreamers ,we have also explained that it doesn’t include Vat.” which id a lie because the invoice clearly states VAT and the information about Hong Kong was inserted yesterday as proved by my screenshots above. Also they say: “Please note that if you change your mind and refuse the package or the package is unable to be delivered to you for any reason, you will still be responsible for all those fees in addition to return shipping and handling charges.” They have got to be kidding me!

UPDATE (2011-05-29 20:00): I’ve just checked DHL tracking and guess where the item is right now? Germany! Oh the irony…

UPDATE (2011-06-01 10:30): The package is now in Portugal since Monday… No information about delivery date whatsoever.