TigerDirect.com

Full review
I have been ordering most of my computer supplies from Tiger Direct since 2004, but I won't be anymore.

In the Air Force I was stationed in Okinawa for three years and I had very little choice but to buy from Tiger Direct. They are one of the only online computer hardware vendors that ships overseas to APO/FPO addresses, and they have a fairly vast selection.

I ordered and built my $3000 dream computer exclusively from parts acquired from Tiger Direct and shipped to Okinawa. Aside from the huge shipping fees that I expected, I couldn't have been happier with how Tiger Direct handled my order. The web page was easily navigated, it was easy to match CPU and motherboard type, and I was able to get everything from case to monitor shipped within about a month (about average for overseas shipping that much weight).

I moved back to the states a year ago, and when my power supply died on me, I was not worried about going back to Tiger Direct to get a comparable replacement even though I have a much wider selection of computer part stores to choose from in the states. Loyalty to a good merchant means something to me.

However, the following months showed me just how dishonest and loose with ethics Tiger Direct can be.

Again, I had no trouble with the overall web design. It has an abundance of very specific sidebars that helped me select a power supply of appropriate wattage that would work for me, and I placed my order without a worry.

I was in no hurry to get my $60 part because I have a backup laptop, but it took them a month to send me a notification that "my part" had shipped. 4 years earlier, I had received every part I ordered to the other side of the world, but this time it took them that long to just put it in the mail.

I'm not one to complain needlessly to a hapless telephone operator (I've been on the other end of that line), but I had no choice when I double-checked the link to "my part" that they had just shipped. It was not the part I had ordered and they had charged my credit card for.

First Call: The operator was very friendly and tried to help me with what little he could understand of the situation. He informed me that "someone" had authorized a change in my order because the part I had ordered was no longer available. Aside from the fact that it took "someone" a whole month to figure out that they didn't have my power supply, he shared my incredulity that "someone" could authorize a charge on my credit card for a part I didn't order without ever contacting me by phone, mail, or email (all of which "someone" had on file).

He assured me that since it hadn't arrived at my apartment yet, he would contact UPS, reroute it back, and refund my money. UPS promises this is possible in countless brown marker commercials, but that's another review.

Second Call: I watched over the next couple days through online tracking as my shipment got closer and closer with no sign of turning around. I had to call for a second time when it reached Utah and was due to be delivered that day. When I asked them what had happened and why I still had an unauthorized charge on my credit card, I was told that they "couldn't get ahold of UPS."

Still, the customer service person was very kind, but apparently still unable to fix the problems created by the mischievous overlords he worked for. He told me he'd try again to get ahold of UPS, but that he couldn't refund my money until they received the shipment back at Tiger Direct. When I again pointed out that I never authorized the purchase, I was promised that they could refund my credit card as soon as they had confirmation that my shipment was rerouted back to them.

Nothing happened, and I ended up chasing the knock and dash UPS deliveryman down the street with my unwanted parcel. I then called the local UPS hub and asked them to let Tiger Direct know that it was on its way.

Third Call: UPS obliged, and when I checked with my now old friend, the Tiger Direct customer service representative, he assured me that the refund would clear within the next 48 hours.

It didn't. Five days later, a partial reimbursement for my unordered power supply posted to my online credit card statement.

Fourth Call: I called again, and was told that they don't normally refund the shipping charges. We both laughed when I reminded him yet again (I had the same telephone representative through all four calls) that they shipped a part I didn't order a month later than expected and failed to correct - all on my dime. He promised me that the shipping reimbursement would clear in no more than 48 hours. This time I chuckled only to myself.

I got the shipping reimbursement 5 days later.

Overall

I found the customer service and overall web design to be user-friendly and amenable, but the company policy of selling product that they don't have in stock without any explanation or options for correction in a timely manner is really unacceptable. By contrast, Amazon and Amazon Marketplace sellers have never failed to notify me within a few days if they have mistakenly sold me an out-of-stock item. They apologize and give a refund while asking before selling me a "similar" item.

Tiger Direct essentially has a nice face hiding and selling dishonest business practices.