Myron Global: The Final Chapter
My damaged heart-rate monitor. I had sent this photo to Myron Global with my original e-mail.
An unbelievable update to my unfortunate dealings with the Atlanta-based company called Myron Global, about which I've written not once, but twice, on this blog.
To make a long-story short, I bought a Garmin Edge 305 GPS device (pictured below) with wireless heart-rate monitor from them for $230, but the heart-rate monitor ended up having a corroded battery compartment. Two or three e-mails and two phone calls to their customer-service department elicted no satisfaction, indeed, elicited no response from the company whatsovever.
Literally the only communication I ever received from the company was what I interpreted as an extortionist e-mail, asking me to remove negative feedback I had eventually posted about the company on eBay, or else they would leave negative feedback about me.
I refused, left my negative feedback, and wrote about my terrible experiences with the company on my blog. It was war.
That was that, I felt. Too much time had gone by for anything else to happen.
And then, most surprisingly, I received an e-mail on Friday (October 19) from Jason in Myron Global's customer-service department:
"Hello, Every 30 days we do a search of un read messages and I see you have several messages that have not been responded to. Can you kindly advise if the HR monitor is working? I understand the issue was a corroded battery. This could have been simply due to heat or a defective battery that melted. All items we sell are brand new and have never been opened. We are not allowed to open items and inspect content as it voids our warranty agreement with the manufacturer.
"Be assured that we would not sell an item that has been opened or is damaged in any way. We do not even ship units that have any damage to the outer box much less the unit. All Garmin units we sell also carry a full warranty with Garmin that is valid for 1 year worldwide.
"If you have replaced the HR monitor through the Garmin monitor, I will archive your messages. If the matter has not been resolved please forward your shipping address so we can ship another unit to you or forward your purchase invoice should you want to claim warranty. -- Regards, Jason, Senior Sales Associate Myron Global, Inc."
I wrote him back and told him that, no, the heart-rate monitor was definitely not working, and related my entire story. Why, I asked, did Myron Global feel the need to resort to extortion when all the company had to do was to respond to my initial complaints. Well, according to Jason, the whole thing was a misunderstanding:
"Grant, let me clarify again. The e-mail you received was not a threat. It was an eBay e-mail showing the two feedbacks that had already been left. The first by you, the second by a CS rep at our company. Once the rep realized that they should not have left feedback for you, they immediately sent a request to withdraw feedback. The email you received is that request. This meant feedback is already left and we need you to approve its removal.
"Ebay rules require that if an ebay user (seller or buyer) wants to remove feedback, any other feedback associated with it has to be removed and both parties have to agree to it. The email you received was an eBay request created by our CS rep for you to look at the feedbacks and withdraw them if you choose. If you decided not to, then you simply delete the message. Feedback had already been left by you and us so we were trying to correct that problem.
"You should never have received feedback from us because you were right and we should have resolved your accessory issue some time ago. I apologize for both these faults."
(Of course, he never explained who it was at Myron Global who felt the necessity to flame me on eBay in the first place, for no reason whatsoever.)
I also mentioned to him that there were quite a few others I had noticed on eBay who complained of the same communication problems with Myron Global:
"There are negative feedbacks for our account mainly for replying late or not replying. We are working on hiring a few more reps to help with the daily messages. We receive about 400-700 messages every day. We begin replying to messages as early as 3:00 A.M. just to keep pace with the daily email volume."
To be fair, some of the complaints are from customers who say they have never received items they had already paid for. I pointed this out to Jason, and specifically mentioned the case of penneyfamily@nf.sympatico.ca, who left a message about their experiences on my blog. His reply:
"With regards to non-delivery. You will notice that these are only from international buyers. Most of these are due to delays from customs or from international carriers. The user email you provided penneyfamily@nf.sympatico.ca has the following shipping status: Tracking Number: XXXXXX Status: Your item cleared customs in CANADA at 5:19 pm on October 17, 2007. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later. Tracking History: Into Foreign Customs, October 17, 2007, 8:20 am, CANADA Arrived Abroad, October 17, 2007, 8:20 am, CANADA International Dispatch, October 12, 2007, 12:06 pm, MIAMI Processed, October 12, 2007, 8:24 am, MIAMI, FL 33112 Acceptance, October 11, 2007, 5:06 pm, REX, GA 30273 -- Regards, Jason"
A new heart-rate monitor is being shipped to me as I write this, via overnight express mail.
I have responded to the original "Feedback Withdrawal Request" and agreed to remove my negative comments in return for the removal of the negative comments about me. I am trusting Jason's version of the story.
There is no doubt, however, that this episode has revealed some pretty serious flaws in the way Myron Global deals with its customers. I hope I have contributed in some small way toward helping the company recognize and -- hopefully -- address these problems.
In a funny postscript to this whole episode, I received an e-mail from eBay the same day that all of this back and forth with Myron Global was going on. It was a "Feedback Abuse" alert, warning me that it was against eBay policy and not cool of me to have included the URL for this blog when I posted my own reply on eBay to Myron Global's scathing attack against me.
I can only laugh.
Comments
Cheers - Dan - Stateside
I'll update when I can...
Charlie
I ahve decided to open a dispute through Paypal and hopefully this will lead to some sort of resolution.
I ahve decided to open a dispute through Paypal and hopefully this will lead to some sort of resolution.
No response to emails, I left Neg EBay feedback, they did the same for me, then requested the withdraw.
I said I would if they would refund me the shipping, they then submitted a disputed payment on Ebay! Even denied receiving payment when I sent proof! What goofballs, I wouldn't believe their story about a rogue customer service person, I think it is standard practices for them.
I won the third item - Garmin 60CSx on Sept. 22, paid on Sept. 24 and waited, it usually takes a while. After a month I sent an e-mail asking for the tracking number (it could be stuck at the customs or something), never received a reply. After some more days I checked my PayPal account to find out that there is a tracking number with my latest payment - but for the item that was delivered FIVE DAYS before the payment! Since that day I am trying to contact Myron Global, no response for e-mails, the number listed on eBay (when you ask for seller's contact) is out of service. Two days ago I finally decided to leave a negative feedback and just found out they did the same to me - quite funny for an item I paid for and never received...
I would appreciate if someone can post a phone number of their customer service - if there is one that works!
Btw. eBay and PayPal is useless in helping me - because I missed some stupid 45 day period during which I can open a dispute... And Myron Global keeps working as Verified Member like nothing happened.
Any suggestions from the lucky ones who solved their dispute with Myron Global?
Thanks
Jan K. (jank3866)
How were you able to call Myron? They do not post a phone number. I've sent them 4 emails about my non-delivered Garmin (for which I already paid) asking them to put a trace on it. They are not responding to me. This is a Christmas gift for my husband! Can you help, offer any advice?
Thanks
I found their phone number somewhere on eBay, but it doesn't matter because none of us who've tried to call actually get through. It's just either busy or it's a recording and left messages never get returned.
There is definitely something wrong with Myron Global. I don't know how I managed to get satisfaction in the end. Perhaps it was because of this blog and my postings. I think "M" is right. There was no "rogue" customer service person who flamed me on eBay. It's just standard practice for them to deal with those who dare to leave them negative feedback.
I wish I had some advice, other than to fight them with whatever means you have -- negative eBay feedback, disputing payment if you paid with AmEx, etc. Or writing about them on your blog. Only then did I ever hear from them.
I hope these postings will make other buyers beware about ordering from Myron Global until they work out their serious customer service problems.
I also found 888-748-6693 (on my PayPal payment details) but guess what - a recording machine. :(
My next step is filing a complaint with my bank regarding the payment. PayPal and eBay seem to be not interested to provide any help.
2 Garmin C550s I have on order with them since the 16th with priority shipping. Only today did they run my card. (Unfortunately I used a bank card. I see they dont take AMEX.) No tracking number. No response to 4 emails. No response to multiple phone calls. And the items have not shipped. So much for my mom and sisters Christmas presents.
I am seeing that I may have no recourse with these guys save that of opening a case with my bank and another with the BBB.
I hate schyster companies.
2% not satisfied customers is too much. most of them did not receive the paid item. wondering why it is still an ebay power seller. (money rules ebay)
I was killing time before auction on a Garmin Gpsmap 60SC closed.
Then i started locking at the feedback, found this blog!
And now im going to bed :)
I´m not gonna buy anything from them.
Thanks all and good luck!
Please add me to the list of dissatisfied Myron GlobaL customers. I ordered a Etrex Vista HCX through ebay. Payment made december 8th. Shipping showed shipped from Miami on 20th. I wrote and received no explanation for delay. I have written again as the item is now clearing Customs in Great Britain. I live in Canada. Again no reply. I will start dispute with Paypal as apparently no other option. As with others I wished I had read this before!!
After a week or so of hearing nothing, I emailed them using their listed gmail.com email address, and received no reply. I've tried several times since then with no luck, and a few days ago took the unhappy step of opening an ebay "item not received" dispute.
I am in Australia so I expect a shipping delay, but the tracking field on the Orders page of their web site shows "NA". They haven't shipped it.
In a few days, once the timeout for ebay's dispute response has happened, I will have to take the even less desirable step of asking my bank to reverse the VISA charge under their fraud policy.
I chose Myron Global because of their high ebay rating and because they assured me that their International Order processing was top-notch, but that's obviously a joke. Now I wish I'd looked a little deeper.
Very unhappy. I'll be even more unhappy if they leave me negative feedback, as I made payment immediately on winning the auction and have been nothing but polite. I will certainly be leaving negative feedback for them.
I ordered a Garmin Forerunner from Myron Global on 24th Of December and guess what..... I'm still waiting for the item. Like Nick, whenever I am visiting the account they created for my orner, the tracking number shows NA. What can I do since I allready paid them? The best thing is to get my money back and order it from someone else. Is it possible through Paypal?
thanks, Jorge
Doesn't make me like Myron Global any more though. I hope they pick up their game.
(In the place where I should have needed the GPS). I could not test the unit, but I decide to close anyway the complain, but then I left the feedback as follow: -Item shipped only after opening ebay dispute, 0 email answered. Unreliable!-
(I think I was just kind).
This is the feedback i have received:
FRAUD ALERT - DO NOT DEAL WITH THIS USER - ALL EBAYERS BEWARE!!!
I'm very happy to get my first and last negative feedback!!!
After reading all your comments ther is enough material to sue the seller and Ebay to permit such behaviour.
I hope more people come to this blog BEFORE they order from Myron, rather than after.
Well, let's see what they have sent me.
LAter
Kind of irritating but what can you do?
Hmmmmmm.
"Hello,
We incorrectly archvied your order. I apologize for the error. We are sending the unit via express mail right now."
fortunatley the unit is ok, btw I consider unacceptable an online seller that does not answer to any contact expecially about problems, so I gave a negative feedback specifying the delay and unresponsiveness. I got a negative, I think automatic, feedback with this text: "FRAUD ALERT - DO NOT DEAL WITH THIS USER - ALL EBAYERS BEWARE!!!"
then I received an ebay proposal of feedback retirement agreement, but I do not accept this, I think it is correct to tell other users MyronGlobal do not ansers, and I do not think it is correct to write I make frauds as they took my money the same day!
Thank you for telling me about this blog.
"ITEM+, BUT no com/tion!Shipped item after I opened a Paypal dispute.Never again!"
I will of course never buy from them again....
thanks guys for the help!
I am going to contact Garmin to see if they honor the one yr warranty. Maybe I’ll have better luck dealing with them.
Jorge
Since you have left feedback you have obviously decided that you are not happy and are not expecting any additional communication. why sshould we give you any updates at this point?
You can return the item to us at our cost and we will give you a refund and cancel this sale. We are not going to sell to buyers in Norway if they cannot wait for delivery of their packages.
The funny thing is that I even paid extra for quicker service. I even sent them a link to USPS that stated the estimated shipping time for all the different international package services. The longest one has up to 10 days :-)
Just kicking myself for not researching the company before buying. This will not happen again.
- Jon Fredrik
So - my message to others: be persistent, if everything else fails, talk to your bank / credit card company.
JK
What does it means, I've sent 3 mails but nothing...
fortunately I have received my 2 Garmins Vista HCx, new. But - I ordered and paid items. Then for 6 days there wasn't Tracking number. No answers for my e-mails, no activities from MG. When Tracking number appeared, then was it OK. I traced my shipment every evening. What else should I say? I discovered pages www.actiongps.com. In my opinion it is similar or associated company as MG. Be careful.
I paid $360 for a Garmin 660
It came finally and just not working. Somehow ebay is protecting them. My dispute is closed because seller did not accept wrong doing.
It is not a good idea to send the unit back to PO box address as I may end up like this gentleman:
http://myronglobalstinks.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-myron-global-and-paypal-experience.html
What a fraud. It is even more disaapointing that ebay does nothing. They forwarded me to BBB, and IC3/
The company is owned by Ali Masood and he also owns ActionGPS. Looks like he is aware of more and more people started complaining about myron he established another one.
By the way check his home address:
http://www.whitepages.com/search/FindPerson?extra_listing=mixed&form_mode=opt_b&post_back=1&firstname_begins_with=1&firstname=Ali&name=Masood&street=&city_zip=&state_id=GA&localtime=survey
We should come together and apply to police.
This guy should not get away with this.
Thabks a lot for posting this blog. I was in the process to purchase an item from MG but after reading comments will buy from anyone but MG.
Cheers, Swedish Mike
Paypal refunded me...
Thank you again for this blog post, I think it helped many of us.
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/pesa-and-ecmta-ecommerce-summit-2008-with-ali-masood/2071396746
ActionGPS
7411 Southlake Parkway
Jonesboro, Georgia 30236
United States
8776866461 Fax -- 8776351226
PESA & ECMTA eCommerce Summit 2008 with Ali Masood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBj4AL--uP8&feature=PlayList&p=27409A8D0F2F6BA1&index=2