Are the Customer Service Reps
in the Graveyard Too?

Graveyard Mall

Graveyard Mall is such a fitting name for this site. The people who work there are obviously dead because, if you have a problem with an order, you will never get a response back and the problem will never be resolved.

The Site

The site is very simple. It is small and easy to navigate but a tad annoying with its amateurish graphics (clip art) next to each category of items, but that’s nothing major to worry about. Navigation is easy. There is a menu on the left side with a list of categories and then, a list of subcategories after you click. You shouldn’t have any problems navigating through the site.

Shipping

Generally they have a standard flat $4.95 shipping cost for shoppers in the US. Shipping is now free if you purchase over $39.99 worth of goods. There is expedited shipping available for those who need their products faster.

Returns

They claim to have a 30-day return policy minus shipping costs on any unopened product. They also claim to have a 30-day exchange policy if a product is defective.

Deals

You can find some good deals on the site. Many of the things they are selling are outdated ( I mean have been kicking around the net for a long while) or novelty items. Still, the deals are often good and you can pick up things for half the cost you would on other sites at times.

Length of Time to Arrive

Expect to wait a few weeks for your order. I am not sure which way they choose to ship, but whichever way it is, is slow. But generally you will have your order with three weeks.

The Problem

I have shopped on the site four times. Out of those times, three times I received the wrong item or a missing item in an order. For instance, I ordered a gel wrist mouse pad and received a long rubber strip designed for use under my keyboard. The difference in price (Gel wrist pad 9.99, Strip 3.99) was enough to make me write to them about how to go about getting the correct product. If I returned the item, I would have been credited for the cost of the cheaper item. If I tried to exchange it, I would have gotten the same thing back. So, I wrote a letter along with my order number and information to the contact address on the site.

Then I waited.

And waited.

I wrote a second letter.

Nothing.

A third letter, complete with threats of never shopping there again, heeded no results.

I gave up and accepted that I was stuck with something I didn’t want and overcharged for it.

I did shop there again, however, hoping that my experience above was a one time thing. Wrong move. This time, an item was missing completely. I was charged for it on my invoice and on my credit card but it wasn’t in the box. I sent a letter once again to customer service about the missing item. I heard nothing back.

Repeat the steps outlined above.

Once again, I lost money on this site due to their atrocious customer service and sloppy packing. I never did get my money back, a credit, the item, or a letter even telling me they received my email to them.

They say the Graveyard mall is where "High Prices Come to Die." Unfortunately, it seems like everyone is customer service died too.

I am of the mind that good follow up and communication is extremely important when shopping online. If a site wants my business, they had better be around after the sale to remedy any problems that may have occurred. Graveyard Mall was the worst site I have been to as far as simply completely ignoring my problems. It wouldn’t kill them to at least have an automated message ping back to customers to let them know their email was received even if they don’t ever get around to reading it.

I don’t think a site like this is so busy that they don’t have time to read the influx of emails they get; I think they just don’t care enough to address problems once they have your money in their pockets. This isn’t the sort of site I can trust and nor the sort of site I will shop with again.

There was no phone number listed for customer service, not even a long distance one, so if they didn’t answer my emails, I was out of luck. I probably should have been suspicious the first time I saw there was no telephone contact number. Lesson learned.

I just looked at the site and have seen that they now have a 773 area code phone number added to their site with hours of operations from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. CST. This could be a good thing for those with problems like those that I experienced, as I had no one to call. I haven’t called the number so I am not sure if you get a live person or a recording.

For the record, my other order was fine. I didn’t have a problem so there was no need to get in touch with customer service.

Bottom Line

Graveyard Mall has some deals on items that have retired or that have been around a while and you can save some money shopping there if you like what they have to offer. Their shipping costs are good and the free shipping over $39.99 is enticing. If all goes well with an order, you may be very pleased with the site. However, if you have any type of problem with your order such as a missing item, the wrong item shipped, etc., don’t hold your breath waiting for them to reply or to make good on the error. Customer service is the worst at this site.

I recommend avoiding the site. If you are so inclined to buy from them, call the customer service number first to make sure real LIVE people do pick up the phone and deal with orders otherwise you will end up in dead email hell the way I did.

With all the websites out there that cater to their customers and make good on their shipping errors, there is no reason to shop on a site that disregards aftersale problems and treats their customers as if they are "dead" to them once they have your money. Graveyard, indeed!

Recommended:
No

–P. Therre