CompuServe Messages

I'm not so sure. If the shipper permits paymrnt of C.O.D. orders with a personal check, there's no problem. I can stop a check cold IF there is a problem…only takes me one phone call. If the shipper insists on cash, I make sure that A> the company I'm dealing is reputable, and B> keep a copy of their advertising, as well as a reciept from them (In the form of a shipping invoice stamped PAID), or I refuse delivery. This way, if there is a problem, and the shipper refuses to make good, I let the post office handle it (as mail fraud). I went through this twice in the past year. In one case, I got my money back *immediately* from the company I did business with, and in the other case, I recieved brand new functional merchandise. Seems that when the US Post office "explains" to them that my complaint is not just another civil complaint, and the severe penalties are explained to them for mail fraud, most outfits think twice. Of course there are those fly-by-night operators… More often than not, they're easy to check out before hand, and avoid entirely. Let's say I buy a product, say from Perry, and I'm not happy with it when it arrives. I write to Perry and tell him so. Perry says "get lost". (Not that he would o course). Here's what I do… A> I then initiate step two. I publicly "question" him on it, say here on CIS, or in anther public forum. B> If I still get no satisfaction, I then warn everyone I know that is con- templating buying from Perry (Without actually telling them NOT to buy from him, or *I* could be sued), explaining in detail what happened. Do you think Perry can afford this kind of publicity? Still, the best policy is to *know* who you're dealing with in the first place. If Tramiel's axiom "Business is war" is true, then I say "Know your enemy", plain and simple.