CompuServe Messages

David, When doing business with a mail-order company ( or any company for that matter), if you are having shipping problems, you need to be more business-like in dealing with them. By this I mean don't just say "when did you ship?" and then accept their answer. Demand exact details of the shipping method. If they shipped by UPS, demand that they obtain a copy of the UPS proof of delivery and have them FAX it to you. If they can't do this, then you are within your rights to ask your credit card company to back out any charge they have made to your card. It is always best to have a shipment made to a place of business where there will always be someone there to sign for packages so you can get valid proof of delivery. Never allow shipment by Parcel post. Always ship via either an air freight service or by Ups to a business address. That way the shipper can always trace the package quickly. It is best to ship via UPS 2nd day or 1st day air, then you know exactly when any package shipped should have arrived. It is worth the slight extra cost. If you don't have a business adress where you can receive packages yourself, have it shipped to a friend at their place of business. If you have UPS shipped to your home address, UPS usually will just leave the package outside your door without obtaining a signature. I'm not sure what they do about proof of delivery in such cases. I think their policy for this depends on the security of the neighborhood or perhaps the driver's discretion. For example, if you live in an appartment complex, they probably would not leave the package. Perhaps you can leave a note on your door "ATTN UPS: do not leave packages without obtaining signature, if no one is at home, try delivering to …. <some friend's appartment or home where there is likely to be someone at home during the day>" It is of course possible as you have suggested, that this dealer is unreliable/screwed up/lying to you but if you take the proper precautions relative to shipment, you will find that you will have fewer problems of this sort. Just some suggestions from a business point of view.