Warning: GlobalScale are Thieves

[ikhalil]

Dear All,

Just wanted to warn everybody so that you don't do the same mistake I did.
I ordered a GuruPlug Server Plus on April 6th from the online store of GlobalScaleTechnologies.
They immediately deducted the amount from my credit card. Ever since then, I haven't been able to get any feedback from them regarding the order.
I've sent them a number of emails, filled their online questions form and did not get any feedback (Today is May 27th).
I've even tried to call their telephone number and nobody answers.
Now I will have to start going through the transaction dispute process with my bank to cancel the card transaction.

Regards,
ikhalil

[varkey]

Call them! They never replied to my mails too. I placed the order on April 4th and mine was shipped on May 18th.

They maybe on a different time zone than yours, so check the time before you call.

[popon]

Login to your account and you can see the status of you order.
http://www.globalscaletechnologies.com/p-22-sheevaplug-dev-kit-us.aspx
The icon for login is at the bottom of the page.
If you want to cancel your order, you can do this in your account. 

[UnaClocker]

Either way, this is standard procedure with GlobalScale. If you calm down and wait, you'll eventually get what you ordered.

[Trune]

Standard procedure? lol.

emails should always be responded to and lack fo a reply should never be standard procedure. i dont see why people are giving him negative karma, he is quite within his rights to be angry with them if they dont respond to emails.

If there was an alternative company selling them, from all the bad feedback i have read this company would no longer exist!!

it shouldnt become acceptable to be so poor. and they shouldnt take the money until they dispatch the item.

[zzort]

Does anyone from GlobalScale read these forums or answer questions on them?

It has now been two months since I ordered a GuruPlug Server Plus and there has been no word from them. GlobalScale were prompt to take payment, but have not been prompt about anything else.

Reading around on the forums it seems the GuruPlugs have some hardware problems (e.g. overheating circuitboards, failing power supplies) and some software problems (e.g. setting ethernet to 1Gbps crashes the computer). So now I find myself in the position of waiting longer than expected for a product that may be broken, having paid months ago.

Does anyone have an informed answer to these questions:

1. Do GlobalScale accept that there are serious problems with some or all of the GuruPlugs that have been shipped out?
2. Are the shipping delays at all related to the hardware and software problems - that is, are GlobalScale doing anything to fix these problems before shipping new GuruPlugs out?
3. Why does the website warn of a 4-week shipping delay when delays seem to be at least twice that?
4. Can GlobalScale offer any assurance that, when we finally receive our GuruPlugs, they will work?
5. What support do GlobalScale promise to customers whose GuruPlugs have he problems mentioned above?

It would be great if some official representative of GlobalScale could get on this thread and answer some of our questions.

[daemondust]

Does anyone from GlobalScale read these forums or answer questions on them?

No, they don't, or at least they don't post.

It has now been two months since I ordered a GuruPlug Server Plus and there has been no word from them. GlobalScale were prompt to take payment, but have not been prompt about anything else.

Reading around on the forums it seems the GuruPlugs have some hardware problems (e.g. overheating circuitboards, failing power supplies) and some software problems (e.g. setting ethernet to 1Gbps crashes the computer). So now I find myself in the position of waiting longer than expected for a product that may be broken, having paid months ago.

Does anyone have an informed answer to these questions:

1. Do GlobalScale accept that there are serious problems with some or all of the GuruPlugs that have been shipped out?

I called and spoke with them; they're making a replacement board that I was told will ship in early June.

2. Are the shipping delays at all related to the hardware and software problems - that is, are GlobalScale doing anything to fix these problems before shipping new GuruPlugs out?

They supposedly have a replacement board that will be out soon.

3. Why does the website warn of a 4-week shipping delay when delays seem to be at least twice that?

They're terrible at communication.  It's said that since before the first shipments came.

4. Can GlobalScale offer any assurance that, when we finally receive our GuruPlugs, they will work?

Probably not, but we can hope, right?

5. What support do GlobalScale promise to customers whose GuruPlugs have he problems mentioned above?

They had me RMA my Plus last week; it's currently on its way to them (at their cost).

It would be great if some official representative of GlobalScale could get on this thread and answer some of our questions.

The only way you're going to get any official word would be phone.  Their PBX is primitive, but pressing '0' got me to a real person who could process an RMA.

[phampson]

I know this doesnt help in your case. But Newit have sheevaplugs in stock even though globalscale dont. I ordered one yesterday at 3.30pm and its due today before 1pm. They are based in the UK but can and do regulary send to the states. Certainly for me in the uk they were slightly cheaper than globalscale. They sell all the range of plugs which can be ordered off their website www.newit.co.uk. I was chatting to Jason King yesterday and found him very helpful.

Obviously if the problem is a hardware one with the product being updated they wont be able to send out with plugs with the fix, until its been solved.

Paul

[KRiddEn21]

Just wanted to warn everybody so that you don't do the same mistake I did.
...
Now I will have to start going through the transaction dispute process with my bank to cancel the card transaction.

Did you ever get this resolved?

[renaud]

Hello Plug fans.

I also ordered from them a SheevaPlug, two months ago. They were promising a 2 to 3 weeks delay so, after 4 weeks I asked for news by e-mail and ... they answered! They answered that my device will be shipped on the following week. And since nothing. I asked them to ship or refund but they never answered again. I did not try to call them by phone but I will. I have read there and there that I should log to my account on their website and cancel my order. There is no such thing as an account to log on and anyway, as they debited my account the same day I ordered, there is little chance that they refund me. I am now convinced that they are not serious people and even probably thieves. I already decided not to do any business in France with their products as I initially considered.

Does anybody here use Chip PC products (http://www.chippc.com/)?

[wwh]

I received my SheevaPlug on Saturday after waiting 37 days, or a little over 5 weeks for it.  At the time of ordering the website said it would take "around 4 weeks".

[renaud]

Lucky you. 5 weeks of delay for 4 weeks announced seems acceptable (at least for me). But 11 weeks for 3 announced is not. There is no way to mount a business with such unpredictable delays. Too bad, because the product looks good...

[zzort]

There is no such thing as an account to log on...

Actually, there is - they just hide it well. Check the dark border at the bottom of their web pages and you'll see a "Login" link (dark blue on dark grey, so hard to see). If you log in (I can't remember how this worked the first time) that link will be replaced by your name. Click your name and you'll see the status of your order. If you're in the same position as me it just says "Not yet shipped" and has said that for months.

Right now, I'm not pushing for them to ship my GuruPlug since people here have reported some serious problems (overheating, gigabit ethernet causing reboot, power supply failure). There are murmurings that GlobalScale are working on a redesign and will start shipping those out next month. Of course, their shipping estimates are not to be trusted. I'm hoping that when they finally get around to shipping me something it'll be a model that actually works.

I won't be buying from them again, that's for sure. The release of the GuruPlugs has been a complete mess.

[renaud]

Thanks a lot, zzort. Indeed, it's well hidden. I logged in and, you're right again, my current status is "Not Yet Shipped". Wonderful but not very surprising... I don't understand these people. What a strange way of doing business!

[markc]

Businesses are not supposed to take funds from a credit card account until they are actually about to ship a product. They can do a credit card CHECK to see if you have funds without actually making a withdrawal. There may be a govt body in the US to complain to about their CC withdrawal procedure.

OTOH perhaps their markup is so low that they can't risk any bad payments. To me, the worst aspect of their business is freight to foreign countries which totally blows the value of these devices. I wish someone could arrange for international dropbox shipping direct from Hong Kong.

Nothing to do with  GlobalScale but while I am being critical, to me, the worst aspect of Plug computers is the internal power supply. Mine is dead and the bother I have to go to even try to get it working, if the whole thing is not totally fried, is hardly worth the effort. If they had external 5v power supplies then the power supply would be a no-brainer to replace and MOST IMPORTANTLY, they would not overheat in the first place. IMHO it is a really really dumb design decision to include the power supply within the device itself (to hell with the all in one "plug" concept, it doesn't fit on most power boards anyway).

And on that point, if all the plugs did not include a power supply then whoever provides them could ship just the computer itself (optionally) with a list of recommended  power supplies that could be picked up quite cheaply in each country... therefor halving the international shipping costs of the computer itself.