What happened to me when I tried to spend some money with the USCF:

About a month ago I ordered a chess clock and a chess set for the
blind (one with raised squares and pieces that you can differentiate
by touch ). About 2 weeks later I got a box that contained the blind
chess board, 2 bags of pieces, and a pack of cards (something like a
"Chess adventure card game"...). I looked at the packing slip and it
said the clock was on back order, so no big deal there. It also said
the cards were a free gift(!!) for the clock being on back order.
After throwing the chess adventure cards into the trash I opened up
the bags of pieces to set up the board and, of course, they had given
me 3 black rooks and only 1 white knight. So the next day I call, no
one answers. I call again, no one answers so I leave a polite message
including all pertinent information. I wait for a call back and
nothing. So I call back the next week, leave a very polite message
again. No return call. Today I was planning on calling and telling
them I was going to challenge the charge made against my credit card,
but when I looked at my transactions online they had already refunded
the $88 I was going to pay for the clock. I guess I will just eat the
30 I paid for the board, because calling them is obviously useless...

How can the USCF hope to maintain a customer base for their mail order
products with service this bad??

Just a warning for those who have or will order from the USCF in the
near future...

Seth

I had a $110 clock "disappear" in the USCF supply chain after I returned a
clock for exchange. I received no clock, no refund.

"Seth" wrote in message
om...
What happened to me when I tried to spend some money with the USCF:

About a month ago I ordered a chess clock and a chess set for the
blind (one with raised squares and pieces that you can differentiate
by touch ). About 2 weeks later I got a box that contained the blind
chess board, 2 bags of pieces, and a pack of cards (something like a
"Chess adventure card game"...). I looked at the packing slip and it
said the clock was on back order, so no big deal there. It also said
the cards were a free gift(!!) for the clock being on back order.
After throwing the chess adventure cards into the trash I opened up
the bags of pieces to set up the board and, of course, they had given
me 3 black rooks and only 1 white knight. So the next day I call, no
one answers. I call again, no one answers so I leave a polite message
including all pertinent information. I wait for a call back and
nothing. So I call back the next week, leave a very polite message
again. No return call. Today I was planning on calling and telling
them I was going to challenge the charge made against my credit card,
but when I looked at my transactions online they had already refunded
the $88 I was going to pay for the clock. I guess I will just eat the
30 I paid for the board, because calling them is obviously useless...

How can the USCF hope to maintain a customer base for their mail order
products with service this bad??

Just a warning for those who have or will order from the USCF in the
near future...

Seth

Why you guys even bother is beyond me. Chess books and equipment, including
anything the USCF sells, are all over the Internet, at much better prices,
service and shipping speed than the USCF could or will ever offer.

If you're doing this out of charitable feelings for our poor folk at New
Windsor, don't. Plenty of other deserving charities can use your good will
to much better effect.

Don't Renew---take a year off from the USCF.

TMB

Our club does not award cash prizes because our director believes it's the
same as gambling. So he awards "cash equivalent." He also insists on doing
the ordering for some reason. For a long time only spent the money at the
USCF store.

Anyway, he ordered the wrong clock for me. After unsuccessfully calling USCF
to see how I could return it, I simply boxed it and shipped it with explicit
instructions as to which clock I wanted, why I was returning it, etc.
Needless to say the clock disappeared into the ether that is USCF land. I
tried calling and emailing several times afterward but never got anyone to
reply. Pretty sad.

I subsequently ordered a Chronos clock but found it unusable, so I donated
it to the club. $220 of prize money down the tubes.

adp


"The Masked Bishop" wrote in message
y.com...
Why you guys even bother is beyond me. Chess books and equipment,
including
anything the USCF sells, are all over the Internet, at much better prices,
service and shipping speed than the USCF could or will ever offer.

If you're doing this out of charitable feelings for our poor folk at New
Windsor, don't. Plenty of other deserving charities can use your good will
to much better effect.

Don't Renew---take a year off from the USCF.

TMB

I told my son that all I want for Christmas is a Chinese girl.

(Sam Sloan) writes:

I told my son that all I want for Christmas is a Chinese girl.

But what did you tell your wives you wanted for Christmas?

(Mike Nolan) writes:

(Sam Sloan) writes:

I told my son that all I want for Christmas is a Chinese girl.

But what did you tell your wives you wanted for Christmas?

A Chinese boy?


--
Kenneth Sloan
Computer and Information Sciences (205) 934-2213
University of Alabama at Birmingham FAX (205) 934-5473
Birmingham, AL 35294-1170 http://www.cis.uab.edu/info/faculty/sloan/

On Tue, 23 Dec 2003 15:40:29 -0500, Angelo DePalma aptly spake:

Our club does not award cash prizes because our director believes it's the
same as gambling. So he awards "cash equivalent." He also insists on doing
the ordering for some reason. For a long time only spent the money at the
USCF store.

SNIP

Sounds like your "director" (whatever that is) is a moralistic, bible
thumpin', holier than thou moron. Also sounds like he owes you some cash.

regards,
Yeh

--
"What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding?"
Nick Lowe

"Mike Nolan" wrote in message
...

(Sam Sloan) writes:

I told my son that all I want for Christmas is a Chinese girl.

But what did you tell your wives you wanted for Christmas?

Wide lice.

StanB

"Angelo DePalma" wrote in message


I had a $110 clock "disappear" in the USCF supply chain after I returned a
clock for exchange. I received no clock, no refund.

Why don't you both do the easiest thing at least, i.e. complain
to the credit card company? Why let them get away with it so
easily?

Marco


--
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