Light Impressions - WARNING
Just wanted to warn everyone about the Light Impressions company.
We have been ordering from them for years (mostly online in the last 3 years) and have always received great service. We’ve used them for our own needs, and recommended them to our consulting clients. And we still get email specials almost every week.
Well, things have certainly changed at Light Impressions. On January 10th, I placed an order online at www.lightimpressionsdirect.com . The website put up an order receipt, gave me a web confirmation number, and they charged our credit card the same day. Over the next few days I kept looking for an order confirmation by email, but none arrived. I needed the products in one week so was concerned.
After six days, I started calling their customer service line, but never got an answer even though I’d just let it ring (on speaker phone) for up to 45 minutes. I then left them a voice mail message telling them to cancel the order. I also sent them two different emails, telling them to cancel the order and refund our money. No response and no refunds.
During this period, I received a pamphlet from Hollinger Metal Edge. I placed the same order with them, online, received a quick email confirmation with shipping information, and the products in five days. In these days of internet shopping, one comes to expect this type of response. And one also becomes very suspicious of companies with what appear to be robust, fancy websites, that don’t respond quickly to orders.
I did a Google search on “Light Impressions problems” and came up with dozens of similar experiences over the past 3 years. Some people placed orders a year ago and still have no product or refund!
Today I again called the “customer service” number. An automated message told me how much they value my business, and asked me to wait in their “automated queue.” The next voice told me the anticipated wait was one minute. About 30 minutes later, a woman calling herself Mona came on the line and asked how she could help. I provided her with the web confirmation number, she found the order and asked if there was some problem. She was obviously aware they hadn’t shipped it yet, but didn’t seem to think that was unusual. She then told me the items were on back order and they didn’t know when they would be received. I asked her why our credit card was charged if they didn’t have the merchandise (which is a violation of Federal law, by the way), and she said their “website isn’t connected to their company very well.” She really didn’t seem at all fazed by this, as if all the people she talks to have the same issue. She promised to cancel my order and “request a refund.” She wouldn’t give me any confirmation number, or send me an email, or provide her last name. She did say her extension number was 1756.
After talking to Mona, I called American Express Open, our business credit card company. They saw the charge, and when I told them the company had just confirmed to me they never had the merchandise and didn’t know when they would ship it, agreed to an immediate suspension of the charge, and a chargeback to Light Impressions.
I remember talking to a representative from Light Impressions at an SAA conference a couple years ago. He said the company had been bought by a conglomerate and was trying to figure out the most successful strategy for selling to the cultural heritage market. I asked about the discount VRA members used to receive from them and he said he could get that reinstated if I sent him an email with the information. I followed up by email but he never responded.
So, beware of this company. They are using fraudulent means to take customers’ money without having merchandise to fulfill orders. They are either desperate financially, using new customer orders to pay existing bills from their vendors (a kind of Ponzy scheme since they are actively marketing to new customers all the time), or they are just criminals who will do whatever they can with no regard to the legality or ethics of their dealings. Either way, I’d avoid them. There are several alternatives, including Hollinger Metal Edge.
Howard Brainen
TWO CAT DIGITAL, INC.
14719 Catalina Street
San Leandro, CA 94577 USA
510-483-1220 x201
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www.twocatdigital.com
Scanning and Digital Imaging Consulting
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