Problems with Prophecy.co.za

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crathob

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Hi everyone

I'd just like to share my experience with prophecy thus far:

I phoned on Tuesday 15 October to ask when they would be getting new stock of a certain motherboard. They said that they in do in fact have the board in stock, even though it was marked out of stock. I placed my order and paid.

The next day I recieve an automated e-mail to inform me that the board is not in stock. Thinking that they might simply not have updated their website, I made another phonecall to confirm that they have stock. The person I spoke to said that it was actually a mistake by their supplier and that he will substitute the board for another which is slightly more expensive. I asked when it would be delivered and he said that they were waiting to get the RAM (that i also ordered at the same time) in later the day and that it should be delivered on Friday (last week).

On Friday I phoned (because I haven't recieved a waybill number) and they said that they actually haven't gotten the RAM in on Wednesday but only late on Friday and that it would be delivered by Tuesday or Wednesday the next week.

On Wednesday (Yesterday) I phoned to ask what the order status is. They said that it would be shipped that night and that I should have it the next morning. Today I phoned, having recieved no waybill number yet. I was told that the order was in fact shipped last night but CourierIT somehow managed to forget putting the waybill number on their system. I got a waybill number (which wasn't activated yet) and I was told that I could expect the order anytime this afternoon (Thursday a week later) but I have still recieved nothing whatsoever.

I've had numerous other problems contacting prophecy. Firstly they said that they don't recieve any of my emails (I use hotmail) and I have told them to check in their spam folders in case that it got there accidentally. Secondly They don't answer their phone half the time. I put in numerous phonecalls throughout the day for the last couple of days to get a hold of them, but the phone simply rings. Also, when I use another number to phone them, they (somehow) magically appear in office to pick it up... I phoned with my normal phone and nothing happened and straight thereafter with my other phone and they picked up. I phoned with my first phone straight after the second and again they didn't pick up.

I'm am tired of the numerous problems I've had with prophecy.co.za and despite the sympathy I do get when I eventually get through, I will never be using them again.

UPDATE: Finally recieved the order this morning (Friday). The waybill number only went online at 18:45 last night and was in fact only shipped from joburg to PE last night, despite prophecy's reassurances that it was a mistake on the courier's side (according to prophecy the package was in PE but hasn't been showing on the system...).
 
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I've used Prophecy a number of times and never had any issues. I won't hesitate to use them again either :)
 
Sad affairs. This seems to be the MO of most of the on line suppliers it seems. Therefore if there is no collection address then there is just no business!
 
I stopped shopping at prophecy long, long ago, after having a bad and expensive experience with them. (selling me a second hand item as new). Many other better online shops available.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I ordered other components on the same day (at the beginning) from dynacor.co.za and I have been using the items since last week Wednesday. They had excellect service and no problems.

I'll keep this thread updated with developments.
 
Ive used prophecy twice now and Ive had nothing but excellent service from them. Ive never heard of dynacor though.
 
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I find all "smaller" online pc hardware outlets struggle a bit when it comes to a "specialty item"
If it's not an item that's easily sourced from their suppliers then it takes longer and there are always delays.

I once ordered a specific and expensive pair of headphones (wireless 7.1 whatevers) and it took ages to bring it in.
I anticipated it though because I've struggled to source similar hardware in the past.

The suppliers don't deliver on time and then the online retailers are left trying to tap dance for the customer. I'm not absolving the online retailers at all, they should manage the customer's expectations and state CLEARLY that certain items have longer, if not, unpredictable delivery times.

I'm not saying Prophecy is not to blame, they should tell you from the start if there are issues, but I think it's a problem with all the smaller guys. Just a heads up to help keep the blood pressure down in the future.
 
I fully understand that it is sometimes in fact the courier's/supplier's fault, but the delayed (if any) responses from Prophecy can't be blamed on other companies
 
crathob said:
I fully understand that it is sometimes in fact the courier's/supplier's fault, but the delayed (if any) responses from Prophecy can't be blamed on other companies
Click to expand...

Agreed. They should just say from the start:
"Listen, we don't order these things often, it could be three days, it could be two weeks... can we call you the second it lands on our desk?"

I was just saying that if you're ordering a specialty item, don't expect ANYONE to deliver when they say they will... sit back, and prepare for 2 weeks. If it arrives sooner, YAAAAAY!
 
crathob said:
Thanks for the replies guys. I ordered other components on the same day (at the beginning) from dynacor.co.za and I have been using the items since last week Wednesday. They had excellect service and no problems.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, never heard of these guys either. Its also run from home, it seems. I feel a lot of the smaller guys are under immense pressure to compete with Takealot (nothing screams louder than free delivery), Wootware, Rebeltech, Sybaritic and others. I remember when the first places to stop were Take2 and Prophecy back in the day.
 
I've bought from them a few times before and had never had a problem. But a few weeks ago I called them about a pair of Sennheiser HD518's that I wanted to buy from them. I was buying them for my father as a birthday gift so I needed to have them on time (Think I called 5 days before his birthday). The item was listed as in stock with supplier but I just wanted to be sure of the delivery time because it was a gift and I wanted it on time. Anyways, I explained this to them and they told me to email them, and that they would get back to me by that afternoon. I'm still waiting for their reply.

Tbh, I was little dissapointed at their lack of effort. I mean, I didn't complain, I just simply bought them elsewhere. So it cost them a sale. It's almost as if they just didn't care.
 
Prophecy has been around for years. Back in the day it was actually a forum such as this where it was all about gaming and PC Hardware. They unfortunately chose to shut the forum down a year or so ago due to low traffic, however it was still a good place to get advice on purchases and report issues with orders. I've had relatively good experiences with them, but as people mentioned, they are a small company and their response times, accuracy and efficiency (compared to the big guns like Takealot/Kalahari) is what you'd expect from a 1-2 man show (not sure how many they are, but my guess it's the same person who answers the phones, respond on emails, order from suppliers, pack and ship the items etc etc).

Overall though, i've gotten good advice from them and received what i paid for, so at least i know they are not a fly-by-night shop.
 
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