I want website people comment in this regard to able me for my further decision.
I also want mass comment on this website.

Please reply without any hesitation.

Regards
Soumojit

1. Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6″ Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology and
2. Kindle Lighted Leather Cover, Black (Fits 6″ Display, Latest Generation Kindle)

On 25th December, 2010, I’ve received one shipment (a single box) from 20north (Shipment Number : 000SL7766A). It was delivered through Aramex Delivery Unlimited (Shipment Number 6358141984). In the CIF INVOICE attached outside the box I have noticed that the shipment included both the above mentioned two items. After opening the box I have got only the 2nd item (Kindle Lighted Leather Cover, Black ). At first, I thought it was a mistake made by the Aramex Delivery Unlimited, so I track the details of the shipment in their website. And in the Aramex website I have found that the shipment (the box that I received) is lighter (0.92 lbs) than the weight (2.05 lbs) written on your CIF INVOICE. That means Aramex has delivered whatever they have received from 20north.com.

I’ve send an immediate mail to the customer support of 20north. But they didn’t reply. After that on 27th Dec, I called them. Somebody named Samin told me that she is taking a note regarding that matter, and within two days they would get back to me. Without any surprise, they didn’t reply. So, today (29th Dec) morning again I’ve called and someone named Sweata picked up the call. I told her my order number and she told me it’s been delivered. Again, I had to tell her all the incidents (I’m not sure what kind of note Samin has wrote down!!!). Then she told me, after insisting that the deadline is over, to wait until the afternoon as her seniors have been looking into the matter. She assured that if they can not find any solution then they would refund me. Just 1hour back, at 4pm, I called them again. Now Sweata has told me to wait until tomorrow.

20north.com is utter unprofessional in dealing with their services. I am not sure whether I’m going to receive any more shipment or not as I’ve ordered both the items at the same time. I’ve paid Rs. 13,999 and got only the cover (Rs.4695). I’ll give the updates again.

On NOV 20th 2009 I got a call from DHL courier and they told me I got a courier (T/Gel shampoo) from US and I need to pay Rs.1721/- as customs duty.

I called/contacted/mail the 20NORTH customer support about the same but after two day they replied I need to pay the Rs.1721/- they can’t do anything, because it will happen like this in rare cases.

I was completely cheated by 20NORTH, because I paid twice for the same product.

I wanted to post an update for everyone. As I mentioned in my last review that I had to cancel my order placed at 20North after the delivery delays and ask for a refund. Let me inform you, that 20North has issued a full refund to me. Not just that, upon reordering, 20North has now even delivered my order ( that too with 15% Discount + Duty Free ). To know more you may continue reading.

After getting my full refund from the cancelled order my fear of being scammed was allayed. Moreover after being reassured by 20North Team for a better service ( in response to my review posted on various forums ) I decided to give one more shot to 20North . I made a pre-order enquiry from 20North about the possibility of using Duty Free option and also about claiming the 15% Discount (as promised compensation for delay in previous order ). 20North gladly agreed to offering me both these discounts ( courtesy Suraj from 20North Support ). This greatly reduced the cost of my Order . In short, I could not have bargained for a better deal anywhere. My only apprehension was if 20North will be able to deliver these items in 20 days of the promised time ( Once bitten twice shy kind of feeling )

I reordered on 16th Sep, 2009 and this time got all 4 items delivered to me after just 12 days. Let me add here that all items very packed very nicely and thus delivered very safely ( without any damage in the transit ).

Really satisfied with 20North’s service this time. Surely I would be using their services again in future. It will be a delight for an Indian Shopper like me to shop at 20North , as long as they maintains this high standard of service. My best wishes are with them .

Thank You
S. B Khan

Without trying to make excuses we would like to present the facts and reasons that that led to the unfortunate situation with Mr. Khan’s order – we owe this to Mr. Khan and our community of existing and prospective customers.

The Facts:
- Mr. Khan placed an order on Jul 04 that was slated for delivery by Jul 25
- by Aug 25, the order had still not been delivered and along the way multiple delivery dates (Jul 24, Aug 10, Aug 25) conveyed by us had been missed
- On Aug 26 Mr. Khan canceled his order and was processed for a 100% refund.
Not that it would have been of great consolation to Mr. Khan, but we did credit a Rs 500 gift certificate to his account as a token of our appreciation for his patience and also offered a 15% discount on his delayed order (which he did not avail because he chose to cancel).

So why did this happen?

The shipment containing Mr. Khan’s order was initially held up in Bangalore customs due to the fact that there was a mismatch between the contents and the accompanying paperwork (which was our fault) and to resolve this the shipment had to be shipped back to the US (and then re-shipped to India with correct paperwork) but before which it needed a re-export authorization letter from Chennai – and this is where we got bogged down. We have received multiple dates for this letter but have not yet received the letter itself.

Why did we project multiple delivery dates that we could not meet?
The dates relayed to the customer were based on the dates we received from customs, which we now realise was a key mistake and won’t happen again (see “So, how will you guarantee a service level to your customers?” below).

Can these kind of delays happen again?

Though we have fixed the issues that led to this specific problem we cannot rule out rare occasions where for some minor technical reason or the other, clearance of a shipment is inordinately delayed. However, as described below we will ensure that our customers will not be left in limbo again.
So, how will you guarantee a service level to your customers?
Any order whose delivery is delayed more than a week after the scheduled delivery date will be cancelled for a 100% refund and the customer will have the option to re-order the same product at a 15% discount.

One other point to note:
Mr. Khan evinces a worry about his credit card security – as stated clearly on our website, we do not collect or store any credit card information on 20North.com. Payment processing is handled on our bank’s website or on secure 3rd party payment processing websites such as PayPal, Google Checkout and Amazon.

In summary – 20North is committed to offering Indian consumers a useful and valuable service by enabling them to buy anything in the world from anywhere in India. Which, as simple as it may sound is not as easy to achieve (which is why it has not been done before) but we are well on our way to making it a reality, and though we may make mistakes, we will fix them and will continuously improve the value of our offering and the customer experience that goes with it.

Team 20North.

How does it feel to be scammed by a company and get to know
about it only after 2 Months.
Let me share the horrendous experience I have had with
this company 20North ( the next Amazon.com of India)

The story is long but let me just begin by telling you its
end. After 2 months of endless wait, that too after paying exorbitant air
delivery charges nothing has been delivered to me ( or will be delivered ).
Now have to get my credit card cancelled as well (to save myself
from further damage)

The entire story: On 4th July 2009 I came across this site 20North.com
which is suppose to deliver the products to customers from India.
Anything listed on sites like Amazon.com (or any site you can think of)
is promised to be delivered at your doorsteps by 20 North .

For so long such a service was desperately needed for we Indian buyers
as Amazon does not ship its products to India (other than CDs or books).
What made it unbelievable was the fact that 20 north was selling all these
products at very low prices even after paying the custom duty ( too
good to be true) So this 20North company seemed like an oasis to a
deprived Indian customer like me. It took me 2 months to realize that 20North
is a mirage ( rather worse, a quicksand).

Before ordering, I closely examined 20North site. Every information
(including contact address) was provided with minutest detail. A live
chat operator was also available for prompt help. Even the testimonials
from satisfied customers were there to inspire confidence.
Everything seemed (too) perfect and genuine. I did a quick background check
on google and landed on a forum where some posts were there that claimed
whatever they had ordered was delivered well within ETA ( expected date
of arrival). Again everything seemed too good.

So could not wait any longer and on the same day placed my mega order. An
expensive professional microphone (Audio Technica Condenser Microphone ) along
with its accessories. After opting to pay for faster and expensive
air delivery and custom duty, total amount added to Rs.20366 ( yes you read it right, its
20 thousand only). And the deal was still very reasonable (thanks to the discount
they had offered ). The only glitch seemed to be a long delivery time ( 20 Days
by air ). The payment was immediately deducted from my credit card and I
got a nice invoice in my email from 20North saying that my order is confirmed
and would be delivered on 24th July 2009.

I waited in excitement and anticipation for 24th July to arrive. Surely the date
arrived but not the order. Instead I received an email by someone named
Suraj from 20North informing me that order was delayed in transit and would
be now delivered on 27th July instead. Disappointed but still hopeful.

As the 2nd promised date arrived I received another email from 20North (this time
from someone named Alister Stephens ) telling me that my order has been dispatched
from USA but with with a wrong product and thus I would have to wait till 10th August.
He was deeply apologetic and informed me that this has never happened before.

I felt angry and frustrated but had no option to wait for another 2 weeks.

On 10th of August once again received another such email ( this time from a girl named Nidhika)
I quote the content of that email “The shipment containing your order is held up
in customs due to an error in the accompanying paperwork. The paperwork has been
fixed but because of the original error the shipment needs to be cleared by a
special (exception handling) process which could take another two weeks.”

My patience ran over this time. I talked over the phone to this girl Nidhika and
asked what was 20 North upto. Once again she repeated the content of her email
verbally and along with sincere apologies and remorse and regret ( as usual ).
She told me that such a thing has never happened before with any of their
customers ( I almost believed that I was their most unfortunate customer to get my
order delayed 3 times in a row). She promised me that on 24th August (that is after
another 2 weeks) my order will be at my doorsteps as it has already arrived in India
and just needs custom clearance . She offered a further 15% Discount to prove that she was
speaking from the heart. Call me an emotional greedy idiot but I once again believed in
her story.

Do I need to tell you what must have happened on 24th August.

Nothing happened. On 25th August once again I received that dreaded email ( this
time from some girl named Vidhya ). I quote her for you “Since its arrival in India over
a month ago the shipment has been in bureaucratic hell bouncing between the customs
departments in Chennai and Bangalore and as of now we have a release date of 10th September’09
from customs which means we would have it delivered to you by 15th September ’09 .” She made
it sound as if what I had ordered was not a mike but a missile.

3 more weeks of delay. I was also advised to place my order again as they could not do it
internally. This time along with the usual apology I was offered an E-Gift Card (worth 500)
to show that they meant it from their heart. I had enough of their bullsh_t . This time I had
become too experienced not to fall for it again.
I have asked them for a refund.

It took me 2 months of endless wait and frustration but now I had understood that 20North
was just buying time. Contrary to the impression conveyed through the look of their website
either this website was an online scam or it was being run by some guy from his bedroom in
his pyjamas. Highly incompetent.

Another lesson learnt was that if something seems too good to be true on the internet, it is a scam.

They blocked my money (20 thousand) for 2 months and I am sure earned interest on it as well
(Perhaps that is their business model and reason for perpetual delay).

Some people online claim that some inexpensive items like games CD or books was
indeed delivered to them. So can this company 20north be trusted for delivering expensive
items as well. What if the product delivered ( that is if delivered ) has some defect
detected later. They claim they will return it or replace it (I have my serious doubts)
One important question still remains unanswered ” Is this company indeed a fraud or
am I the unluckiest customer they have ever had ” .

After 2 months I neither have my Product nor my money ( and worse still my credit card details
are with them). All I am left with is another false shameless promise of delivery.

I am thinking of getting my Credit Card cancelled to prevent any further damage.

Do let me know your comments on my ordeal
S.B Khan
New Delhi