This is how it works at Cdiscount.

It happens like this at Cdiscount....

I ordered on January 24, 2005, a Médion computer referenced MED200405862 on the Cdiscount website (order 0501242038OSHKX). On January 25, I also ordered a 19-inch flat screen from Cdiscount (order 0501251341OSXJ8). Both items were in stock and were supposed to be delivered 2 to 5 days later. On January 29, I receive an email indicating that the flat screen has been shipped. On February 2, as I still haven’t received anything, I called Cdiscount’s customer service at 0899 709 876 (€1.35 per call + €0.34 per minute). I was told that I should receive my packages the next day although the Médion computer had not been scanned at the Cdiscount warehouse. I received the screen the next day, February 3, and the computer finally arrived on February 4 (they said 2 to 5 days). Nine days had passed between ordering and delivery. To this day, the computer is still indicated as not shipped on the Cdiscount website.

When I turned on the computer, I was immediately surprised by the impressive noise of the fan. It was three times louder than my kitchen hood when it’s on full. I started transferring my personal data from my old computer to the new one and configuring my Internet connection thinking it would calm down. After about 3 hours of operation, it suddenly turned off. I turned it back on, it turned off by itself after about ten seconds, then turned itself back on only to turn off again by itself, and so on. Since then, it hasn’t wanted to start properly.

I then decide to withdraw within 7 days after receiving the package as the law provides. I am not going to keep a machine that gives up 3 hours after its first use and makes as much noise as a vacuum cleaner. But since the computer is indicated as not shipped on the Cdiscount website, I do not have access to the automatic withdrawal procedure. On February 4, I opened a file for this computer indicating that it was faulty upon delivery, and in the accompanying window, I expressed my desire to withdraw and be refunded the €969.46 spent on this purchase. On February 7, I received a return email closing the file and telling me to contact Médion's after-sales service because my computer is under manufacturer’s warranty.
I open a second file for the same reason with the same wishes, I call the premium rate customer service number where I am told that I will receive an email with a barcode to return the computer, and I receive on February 8 a second email closing the file that tells me the same thing as the first, namely: to contact Médion's after-sales service. This is what I finally do, but Médion has no one in Eastern France where I reside. I then open a third file still with the same grievances, I call the premium rate service again where the tele-advisor eventually tells me that he can’t do anything for me, that he is not the one making the decisions. I then notice in the emails sent after my calls to the premium service that by hovering the mouse over the icons for responding to a satisfaction survey, a php link appears with the name of the tele-advisor, my email, and the call date. All the names of the tele-advisors have a Moroccan sound to them. I then understand why the poor tele-advisor can’t decide anything. The premium service is a call center located in Morocco completely disconnected from the reality of the problems.

So I call the Cdiscount headquarters (05.57.14.45.00), stating that I no longer want to be connected to Morocco, that I have already paid enough in surcharges but that I want someone to resolve my withdrawal issue. The receptionist tells me to write an email to a certain Mr. Lacombe at service.client@cdiscount.com. I comply and also send an email to Casino's customer service, of which Cdiscount is a subsidiary. I also contact Luc from www.cgalere.com. The next day, on February 9, still no response except for a third closure of the file with always the same answer: call the after-sales service. Casino also responded saying that Cdiscount manages its customers autonomously. I then call the Cdiscount headquarters again and they hang up on me. I then try a random number based on the standard number, and I get someone from the computer purchasing department to whom I explain my problem. I then receive another phone number (which is no longer in service) where I apparently catch a manager surprised to be contacted by a customer. She takes note of my problem and finally in the afternoon, I receive an email with the barcode to affix on the return package.

On February 10, I return the PC by mail in recommended colissimo, and it arrives at Cdiscount on February 12 (according to the online tracking). On February 28, the famous barcode is finally scanned and I receive a confirmation email stating that a refund check of €969.46 will be sent within fifteen days. On March 16, I finally receive the check and on March 17, my €969.46 is finally back in my account.

For the record, I purchased another PC at a supermarket next to my home on March 14. They give a 10% discount on Mondays.

Here is my first misadventure with Cdiscount after about sixty purchases since 1999 on this site.

Here’s the second and third:

On February 6, 2005, I ordered on Cdiscount what I believe to be an ADSL modem-router-firewall-wifi for €72.90 (Order 0502061539P3AY4). On February 7, I ordered a MiniDisc player for a colleague residing in Switzerland for €99.99 (Order 0502071300P3Y4X). Both items are in stock and designated as deliverable within 2 to 5 days. Two hours after placing the order for the MiniDisc player, my colleague asks me to cancel his order because this player does not have a line input. I call the Moroccan customer service, and there is no way to cancel the order.
The two packages arrive together on February 14. I then realize that the modem router I ordered only routers and does not function as a modem. On February 15, I return both packages by mail after having received both return barcodes. On February 17, the packages are back at Cdiscount (according to online tracking from the post office). On March 3, the barcodes are scanned, and I am credited with two vouchers of €72.90 and €99.99. On March 4, I call Moroccan premium service where I ask that my vouchers be refunded by check (they only refund this way). A certain Hélène (Fatine Elhilali) confirms to me that I will receive my two checks within 10 days. On March 18, 2005, as I still haven’t received anything, I call customer service again and this time it’s Soumia Elouafi who tells me that Hélène has done everything necessary and that she will make sure that my file is treated as a priority. On March 29, 2005, still nothing new, I call the headquarters standard at 05.57.14.45.00 where I explain my problem to the receptionist who assures me that I will receive an email within the day or the next day to confirm the refund. On March 31, I contact Luc from www.cgalere.com again and send an email to Casino’s consumer service. I call the Cdiscount headquarters again, and the girl at the switchboard promises to personally call for me so that something is finally done. I indeed receive the same day an email announcing the dispatch within 15 days of a check for €72.90. I call back on April 1 to point out that they had only done half the work, and I receive an email that day confirming the dispatch of a check for €99.99. On April 12, I receive the check for €72.90 and on April 14 the one for €99.99.

Here are three stories that ended with, however, too much energy spent. That is why I will never order anything on cdiscount.com again. In case of problems with this site, you need to have strong nerves and above all, not to give up. You have to play the harassment card, not use the premium service because in addition to draining your money, in my case it has never proven effective. It’s a call center located in Morocco where nice tele-advisors read prepared responses from a computer screen. At Cdiscount, they debit your credit card in the millisecond following your purchase. Packages arrive well after the announced deadlines. And in case of problems, breakdowns, withdrawals, everything is done to keep your money as long as possible. Indeed, more than three months to reimburse is, in my opinion, way too long or the money is working on Cdiscount's accounts.

To finish on a positive note, I ordered the right ADSL modem-router this time on www.rueducommerce.com, delivered in two days as promised on the site. The credit card is only charged once the package is shipped, and cherry on the cake they refund the price difference for the same item seen on another site by recrediting the credit card provided that it is reported within 24 hours following its purchase on rueducommerce. For me, the choice is made: I now order from rueducommerce and get the difference refunded immediately.

Make your choice....