When buying from Japan....

[PeterGibbons]

edit- 8/3:

Stay far away from joynetmall/joynetcafe (on ebay)

Well, joynetmall just refunded my Paypal without an explanation or a response to any of my emails. I can't say that I'd recommend them to anyone. They still have the watch I bought available and in-stock on their website. Can't really complain since I got my money back, but it's kind of unacceptable to have no response from a company about a simple question. No order confirmation, absolutely nothing.

The watch as of the time of this posting is still available:

http://www.joynetmall.com/shop/produ...4c1eeacf8427a2

Original message follows:

How many days are acceptable for not hearing anything or getting emails responded to? I ordered a watch from joynetmall on Jul 28 via Paypal and I have not heard anything from the company, and my 3 follow up emails have gone unanswered. Is this normal at times? I suppose I should not worry that much since I am protected by Paypal? I ordered directly from their website, about $440 worth of watch.

[LJUSMC]

How many days are acceptable for not hearing anything or getting emails responded to? I ordered a watch from joynetmall on Jul 28 via Paypal and I have not heard anything from the company, and my 3 follow up emails have gone unanswered. Is this normal at times? I suppose I should not worry that much since I am protected by Paypal? I ordered directly from their website, about $440 worth of watch.

You ordered it on a Saturday, it's extremely likely that they, like most of the world, don't work on Saturday or Sunday, so probably the earliest you would have heard anything is July 30. Now, if you had ordered it a week ago that would be different, but it hasn't even been 1 business day yet.

[Scotty_222]

i ordered 3 watches on the 4th of july and got them yesterday.. that was through easy auction japan.
i started to get worried there and sent thru a few emails. no reply but they still came

[PeterGibbons]

You ordered it on a Saturday, it's extremely likely that they, like most of the world, don't work on Saturday or Sunday, so probably the earliest you would have heard anything is July 30. Now, if you had ordered it a week ago that would be different, but it hasn't even been 1 business day yet.

Yeah I am probably being impatient. I'm just so used to Amy at shoppinginjapan responding so quickly. I know they work and respond on the weekends, I have a new goodie coming from them soon, maybe tomorrow.

Oh well, I'll update.

[PeterGibbons]

i ordered 3 watches on the 4th of july and got them yesterday.. that was through easy auction japan.
i started to get worried there and sent thru a few emails. no reply but they still came

Do you mind running me through how you use that easy auction? I purchased directly from their store which is why I was expecting an order confirmation.

[metatime]

It varies. I could be wrong but I realise that the Japanese tend to not respond if they don't have anything to say or add. Basically they usually won't answer superfluous queries. They may not be bothered with what we might consider as correspondence etiquette. Mind you, most Japanese are not comfortable conversing or corresponding in English. So they may just avoid writing anything that is not deemed as necessary in their view.

I've had purchase requests responded to within the hour and I've also had stock queries ignored for weeks until the item was actually in stock. First time I purchased from a Japanese site, I had my follow-up emails ignored too. They also tend to use proforma cut and paste mail. So I'll receive an order acknowledgement, followed by an invoice, then a tracking number only when the item is on its way - and that's it. It is straightforward and efficient dealing. There are sites such as Seiya with owners that are more conversant in English and you might get more correspondence from them but I think they are more of an exception rather than the norm.

You'll probably receive a tracking number next when they get round to sending off your item. Check your conditions of the purchase for their promise to ship. If for example, it says that they will ship within seven days and the seven days isn't up yet you probably won't hear anything for up to seven days...

It is a different culture and one where honour and integrity is deeply ingrained in individual character. I think the Japanese tend to keep promises. It was amazing how the survivors of the last tsunami in Japan would queue without complaint for rations... any other culture and we would be looting and rioting...

Hope this helps to allay your concerns somewhat. I've never dealt with joynetmall though, so I can't vouch for them... Hope everything works out.

[Sedi]

Frankly I never ever read something negative about Japanese sellers here on the forum. So I guess it's all gonna be good .

Cheers, Sedi

[WallaceD]

My experience with Japan-based sellers has been very professional. I have had nothing but positive transactions. That being said, I usually only receive one or two emails, one to confirm the order and one to confirm the shipping. Sometimes, I only receive the initial confirmation of my order.

Seiya-san will usually follow-up a few days after the order has been received just to make sure it arrived safely, but he's the only seller that has taken the time to do that.

[GS_Leng]

I had one experience as described by Metatime. Ordered a bezel, but no delivery email for a week. Usually I get a delivery note with tracking within one working week.

So I dropped 2 emails (one through their website form and one by direct email). No answer. But lo and behold, the bezel showed up at my place soon after.

Other than this single experience, the rest of my purchases from Japan were good. The only risk I see buying from Japan is smoke-infused pieces :D

[StephenWatch]

Slightly off topic, but I concur about the Japanese culture of integrity. I actually bought my current car as a personal import from a dealer in Tokyo. I paid half of it in Japanese Yen, and the remainder in Sterling when it arrived here in the UK. It was exactly as described, and matched the 50 odd HiRes photos I was emailed. In addition, a couple of 'bits' I asked for were tucked away in the spare wheel well, just where they said they would put them. I've never had any qualms about buying direct from Japan... You'll be fine