Preorders and cancellation fees

[vangeta]

Should retailers who charge cancellation fees on preorders for collectibles be held responsible for fulfilling those orders even they get shortchanged on stock?

I ordered a few MK VIs from Apcollectibles months ago. I got hesitant early on because they were relatively small and unknown and the MK VI was selling out fast. I couldn't cancel my preorder because they charged a fee, so I decided to keep it. A month later after release they finally came out and cancel my order due to short stock. *shakes head*

 

[Batty]

How would you hold them responsible?

 

[BuffyGirl]

Yes, they should refund you. A pre-order fee should only be for guaranteed fulfillment. Otherwise they should refund you.

May just be my opinion though...

 

[Darth Madden]

As long as they refund you I don't see that big a problem.

 

[Batty]

I must have misunderstood; they actually kept your deposit? If that's the case, yeah, they owe you a refund.

 

[Centurion]

If the retailer can't ship the preordered product because they weren't given the amount originally allocated to them, it's not their fault. The manufacturer did not produce enough of said product and the retailer was short changed by them.

Now, that said, the retailer should refund your deposit 100%. It hurts their business because you are likely not to shop with them ever again.

I will say this, however, there ARE shady businesses out there.
They cancel a preorder because the original price they set months before it is released, is actually lower than what they now think they can sell it for.
I just went through this experience with amoktime.com and I will never shop there again.

Buyer beware.

 

[316what]

The OP never said anything about a pre-order deposit. As for the original question, there's nothing you can do about it.

If the retailer didn't get their full allotment, are you expecting them to go out and purchase from other retailers to satisfy your pre-order?