M3????

[Michael Batts <Michael at whatisdat_com>]

All:
I sent out a message in the list earlier this week and received only one
positive response. Thought I'd try again to address an issue which may be a
problem for others.
I am becoming increasingly frustrated. Perhaps complaining about it in this
forum is a bad idea, but I want to determine if others are experiencing the
same issues and perhaps get a recommendation as to what to do next?
On May 8th (after waiting because the website stated that they would be "out
of the office from April 18th to May 7th") I placed a several hundred dollar
order with M3 via CC and SSL order form. I asked for email notification when
the items shipped.
I waited for several business days for notification then thought "well, I'll
just check to see if they have updated anything on their website",
nothing... site still says "out of the office from April 18th to May 7th"
and "sorry for the inconvenience".
So, I thought I'd CALL to check the status. I called, and the voicemail
system stated that the "mailbox is full, try again later". I am starting to
wonder why the mailbox might be full? So I thought "Hmmmm, I'll just send
out an email, they should be answering emails". I sent a pleasant request
for status, included my order number. "Mailbox is full", yup! "EMAIL BOX IS
FULL", my message was rejected.
So, now I'm thinking maybe something is wrong here. "Hmmmm, they got a FAX
number, I'll just fax them and ask if they are having technical
difficulties. Can you guess? no response at all. This (fax) was Tuesday the
14th of May. Their Website says that "We will return your call promptly (for
most cases, only within a few minutes or at least within the same day)".
Needless to say this has NOT been my experience...  And I would remind that
it is a full week AFTER the date which they state they will return.?.?
I am not an impatient person, I waited over two weeks to place my order to
begin with while they were "Out of the Office". I want to order from them
because I have heard good things. However, In most cases I cannot wait
months for an order.
Can anyone shed any light on what might be going on with this otherwise
respectable business? Should I call my bank, cancel the transaction and
order elsewhere?
I did find one message in the archives about M3 which addressed slow updates
to the website. Does this explain my issue? Is this a company run by a
single individual with little time to devote to the individual customer?
Please share your experiences...
Frustrated Michael from Indiana (where the scuba diving season has been
postponed for at LEAST another month...<sigh>)