Online store reviews?

[babbage]

Where can I find a good source for reviews of online stores? I recently made a mistake and bought something onsale at Campsaver and I wish I had not. I would buy everything from REI or Campmor if I could afford it, but my funds are limited. I just wasted some of them at Campsaver and hope to never go thru that kind of hassle again.

Is there a "trailspace" type forum for online stores?

[JustaTouron]

http://www.bplite.com/

everything you need to know about stoves.

[babbage]

I bought an Optimus Nova Stove - it started to leak at at the pump after two uses. I called Campsaver, where I bought it and they told me it would be quicker to deal directly. Wrong. Julie at Katadyn is like talking to one of those tech reps in India - You know shes not gonna do what she's telling you after the second or third call. "Oh, its on backorder, but I will send it to you as soon as it comes in". Lie. Well Katadyn has terrible service. They were to ship me a pump when their backorder came in. That turned out to be untue. I waited two months, spoke with them 3 times and they finally told me that the pump has been redesigned and that it will not fit the hose on my stove. Thanks. I have a leaky stove that is useless. Campsaver is where I bought it and they directed me to deal directly with Katadyn. When I called them and told them the situation they told me they would have to charge a restocking fee of 50% because I was past my 60 days to return. It was their idea to try and deal with Katadyn, otherwise I could have returned it when it was only two weeks old. I feel like a sap. Well anyways now I have to find a new stove and I am out 117 dollars. This time I will pay much closer attention to the reviews, and I will certainly use a store with a better reputation this time, like Campmor or REI. This is my first bad internet purchase experience and I hope it is my last. Campsaver and Katadyn have been a bad experience. Buyer Beware.

[Jester2000]

Before anyone says anything stupid about babbage's post, Optimus and Katadyn are owned by the same company.

[Jester2000]

Oh, and I've had great customer service from Katadyn regarding their filters, so I'm not sure what the deal is. I suspect the Katadyn people don't like having to deal with problems created by the Optimus side of things, even though there's no separate Optimus customer service option available in the US.

[babbage]

I emailed Optimus in Sweden and they are got the pump issue taken care of. But let me just say that I have never had the kind of trouble that I got from Campsaver. I did get dooped. And I feel stupid for letting it happen.
I guess I'm not savy enough to buy from that sort of place - I'll stick with the reputable dealers from now and chalk this up to a learning moment. Just beware if you do decide to order from them.

[sasquatch2014]

Oh, and I've had great customer service from Katadyn regarding their filters, so I'm not sure what the deal is. I suspect the Katadyn people don't like having to deal with problems created by the Optimus side of things, even though there's no separate Optimus customer service option available in the US.

I second that but it has only been on the water filter issues she was great and very speedy. Was one of the few times where my procrastination did not turn around and bite me in the ass.