Egghead.com has been frequently auctioning IBM home director x-10 starter kits. I got my first one for $13, and thought getting a few more might make for nice Christmas gifts. I got 2 for $11 each last week. This week I wanted 2 more, so I entered their auction when the minimum bid was $9 and the Bid Increment was $4. Checking this auction in it's final hour, I discovered they had lowered the Bid Increment to $1, and the MINUMUM BID to $7. Having previously bid I could NOT lower my bid or enter a new bid for the lower price. Several late comers were thus allowed to bid and win these units for a lower price than I had bid. This is unfair. I decided to complain to egghead, and cancel my order unless they would lower my cost to $7 each.

Emailed customer complaint. Automated response simply said "thank you for your input".

Emailed a different customer service address. Automated response said "Thank you for your inquiry. A customer service representative will get to you within 24 hours."

Two days have gone by so I decide to "talk" to someone there. Scouring egghead's site the ONLY phone number I find is one for new business accounts (1-800-753-3855). I dial it. It's automated options DON'T include talking to a customer service rep. I dial "0" instead. Now I get a set of options including leaving a voice mail for a customer service rep. I dial "0" again. I get an operator at www.egghead.com. She says "How can I direct your call". A person, at LAST! Someone I can speak to about a Customer service complaint please?. She gets me Nina. Nina listens, agrees it was unfair. Confirms that the auction did what I said it did. "I'm sorry, but those are the auction rules. All sales are final. I can't change or cancel your order." I asked who could.... she connected me to Nesty. Nesty listened carefully and also agreed it was an unfair auction and understood why I was upset. He couldn't do anything, "all sales are final". He did say he would mention this to his supervisor. Could I talk to his supervisor? Sure. He connect me to Troy. I asked Troy if he had any authority. Troy had been briefed and he DID have authority. He agreed it was unfair. "What would you like me to do?", he said. I wanted 2 home director kits for $7 each instead of $9. He said OK. I wanted them to audit this auction practice. He assured me they would, as they had had several complaints.

Lesson... be patient and doggedly persistant. The 4$ was irrelivant. It surely cost them more than $4 to have me on the phone so long. I had paid more than $9 for these kits before. What mattered was that something was unfair, and patience found the person who could do something to rectify it. Good job, Troy.

Dave