USA Wallpaper

Full review
On Saturday, June 21, 2008, I placed my first (and only) order with USA Wallpaper. I ordered $62 worth of wallpaper border for my baby's bedroom. My credit card was immediately charged, even though I had not received confirmation that the order had shipped.

On Tuesday, June 24, 2008, I received notice from USA Wallpaper that the border had been back ordered. I could expect shipment within 2-4 weeks. After 2 weeks had passed, I called USA Wallpaper for a status update. I was told that the border was still back ordered. After 4 weeks passed, I called again and was told the same thing. When I asked if it was an issue with them, or with the manufacturer of the border, I was told it was a manufacturer issue. After hanging up the phone with USA Wallpaper, I contacted the manufacturer of the border only to find that it was in stock and had been in stock for quite sometime.

On Friday, July 25, 2008, I contacted USA Wallpaper to cancel my order. When I told the customer service rep that I had called the manufacturer of the border and was told they had it in stock, she did not have a response. When I asked how soon I could expect to see the credit on my credit card, I was told it would take 1-2 billing cycles. I asked if that was 1-2 of their billing cycles or 1-2 billing cycles on my credit card. I was told it was 1-2 billing cycles on their end. When I asked if that translated into 1-2 months, I was told it did.

At this point, I became livid. When I asked why they charge their customers for items that have not even shipped, I was told that is their practice and that several other online merchants operate that way. When I asked why it takes 1-2 months to receive a refund, I was told that their accounting department takes care of refunds and that no one in that department was available to take customer phone calls.

As of September 25, 2008 (2 months after being promised a refund), I had not received a refund. When I called USA Wallpaper, I was told that my refund was still in progress and that she would resubmit it to their accounting department.

After hanging up the phone with USA Wallpaper, I called my credit card company. After explaining the situation to Citibank, they went ahead and credited the money to my account. All I had to do was send them copies of my e-mail correspondence with USA Wallpaper. Fortunately, Citibank could not have made it any easier for me to dispute the charge from USA Wallpaper.

After dealing with this mess with USA Wallpaper, I have learned several things. First of all, reputable online companies charge you when the product is shipped, not when the product is ordered. However, USA Wallpaper's policy of charging when the item is ordered is not stated anywhere on the USA Wallpaper website. Second of all, I checked their rating with the Better Business Bureau, and they currently have an Unsatisfactory Rating with them. Third of all, they are a Yahoo merchant. Their Yahoo reviews are fantastic. When I submitted a review very similar to this (the only thing missing was the part about the resolution from my credit card company), it was never published. It makes me wonder if Yahoo only publishes the positive reviews.

USA Wallpaper has very low prices, which is what originally made me order from them. It goes to show that the cheapest isn't always the best. If you choose to order from them, buyer beware....Also, use a reputable credit card company that will work with you on disputing the charges when the time comes....

On a side note, I ended up ordering the wallpaper border from another online merchant. Although I paid more than I would have through USA Wallpaper, I received the border within a week of placing the order.