This review is for the website Peeka.com. Its a Singapore based Taobao agent.
So far, so not good. I placed my orders 5 days ago. I paid up and payment was confirmed. Since then, no updates. Nothing was purchased at all. I placed orders for 22 items from 6 sellers, and they purchased from none. IE it is not just one seller not answering email or something.
And no way for them to respond to you via email.
I had to call them and check. They said it often would take up to one week to place orders. Neither Singapore nor China are having public holidays now. And in the meantime I can't cancel.
If I'd known it would take so long for peeka to place orders I would certainly not do business with them. Other Taobao agents get back to you within 2 days and it is rare to wait much longer for a response, even for out of stock stuff.
Sigh. No agent is ever satisfactory.
XXX
update 1
After 3 days and 3 messages to them, they replied
" Please take note that it may take up to one week for order to be processed after payment verification.
There was a footnote given upon making payment as well.
This is a new policy implemented to provide better quality service in other aspects to all our customers.
We will try our best to process your order asap.
Do let us know if you have other queries."
My response to geekhackers:
1) a human payment verification took 3 days, despite electronic payment verification being made immediately AND already reflected in Peeka's system as well as messages from my bank. This is a Singapore local bank transfer, and so electronic payment verification should have been totally enough. There is no fear of credit card chargeback or reversal.
2) I read through all their footnotes and faqs, and they conveniently failed to mention the 1 week thing. Of course if they said up front they take 1 week to even process orders after payment verification, why would anybody bother to do business with Peeka?
3) I tried Peeka because of Shadovved (and some other Singaporeans') recommendations. But thus far I can see that Peeka is exactly the kind of company I didn't like. A very unprofessional firm staffed by unskilled Chinese immigrants to Singapore, possibly housewives from the look of it, who really do this part time. Why else would they need 1 week after payment verification to PROCESS ORDERS? It's 6 days and they haven't placed any purchases yet! Bhiner will come back within 1 business day to tell me whether a seller is responding or not!
XXX
Update
These guys also require manual acknowledgement for payment by bank transfers. Seems weird and inefficient to me. IE after paying through their system I still have to send them another message with the details of the transaction.
XXX
Update
Peeka finally delivered the goods. They were incredibly well packed, and shipping had been slow but cheap. Their packing is by far the best of any proxy shipper I've used before.
Conclusion: ok to buy from if you are patient and like to be thrifty.
