[ACP]

Rani and everyone else,

Just to let you know that my joeysafe has FINALLY arrived. I emailed the company warning them I was going to contact parent groups in Hong Kong about how unreliable they are and they replied straight away, claiming the computer had lost my order. Anyway, they ended up sending two to make up for the error. I think it's a great product for anyone who hasn't got a car in HK. I have just had my second baby and my first one is 15 months, so I figure it will be easier to juggle taking them around if the toddler will be in a joeysafe and the baby in a baby bjorn. Having said that, I still wouldn't recommend ordering through the site.

ACP

[rani]

ACP,

Thanks for the update. If you're interested in selling the 2nd seat belt, you can auction it on GeoExpat.Com

[GGHK]

After reading the comments about delivery problems, I tried to call and email the contact details from the website, including leaving a voicemail message.

So far I've only got their voicemail, no matter what time of morning or night I've called. Also, no response to email.

I will keep trying because it seems such a good product, but in the meantime ACP, if you are interested in selling the spare one, I'm happy to pay full price for it. Please let me know. Thanks.

[GGHK]

I finally managed to get one delivered, and it only took 2 1/2 weeks to arrive, but it wasn't exactly stress-free.

After leaving voicemail messages and sending emails, and getting nothing back, I finally got in touch by looking up the domain owner. This sounds more complicated than it is, but joeysafe.com is run by a guy called Randy. Randy also owns a web hosting business called IslandBreeze.com, which hosts the joeysafe site. I managed to speak to Randy after speaking to a friend/ex-colleague of his, who finally said "OK I just spoke to him on his cell phone, try him now" (I had already been trying his cell phone for days, and getting only voicemail). That was on 3rd Feb, so almost 2 weeks of effort on my part.

When I spoke to Randy, he said that the delays other people in HK had were because of the previous person dealing with it, and that his assistant must not have passed on my emails to him. He said that the order would be shipped the next day, that I would get a tracking #, and that it should arrive in 5-6 days.

I placed the order immediately, and got an email confirmation straight away. However I didn't get a tracking number, and after a week it hadn't arrived. I went through the same process of calling, sending emails, by this point to multiple addresses (sales@joeysafe.com, support@islandbreeze.com, randy@islandbreeze.com) with no reply. I finally called the friend again, and through an indirect MSN Messenger conversation, was given a tracking number, which USPS had no record of. After emailing & faxing that, if it hadn't arrived by the weekend, I would cancel the order and my credit card authorisation, I still heard nothing, but then it arrived yesterday (21st), with a postal stamp dated 17th Feb (after I'd been given the tracking #). The tracking # was also different from the one I had been given.

The conclusion is that I'm glad I ordered one, we're really happy to have it, and it is a great product for a toddler in HK. However you might have some delays, and probably threatening to cancel the order was the only thing that got it shipped when it was (thanks ACP for that tip). From my various conversations, it is pretty much a one-man operation, Randy has moved from California to Idaho, the warehouse holding the joeysafes is in California, and he relies on his father to send them out.

None of that excuses that he just doesn't answer emails, but ultimately its been worth the effort.

For people who want an easier life, another alternative is trying something like a Tote N Go car seat. Babyuniverse.com quoted me to ship to HK and were very efficient in getting back to me - that would have been my next step if I had cancelled the order.

[Neveragain]

I did a google search on joeysafe and discovered this thread... I can at least take comfort that we are not the only ones that have yet to receive the joeysafe harness we ordered back in September 2004!

We have one already from a previous order and it arrived no problem, however this one never turned up and it seems this Randy fella is using the same pathetic excuses one of which was my email being mistaken for spam... so why did they have no problem taking my money!? I have emailed, faxed, left messages and have never heard from anyone. I did finally get an email saying that I will have the harness by 10th March... well I'm still waiting. After another follow up mail he has now given me a UPS "tracking number" that UPS dont recognise and he signed off by saying "Your harnesses have been shipped! We appreciate your order and again apologize for the delay (which is an understatement).

T0sser. Still hasnt arrived....

[momo]

I also tried calling the number but only got voicemails messages. My friend in US also tried calling but also got voice mail, although she left her US phone no one ever returned her call. It sounds like it is a very badly run business. I have the tote-n-go portable car seat and it serves the purpose (safety). Although I have not actually seen the Joeysafety harness, on the website it seems to be more portable and lightweight than the tote-n-go, the latter is not exactly light to carry around.

[GGHK]

Neveragain,

For the tracking number, try USPS.com: I got mine sent by United States Postal Service (Global Express, I think), not UPS, so I would give that a go.


Momo,

We are very happy we have it and think it was definitely worth the effort of chasing them. We use it all the time. Pretty much everyone with young kids who has seen our child wearing it has asked where we got it from, thinking they would like to get one.

My only advice is to expect a wait, be prepared to chase them and as a last resort cancel the order & deal with your credit card company if you don't get a refund.

For us, part of the stress of ordering it was that our child was already 13 months when we ordered it, so we really wanted to use it right then. Not knowing if it would actually arrive made us wonder if we should be buying something else instead, while we were getting more & more stressed about doing journeys without it. If I was doing this again, I'd have ordered this when our child was 6-9 months old: that way we could have been sure it would have arrived by the time we needed it.

[momo]

I have a very surprised and pleasant experience to report with my purchase of Joeysafe harness. Despite the un-returned telephone messages and bad press of this company I decided to give it a try because the Tote-N-Go portable car seat I have was just too heavy and difficult to use. I ordered the harness online on 5th April and much to my surprised it arrived today (11th April) !!! The company responded to my email and gave me a tracking number after my order, but the tracking number was not correct. I was beginning to think that here is the start of trouble but was very surprised and pleased to receive the harness today.