PSA: Starforge cancelled my order 11 days after charging…
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PSA: Starforge cancelled my order 11 days after charging me, and I lost $381 on the exchange rate
TL;DR: Ordered two Voyager IV Ultimates ($15,140.83 USD / $21,572.62 CAD). After an "on track" email, a "production" email and a KYC check, Starforge cancelled 11 days later with no explanation. The refund came back $381 CAD short because of the exchange rate, and the same PC is now $1,000 USD more. International buyers, be careful.
I'm posting this to warn anyone living outside of the US who is considering ordering a PC from Starforge. I feel like I have been totally wronged, and I hope this post might gain enough traction for them to reconsider their stance.
Some backstory: with RTX 5090 prices climbing every week and the rumor that Nvidia was discontinuing them, I decided to buy two Starforge Voyager IV Ultimate rigs, one for me and one for my girlfriend, before it was too late. The total came to $15,140.83 USD after taxes and shipping or $21,572.62 CAD at the time of order (Oct 16).
Order Confirmation https://preview.redd.it/4cdcw825h4yh1.png?width=643&format=png&auto=webp&s=e39ac229b2534237ca7d746c8a1a955c042c1d27
Amount Charged on my CC \(Wealtshimple Visa Infinite, 0% FX fees\) https://preview.redd.it/o7b6aow5h4yh1.png?width=460&format=png&auto=webp&s=471592433e27414a43b2ba3313fbe042d31455ef
5 days later on Oct 21, I reach out via email just to ask for an update on my order as I am eager to receive and there hasn't been any updates since my order. They confirm that my order is on track.
Order Status Inquiry From Me https://preview.redd.it/q12x8pt6h4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=375475e847aedaa32bfcff1e54f14cca28af7000
Order Status Inquiry From Me
2 days later on Oct 23, they send a production check-in email confirming that my PCs are "in production or fulfillment and is moving through \their\] normal processes". Okay, great, everything is going well and my expected delivery date is within the next 2 weeks. I am patiently waiting during this time and honestly quite excited.
[Production check-in email https://preview.redd.it/f4zzuds7h4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=ddd200dae54c4825bf0a338ac72b02f4f1dea1ca
Then out of the blue 3 days later on Oct 26 (yesterday), I am sent an email where they say that my order was flagged for additional verification and KYC. They sent me a plaid link where I was to scan my driver's license and take a video of myself for processing and validation. I wasn't thrilled about having to do that, but I understood it was a large amount of money to be processing so I complied with it. They also asked me to confirm I am using the computer for myself and not resale, which I did confirm.
KYC Verification Email https://preview.redd.it/mp86e2r8h4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=20858db5a3838f2262bdfc94ab6921ea4b130a26
Today I received an email stating that my order was cancelled because it did not meet their
"payment security verification requirements" or whatever that means.
Failed Verification and Cancellation of my Order https://preview.redd.it/klmcywv9h4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=6590cbd45e78b3f76939511cdca071b5646f652b
Obviously I was totally caught off guard by this, I paid for the PC using Shop pay with a credit card I have used for numerous purchases on Shopify. They were so vague in their wording and I couldn't understand what flagged my order and moreover, how I failed their verification. The only thing I can think of is that I used my preferred first name "James" on the order as opposed to my legal first name. This was autofilled on Shopify as I have used James on all my online orders before without issue. And also my shipping address was a bit different that my billing as I had since moved out from my parents house (however we are in the same city and only 10km away). Conveniently, the price of the same Voyager IV Ultimate has also increased by $1000 USD since I ordered and is now out of stock.
Price is now 7500 USD vs 6500 USD at time of order https://preview.redd.it/pnt5vi3bh4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=1923b0e6192262bcdf7713e04cd5384f9926f501
At this point I was pretty furious and wanted an explanation on what exactly caused me to fail their verification, I asked for my case to escalated.
Asking for Escalation https://preview.redd.it/whzpco3ch4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=7c1d9e77a3f78d861b7533efacd98cdd1a24adbd
Cancellation is Final https://preview.redd.it/uj0tfqpch4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=63633c55260aeb979aa58b275a90def584e5f9d7
The response from their Customer Service Director was no different, and they couldn't give me any more details on why my order was cancelled. The cherry on top is that the CAD strengthened against the USD in the past 11 days, and when I received the refund notification an hour ago, I ended up received nearly 400 CAD less than I originally paid (mind you, my CC has no FX fees, so this is just exchange rate).
Refund of 381 CAD less than what I paid https://preview.redd.it/waal7qwdh4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=07bd26dfc95c256891b2b89a0bdd234eb2d5599d
This whole experience was just abysmal. Having no phone support either is rough when there's over $21K on the line. Every reply was a short canned email, and nobody would tell me what actually went wrong.
I think what really irks me is their timing. On Oct 21 they told me my order was on track. On Oct 23 they told me it was in production. Then on Oct 26 they suddenly needed a KYC check, and the next day it was cancelled. If my order looked risky, why wasn't it flagged the day I placed it? Had they cancelled within a day or two, I'd have been annoyed but whole. Instead they held my money for 11 days, the exchange rate moved, and I'm the one eating about $381 CAD for their delay.
If you live outside the US and are thinking about ordering from Starforge:
\- Know that if they cancel, the refund comes back at whatever the exchange rate is that day, not what you paid.
If anyone from Starforge sees this: I'm not asking for anything unreasonable. Either let me re-order at my original price with my legal name and matching addresses, or cover the $381 I lost on the exchange rate. Or at least give me a call!
Has anyone else had an order cancelled like this, or gotten Starforge to reverse it?
#technology
source
TL;DR: Ordered two Voyager IV Ultimates ($15,140.83 USD / $21,572.62 CAD). After an "on track" email, a "production" email and a KYC check, Starforge cancelled 11 days later with no explanation. The refund came back $381 CAD short because of the exchange rate, and the same PC is now $1,000 USD more. International buyers, be careful.
I'm posting this to warn anyone living outside of the US who is considering ordering a PC from Starforge. I feel like I have been totally wronged, and I hope this post might gain enough traction for them to reconsider their stance.
Some backstory: with RTX 5090 prices climbing every week and the rumor that Nvidia was discontinuing them, I decided to buy two Starforge Voyager IV Ultimate rigs, one for me and one for my girlfriend, before it was too late. The total came to $15,140.83 USD after taxes and shipping or $21,572.62 CAD at the time of order (Oct 16).
Order Confirmation https://preview.redd.it/4cdcw825h4yh1.png?width=643&format=png&auto=webp&s=e39ac229b2534237ca7d746c8a1a955c042c1d27
Amount Charged on my CC \(Wealtshimple Visa Infinite, 0% FX fees\) https://preview.redd.it/o7b6aow5h4yh1.png?width=460&format=png&auto=webp&s=471592433e27414a43b2ba3313fbe042d31455ef
5 days later on Oct 21, I reach out via email just to ask for an update on my order as I am eager to receive and there hasn't been any updates since my order. They confirm that my order is on track.
Order Status Inquiry From Me https://preview.redd.it/q12x8pt6h4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=375475e847aedaa32bfcff1e54f14cca28af7000
Order Status Inquiry From Me
2 days later on Oct 23, they send a production check-in email confirming that my PCs are "in production or fulfillment and is moving through \their\] normal processes". Okay, great, everything is going well and my expected delivery date is within the next 2 weeks. I am patiently waiting during this time and honestly quite excited.
[Production check-in email https://preview.redd.it/f4zzuds7h4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=ddd200dae54c4825bf0a338ac72b02f4f1dea1ca
Then out of the blue 3 days later on Oct 26 (yesterday), I am sent an email where they say that my order was flagged for additional verification and KYC. They sent me a plaid link where I was to scan my driver's license and take a video of myself for processing and validation. I wasn't thrilled about having to do that, but I understood it was a large amount of money to be processing so I complied with it. They also asked me to confirm I am using the computer for myself and not resale, which I did confirm.
KYC Verification Email https://preview.redd.it/mp86e2r8h4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=20858db5a3838f2262bdfc94ab6921ea4b130a26
Today I received an email stating that my order was cancelled because it did not meet their
"payment security verification requirements" or whatever that means.
Failed Verification and Cancellation of my Order https://preview.redd.it/klmcywv9h4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=6590cbd45e78b3f76939511cdca071b5646f652b
Obviously I was totally caught off guard by this, I paid for the PC using Shop pay with a credit card I have used for numerous purchases on Shopify. They were so vague in their wording and I couldn't understand what flagged my order and moreover, how I failed their verification. The only thing I can think of is that I used my preferred first name "James" on the order as opposed to my legal first name. This was autofilled on Shopify as I have used James on all my online orders before without issue. And also my shipping address was a bit different that my billing as I had since moved out from my parents house (however we are in the same city and only 10km away). Conveniently, the price of the same Voyager IV Ultimate has also increased by $1000 USD since I ordered and is now out of stock.
Price is now 7500 USD vs 6500 USD at time of order https://preview.redd.it/pnt5vi3bh4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=1923b0e6192262bcdf7713e04cd5384f9926f501
At this point I was pretty furious and wanted an explanation on what exactly caused me to fail their verification, I asked for my case to escalated.
Asking for Escalation https://preview.redd.it/whzpco3ch4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=7c1d9e77a3f78d861b7533efacd98cdd1a24adbd
Cancellation is Final https://preview.redd.it/uj0tfqpch4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=63633c55260aeb979aa58b275a90def584e5f9d7
The response from their Customer Service Director was no different, and they couldn't give me any more details on why my order was cancelled. The cherry on top is that the CAD strengthened against the USD in the past 11 days, and when I received the refund notification an hour ago, I ended up received nearly 400 CAD less than I originally paid (mind you, my CC has no FX fees, so this is just exchange rate).
Refund of 381 CAD less than what I paid https://preview.redd.it/waal7qwdh4yh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=07bd26dfc95c256891b2b89a0bdd234eb2d5599d
This whole experience was just abysmal. Having no phone support either is rough when there's over $21K on the line. Every reply was a short canned email, and nobody would tell me what actually went wrong.
I think what really irks me is their timing. On Oct 21 they told me my order was on track. On Oct 23 they told me it was in production. Then on Oct 26 they suddenly needed a KYC check, and the next day it was cancelled. If my order looked risky, why wasn't it flagged the day I placed it? Had they cancelled within a day or two, I'd have been annoyed but whole. Instead they held my money for 11 days, the exchange rate moved, and I'm the one eating about $381 CAD for their delay.
If you live outside the US and are thinking about ordering from Starforge:
\- Know that if they cancel, the refund comes back at whatever the exchange rate is that day, not what you paid.
If anyone from Starforge sees this: I'm not asking for anything unreasonable. Either let me re-order at my original price with my legal name and matching addresses, or cover the $381 I lost on the exchange rate. Or at least give me a call!
Has anyone else had an order cancelled like this, or gotten Starforge to reverse it?
#technology
source
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