Well, I finally got a valid email through at 6am this morning, and have just checked to discover a reply from who I presume to be the head of the company.
I was assured that my order was in the mail (still haven't seen it), that they are a busy and legitimate company, and that I'm a spoiled brat. Now, Sure my letter to them was harsh, but it was professional. I wasn't quite expecting personal attacks, but whatever.
I've learned something from this experience. Examine the online competance of any company you order from online BEFORE placing an order. Oh, I'm well aware as far as FTFIndustries is concerned I'm a product of the 'spoiled brat' generation that wants instant gratification from a point and click, but I must also point out how they could improve their use of the net.
First, make sure the company you order from has tangeable, solid contact information. I'm talking legitimate phone number and address, not P.O. Box. Also, send at least one test email to them. Make up some BS question or something, but make sure they work and there's a human on the other end.
Also, find out whether or not they're equipped to update you on the status of the order. Spoiled brat or no, 10 days is a LONG time to sit around and let an anonymous person have your credit card information.
What I apparently failed to convey to the company this time was that their means of contact were leaving me no recourse but to consider cancelling my card so I would not be liable for any purchases made without my consent.
So I'm a spoiled brat? I'm fine with that. I AM a product of the digital age, a programmer of ADA, C++, and html. I can accept personal attacks now and then. Hell, I told them flat out I suspected internet fraud, I understand why they got pissy. But here's the deal: Just as some companies deam people like me unfit to buy products over the net, there are companies unfit to do business in it.
Make sure the company you order from is living in this century... has sufficient security billing services, has legitimate and easy means for person to person contact if something breaks down in the digital realm, and understands that things happen faster online. You can't just sit on an order for days (or weeks) and not expect the consumer to wonder what's up. If anyone tells you that a few extra days is nothing, ask for their credit card and tell them you'll give it back in a week, "Promise." :P
I'd love to hear others' thoughts on this, especially since I was personally degraded in this case. Feel free to be honest, I'm not so frail that an anonymous name calling or labeling will affect my 'wittle self esteem'. This is a new age, and we all must adapt to it.