On Dec. 4 I very excitedly ordered a Ceiva Digital Photo Receiver as a Christmas present for my mother, who lives several hours away.

It's a great concept: My mother can just plug the "frame" into the wall, and each night the pictures update from a website where my siblings and I post them. My mother is not technology-literate, and I do not send "paper" photos often, so this gives her a way to see updated photos all the time.

I checked the status of my order online Dec. 6 and was disappointed to note that it read "backordered." I had received no email to this effect, only a confirmation of my order. I also noticed a "Free Shipping" icon at the top of the page. I called customer service and spoke with a representative who assured me that the status read "backordered" only because orders generally took from 5-7 days to process. I asked him point-blank if this would be one of those experiences where after a couple of weeks (when it's too late to find another gift) I'd get an email stating the item was sold out -- again he assured me that was not the case and even PROMISED it.

Well, it did turn out to be the case, and I've gone back and forth with them for days because I'll now miss the opportunity to give the gift to my mother. I also asked the company to remove the $16.99 shipping charge, since "Free Shipping" was listed advertised, but I was told I'd have to cancel and then re-order -- Well THAT wouldn't help me get it any sooner! There was absolutely no effort by the Customer "Care" representatives to help me; it makes me question how responsive they'd be if there were a problem with their product.

The Ceiva may turn out to be a great gift, but I may not be able to tell you about it for, who knows, maybe quite a while; meanwhile, Grandma is going giftless for Christmas unless I give up and get her a sweater.

Bottom line: Don't buy this product unless you're willing to wait.