DRC: It's the day before the day before new years!
So, I ordered Guitar Hero World Tour last week and it arrived in the mail yesterday (2 days ahead of time woot). However, even though I ordered the XBox360 version and the reciept I recieved said XBox360, I got the PS3 version! I emailed them and told them what happened and they replied within a couple of hours and said they would send the right copy along with a stamped envolope to return the other one free of charge. Pretty dumb mistake, but I like the quality of their customer service. At least until I open my mail in a couple days and find another PS3 game lol.
QotD: What is your worst experience with ordering something over the internet?
From spoken word to actual singing, I can screw up any style with style.
Rone Rivendale wrote:DRC: It's the day before the day before new years!
So, I ordered Guitar Hero World Tour last week and it arrived in the mail yesterday (2 days ahead of time woot). However, even though I ordered the XBox360 version and the reciept I recieved said XBox360, I got the PS3 version! I emailed them and told them what happened and they replied within a couple of hours and said they would send the right copy along with a stamped envolope to return the other one free of charge. Pretty dumb mistake, but I like the quality of their customer service. At least until I open my mail in a couple days and find another PS3 game lol.
QotD: What is your worst experience with ordering something over the internet?
i think amazon.com has some of the consistently best customer service (if you call during the day and get an american call center).
last year around this time, someone had a QOTD that had you summarize your musical year. i found it very interesting to read about what everyone had done throughout the year. bringing up last years QOTD seems unnecessary, but if someone knows of a thread like this on the BB somewhere, i think we should get it going again. if there isn't one, what section would it go in?
qotd: I ordered a Korg Microkontrol from Tom Lee Music last year, and they were super fast and accurate (?) with the shipment. Problem is, they shipped it via UPS, who apparently left it on my front steps (in the rain), and it was gone by the time I got home. There's nothing like waiting eagerly for something to arrive, then finding out that you have to do more eager waiting while they fix their fuck up.
Irwin: I'd sell my soul to jesus to program drums like signboy.
Sorry to here that, Dust. If it helps, you are not alone. This has become a common thing to hear on a daily basis, due to the economy. Many have lost their jobs and unemployment benefits are running out for them. I think the best thing to do is to keep in mind that what doesn't kill you just makes you stronger and things will improve.
QOTD: I don't buy stuff on the internet very often. When I do, it's a T-shirt or something inexpensive and I can count on one hand how often that is. I prefer to make my purchases in person.
Years ago I got an ceramic ocarina from musician's friend that they shipped in a plain manila envelope with ZERO packing material. Not even a scrap of bubble wrap. Dumb. It arrived in about 200 pieces. And then there's the kazoo I got a couple weeks ago that looks like it was run over by a truck. BUT Musician's Friend is very good at replacing stuff, so those aren't the worst experiences.
I've had, mostly, really good experiences buying on Ebay, but last summer there was an epic fail. So, I won a guitar body. The seller only accepted money order, so, to make things easier, I used an online service that lets you pay them with paypal, and they send the money order. Fast forward a week and a half. The seller hasn't gotten his money. I call the company, and they say they sent the money order, but it must have gotten lost in the mail or something. Ok, fine, I guess things like this happen. I cancel that money order and send out a fresh one. Tell the seller what happened, a fluke accident, the money is on its way.
Fast forward another week. Seller still hasn't gotten his money. Seller is pissed. I am pissed. Now they're making me look like a liar. I call the company. Gee, sometimes things get lost in the mail, they say. Well, they had damn well better overnight a money order to this guy, and it's their screwup (twice) so they'd better pay the overnight shipping charge. I argue with them for over an hour. Finally I get someone to agree to it. I tell the seller I'm so sorry about all of this, his money will be there tomorrow, next day at the latest.
Fast forward a couple of days. No money. Seller is done with the deal (who can blame him), and we mutually agree to withdraw. I call the company about a refund. Someone new answers the phone. Tells me that the company doesn't exist anymore, and he's basically shifting through the wreckage. I have to dispute the charges to my credit card company to get my money back.
These days I avoid sellers who only accept money orders, but if I ever have to pay with one again I'm going to skip "easy" and drive to the post office.
Billy's Little Trip wrote:Sorry to here that, Dust. If it helps, you are not alone. This has become a common thing to hear on a daily basis, due to the economy. Many have lost their jobs and unemployment benefits are running out for them. I think the best thing to do is to keep in mind that what doesn't kill you just makes you stronger and things will improve.
Thanks, dude.
Certainly gives meaning to living the artist life.
No problems as far as vendors go, but I learned last year that if they are shipping via UPS, I do not deal with them. I bought some rackmount gear through ebay last year (firepod, power strip, bbe sonic maximizer) and an actual desktop rack system, and UPS pissed me off on every one; the Firepod (worth about $650 new at the time) was left wedged between the door and screen door, they held the rack system hostage until I paid 25 dollars for 'broker fees' (the unit only cost me 15 bucks), the BBE they delivered without incident, but I got a bill 2 weeks later for $40 for.. you guessed it 'broker fees'. I ignored it, and got another 'bill' from them, then a month or so later, a threat that they would be pursuing legal action. Haha. The power strip was sent via USPS and it arrived quicker than any of the UPS delivered stuff, and with no bullshit attached.
UPS needs a class-action lawsuit brought against them. They are criminals.
Several years ago, I needed two 15" rack mount LCD screens to build a custom workstation. Geeks.com had one that I liked, so I decided to check inventory. Although they were pretty pricey, they were cheaper than anyone else, so I decided to check inventory. However,the only way to do that was to initiate a purchase, so I initiated a purchase. Indeed, there was one in stock.. I though about it, and decided that I might as well buy two, since it might be hard to find a matching unit later, so I backed out and tried to buy two, and was told that there was only one left. So I backed out of that purchase, changed my quantity to one, and tried to buy it, but I found that there were now none in stock. I quickly realized that their fucked-up inventory system had taken one out of stock each time I had previously initiated and then backed out of a purchase. I called them on the telephone and tried to buy two units. The person on the other end told me that they were out of stock. I asked her if she was within walking distance of the warehouse, and lo and behold, she was. I asked her to walk back and have a look, and that I was sure that there were two in stock. She was incredulous, but did what I asked. When she came back to the phone, she was totally beside herself in amazement that I would know that there were two in stock, when her computer system told her differently. I bought both of them. Years later, although both monitors are in perfect condition, both power supplies have failed.
Teplin wrote:These days I avoid sellers who only accept money orders, but if I ever have to pay with one again I'm going to skip "easy" and drive to the post office.
When is picking up a money order not the easy thing to do? Why would anyone think to even look for a place that you paypal and they buy a money order for you? That just screams of being scammed. I can not figure out the logic behind any of that story but speaking of ocarinas mine was on backorder and they shipped it today, coincidentally enough.
QOTD: I've never really had any bad experiences ordering things online. I mean, the worst was ordering a ukulele on ebay and having to contact the seller after 30 days since it was only supposed to take 8 days and they just sent another one because the previous one was lost somewhere along the way.
I guess because they probably still made profit, since the ukes were like 99 cents and they charged, like, 15 dollars for shipping and I looked at the box and it was only 3 something, I think, so if the ukes really were 99 cents, they were still making a profit by sending me another one for free. I should've pretended the second one didn't make it to me either, since they didn't even question the supposed lostness of the first one and I didn't even pay any insurance on it.
Teplin wrote:These days I avoid sellers who only accept money orders, but if I ever have to pay with one again I'm going to skip "easy" and drive to the post office.
When is picking up a money order not the easy thing to do? Why would anyone think to even look for a place that you paypal and they buy a money order for you? That just screams of being scammed. I can not figure out the logic behind any of that story but speaking of ocarinas mine was on backorder and they shipped it today, coincidentally enough.
When you don't live in a town or city and would have to make a special 28 mile round trip to the nearest one to get the money out on the same day.
I looked on musician's friend for the ocarina I got, but I couldn't even find any ceramic ones. Just plastic. Maybe they had one too many manila envelope incidents.
QOTD: My online orders have been rather painless. Then again, I edge on the paranoid side. That and I really need very little.
I do agree that some of the shipping companies do some strange stuff. I've found a package once apparently tossed on to our patio with no note or other indication as to the fact that something is outside and getting soaked in the rain. I think that must've been something my wife ordered, though, as I don't remember anything being damaged.
I tend to have better luck, perhaps simply due to the fact that I buy so much less.
QotD: I ordered a Violin for pretty cheap on one of those Deal of the Day websites... It arrived broken... I sent customer support an email, they gave me an RMA # and told me to ship it back to them... which cost me another $10... This was 5 months ago... and they don't return my emails and no refund... I reported it to the BBB and am awaiting a resolution.
