Dont buy basses from HiFI Sound Connection

[ChuckTrucks]

I ordered a 5 string Warwick Corvette from a place called hifisound which looked to be some big warehouse out of Missouri.

http://www.hifisoundconnection.com/W...FYeDQgodohMALQ

I get an email the following morning stating they had found a blemish in my bass and didn't feel that it was in a good condition to be shipped to me in and they contacted the manufacturer and are backordered 4-6 weeks on it.

I asked them if they had one in another finish. They said they contacted the manufacturer and it would be shipped out tomorrow. I get an email this morning and they say they had found a blemish in this bass (which was supposedly coming from the manufacturer) and that they do not feel it was in good condition to be shipped to me.

So at least by now Ive realized Ive walked head first into some type of scam. It took me a few minutes of speaking to customer service to realize that they have a 10% charge on cancellations??? Lol never heard of that.

So they obviously list things as in stock that aren't in stock and if you cancel then you are stuck with a 10% cancellation fee.

So I cancelled. Screw those jerks. Its absolutely my fault for buying from some garbage place to begin with. Oh well, never again.

[DiabolusInMusic]

Originally Posted by ChuckTrucks

I ordered a 5 string Warwick Corvette from a place called hifisound which looked to be some big warehouse out of Missouri.

http://www.hifisoundconnection.com/W...FYeDQgodohMALQ

I get an email the following morning stating they had found a blemish in my bass and didn't feel that it was in a good condition to be shipped to me in and they contacted the manufacturer and are backordered 4-6 weeks on it.

I asked them if they had one in another finish. They said they contacted the manufacturer and it would be shipped out tomorrow. I get an email this morning and they say they had found a blemish in this bass (which was supposedly coming from the manufacturer) and that they do not feel it was in good condition to be shipped to me.

So at least by now Ive realized Ive walked head first into some type of scam. It took me a few minutes of speaking to customer service to realize that they have a 10% charge on cancellations??? Lol never heard of that.

So they obviously list things as in stock that aren't in stock and if you cancel then you are stuck with a 10% cancellation fee.

So I cancelled. Screw those jerks. Its absolutely my fault for buying from some garbage place to begin with. Oh well, never again.

That sucks bro, sorry about that. The community appreciates the head up though.

[THE SAW]

Whoa-on the "cancellation fee" I'd go ballistic! I read their policy, but your case is different.

Call them again:
1) You want your ENTIRE refund. You didn't want to have to cancel, all their stuff was screwed up!
2) You would be more than happy to report them to the Missouri States Attorney's office.

You are the victim of "sharp practice" and possibly some sort of fraud. I wouldn't let it go, but I understand sometimes "Fxxx It" is a healthier way of dealing with sxxx.

Again, sorry-I'm fxxxing pissed.

[ahc]

You might try talking to your credit card company and see if they can help resolve a dispute (if you paid with a credit card).

[WoodyG3]

Yep. Credit card disputes are not something a business wants to go through. You might get satisfaction pretty quickly if you contact the seller and let them know you plan on filing a credit card dispute.

[nukes_da_bass]

+1000 on the credit card dispute- we got screwed on a nanny cam installation and the CC company withheld half his funds- contract read configure and he didn't.

[soxhats]

Yeah, I'd break out the full arsenal: Credit card dispute... Better Business Bureau complaint... complaint with the Missouri Attorney General's office (you likely can do that online).

[Coolhandjjl]

Also post your experience on resellerratings.com

[ddnidd1]

Don't just settle for talking to a CS rep. They just parrot policy. Speak with a supervisor or preferably a manager.

Since its not a cancellation due to you just having a change of heart, but a situation where they can't deliver the order, if they're anything short of a scam outfit you should get a full refund.

[Arnie]

What is the "Make offer" deal? Huh? Boy that sure sounds hokey..

[subbasshz]

protip: never EVER buy musical gear from somewhere that sells car audio stuff.
dont argue with me, just dont do it.

[Calaverasgrande]

Originally Posted by subbasshz

protip: never EVER buy musical gear from somewhere that sells car audio stuff.
dont argue with me, just dont do it.

but what if they also carry nautical gear?

[soulman969]

I think the cancellation charge is kind of tip off of a potential problem anyway. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule, there always will be, but if I'm shipping from stock and the order goes out within 24 hours as most do then why would I need a cancellation fee. You can't cancel an order that's been shipped.

Conversely some sellers will charge a restocking charge if you want to return it. That may be annoying but since they have some cost into the effort it's simply a way to recover that. That's not a scam and it's easily enough avoided by not buying from anyone who charges one.

But a cancellation charge on an in stock item on an order which hasn't even shipped? Yep, that one doesn't pass the smell test. Take the order, cash the check, now order the product and delay even more if you can to group order for an additional discount from the manufacturer. Give customer some seemingly valid excuse for the back order.

Haha, yeah that ones been around for a good while. Sorry you had to deal with and thanks for the heads up but I'm with the others. I wouldn't pay it either. Demand a full refund. This is their problem not yours.

[j.kernodle]

agree on escalating your issue and or filing the credit card dispute. you'll get your cancellation fee back.

[Five String]

I had a similar experience buying an airsoft gun for my son, only worse, in some ways. I went for th company because the price was a lot lower than other online sellers.

When I started getting some bad input from them, I checked them out at the Better Business Bureau website. Hundreds of complaints, total runaround stuff, a BBB rating of F.

I won't go into all the details, but based on all the complaints, I felt really lucky to get the $$$ out of them that I did.

Now if I don't know an online seller, I check BBB before ordering anything. I find it a very useful method of avoiding online scams and I strongly recommend anyone make it a practice before ordering from a seller you are n ot previously acquainted with.

[PotsdamBass8]

I remember hearing about an electronics store, maybe a camera store, that does something similar. They list their cameras for way below what everyone else sells them for, but when you go to buy, they try to sell you accessories that are priced insanely high. Like 50 bucks for a 5 dollar item. They try to get their profit from the accessories, and if you decline, then they basically say that your camera is "back ordered" indefinitely.

[WarwickOfficial]

Originally Posted by ChuckTrucks

I ordered a 5 string Warwick Corvette from a place called hifisound which looked to be some big warehouse out of Missouri.

http://www.hifisoundconnection.com/W...FYeDQgodohMALQ

I get an email the following morning stating they had found a blemish in my bass and didn't feel that it was in a good condition to be shipped to me in and they contacted the manufacturer and are backordered 4-6 weeks on it.

I asked them if they had one in another finish. They said they contacted the manufacturer and it would be shipped out tomorrow. I get an email this morning and they say they had found a blemish in this bass (which was supposedly coming from the manufacturer) and that they do not feel it was in good condition to be shipped to me.

So at least by now Ive realized Ive walked head first into some type of scam. It took me a few minutes of speaking to customer service to realize that they have a 10% charge on cancellations??? Lol never heard of that.

So they obviously list things as in stock that aren't in stock and if you cancel then you are stuck with a 10% cancellation fee.

So I cancelled. Screw those jerks. Its absolutely my fault for buying from some garbage place to begin with. Oh well, never again.

ChuckTrucks,

I am very sorry to hear about this ordeal. HiFiSoundConnection is not an authorized dealer. If you would like assistance finding an authorized dealer, please contact our US distributor, US Music Corp. They can assist you finding what you need. Thanks!

Jay Marino
US Music Corp
Jay.marino@usmusiccorp.com
(800)877-6863 Ext. 5288

[tastybasslines]

I'm in the credit card processing business and a charge back is most defiantly the way to go if it cannot be resolved any other way. You can charge back 6 months if you need to. Credit card processors have defined charge back thresholds for different business types and once exceeded, they become cancelled and blacklisted unless a bank wants to take them on as high risk which is unlikely. Having a merchant account is like having a giant credit card for your business and the processors take that seriously. Take away their ability to accept credit cards and you can seriously hurt their business.

[Robdrone]

Originally Posted by PotsdamBass8

I remember hearing about an electronics store, maybe a camera store, that does something similar. They list their cameras for way below what everyone else sells them for, but when you go to buy, they try to sell you accessories that are priced insanely high. Like 50 bucks for a 5 dollar item. They try to get their profit from the accessories, and if you decline, then they basically say that your camera is "back ordered" indefinitely.

I saw this too. What a lot of them do is offer stuff at ridiculously unheard of low prices. They make their website look legit and some even have a tab to live chat with customer service. If you click the tab nothing happens. It all seems fine, but when you go to check out they wont accept your credit card and make you wire them the money or some other nonsense. Do not I repeat do not do that.

[jlepre]

Crazy amount of Warwicks listed.