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Updated Amazon Deals Part II

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#141
Not a deal, but a heads-up... more of a bad deal. I bought several Planet Waves instrument cables from Amazon recently- a couple of Stage Custom and two circuit breaker ones. Great cables with a highly touted lifetime warranty, which is a large part of why I choose them. Supposedly if you have a any problem with a cable, you can just take / send it to any authorized dealer any time and exchange it one for one, "no questions asked". Amazon has great prices on these regularly, and since I'm a Prime subscriber and don't have an authorized dealer within about 100 miles, it was a no brainer. But I've recently hit a snag. One of the circuit breaker connectors started making noise, and it happened precisely 31 days after I received it. Amazon's return policy is 30 days PERIOD. No matter what, apparently. Now I have gotten an exception in the past (on a defective K&M Memphis Pro stand, which was a good thing... K&M customer service never responded to any of my several emails). But this time, Amazon wouldn't budge, never mind that Planet Waves says Amazon is in fact an "authorized dealer". They insist I have to contact the manufacturer -or exchange it somewhere else... But in my case that either means a long drive, or paying shipping. According to Amazon, this policy is pretty much across the board, no matter what the manufactures warranty states.

Edit: I wanted to add that Planet Waves responded quickly to my email. I can send it back to them for exchange (though I'll be out a little for shipping), and it might take a week or more for the replacement to arrive. I've returned several things to Amazon in the past within the 30 days- and that process couldn't be easier. For miss-shipped items or stuff that's defective out of box, Amazon provides a printable pre-paid UPS label immediately. They claim that the refund will be issued upon receiving the item at their location, but usually I find I have a credit back to my card within minutes of UPS scanning the tracking number and updating the status to "item received at UPS location" (so nearly always same day). If I'm re-ordering, this leaves me with maybe a two day turn-around on getting a replacement (2 day shipping, Prime), depending on the day of the week. I was really hoping that'd be the case with this, but no such luck. If it happens again beyond 30 days, I'll be tempted to order the same product, keep the new one and send back the over-30 days defective one. I hate having to play such games just to get the service I believe Amazon should provide, but I guess the days are numbered for the full service retailer which stands behind everything they sell- or at the very least, honor the manufacture's warranty on the products they sell.
 
#142
It's interesting to see the expectations of folks in these threads, and the "Hello Music" ones as well. I think it's a bit unrealistic to expect to get super low prices PLUS the kind of hands-on excellent customer service one would get at a good local mom and pop store. Amazon and the big E-retailers are what put those small local shops out of business. By choosing low prices over face to face service, we've made our bed, and this is the result.

Besides, in this case, Planet Waves has always been great about returns, so it's not really an issue.
 
#143
JimFog said:
It's interesting to see the expectations of folks in these threads, and the "Hello Music" ones as well. I think it's a bit unrealistic to expect to get super low prices PLUS the kind of hands-on excellent customer service one would get at a good local mom and pop store. Amazon and the big E-retailers are what put those small local shops out of business. By choosing low prices over face to face service, we've made our bed, and this is the result.
Click to expand...

Guilty as charged. Unfortunately, the best local music stores went out of business during the recession despite my patronage.

I don't expect great customer service all the time. I'm willing to cut some slack for better pricing. I do expect that when I cancel an order, it gets canceled. And I also expect that the vendor won't send intermittent and misleading emails. (HM does this. They also ignore the majority of customer emails and don't answer their phone IME.) At least Amazon is consistent.
 
#144
JimFog said:
It's interesting to see the expectations of folks in these threads, and the "Hello Music" ones as well. I think it's a bit unrealistic to expect to get super low prices PLUS the kind of hands-on excellent customer service one would get at a good local mom and pop store. Amazon and the big E-retailers are what put those small local shops out of business. By choosing low prices over face to face service, we've made our bed, and this is the result.

Besides, in this case, Planet Waves has always been great about returns, so it's not really an issue.
Click to expand...

Well that was sort if my point... As Amazon and their ilk put the final nail in the coffin of the local electronics stores, we have to realize what we're giving up. I most certainly would have bought local if I could have. If we just accept the poor customer service without a complaint, we are at least tacitly complicit in the decay of the customer experience. I don't think my expectations were unreasonable- I wasn't expecting anything other than Amazon honor the product warrant, especially since I missed the 30 day return period by a single day.

As this is specifically a thread about finding deals at a specific e-retailer, pointing the shame finger for in this way seems a bit off-topic. However my post was essentially in agreement with the sentiment you expressed- there are perils to seeking bargains online. I just didn't expect to experience this particular type of issue with Amazon, which is working hard to maintain a maker leader position as an all-products E retailer. I certainly haven't had such troubles with any of their big competitors, including B&H, Newegg, Full Compass, Musicians Friend, Sweetwater, etc.
 
#146
Amazon is wrong in this case.
If they are an authorized retailer for Planet Waves,
and the cable warranty states you can exchange them at any authorized retailer,
then Amazon is breaching their contract with Planet Waves.
You should notify Planet Waves so they can go kick Amazon in the butt.
Be sure and let Planet Waves know that you can stop in any George's or Guitar Center and get their store brand cables with a warranty that will be properly honored.

Big online retailers can give us cheap prices because of their lower operating costs (buying inventory in bulk, maintaining warehouses out of town where real estate is cheap, etc.). They still have to offer good customer service to compete with each other.
 
#153
JimFog said:
It's interesting to see the expectations of folks in these threads, and the "Hello Music" ones as well. I think it's a bit unrealistic to expect to get super low prices PLUS the kind of hands-on excellent customer service one would get at a good local mom and pop store.
Click to expand...

Who said the local Mom & Pop had excellent service? Certainly not me. I hate those places. It's like trying to take back the dead parrot of fond memory.

Hello Music service just seems to be run by potheads they grabbed at random off the street. And I don't see any memorable deals there, either.

Amazon has great return service, but it's on their terms. I just had something (non music) from them go bad at about the forty-day mark, which means I am SOL with them and have to go to the manufacturer. I don't see why that's any different from any other seller.
 
#154
Bongolation said:
... Amazon has great return service, but it's on their terms. I just had something (non music) from them go bad at about the forty-day mark, which means I am SOL with them and have to go to the manufacturer. ...
Click to expand...
Take a look at the purchase protection offered by your credit card if you used one to buy the item. My Amex card guarantees a 90-day return window so if a seller refuses to accept a return for a refund within 90 days, I can send the item to Amex (I pay the shipping) and get a refund from Amex. Never had to use it but I did recently use the extended warranty Amex provides and got a full refund on a microwave that broke just shy of two years after purchase--I completed an online submission form and had a credit within a day or two, no questions asked and no need to ship the busted microwave (other than turning it in at an e-waste collection). There is a $300 limit per item, I believe. Good luck, Bob
 
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