Shipments from online retailers: How much damage will you accept without returning?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by SBurke, Nov 5, 2012.

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  1. SBurke

    SBurke Nostalgia Junkie Thread Starter

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    That would be great -- it looks safe in there, in its inner box.

    So yesterday I got the good, the bad, and the ugly. Or, I guess, just one great box, and one bad and ugly one.

    I sent back the Dylan box whose squashed corner launched this miserable thread. Amazon sent me a new one, which actually got lost by UPS, and prompted the shipment of a third set, but which when it finally showed up was clearly packed with loving care. It was perfect. The set was wrapped in bubble wrap and it was snugly fit into a big box surrounded by plastic air cushion thingies. Great! Five-star packaging feedback for Amazon.

    Same day I get the Stones' 64-69 vinyl set. Been really looking forward to it. The box has a busted corner. Sure enough I open it and the Stones box is just sitting there, with one miserable, worthless plastic cushion on top, and of course it's got a squished corner where the box got smashed. So I'm right back where I was. I'm looking at the thing, it's not that big a deal, in that the records are probably fine, but it clearly got beat up because of Amazon's carelessness, and it annoys me. It's a nice thing and it's expensive and it ought to look nice, not as if someone used it as a basketball.

    It's almost more annoying to have to make these judgment calls about whether to send something back. I'd rather it just arrive torn in half. Then I wouldn't have to go through this whole exercise of deciding how much I can tolerate. And you wouldn't have read this thread. :)
     
  2. Jimi Bat

    Jimi Bat Forum Resident

    Location:
    tx usa
    i would consider sending it back and not ordering from amazon again.
     
  3. BrewDrinkRepeat

    BrewDrinkRepeat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Merchantville NJ
    Except for all of that unpadded emptiness around it, of course.
    :(
     
  4. I'd be very careful about claiming too many returns at Amazon. They have banned customers they consider to have taken advantage of their return policy. You lose everything connected to the account and the gift card balance is immediately forfeit if the account is banned.

    Do a Google search on Amazon bans to read the horror stories. Around three years ago Amazon decided to save a few bucks by lowering their shipping standards.
     
  5. slayerhatesusall

    slayerhatesusall Well-Known Member

    For cds I wouldn't ask for a refund unless the condition was quite overrated, a like new condition cd should have little to no scratches on it, although sometimes cds have small marks from the factory which is ok. Also I hate water damage or mold or stains of any kind on inserts so if the insert is damaged like that I'd want a refund. I don't mind cut outs or punch holes on inserts as long as the condition doesn't say its like new or near mint.
     
  6. SBurke

    SBurke Nostalgia Junkie Thread Starter

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    You're right, that is silly. It's asking for trouble if it's rattling around in there.

    I'm not surprised, although it really seems to have been a noticeable difference in the past year or so.

    After giving this a bit more thought I decided the heck with it, the records are probably fine. And I ordered it in anticipation of listening to it this weekend, which I wanted to do. So I opened it up and yes, the records do seem fine. I'm happy to have it, bumped corner and all.

    I do wish this would happen less often though. I left Amazon negative feedback on the packaging. Perhaps they will start paying attention.
     
  7. PeteH

    PeteH Shoes for Industry!

    Location:
    Way over yonder
    I'm a condition freak. If it's less than perfect, it goes back. No exceptions. It's gotten to the point that I often don't order stuff because I don't want to go through the hassle of returning it. I'm a prime member but I'd pay extra for shipping if they'd pick perfect and pack carefully. I give them feedback every time, but it doesn't change how they package the item. Bottom line is bubble mailer + UPS = return.
     
  8. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    I would think after a certain number of returns, Amazon would refund your money, and ask you to take your business elsewhere.
     
  9. ridernyc

    ridernyc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida, USA
    If you are hyper sensitive to condition you probably should not be using mail order at all.
     
    eelkiller likes this.
  10. PeteH

    PeteH Shoes for Industry!

    Location:
    Way over yonder
    I don't when I can avoid it, but as more and more B&M shops close, mail order is often the only option. The problem isn't me. The problem is that Amazon doesn't give a rat's *** whether things get to you in decent condition. I'm amazed that a lot of folks out there don't seem to care about condition. Why would you pay them good money for something that arrives beat up?
     
  11. ridernyc

    ridernyc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida, USA
    Is it because brick and mortors are closing, or is it because you can get the same item at a fraction of the cost on Amazon.

    We love saving $100 on that boxxed set, but then wonder why Amazon has cut back on packaging.
     
  12. SBurke

    SBurke Nostalgia Junkie Thread Starter

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    It's both, as I understand it: brick-and-mortar stores are closing because they cannot compete on price with online retailers.

    Here's the thing. It's not as if boxed sets grow in stores. They arrive there in boxes taken off trucks like everything else. And most of the time they arrive looking fine. I'd like the stuff I order to turn out the same way. I can accept that once in a while something bad is going to happen -- I just don't want it to be a crapshoot because somebody dropped the item into a box without any protection. If Amazon can't make it happen at a particular price, they need to raise the price and lose a bit of the margin, or modify the business model in some other way to deal with it. Otherwise they're going to lose more of the margin accepting returns.
     
  13. What's ironic is that Amazon is not especially cheap anymore against other Internet retailers. They've lowered their packaging standards as they have raised prices.
     
  14. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    Sad but true. As a Prime customer, I never would've believed I would place 4 orders in 3 days with Import CDs, but when the individual prices are much lower in the first place...then there's the 10% discount, and the nominal shipping charge before it's all said and done, well...I've already warned the family I may be cancelling Prime if things don't change. Maybe not, we'll see.
    The 10% off sale ends the 20th, and Amazon has squeaked by on an item or two.
     
  15. PeteH

    PeteH Shoes for Industry!

    Location:
    Way over yonder
    Whenever I can I buy local. That way I can pick my copy. It usually costs more than Amazon, but I'm willing to pay extra for perfect condition (like I said in my earlier post, I'd be willing to pay extra for better packaging). More and more often, you just can't find it at a local B&M.
     
  16. tyinkc

    tyinkc Senior Member

    Location:
    Fontana, Wisconsin
    99% of my on-line purchasing of LP,s SACD,s and gear is from Acoustic Sounds or Music Direct. In nearly 10 years and many, many tranactions, I have had NO damaged LP,s or CD,s and only 3 defective discs. I don,t use aMAZON.
     
  17. audiolab1

    audiolab1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    I'm very picky when it comes to the LPs that I purchase, but I have found that I need to give some leeway when getting a great deal on an expensive box set. My biggest issue is that Amazon must be losing money by skimping on packaging, particularly when some of these box sets are hundreds of dollars. On top of that it's not their trying to save money that bothers me, it's the stupidity shown by their shipping department. I ordered the Blur 21 vinyl box set on Sunday night and it arrived on Tuesday. When it was dropped off I figured they shipped me the wrong package because the box was HUGE. I open it up to find the vinyl box set with some crumpled paper around it in a box 4 times bigger than it needed to be! Luckily there was only one small corner ding to the box itself, nothing worth worrying about sending it back for. But come on...this thing could have been totally destroyed the way it was packed. I had a Grateful Dead boxset last year that I had to return 3 times before they got one to me that wasn't completely destroyed. Sheesh!
     
  18. imarcq

    imarcq Men are from Mars, I'm from Bromley...

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    If I'm unhappy it goes back or refund/replacement/discount asked for. Exceptions might be small corner dings on LP sleeves - if it's a major dent then no. Slightest of warp is OK - but otherwise no again. The odd crackle or pop is OK - so much that it spoils my enjoyment, no. I bought some CD sets the other week that were new - however the insert booklets had so many fingerprints they looked used. I complained and got sent replacements - and also thanked for raising it, as others had too, so it was an issue they could deal with. So sometimes a complaint isn't a pain for the seller.
     
  19. Jimmy Agates

    Jimmy Agates CRAZY DOCTOR

    I just got my Blue Oyster Cult boxset from Import Cds and the mailing box it came in had been crushed on one corner, needless to say the boxset enclosed within was slightly damaged as well since in their infinite wisdom they had placed a bubble thing on one side with some crumpled paper on the other side leaving 4 sides of the box without any additional protection. As much as this irks me I got the box pretty cheap and the damage is minimal so I will keep it but you gotta wonder why they would leave 4 sides exposed while porotecting 2 sides....illogical thinking at its finest!
     
  20. googlymoogly

    googlymoogly Forum Resident

    Sorry to say this is what the "free shipping" culture has produced...I'm afraid the only thing that will have any impact on the way things get shipped is to pay extra for it.
     
  21. googlymoogly

    googlymoogly Forum Resident

    I ordered the Stones box set from jpc.de back when they had a great special on it...it arrived from Germany in oversized packaging, with air cushions neatly set entirely around it. The Germans and the Japanese companies I've purchased from invariably seem to ship with merchandise appropriately packaged.
     
    Jimmy Agates likes this.
  22. SBurke

    SBurke Nostalgia Junkie Thread Starter

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    Reviving this thread just to vent. I am so fracking sick of getting Amazon boxes with smashed corners knowing that what's inside is going to have a smashed corner because (1) the employees packaging the items either don't know what they're doing, don't care, or aren't given time or resources to allow for proper packaging and/or (2) the shipping companies are going out of their way to knock the stuffing out of the packages. Today's was a same-day shipment that really had to have been hurled into the ground with great force, or used repeatedly as a hammer, in order to produce the results I am now the proud owner of.
     
    BrewDrinkRepeat likes this.
  23. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    I'd be happy just to receive a damn package ! All year, it's been nothing but screw ups, and now the very latest is the UPS driver mistakenly delivering my non Sure Post package to my local post office, and them losing it !?!?!?
     
  24. BrewDrinkRepeat

    BrewDrinkRepeat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Merchantville NJ
    Once upon a time I used to give major kudos to Amazon for what I thought was innovative packing: take a flat board the size of the box (or close), shrink-wrap everything to that board, then put it all in the box. Nothing moved around, everything arrived in perfect condition. Sadly I've received one package from Amazon in the last six or seven years that was still packed that way; most of the time I'm amazed things aren't more dinged up than they are (but nothing arrives in perfect condition). The single token piece of air-filled packing is utterly useless, they might as well not even bother doing that.

    Since I have to pay sales tax now, and since Amazon's prices are not always market-leading as they once were, and because I'm very particular about books (bent corners, cracked spines, etc. are absolutely unacceptable to me) I buy more things locally and only use Amazon for things I cannot (easily) find in a store.
     
    SBurke likes this.
  25. SBurke

    SBurke Nostalgia Junkie Thread Starter

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    Exactly. I think back wistfully on the days of Amazon's old shrink-wrap packaging. That really worked well. In what now seems like a dying gasp, I got a few packages earlier this summer with the shrink-wrap, but then it was snuffed out completely, and I'm back to getting books shoved into the smallest possible box with one miserable, pathetic air pillow sitting on top of the book. That has to be a gag -- really, it should be a rubber chicken.
     
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