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FREE DELIVERY............is it worth it??


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On Monday last week I paid $5600 for a new integrated amp from an Audio Store in Melbourne. Now the fun begins. The store's delivery policy states that the product will be posted within 2 days and I would be notified of the Courier Tracking number to see what's happening. By Thursday I got a bit jumpy and rang the Audio Store ............sorry been busy and I will get it away today. I should expect delivery on Monday. By Friday still no idea of a tracking number. I sent an email to the Audio Store outlining how much I enjoyed sitting around like a mushroom waiting for a Courier or a Tracking Number to materialise. Anyway I'll make a point.

 

If you are in the Retail game and you cannot do better than this DO NOT OFFER FREE DELIVERY. I would rather pay for DHL or Couriers Please and know when the amp will arrive. If I can use the tracking number to get some idea of touchdown then I can leave the house to get a coffee or do something......anything.

 

FREE DELIVERY is a retail incentive concept and if you offer Free Delivery make it work. For anyone who has bought/sold stuff with me...you know how I operate and its not like the above narrative.

Cheers

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Totally in agreement. Many times I have been on the receiving end (pardon the pun) of crap delivery service (insert at least 5 courier names here), and would much rather the option to PAY and use my courier of CHOICE.

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Yep, timely delivery details are incredibly important to customers.  If it's about 2 days past advised shipment date then I'm  on the phone.  Any update in the meantime would suffice.  Sitting around waiting is not enjoyable.  You're right, you can't leave the house when expecting a delivery considering the poor service provided by anything related to Aus Post.  On my CCTV I've captured drivers just dropping a card in my letterbox and not even walking upo the driveway...leaving items at the front door when I'm home and not ringing the door bell...but that's another issue...

 

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Absolutely agree. If the item is shown as in stock and the item purchased before midday then the courier/post should be booked that day, with pickup the following day. The trouble is IMO a lot of retailers are promoting their business as an online seller but in reality don't have the infrastructure for online selling. Once they have the  money the customer is at their mercy unfortunately.

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I expect at least 6-week free delivery time for cheap stuff in China from the auction site, because that's what they say they will do. 

 

So if a company indicates they will ship within 2 days, that's what I would expect them to do.  Or, at the very least, be in constant communication so you know exactly what's happening if there are delays beyond their control. And just "being busy" is not an acceptable excuse.  Especially for a $5600 sale - with retail doing it tough you are exactly the type of customer (cashed-up) they should be trying to convert to being a loyal customer who refers others to their store. 

 

I suspect that the delivery policy was published when they developed their website (it looks good), and then they completely forgot about it.  And don't care about. 

 

I hope you got your item soon, and are able to put this unpleasantness behind you and enjoy the music.

 

 

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Also had a similar experience with an Audio Store in Melbourne, goods appeared in stock on website, free shipping included, yet it took more than 2 months to arrive.

 

I do have empathy that it must be tough do business at the moment, and that the pandemic has also had a huge impact on shipping worldwide. For these reasons I have tried to be very patient, yet I fear I have become too accomodating.

 

At least they finally arrived from the Audio Store in Melbourne. That is quick to some recent purchases. Actually still waiting for 3 seperate items from China, UK, and OZ, that I purchased back around the time of the Black Friday sales last year in late November and first week of December. These 3 are a mixture of free and paid shipping.

 

It is the lack of communication by sellers that I find disappointing, especially those for whom I keep asking for tracking numbers and none are provided.

 

When I read about the OP experience and mention of free delivery & lack of communication by seller, well I kind of understand how that feels too, so think I kind of have some understanding and empathy. If your waiting for a high value item to arrive and provided no notice of when it will arrive, it does stuff up your day scheduling other stuff.

 

If two things could be improved from a communications perspective it would be some sort of proactive action if the store knows that there will be a delay, by communicating, then they can at least manage customer expectations. Also, if they actually respond to customer enquiries, would be great.

 

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It's easy to complain...

As a counterexample, I bought something from an audio store not that long ago. Later that same day I got a call from them saying if I was home that evening they would personally drop the item at my place.

They went out of their way, literally, to ensure my item arrived even before I was expecting it.

 

 

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22 minutes ago, sir sanders zingmore said:

It's easy to complain...

Fully agree.  We get far too many threads complaining about couriers, delivery etc.  I suppose it is a release of frustration for people, but we seldom hear the good stories. 

 

As more counter examples, bought a demo streamer/DAC from a Brisbane retailer, got delivered quickly but I had to return it because it could not do what I wanted.  Retailer agreed to take it back for full refund.  Another example, sent a unit to a Perth retailer for an upgrade, left Melbourne on Monday, returned on Friday.  That is service!  A third example of typically overnight deliveries from the Gold Coast to Melbourne.

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I'm happy with carriers but the last 2 pieces of gear I bought from different Melbourne sellers were listed online as available, only to be told they were waiting for stock after purchase.

 

Online not integrated with stock level.

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Integrated amp arrived about 9 days after purchase with no tracking number relayed to me by email nor any other contact from the Melbourne Dealer for that matter. In private I would be very reluctant to recommend this dealer to anyone. In also asked about how many years warranty was offered. Again a deafening silence!

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27 minutes ago, 075Congo said:

Integrated amp arrived about 9 days after purchase with no tracking number relayed to me by email nor any other contact from the Melbourne Dealer for that matter. In private I would be very reluctant to recommend this dealer to anyone. In also asked about how many years warranty was offered. Again a deafening silence!

 

Good to see it arrived safely, that must be a relief!

Regarding warranty, it does seem odd that they haven't answered your question. Maybe give them a call? Mind you, I'd be asking that question before I paid a cent

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On 05/03/2021 at 8:28 AM, 075Congo said:

<snips>I also asked about how many years warranty was offered. Again a deafening silence!

Given the price it is likely that the Australian statutory warranty is longer than the manufacturer's warranty.

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I contacted the Australian Distributor and the warranty is 3 years plus 6 months on the 6922 Input tube. The Copland CSA 100 is a hybrid design. Sounds fabulous...Saturday Arvo audio workout!

Cheers

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Guest Eggcup the Dafter
On 28/02/2021 at 3:47 PM, sir sanders zingmore said:

It's easy to complain...

As a counterexample, I bought something from an audio store not that long ago. Later that same day I got a call from them saying if I was home that evening they would personally drop the item at my place.

They went out of their way, literally, to ensure my item arrived even before I was expecting it.

 

 

I've had a similar experience - twice. It pays them to do it if you are close to a staff member's route home. I understand the cost of arranging delivery for a heavy amp with a courier for a few kilometres can still be in the hundreds of dollars.

 

Since I can't drive and have had problems with online ordering (worst is the card in the letterbox trick when we're in - and we can have our delivery if we travel to an industrial estate 40km away, thanks nicely) this is absolutely the best way to get repeat business from me.

 

As to the OP's issue, if they had said "14 days but we'll see what we can do", he'd be praising exactly the same service. That I suppose is marketing 101 - set realistic expectations and exceed them when you can.

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Eggcup the Dafter said:

I understand the cost of arranging delivery for a heavy amp with a courier for a few kilometres can still be in the hundreds of dollars.

 

Sorry to be discordant, but that is not accurate. I have sent 30KG + amplifiers to QLD from ADL for $50 and 25Kg amps to SYD for $30 so I am not sure where the hundreds come from.

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Guest Eggcup the Dafter
1 minute ago, rantan said:

 

Sorry to be discordant, but that is not accurate. I have sent 30KG + amplifiers to QLD from ADL for $50 and 25Kg amps to SYD for $30 so I am not sure where the hundreds come from.

Pre or post covid? Though local prices shouldn't have gone up that much even if interstate had.

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2 minutes ago, Eggcup the Dafter said:

Pre or post covid? Though local prices shouldn't have gone up that much even if interstate had.

 

Both were pre Covid but I recently received a quote for a 15KG amplifier to Sydney and the cost was $30 via Couriers Please and $40 for TNT.

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Guest Eggcup the Dafter
6 minutes ago, rantan said:

 

Both were pre Covid but I recently received a quote for a 15KG amplifier to Sydney and the cost was $30 via Couriers Please and $40 for TNT.

So someone's paying for expensive insurance, over the odds, or just having me on.

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41 minutes ago, Eggcup the Dafter said:

So someone's paying for expensive insurance, over the odds, or just having me on.

If it's properly insured than hundreds is what you can pay.

 

FedEx for example charges 60c per $100 value for insurance that only covers the truck crashing etc. It's $6.60 per $100 value for full insurance that covers lost or damaged in transit.

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On 28/02/2021 at 8:13 AM, 075Congo said:

The store's delivery policy states that the product will be posted within 2 days and I would be notified of the Courier Tracking number to see what's happening. 

Poor performance on their behalf, communication is everything in business. 

 

Last year I had a similar experience with a certain Crapp AV store.

 

End result is that they won't receive anymore of my business. It's not worth wasting your time with people who don't value customer service. 

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1 hour ago, JB82 said:

Poor performance on their behalf, communication is everything in business. 

 

Last year I had a similar experience with a certain Crapp AV store.

 

End result is that they won't receive anymore of my business. It's not worth wasting your time with people who don't value customer service. 

That's what I can't understand. Basic business communication is so easy, it's not like it's psychotherapy.:lol:

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19 hours ago, 075Congo said:

I contacted the Australian Distributor and the warranty is 3 years plus 6 months on the 6922 Input tube. The Copland CSA 100 is a hybrid design. Sounds fabulous...Saturday Arvo audio workout!

Cheers

How did it go? I spent last Saturday pm really enjoying an older Copland at Batty's.

Edited by GregWormald
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  • 3 weeks later...

The Copland CSA 100 Integrated is a very fine amp. The only minor gripe is the main power switch is on the back left panel but its probably a design decision. Its a good match with my newly acquired Wilson Benesch Vector loudspeakers having plenty of power output. At 14kg its way lighter than the Esoteric F-05 beast (32kg) the Copland replaced. Delivery of the Copland was very ordinary but I got an excellent price ($1K under the RRP); info on Warranty from the Seller was pathetic so I went to the Aussie Importer to get a straight answer. Replay of SACD through the Copland is excellent; the latest SACD "Out of Thin Air" from PS Audio is one of the best pieces of piano I have heard.  Very happy camper!

Cheers

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