Bargains

[Dave2002]

Non responsive Amazon marketplace seller.

I ordered Honegger's Symphonies conducted by Dutoit from a marketplace seller around a few weeks ago. According to the Amazon site it should have arrived. I can't find it in my pile of recently purchased CDs. I've tried contacting the seller a couple of times to point out that I don't believe it has arrived, but had no response. What now?

[MickyD]

I ordered Honegger's Symphonies conducted by Dutoit from a marketplace seller around a few weeks ago. According to the Amazon site it should have arrived. I can't find it in my pile of recently purchased CDs. I've tried contacting the seller a couple of times to point out that I don't believe it has arrived, but had no response. What now?

You contact Amazon directly and they will in turn get in touch with the seller. You could also threaten the seller with a very bad review of his or her service - that normally gets them moving, in my experience! Non-arrivals in the post are quite common for various reasons, but if the seller is reputable, they should at least give you the courtesy of a reply.

[Sir Velo]

I ordered Honegger's Symphonies conducted by Dutoit from a marketplace seller around a few weeks ago. According to the Amazon site it should have arrived. I can't find it in my pile of recently purchased CDs. I've tried contacting the seller a couple of times to point out that I don't believe it has arrived, but had no response. What now?

I had a similar experience a few months ago. No response from the seller, so contacted Amazon direct (this is all clearly laid out on the "Where's My stuff" page in Your Account). After the statutory wait until the estimated delivery date had passed, they refunded the cost of the purchase.

One way of establishing whether there is a likely problem is to check the seller's current customer rating (as a rule of thumb I never purchase from a marketseller with less than 95% customer satisfaction rating). When I did this, the number of negative responses which had recently been generated corroborated my conviction that there was something fishy going on.

[Dave2002]

Thanks for flagging this up, robk.

Here's the link for those interesed: http://christmas.linn.co.uk/

Are these the same audio quality as the SACDs, or are they supposedly higher? I downloaded one, and it appeared in Audacity with a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. The track was Sunbeam Melts the Hour - not really my kind of music, though OK, and quite well recorded. One long section looked as though it might just have been audio limited. It would perhaps be coincidental to see a waveform with such a sharply defined "edge" when displayed, though didn't sound bad, and several things were mixed together in that section.

[Dave2002]

You contact Amazon directly and they will in turn get in touch with the seller. You could also threaten the seller with a very bad review of his or her service - that normally gets them moving, in my experience! Non-arrivals in the post are quite common for various reasons, but if the seller is reputable, they should at least give you the courtesy of a reply.

Obviously I don't know how to do this. How do I get in touch with Amazon directly from their website? Whenever I go on the only option I seem to be able to access at the moment is to contact the seller, and that doesn't get a response. I was just trying to do this, then .... see next para.

Odd though, a section has appeared in my order marked File/View Claim, and that appears to indicate that I've been refunded. I've used the seller before, and been perfectly happy with them. I assumed, seemingly incorrectly, that I would get an email, and I've not noticed a response. However I get so much mail that it's possible I missed it and of course the spam filters may have put any response into into the junk mail pile. I would have felt much happier had I been aware of a response.

[Sir Velo]

Obviously I don't know how to do this. How do I get in touch with Amazon directly from their website? Whenever I go on the only option I seem to be able to access at the moment is to contact the seller, and that doesn't get a response. I was just trying to do this, then .... see next para.

Odd though, a section has appeared in my order marked File/View Claim, and that appears to indicate that I've been refunded. I've used the seller before, and been perfectly happy with them. I assumed, seemingly incorrectly, that I would get an email, and I've not noticed a response. However I get so much mail that it's possible I missed it and of course the spam filters may have put any response into into the junk mail pile. I would have felt much happier had I been aware of a response.

If you go to "Your Account", log in and select "Your orders" you will get a summary of recent transactions. You will then be presented with a drop-down list of "Available Actions"; then select "File a Claim"; this will then activate a further screen where you will be presented with two options; one to contact the seller, and the second to contact Amazon direct; choose the latter, and then provide the requested information in the required fields.

[Dave2002]

OK - I'll try to remember that for next time - but hope that doesn't happen for a while.

Hopefully the matter is now cleared. Fortunately the item was only a low priced 2CD set anyway. Seems most likely it went missing in the post. I wondered if mrs d. had filed it away somewhere, but now seems very unlikely. I normally get told - "ANOTHER .... of your parcels, boxes, packets has arrived!". Unless I get to them first, of course.

I'm surprised at how much stuff does get through though. Will probably reorder in due course.

[Thropplenoggin]

Are these the same audio quality as the SACDs, or are they supposedly higher? I downloaded one, and it appeared in Audacity with a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. The track was Sunbeam Melts the Hour - not really my kind of music, though OK, and quite well recorded. One long section looked as though it might just have been audio limited. It would perhaps be coincidental to see a waveform with such a sharply defined "edge" when displayed, though didn't sound bad, and several things were mixed together in that section.

I think I read somewhere on these boards that they were supposed to be Studio Masters.

Not enough classical selections in their selections thus far.

[PJPJ]

....... However I get so much mail that it's possible I missed it and of course the spam filters may have put any response into into the junk mail pile. I would have felt much happier had I been aware of a response.

I have had messages from Amazon buyers and sellers end up in spam, the last just yesterday, so it's possible your seller has replied.

[PJPJ]

Are these the same audio quality as the SACDs, or are they supposedly higher? I downloaded one, and it appeared in Audacity with a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. The track was Sunbeam Melts the Hour - not really my kind of music, though OK, and quite well recorded. One long section looked as though it might just have been audio limited. It would perhaps be coincidental to see a waveform with such a sharply defined "edge" when displayed, though didn't sound bad, and several things were mixed together in that section.

Having had a look at Linn's page, it seems you need to make sure in this case you've selected what is described as a 24/48 studio master.

[Stephen Smith]

I'm not competent to get into a dialogue, but there has been discussion on these downloads - posters on another board have analysed the downloaded FLAC and MP3 files, finding they had been mastered to sound different from one another, which is causing a bit of concern.

http://hddaudio.net/viewtopic.php?id=6336

Edit - The thread now has an explanation. Linn are supplied with 2 source files - one the studio master, the other the CD master. The downloads derive from these, and Linn do not master these files themselves.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Also at Amazon.uk (Used - like new - £13.99/15.25 delivered)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-lis...condition=used

I ordered this last Sunday and it was delivered on Wednesday. "Like new" is exactly right - not quite "shop new", but I think the previous owner had played the discs only once at most. Don't know why - exceptionally beautiful Music given exquisite performances and superb recordings. My great thanks to hafod () and repeated urgings to anyone contemplating buying the 19-disc Box not to hesitate.

[Bryn]

I ordered this last Sunday and it was delivered on Wednesday. "Like new" is exactly right - not quite "shop new", but I think the previous owner had played the discs only once at most. Don't know why - exceptionally beautiful Music given exquisite performances and superb recordings. My great thanks to hafod () and repeated urgings to anyone contemplating buying the 19-disc Box not to hesitate.

My 19 disc box was delivered today (yes, Sunday). I have only listened to the first disc as yet but am very pleased with what I have heard so far.

[hafod]

ArchivMusic

I am not impressed with ArchivMusik (except for some recent prices). My order was placed on 23 November, the money taken on 25 November and an email sent on 6 December to say that some items were to be shipped later ("back-ordered items are normally shipped in 7-14 days") but they failed to say what they were! I emailed that day pointing out the proximity of the Christmas present season and asking why it had taken 13 days to tell me that some items were out of stock, but so far no reply. Hardly helpful this time of year when buying presents. The partial order arrived on 8 December containing just two of the six items. I recognise the rush they had for the Brilliant Classics box sets but I ordered just one of these and it turned out to be one of the two items just received. Of the remaining four, two are still being advertised one of which is reduced but the other is not. There remains no mention of any delay in shipping. The other two items appear to have vanished and were not reduced.

In my experience, no other supplier of classical cds sends a part order without specifying what has been delayed nor takes money for what hasn't been sent. Bit of shower I would say.

[amateur51]

I am not impressed with ArchivMusik (except for some recent prices). My order was placed on 23 November, the money taken on 25 November and an email sent on 6 December to say that some items were to be shipped later ("back-ordered items are normally shipped in 7-14 days") but they failed to say what they were! I emailed that day pointing out the proximity of the Christmas present season and asking why it had taken 13 days to tell me that some items were out of stock, but so far no reply. Hardly helpful this time of year when buying presents. The partial order arrived on 8 December containing just two of the six items. I recognise the rush they had for the Brilliant Classics box sets but I ordered just one of these and it turned out to be one of the two items just received. Of the remaining four, two are still being advertised one of which is reduced but the other is not. There remains no mention of any delay in shipping. The other two items appear to have vanished and were not reduced.

In my experience, no other supplier of classical cds sends a part order without specifying what has been delayed nor takes money for what hasn't been sent. Bit of shower I would say.

Sorry to hear of your duff experience, hafod. I've never bought from them but I am forewarned, so thanks

PS: I do hope things improve soon