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Music123.com Complaint - Poor Shipping Packaging - Shipping
Complaint
INDIANA -- Dear Reader,
Be careful when ordering musical instruments from Music123; in my opinion, they don’t pack them very securely. I ordered a baritone sax from them recently. Their website states that they pack items to FedEx standards, but when it arrived, I discovered it had sustained major damage. The bell had a huge dent in it that could only have be made during a fall from an extreme height while packed in its case. This damage also caused several of the lower keys to be pushed so far out of alignment that I couldn’t play the instrument. There was no damage to the shipping box which might have led me to suspect plain old inept handling.
When I looked at the amount of packing material inside the shipping box, and the way in which it had been layered (a thin layer only on the top and bottom—nothing on the sides), I quickly realized that it was insufficient to protect an instrument the size of a baritone sax—a flute or a small clarinet perhaps, but not a large saxophone.
I immediately notified Music123 and shipped the saxophone back to them for a replacement. Unfortunately, they had no replacement Selmer Super Action 80 Series II baritones, so I directed them give me a refund. When I told them what I thought about the packing, they said it was rare that an instrument would be damaged during shipping, and that I just happened to have experienced an unlucky shipping incident.
It took nine days to receive the refund. Meanwhile, I’m out $6,550, and I couldn’t afford to buy from another company until then. Once my charge card had been credited, however, I found a company that understands the importance of over-packing musical instruments: They’re known as “Saxforte.” Their shipping box was nearly twice the size of the box Music123 used, and the thick layers of packing material literally formed a cocoon around the saxophone’s case giving it the ultimate in protection against fumbling FedEx employees. The proof was in the pudding, so to speak. It’s a good feeling to open up the shipping box to find an undamaged musical instrument that’s ready to play now.
I have seen the Better Business Bureau’s complaints against Music123. Unfortunately, this wasn’t until after I made the purchase. Had I known about the quality of their packing jobs, I would not have made a purchase from them. When you give a retailer your hard-earned money, you expect that they would treat your new purchase with as much care and concern as you. And even though it wasn’t their fault that FedEx dropped the package extremely hard, I don’t believe there would have been any damage had they packed it as well as the folks from Saxforte. A poor packing job directly reflects a retailer’s attitude about their customers.
Jim
Be careful when ordering musical instruments from Music123; in my opinion, they don’t pack them very securely. I ordered a baritone sax from them recently. Their website states that they pack items to FedEx standards, but when it arrived, I discovered it had sustained major damage. The bell had a huge dent in it that could only have be made during a fall from an extreme height while packed in its case. This damage also caused several of the lower keys to be pushed so far out of alignment that I couldn’t play the instrument. There was no damage to the shipping box which might have led me to suspect plain old inept handling.
When I looked at the amount of packing material inside the shipping box, and the way in which it had been layered (a thin layer only on the top and bottom—nothing on the sides), I quickly realized that it was insufficient to protect an instrument the size of a baritone sax—a flute or a small clarinet perhaps, but not a large saxophone.
I immediately notified Music123 and shipped the saxophone back to them for a replacement. Unfortunately, they had no replacement Selmer Super Action 80 Series II baritones, so I directed them give me a refund. When I told them what I thought about the packing, they said it was rare that an instrument would be damaged during shipping, and that I just happened to have experienced an unlucky shipping incident.
It took nine days to receive the refund. Meanwhile, I’m out $6,550, and I couldn’t afford to buy from another company until then. Once my charge card had been credited, however, I found a company that understands the importance of over-packing musical instruments: They’re known as “Saxforte.” Their shipping box was nearly twice the size of the box Music123 used, and the thick layers of packing material literally formed a cocoon around the saxophone’s case giving it the ultimate in protection against fumbling FedEx employees. The proof was in the pudding, so to speak. It’s a good feeling to open up the shipping box to find an undamaged musical instrument that’s ready to play now.
I have seen the Better Business Bureau’s complaints against Music123. Unfortunately, this wasn’t until after I made the purchase. Had I known about the quality of their packing jobs, I would not have made a purchase from them. When you give a retailer your hard-earned money, you expect that they would treat your new purchase with as much care and concern as you. And even though it wasn’t their fault that FedEx dropped the package extremely hard, I don’t believe there would have been any damage had they packed it as well as the folks from Saxforte. A poor packing job directly reflects a retailer’s attitude about their customers.
Jim
Comments:
Posted by Stew.old on 2006-06-22:
Mr. Rochester that was one of the best post I've seen on my3cents. Maybe $6,500 is enough for music123 to reconsider their packing habits. Glad everything worked out for you.
Posted by Mrs Manischewitz on 2006-06-22:
Right check for a BBB loged business at http://www.bbb.org
and check for excessive complaints. Good luck
and check for excessive complaints. Good luck
Posted by okidok on 2006-06-23:
thanks a lot
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