Unoffical empeg BBS

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#51081 - 23/12/2001 16:20 Why can't I buy one?
dglidden
journeyman

Registered: 21/08/2000
Posts: 62
I've been trying to buy a 10GB unit all day and the stupid store site can only tell me "Error processing your order - contact customer service." Now the 10GB units show up as "out of stock." Trying to buy a 20GB unit comes up with the same da** error message.

Sonicblue is not impressing me in the least. They took two weeks to ship me my tuner module that I had paid for 2nd day shipping.

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#51082 - 23/12/2001 16:39 Re: Why can't I buy one? [Re: dglidden]
dglidden
journeyman

Registered: 21/08/2000
Posts: 62
If it makes any difference (if anyone here can even do anything about it) the error number the sonicblue store site gives me is:

30024002 - 0

I can't believe I'm actually NOT going to be able to give my money to these guys to buy something they're trying to sell...

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#51083 - 23/12/2001 17:27 Re: Why can't I buy one? [Re: dglidden]
rob
carpal tunnel

Registered: 21/05/1999
Posts: 5335
Loc: Cambridge UK
Is there anything unusual about your browser configuration? Lack of SSL, cookies, anything like that? I haven't heard of anyone else being affected and clearly a large number of players have been sold today.

Assuming it's the US store that's the problem I'm afraid nothing can be done by anyone who reads this BBS. The store is operated by another company entirely. Emailing customer service is about all you can do.

Rob

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#51084 - 23/12/2001 18:20 Re: Why can't I buy one? [Re: rob]
drakino
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/06/1999
Posts: 7868
I tried yesterday with no luck either. I was using IE 6 on an XP machine, and no cookies were blocked. Do you know if anyone will be on the other side of the support number tomorrow? I'd rather just call someone to order one then deal with a possibly broken page.

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#51085 - 23/12/2001 19:11 Re: Why can't I buy one? [Re: rob]
dglidden
journeyman

Registered: 21/08/2000
Posts: 62
Nothing unusual, unless you want to consider the fact that I run Linux on everything unusual, or maybe that I have a firewall/router in place in front of my cablemodem.; But every other site on the internet works ok for me, "despite" all of that.

However, I've even gone through the extreme PIA of setting up a Windows98 partition and trying with IE and still no luck.

I think at this point it probably has something to do with the twenty "errored out" order attempts I've tried and I'm probably just blocked out now. :(

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#51086 - 23/12/2001 19:36 Re: Why can't I buy one? [Re: dglidden]
dglidden
journeyman

Registered: 21/08/2000
Posts: 62
At this point, I just called a friend of mine (another empeg owner) and let him know the new prices and he ordered two with no problems at all.

So I don't know what the problem is, but it does seem specific to me. The funny thing is, I've done lots of online shopping this season and Sonicblue's site is the *only* one I've had *any* problems with and I've had problems *every* time I've had the misfortune to have to use it, as have a few other people I know who have ordered stuff from their site. I've never seen a more ineptly built and run site than Sonicblue's. (I wish I had a boatload of money to just buy out their entire stock of empeg equipment just so I would *never* have to deal with the crappy site again...)

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#51087 - 23/12/2001 22:16 Re: Why can't I buy one? [Re: dglidden]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31578
Loc: Seattle, WA
I, too, convinced a friend that it was his time to buy an empeg. I was on the phone with him when he completed his transaction, so I know it was working early this afternoon.

Expect Dodge Durango install pictures sometime after Christmas, made in my garage with my new digital camera...
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#51088 - 24/12/2001 05:46 Re: Why can't I buy one? [Re: dglidden]
rob
carpal tunnel

Registered: 21/05/1999
Posts: 5335
Loc: Cambridge UK
The site is run by one of the largest ecommerce companies in the world, and I'm sure they have the same back end for most of their stores. They must process many thousands of transactions an hour, so it can't be entirely broken.

It does sound like it has a specific problem with your configuration - which doesn't help you at all I realise!

Rob

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#51089 - 25/12/2001 00:30 Re: Why can't I buy one? [Re: rob]
tanstaafl.
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/07/1999
Posts: 5543
Loc: Ajijic, Mexico
The site is run by one of the largest ecommerce companies in the world, and I'm sure they have the same back end for most of their stores. They must process many thousands of transactions an hour, so it can't be entirely broken.

If that site (and Sonic Blue) were working properly, we wouldn't have had the dozens of horror stories during the past year from the tiny user sample represented by this bbs.

It is absolutely no surprise to me whatsoever that people are having problems ordering from Sonic Blue, given their past history of incompetence, indifference, and arrogance.

I was, to my considerable surprise, able to order a RioCar for myself today (yes, I'm a hypocrite; despite my vowed intent to *never* give Sonic Blue a dime of my money, I just couldn't refuse this offer) and, all in all, it was only about 10 times as difficult as buying from, say, Amazon.com.

Now we'll see if they can actually deliver the product.

tanstaafl.
_________________________
"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

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#51090 - 25/12/2001 22:09 Sonicblue Estore horror stories [Re: rob]
dionysus
veteran

Registered: 16/06/1999
Posts: 1222
Loc: San Francisco, CA
This has got to be one of the worst online-ecommerce sites I've ever used:( Found out from the empeg price drops from Drakino; I was on vacation away from a computer, but asked a buddy of mine to order one online. At first, site was very slow.. 25 minutes later, after he clicked "confirm", browser never came back on him.. I had him try again; this time around, the site reset on him; he tried a third time and said it was very fast this time, but after putting in all my information including proper address/cc information/etc, site came back with "wrong address for credit card, please contact customer support." (original order was for one 60gb, and one 10gb.. both in stock..

Had him try again a few times, no luck..

When i got to a computer that night, tried it myself.. The online-cc processing system didn't like me putting my apartment # in the "Apartment Number" field; instead I had to put it on the same field as the street address for it to accept it; but at this point the 10gb unit was out of stock; had to get just the 60gb unit...

...later that night, I was doing some last minute christmas shopping, and guess what, my credit card was maxed out because sonic blue had charged (or requested to charge) about $2800 on my credit card. (even though the online system said that the orders were cancelled..)

...and in the end, I get shafted and can't get the 10gb unit, AND I have to call and fix the messup on my credit card being charged for everything.

-mark
_________________________
http://mvgals.net - clublife, revisited.

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#51091 - 26/12/2001 00:05 Re: Sonicblue Estore horror stories [Re: dionysus]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
I just checked my CC balance online tonight and can confirm that I've had charges go through. They haven't been posted to the account yet, so I can't see the details. By my calculations I currently have $400 (Canadian) in excess of expected charges. I'll probably have to wait until the end of the week to see the details show up.

Be glad you got at least one order through. You should be able to work out the problems this week. The US e-store is now sold out of 60GB units, so that may be all she wrote.

Bruno
_________________________
Bruno
Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#51092 - 26/12/2001 01:27 Re: Sonicblue Estore horror stories [Re: hybrid8]
time
enthusiast

Registered: 20/11/2000
Posts: 279
Loc: Pacific Northwest
In reply to:

I just checked my CC balance online tonight and can confirm that I've had charges go through. They haven't been posted to the account yet, so I can't see the details. By my calculations I currently have $400 (Canadian) in excess of expected charges.



This is very interesting that charges have been posted... I thought I'd read that they won't charge the account until the products ship. I don't remember where. But shipping won't happen until the beginning of next month. According to the estore:
In reply to:

We will not be shipping products from Saturday, December 22nd since our warehouse will be closing 5 P.M. PST Friday, December 21st and will begin shipping again January 3rd.



When I checked my CC, I find that the Available Amount reflects my purchase, but the charges have not as yet been made to the account. I guess I won't be making any other large purchases between now and the end of the year....

Still, it was a very Merry Christmas.
Tim

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#51093 - 26/12/2001 11:22 Re: Why can't I buy one? [Re: drakino]
drakino
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/06/1999
Posts: 7868
I was able to put the order through today, not sure what changed. I'll still be calling sometime, since my sisters Rio Volt SP250 didn't include the rechargable batteries, and one of the headphones.

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