Alternative Sales Outlets

[petev3.1]

I'm wondering if there's a CD shop online that makes purchases easy and quick and is not a major corporation. The last time I tried to buy something on Bandcamp I gave up half-way through the consumer-survey form that purchasers have to complete. Just couldn't be bothered and also became annoyed.

Is there a shop somewhere that is simple and easy and does not collect unnecessary customer info? And that let's the seller set the price?

I've never found an online music shop worth visiting. Is there one?

[Forum Admin]

I've bought from http://www.recordstore.co.uk and http://www.hive.co.uk/music and don't recall being pestered.

Recordstore does give the impression it's all vinyl but it sells CDs too.

Check 'em out?

[TheBev]

Are you talking actual shops???
If so, yeah Record Store, Normans Records, Piccadilly Records are the ones I've used often.
For second hand (& new sometimes) I use Discogs these days, seller sets the price etc, so this may be more what you are after?

[petev3.1]

Thanks for the links admin. The Hive looks interesting and I must dash off to tell my local bookshop about it. This is the sort of thing I mean. TheBev, thanks but I meant online shops.

[Martin Walker]

I've also bought on various occasions from Normal Records, Cargo Records, and Stashed Gods (and even sometimes from Amazon, who despite sitting on their goods for several days until they ship them out, do tend to have a wide range and good prices).

However, during the last few years I've bought almost exclusively from musicians themselves, along with loads of boutique labels, from Bandcamp - more money goes to the musician, and you get to 'speak' to them

Martin

[petev3.1]

Yeah, I suppose Bandcamp is pretty good. I just don't like it, and seriously dislike having to fill in a questionnaire just to buy a CD.

[Martin Walker]

Yeah, I suppose Bandcamp is pretty good. I just don't like it, and seriously dislike having to fill in a questionnaire just to buy a CD.

I don't recall ever having to fill in a questionnaire Pete, and have thus far bought over 200 album/EP releases (both CDs and digital downloads) via Bandcamp with no issues at all.

For each sale, once you click on a 'buy' link, it just opens a pop-up to let you input the amount you want to pay (the suggested default, or more if you prefer), the option of sending a message to the artist (you needn't put anything in here), and then it takes you to the checkout.

Martin

[petev3.1]

Hmm. Maybe I misremembered it or had a bad day. It's been a while since, I don't buy much. I remember thinking s** this for a game of soldiers.

[Forum Admin]

I sympathise with you Pete. Even when making purchases in brick-based shops they ask for your email and by the time I've got to the car there's a s***ing ping on my phone with an email from the company asking me to complete the customer service survey!!!!

The world's gone mad. I wouldn't mind if such companies paid any attention to my feedback, but as far as I am concerned most brand name Customer Service depts should be renamed 'Lip Service'.

PS. I do try to avoid giving them a real email address, but more and more shops will only send you a PDF invoice receipt, so you have to. I use 'disposable' ones so I can track which companies have sold-on my details... and to whom.

[Drew Stephenson]

I wouldn't mind if such companies paid any attention to my feedback, but as far as I am concerned most brand name Customer Service depts should be renamed 'Lip Service'.

It's all in service to chasing their NPS scores, so they can 'prove' how good their service is.

[MarkOne]

I wouldn't mind if such companies paid any attention to my feedback, but as far as I am concerned most brand name Customer Service depts should be renamed 'Lip Service'.

It's all in service to chasing their NPS scores, so they can 'prove' how good their service is.

Which is why I nearly always score them a 7 or 8, because the NPS calculation throws away all 7s and 8s as 'passives' and therefore irrelivant If everyone did the same then every company would have an NPS of Zero, which is nice because it doesn't tell them anything about customer loyalty!

[petev3.1]

I sympathise with you Pete. Even when making purchases in brick-based shops they ask for your email and by the time I've got to the car there's a s***ing ping on my phone with an email from the company asking me to complete the customer service survey!!!!

The world's gone mad. I wouldn't mind if such companies paid any attention to my feedback, but as far as I am concerned most brand name Customer Service depts should be renamed 'Lip Service'.

PS. I do try to avoid giving them a real email address, but more and more shops will only send you a PDF invoice receipt, so you have to. I use 'disposable' ones so I can track which companies have sold-on my details... and to whom.

Yes! I once tried to buy a laptop for the business from a local shop and refused to fill in the sales forms. It took an hour and the very young and thoroughly indoctrinated sales assistant was going nuts but in the end his manager got permission from head-office to sell it to me without the ridiculous paperwork. Crazy.