Horrible experience with SonicBlue

Hi,

Like some others I'm in "Pending Shipment" hell ;-). Let me describe my situation:

* On 8/27 I ordered my tuner - which was listed as "In Stock".
* I promptly received an order confirmation
* Supposedly the tuner is still "in stock" but my order is still pending shipment almost 15 days after ordering.

The thing which really bothers me is that no one at SonicBlue seems to know or care about the problem. I've sent email to the address which Rob provided here - but I receive only an automated reply saying it will be several more days before SonicBlue will even provide status on my order.

Help! Has anyone found how to get a human from SonicBlue to fix this problem? It appears to be happening to others.

Even though I must say that SonicBlue customer service appears to be run by monkeys - I love those UK Empeg guys. You are all wonderful!

I think poorly of the SonicBlue headquarters folks who are just down the road from my office. I've also heard rumors that Digital River is going under.

I've also heard rumors that Digital River is going under.

That's an interesting one. Care to provide links?


___________
Tony Fabris

Re: links for digital river
I recall reading about them on f---edcompany, but apparently they are now in the 'pay account section'. See:

http://forum.fuckedcompany.com/fc/phparchives/searchthis.php?search=digital+river&x=6&y=0

FWIW

One more note:

Tony's question caused me to poke around a bit more. According to Yahoo Finance Digital River's balance sheet looks pretty good (ignoring what FC says).

I did find the following problems in my digital river search:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=digital+river&hl=en&safe=off&rnum=4&selm=rnews-CFE06D.14382212112000%40news.newsguy.com

But no other obvious problems.

I had the exact same experience. I cancelled my order today. I'll keep on living without a Tuner until I can drive over to Car Toys & buy it from a store. I'm going to do my best never to deal with Sonic Blue again.

-Jeremy

Mk2/40GB/Blue

Hmm... I ordered my tuner, got it in a few days, and shoehorned it into my dashboard this weekend. Woo hoo! NPR in the morning!

As for the service, I cannot confirm your experience.

I have ordered via the UK store and the guys handling my order were extremely fast and responsive. It was a matter of 24 hours to resolve my credit card problem (for some reason not accepted) and another 24 hours until I had the unit in my hands.

Till

I think this is getting a little out of hand.
All of us who frequent this board knew there were going to be a limited number of available tuners and it was a first come first served arrangement.
I agree it is too bad for new customers or consumers who haven't been active in this board to see all this negativity.

It's not like you can get anything like an empeg anywhere else on the planet. And, it's been out for quite some time now.

The product is still sub-mainstream, perhaps because of its price, or perhaps due to technical complexity. I feel they've done an outstanding job to make this as consumer friendly as possible and treat reliablility/usability as king instead of craming new features in as soon as they are thought up and breaking the thing or loosing your music.
It has hard drives in it which hold your music! Who else has the balls to offer a consumer car audio product with such an integral part that is potentially so fragile.

In a perfect world we would be way beyond, tuners, new visuals, VR, backing up and all the other features we all want. Reality is that corporations consider profitibility. Empeg was bought by a corporation that is trying to survive a very tough ecconomical climate.

I don't mind waiting, I know it will happen eventually. I'm just happy to be a part of this movement from very early on.

Being frustrated is fine but let's take a step back and consider what we have our hands on.

I only say this because I know the strife the empeg folks are operating under and I know they have your best interests at heart.

All of us who frequent this board knew there were going to be a limited number of available tuners and it was a first come first served arrangement.

Actually, as I understand it (correct me if I'm wrong), there is no longer a shortage of stock, for either the tuners or the players themselves. The problems seem to be in the supply and delivery chain. Which, unfortunately, is not within the control of the empeg team for the most part.

We all know that the empeg team will do / is doing all that they can. I don't think this was ever questioned.

___________
Tony Fabris

I agree:The Empeg folks are great and tuners are apparently in supply. Unfortunately, SonicBlue just won't send one to me. ;-)

SonicBlue seems to have hired an awful shipping house. As I write this, I've been on hold at Digital River for 35 minutes trying to find out what is up with my order - I have yet to speak to a human being.

To the fellow who cancelled your order, how did you do this? I can't find a button or human which would allow me to do this. I'd happily just cancel my order and order again (ouch). Because apparently people who ordered recently are getting their units.

Btw: If I was charging sonicblue for my time, I would have already earned the cost of my tuner. ;-)

I agree with everything that you have said in your post. In fact I think the empeg is one of the best products that I have ever purchased. Also, the people at empeg have been great.

The problem that I have is that until today, I have received absolutely no feedback about my purchase. I have seen posts of other people who have ordered, paid-for, & received the Tuner... all during the time that I have been waiting. That just doesn't make sense. I am willing to wait for a product that is not available yet. What I am frustrated with is the fact that it was available when I ordered & for some reason I didn't get one & nobody has given me a good reason why in the last two weeks.

Dominic, the person in charge of the empeg/Rio Car stuff at Sonic|blue was on vacation while I was having my issues with Sonic|blue. Now that he is back, things are getting dealt with & the wheels seem to be turning again.

I am trying to communicate my frustrations with the company as much as possible because I want normal, every-day people to gain access to the empeg. I want it to be mass-produced & I want average people to be able to buy & use it. I want the people who created the empeg to become rich for following through with such a great concept. None of that will happen if Sonic|blue has horrible relationships with its customers.

-Jeremy


Mk2/40GB/Blue

Ugh.

After waiting 45 minutes I spoke with a fellow named Ares at Digital River. He said the tuner is now out of stock, and the best thing to do is for him to cancel my existing order and create a new one. This is apparently because "sometimes orders get lost in the system".

I then went to the SonicBlue web site and verified the tuner is out of stock. I see "Please Note
Due to high demand, we are
temporarily out of stock of
the Rio Car Tuners until
mid-Sept. "

So - I guess by ordering early I get the pleasure of being bumped out of the queue and get to go back to the end of the line. I also get to waste 45 minutes of my time for the pleasure.

Jeremy, do you have an email address for Dominic? I'd like to describe my experience to him. I love my empeg, SonicBlue just needs to understand how awful the customer experience is.

I'm with you on something needing to be said.
I'm just sensing a bit to much attitude about it.
The way I look at it, at least I can hope, these things are being worked through and a streamlined process should eventually be the result for purchasing and upgrading.

I just assumed there was a surge of orders which caught the powers that be off gaurd and eventually things would get handled.

I don't mean to be combative with anyone here.
I was beginning to think that empeg owners are to informed for their own good about what goes on behind the scenes. It creates a sense of urgency and leads to people being let down.
I'm not suggesting that things change. I love being in the know. I just can't help but wonder if this forum has contributed to user frustration.

Out of curiosity, how many people here ordered their Tuners AFTER August 27th & have received them? I saw a couple people post, but I would like to do an 'official' count.

BTW... I was told something similar by a Sonic|blue rep: Orders sometimes get 'lost in the system' and to cancel & re-order.

-Jeremy

Mk2/40GB/Blue

UGH! As I mentioned in my previous message - Digital River cancelled my order and queued me again for the tuner. Not really! I just received the email confirmation and the digital river person just ordered me a rio 32MB player!!! Not a tuner!! I now have to deal with cancelling the order AGAIN.

Rob! I know you are in the UK - but is there any way you can help? I really don't want another FORTY FIVE MINUTE phone call!!!

See below...
----

Dear Stewart Hester,

Thank you for ordering from the SONICblue eStore. The following email is a summary of your order. Please use this as your proof of purchase.

If you check the status of your order online and it shows as "backordered", this simply means the order has not shipped. It does not mean that the product is not in stock. If you do not receive a shipping confirmation within 5 days, please contact SONICblue eSales at eSales@sonicblue.com mailto:eSales@sonicblue.com> and they will review the status of your order.

For assistance with the product(s) you have purchased, please contact SONICblue's Customer Services.
You can request information regarding the following tasks:
- Help with features
- General questions regarding the product

PLEASE LOOK FOR THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR CREDIT CARD STATEMENT SONICblue

YOUR ORDER AND BILLING INFORMATION


Customer Number: xxxx
Order Number: xxxx
Order Date: 10-SEP-01

Stewart Hester
3619 Hillcrest Drive
Belmont, CA 94002
kevinh@geeksville.com


Product Qty Price
-------------------------------------------------
Rio One 32MB Digital Audio Player 1 $ 99.95
-------------------------------------------------
Sub Total: $ 99.95
Tax: $ 8.00
Shipping: $ 3.95
Total: $ 111.90

Sounds like your order is getting more screwed up than mine has gotten.

BTW... check your email.

Mk2/40GB/Blue

I ordered on the line I guess on the 27th & received it the 29th. Installed it on the 30th, partyed too late to put it in on the 29th. On the 31st started listening to MP3 files again .
The 1st of next month I found first RDS broadcasting station in my area & on the 2nd the clock showed up on same station, unfortunately haven't been able to repeat getting the clock, but the RDS signal 9from station) is not great.

#695-Mk2/8 colors-12Gig/TUNER- awaits v2.x & Voice Recog.

Greetings!

Actually, if you successfully get a full empeg for the price on your order confirmation, I would take it and run!!!

Paul G.
SN# 090000587 (96GB Smoke)

I thought that was what they were offering him too at first, but it is actually one of those small protable players - a Rio One. There is no 32MB ?empeg?

(list 6284, Mk1 S/N 00299 4GB blue [for sale]. Mk2 S/N 080000094 6GB blue)

Valid point. I didn't read it carefully enough. For that, I would hold out for the tuner.

Paul G.
SN# 090000587 (96GB Smoke)

I ordered my tuner the 27th. It has yet to ship.

-Rob
-----
12GB MK2 Blue 090000736 (6166 in the queue)

I know this doesn't answer the question asked, but I ordered mine on the 26th and received it on the 28th. Hope this information is useful to some of you dealing with Digital River.

-Trevor

-----
Mk 2, Green 12GB 080000349

Dominic Ropon [dominicr@sonicblue.com]

Stephen

I suppose it was bound to happen that my email address would get distributed. ;)

I would recommend that you always begin contact with Sonic|blue via the normal phone or email methods. If I get email from people that I didn't have previous correspondence with, the message will get forwarded to our normal email accounts and may not be replied to by myself.

Estore inquiries:
http://store.sonicblue.com/dr/v2/ec_MAIN.Entry9?xid=25971&SP=10107&PN=6&S1=STA

The inquiries that I have responded to were recommended by Rob to handle, or I read about the issue on the BBS.

-Dominic-

Rob, Hugo and all the guys@empeg did an incredible job of building goodwill and establishing themselves as an organization devoted to customer service that went far beyond anything any of us had ever experienced in the past.

It grieves me to see Sonic|Blue and Digital River squandering this hard-won and well-deserved reputation just as though it didn't matter.

Whether it is through incompetence or indifference, the damage is done and will be a long time mending. Remember all the worries and concerns we expressed when word first came out about the sale of empeg to Sonic Blue? Well, as I said then, they're not our guys at empeg any more.

A lot of our fears have been realized.

Sigh...

tanstaafl.

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

It grieves me to see Sonic|Blue and Digital River squandering this hard-won and well-deserved reputation just as though it didn't matter.

Agreed.

The inquiries that I have responded to were recommended by Rob to handle, or I read about the issue on the BBS.

Dominic, if you followed this BBS (and you or somebody in your organization suitably positioned to make thing happen should have), I am very much surprised you did not intervene earlier. We may have been spoiled by out of this world level of customer support guys at Cambridge offer, but what I see described in this and several other threads is way bellow standards of normal business practice.

Showing irritation by email address dislosure does not help, either: People started trying to dig it out only after trying the usual channels in vain for weeks. (BTW, I know addresses of CEOs or at least heads of European operations of most companies I work with, as do their other customers and partners, which does not mean we abuse them).

As Doug said, it is much easier to squander user satisfaction capital than regain it.


Dragi "Bonzi" Raos
Zagreb, Croatia
Q#5196, MkII#80000376, 18GB green

I just got confirmation that my order shipped. I placed the order on the 27th.
I don't know if the shipping channels are all functioning at this point, but at least it went out.

Just more information for the cause.

Bonzi (and all): I check the BBS occasionally, I don't follow it everyday. It is an excellent means for communication between Empeg users, but it is after all an 'Unofficial' BBS.

I am not irritated at all that my address was posted. Stephen even sent me an apology, which was unnecessary although appreciated. What I wanted to convey is that I'm not the proper point of contact for raising questions about 'where is my tuner'.

I work within the support structure at Sonic|blue, and have little influence on product being made available to ship. Support is done here in Albany, Oregon while Shipping is done in Santa Clara. I really can't 'intervene' outside of confirming that we had a large amount of orders for the tuner in a very short period of time. I don't believe the S|b Estore had sufficient stock for initial demand. They are working to remedy this situation. What I can do is ask people for more information and pass it along as I get it.

Several people (within this thread) have had very specific issues with their customer service contact. I'm very interested when I see people complain that they were given the wrong information, or ordered the wrong product, or generally had a bad customer service contact experience. If I can fix that by working with the customer, I will.

-Dominic-

Hi All,

I'd like to thank Dominic and SonicBlue for making things right in my case. My tuner has been shipped - thanks to SonicBlue fixing the incredibly poor Digital River experience.

It's nice to see Dominic from Sonicblue stand up and take responsibility for all the mistakes which relate to support/customer services. But all should remember: this is an unofficial empeg BBS as stated before. If you, as a customer, keep on ranting about mistakes and taking on a very nasty tone with your posts, realize that you, yourself, are also taking part in deteriorating the SB-customer relationship. After all, as far as I can tell, the overall picture is that support has been good. If it would be bad, Sonicblue's attitude would be of "you have a problem, so have others, we don't care anymore". Luckily this is not the case!

Edwin de Vaan
mk2 rev.7 # 080000263 (queue 1232) 6+20Gb blue/red