bad experiences ordering parts from the Avid Store?

[tombx]

have any of you had problems ordering products (not downloads) from the Avid Store?

let me relate my most recent dealings with them. i ordered a pack of replacement slider caps for my ProControl along with a replacement arm rest - Fader Pack Armrest (9900-07016-00).

the next week, a package arrives with the slider caps and an arm rest that can't possibly be for a ProControl - it's only a little more than half the width of a ProControl and the part number stamped on the back is different from what i ordered. people make mistakes, right?

first, there is no way to call someone at Arvato Systems who seem to be the "Avid reseller" that Avid has outsourced their Avid Store to run for them. i scoured the store site. no telephone numbers - just an e-mail address.

so i forwarded their original order confirmation e-mail message with order number and part numbers back to them and having written that they had mistakenly shipped the wrong arm rest to me, i added:
>
> would you please ship the correct product to me as soon as possible? if
> you want the shipped armrest returned back to you, please send a
> self-addressed stamped envelope or box also.
>

it seems pretty clear to me what i am after. i also included my cell phone number if they had any questions for me.

this is the complete response i get back from them:

> We apologize for the inconvenience.
>
> Once we get that, we'll advice you what would be the next step.

just that, grammar mistakes and all. no telephone number still. no way to call to get this straightened out.

over a week goes by without any other response so i wrote again last night asking what is going on?

this is the reply i get this afternoon:

>>>>
We apologize for not been clear or not understanding well your message.

If the product that you received is not the one that you should have to. Please follow the instructions below.

Within 30 days of purchase, any products that have been purchased through our webstore can be returned for a full refund, provided they are unopened.

To return your product, please complete the RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) form on the following page:

http://shop.avid.com/store/rma.do

You will then receive an RMA number and will be sent a label which you can attach to the product to return it to us.

Once we have received the returned product, payment will be refunded back to the credit card or PayPal account used to place the order.

Please feel free to contact us should you have any further questions. and once again our apologize.
>>>>

so two responses and over a week wasted and they still haven't told me if or how i'm going to get the ProControl arm rest that i ordered and paid for already. no one jumping in to say they are going to fix their mistake and how and when...

is this the kind of service that you would expect from a company that you have invested tens of thousands of dollars into by buying their products? what kind of company has employees that don't know the difference between an arm rest for a ProControl and something the size of a scratch pad mixer?

has anyone experienced anything comparable from the Avid Store? is it just my bad luck dealing with untrained employees?

[TOM@METRO]

Unfortunately many companies in the US are farming out services to the lowest bidder, and rarely do they speak or understand much English or understand the products or services they are hired to deal with. I had a similar issue a few months ago. Going straight to Avid customer support is probably the only way to find a solution. A sign of the times.

[tombx]

after i complained in writing and asked for the phone number of a manager to speak with, i get another response saying nothing is going to happen until i send back the incorrect part they shipped to me first.

this is their company policy! so, i have to correct their mistake before they do me right by what i ordered and already paid for. does this sound like quality customer service to you? or even what a fair company policy should be?

it's not like they sent me an ICON desk when i ordered a $110 replacement arm rest! they mistakenly sent me a small pressed piece of metal that must have cost them less than $5 and they insist they get this back before they even send out what they already took my money for?

it's not that i want to keep their useless $5 replacement part that they mistakenly sent to me. i just think that a decent customer service policy would be to say, hey, we took your money two weeks ago, you still don't have what you paid for so we're going to get that taken care of first and foremost and, by the way, when you get a chance, would you mind sending us back that replacement part that we sent by mistake so that we can put it back into inventory?

what if the replacement part i needed was mission critical to me completing a time sensitive project while the Avid Store dicks around with their company policy? it's a damn good thing they don't sell caps for blown-out deep-sea oil wells!

obviously, the Avid Store doesn't have a customer policy other than give us your money and be happy with whatever you get from us - and if we screw up, you will gladly suffer our company policy and correct our mistake before we fulfill your order...

i wish i knew about this company policy before i ever bought the first of four Pro Tools Mix and HD systems...

are all you Pro Tools customers paying attention to this? just remember this experience when you have a crisis... the Avid Store doesn't even know the meaning of the word! you have now been warned...

[tombx]

the saga continues...

so they respond to my demand to speak with their manager by just ignoring it completely. still no telephone number. just fill out the return materials authorization (RMA) form...

so i fill out their form. do you think i get back a FedEx label to print off and send their wrong part back to them? no, that would be too efficient and convenient. now i have to wait five (5) business days for them to send me the FedEx label via USPS!

hey Avid, if you're even paying any attention to this - your Avid Store and its company policy sucks big ones!

[MEAT]

Return pre-paid labels should be emailed to you! Sweetwater did that for me.Screw avid!What a joke!

Also.........my Toyota online parts store sent me a broken hood protector for my truck 3 months ago.I called them and 5 min later I got a pre-paid ups return label to send it back via email.Any reputable company does this.Digidesign and now avid have always raped us so why even bitch anymore.