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Music Direct - Audio Hardware Seller?

First post.

I want to share a very strange exchange (telephone call) I had earlier this afternoon with Jasmine in the support department at Music Direct.

    I finally purchased a Roon Nucleus+ device from the Music Direct website on July 16, 2019 and received emails notifying me that the item would ship on July 17; Music Direct also added California tax to a later receipt. (NOTE: I purchased a Roon Life Membership in May 2016, but have not installed any software yet as I've been waiting for the "roon environment" to improve before wandering aimlessly spending thousands of dollars unnecessarily.)

    Two days later, my account indicated that the item was still “Unshipped” so I called and spoke with a gentleman in Sales who was likewise surprised that the order had not been filled because they have the item in stock – so he transferred me to Support and that’s where I had the opportunity to speak with Jasmine.

    Jasmine happily explained that for first time purchases that they will “email and call” the new customer to make sure they had placed the order. She also confirmed that while she had not emailed me, that she had called me and left a voice mail asking me to call and verify the purchase. I did not receive a voicemail message and my call log does not show any incoming or missed calls. This conversation then went from bad to worse and she offered to just cancel the order all together and I confirmed to cancel the order. I also stated that I hoped to speak with a customer service supervisor because this was a very distasteful exchange. I have received the Music Direct catalogs for a couple of years and their website looks legitimate. I do not know if they were “stalling” because they did not have the item in stock or if I just had a bad experience, so to speak.

    Has anyone else had bad experience with Music Direct? Are they a legitimate audio hardware reseller? I have a suspicion that something is wrong, but I cannot put my finger on it and wanted to share this experience with the hope of helping others or learning that my experience was not typical. Thanks in advance for the feedback. Sincerely, Mark L.

marklet
rdk777's avatar
rdk777
572 posts
 
If you don't think that they gave you good service - find another vendor.  Most will match price - seems like Music Direct has a lower price.  You may also find a place that won't charge you sales tax if purchased from out of state.
nekoaudio's avatar
nekoaudio
489 posts
 
I've also only had good experiences with Music Direct, and they are completely legitimate and above board. Sounds very much like fraud prevention that many dealers have to do these days, including myself.
lcaudle24t
6 posts
 
I have ordered (and returned on a few occasions) many items from Music Direct and I can confirm that on the first shipment, they do reach out to you to confirm the address and your identity.  It slowed down the first shipment.  With that said, I have dealt with Customer Service many times and all calls I have had have been pleasant and they have been responsive.  They are legit and a good vendor from which to purchase.  Open Box items are particularly great deals, too.
audioguy85's avatar
audioguy85
2,018 posts
 
Only good things to say here...I've bought all kinds of things from them, including records and equipment and always find them to be pleasant and very helpful. You can't beat their occasional 36 month 0 % financing program through synchrony bank. Their selection is first rate. The only issue I have is that at times, certain items seem to show up on the website even though that particular product is not quite available yet...for example the new pro-ject X2 and classic Evo turntables....still says 6-8 weeks out of stock...otherwise, all I have bought has been great. I don't really like having to pay sales tax though....audio advisor has no tax but not the same selection of products. Lastly, I had to return a piece of equipment once to music direct and was refunded not only purchase price, but also my return shipping costs promptly. 
winoguy17
1,119 posts
 
  Nothing but positive experiences dealing with them for many years.
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