Bass Direct

[BigRedX]

In the days when I used to do graphics for on-line use, the company I worked for employed someone whose job was specifically to break whatever the devs had produced, so that they knew what need fixing in order for the site to work both as they intended and as end-users expected. 

[MungoBass]

I didn’t mind the old site, at least it was easy to see at a glance what was available (or in theory available!) and thankfully I never paid for anything that was out of stock despite being shown as for sale. So hopefully that is now sorted. What I didn’t like was the amount of inaccuracies - hopefully that will also be fixed!

 

One thing on the new site I absolutely dislike is the totally random (very annoying) and honestly ridiculous RELATED PRODUCTS part. For example, view the 1977 right handed fretless Precision and look at the related products - left handed fretted Hofner! Really!  

 

Sometimes, less is more!

[Beedster]

Well despite having used them for years without problems, Bass Direct just lost me as a customer for good, as having bought from them earlier this week I have no item and no response to several emails. Having just looked at the new site (new site, new set of problems), the item in question doesn't even show as something they stock despite having shown as in stock Monday evening on what I guess is the old site. I don't mind delays, I don't mind errors, I don't even mind when something is faulty, but I don't tolerate a business ignoring emails when they are holding close to £1500 of my cash 😡

[ezbass]

2 minutes ago, Beedster said:

I don't tolerate a business ignoring emails when they are holding close to £1500 of my cash

This does seem to be a recurring theme with them.

[Beedster]

3 minutes ago, ezbass said:

This does seem to be a recurring theme with them.

Mmm, I've never had a problem in probably 10 years of buying from them, but then perhaps I've always bought stuff that was actually in stock. If they routinely ignore people rather than refund when they've sold an item they don't actually have, then perhaps they are the business a lot of people suggest after all   

[OliverBlackman]

3 hours ago, Beedster said:

Mmm, I've never had a problem in probably 10 years of buying from them, but then perhaps I've always bought stuff that was actually in stock. If they routinely ignore people rather than refund when they've sold an item they don't actually have, then perhaps they are the business a lot of people suggest after all   

Tbf they’ve probably got a lot on, appeasing the online shopping experts of basschat in making minor adjustments to their website without which they’d be the worst retailer in existence. 

[Kev]

3 hours ago, Beedster said:

Well despite having used them for years without problems, Bass Direct just lost me as a customer for good, as having bought from them earlier this week I have no item and no response to several emails. Having just looked at the new site (new site, new set of problems), the item in question doesn't even show as something they stock despite having shown as in stock Monday evening on what I guess is the old site. I don't mind delays, I don't mind errors, I don't even mind when something is faulty, but I don't tolerate a business ignoring emails when they are holding close to £1500 of my cash 😡

Have you tried calling them? Given the website transition id probably think emails of all things may be a bit off.

[EBS_freak]

4 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

Tbf they’ve probably got a lot on, appeasing the online shopping experts of basschat in making minor adjustments to their website without which they’d be the worst retailer in existence. 

Given their speed at delivering the new site, I wouldn’t be holding any breaths. That site is done and dusted for the next 10+ years.

[fleabag]

It's funny how shops and couriers et al, get the " they were great - excellent service " reviews,  to the other end of the scale " wouldnt touch them with yours,  let alone mine " rebuff. 

 

How this one shop gets 32 pages is a mystery.

 

I can 2nd Wunjos for fab service, as the only time i dealt with them, they were falling over backwards to help.  Bought a rare 1983 vintage bass,  kept it a while, then decided to move it on.

 

 

Edited August 8, 2023 by fleabag

[Woodinblack]

I will say that although I think their site is an improvement, their weekly email isn't - before it was just a text list of things that they had, esp including used basses grouped by strings which let you see if there was anything interesting. now it is a load of very small pictures.

I am only really interested in 5 strings, thats hard to see on a picture!

[LowB_FTW]

10 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

I will say that although I think their site is an improvement, their weekly email isn't - before it was just a text list of things that they had, esp including used basses grouped by strings which let you see if there was anything interesting. now it is a load of very small pictures.

I am only really interested in 5 strings, thats hard to see on a picture!

I agree with this.

I have images disabled by default in my email, so the previous plain text list of what was available was really nice, now not so much with being just image based.

 

Mark

[Stub Mandrel]

On 04/08/2023 at 00:31, Frank Blank said:

Having an early bonfire night Stubbs old man? Or do you need new oars for your fleet of coracles?

 

Not everyone wants a bass that can stand in for a lolly stick 😉

[Cosmo Valdemar]

.

Edited August 7, 2023 by Cosmo Valdemar

[Beedster]

On 04/08/2023 at 21:39, Kev said:

Have you tried calling them? Given the website transition id probably think emails of all things may be a bit off.

 

To be honest, I ordered and paid online, in part because I don't want the inevitable "hang on I'll just put you on hold while I check if it's in stock...." or "hang on I'll just put you on hold while I check your account...." or "hang on I'll just put you on hold while I check why it's not been sent....". I think I've got to that point in life - AKA grumpy old git - at which being asked to hold while at the same time being forced to listen to a loud, upper mid-heavy atonal cacophony clearly designed by a neuroscientist to make you give up on the call and if not to beat you into some form of ultra-pliable emotional state in which you'll accept whatever you're offered - and usually having spent about 10 minutes navigating the automated call direction system in the first place - is an irritation I choose to do without! 

 

Anyway, I escalated this to PayPal and got a refund (I'd asked BD to do so directly and they hadn't replied). Not a single word from BD in that time though. If they have time to process a refund they also have time to drop a brief reply to one of my emails just to say "Sorry we made a bit of a mess of that, hope you'll come back again in future". I've spent a lot of money with them over the years after all  

 

As we all know well, these are very First World problems  

[ezbass]

21 minutes ago, Beedster said:

As we all know well, these are very First World problems

But so easily avoided/rectified. 

[BigRedX]

On 04/08/2023 at 21:39, Kev said:

Have you tried calling them? Given the website transition id probably think emails of all things may be a bit off.

 

The whole point of having a web site with a buy now button next to items for sale is so you don't have to deal with humans and can purchase something with a few clicks.

 

And their email service should be completely separate and not at all affected by any changes to the web site.

[Beedster]

11 minutes ago, ezbass said:

But so easily avoided/rectified. 

 

9 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 

The whole point of having a web site with a buy now button next to items for sale is so you don't have to deal with humans and can purchase something with a few clicks.

 

And their email service should be completely separate and not at all affected by any changes to the web site.

 

Agreed and agreed

 

But what I find most annoying is their failure to recognise the oldest rule in retail; never ignore a customer. I've had shops be rude to me, give me incorrect information, not have the item in stock after all, forget to send the item, send the wrong item, send the right item to the wrong address, double charge me (one forgetting to charge me but remembering about three months later), even lose the item I've bought, but none of them are as annoying as being repeatedly ignored 🤔

[EBS_freak]

* looks in other direction, specifically avoiding eye contact with Beedster *

[diskwave]

Good to hear it all got resolved.

Edited August 7, 2023 by greavesbass

[Kev]

2 hours ago, BigRedX said:

 

The whole point of having a web site with a buy now button next to items for sale is so you don't have to deal with humans and can purchase something with a few clicks.

 

And their email service should be completely separate and not at all affected by any changes to the web site.

I only suggested that as it seemed he bought on the old website and a new site went live, so the first thing I would have thought is that its been lost somewhere in the middle and emails may have been affected, potential change of hosting etc, emails can absolutely be affected by that depending on how and where they're hosted.  Absolutely shouldn't have to do it, and I cannot stand phone call interactions, but may have been a route to a quicker answer.

 

Still having no reply by this time though, presume emails are working fine so that's pretty poor all round in the end.

[Rayman]

2 hours ago, BigRedX said:

 

The whole point of having a web site with a buy now button next to items for sale is so you don't have to deal with humans and can purchase something with a few clicks.

 

And their email service should be completely separate and not at all affected by any changes to the web site.

This ^

 

In a consumer age that relies increasingly on an efficient and professional online presence, and where human interaction is (sadly) a thing of the past, it is absolutely vital , that businesses handle their online presence and sales quickly and efficiently. Because the next company are waiting to steal your sales.

 

 I’m afraid BD seem to be failing, at this point, to cope. 
 

I don’t doubt that they’re great people, knowledgeable and friendly, but it’s a cutthroat world in retail. I really hope they can get it all together, but my brief experiences with them have put me off personally. 
 

32 pages into this thread, on a major bass players forum, and the issues keep coming. 

[marcus bell]

Hi - Marcus here from Bass Direct, firstly a big apology to anyone who has not received first class service from any of us who work at the shop, it’s simply not good enough.

The first point i would like to make is that the old site had no stock control system on it whatsoever, and relied on me or the other guys relaying items that had sold to Mark, who at the time was the only person with any access to the website to modify/adjust etc.

 

Secondly, in terms of any late payments, missed payments etc, me and the colleagues have nothing to do with payments or accounting, we never have done, this solely lies with Mark, who currently is on holiday and continues to be until late August (so these can be slow), all we can do as colleagues again is pass on information to him and hope things are processed as quickly as possible.

 

In terms of actual service in the shop and via emails, we really do try our best, it’s not easy when juggling a thousand jobs at once, especially when it comes to incorrect stock levels and general misinformation, which is something that should (mostly) be a thing of the past due to the new website with live stock levels, bare with us while we get everything completely sorted and up to date on this.

 

If anyone has any outstanding issues or wants to talk openly about anything regarding previous orders or current issues then please make any emails out to me and I will personally see that they are dealt with with the most urgency, failing that just drop me a private message here.

 

Sorry again on my behalf and I can only say I will be better from here on.

 

 

[Beedster]

22 minutes ago, OC-2 said:

Hi - Marcus here from Bass Direct, firstly a big apology to anyone who has not received first class service from any of us who work at the shop, it’s simply not good enough.

The first point i would like to make is that the old site had no stock control system on it whatsoever, and relied on me or the other guys relaying items that had sold to Mark, who at the time was the only person with any access to the website to modify/adjust etc.

 

Secondly, in terms of any late payments, missed payments etc, me and the colleagues have nothing to do with payments or accounting, we never have done, this solely lies with Mark, who currently is on holiday and continues to be until late August (so these can be slow), all we can do as colleagues again is pass on information to him and hope things are processed as quickly as possible.

 

In terms of actual service in the shop and via emails, we really do try our best, it’s not easy when juggling a thousand jobs at once, especially when it comes to incorrect stock levels and general misinformation, which is something that should (mostly) be a thing of the past due to the new website with live stock levels, bare with us while we get everything completely sorted and up to date on this.

 

If anyone has any outstanding issues or wants to talk openly about anything regarding previous orders or current issues then please make any emails out to me and I will personally see that they are dealt with with the most urgency, failing that just drop me a private message here.

 

Sorry again on my behalf and I can only say I will be better from here on.

 

 

 

Thanks for posting Marcus, sounds like you're not working in ideal conditions. Hope things improve with the new website and systems 👍

[marcus bell]

8 minutes ago, Beedster said:

 

Thanks for posting Marcus, sounds like you're not working in ideal conditions. Hope things improve with the new website and systems 👍

That’s what we’re hoping, more concentration on the people rather than the internal issues! 👍🏼

[Cliff Edge]

 Crikey just stumbled on this thread and I’ve just ordered some strings this afternoon. Have to say the buying experience was fine and I got more than one email confirming the order and later that the order is now complete. 
However no indication of when it will be shipped although I expect that will be by his majesties postal service. 
I’m keeping fingers crossed, at least until the next gig. It’s not a huge amount and I did pay with a credit card. 
Although the payment provider does offer ApplePay it rejected my effort to use it. The credit card I eventually used is the same one as I use on ApplePay. 
If Marcus is reading this and it is a new site it might be a glitch worth investigating.