TheGreek Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 A message I received from Paul Jefford, Strings Direct: Hello Mick A few years ago I took a phone call from a customer… who was banging on about Amazon and comparing us with Amazon. He asked… ”So why on Earth should I deal with you instead of going to Amazon?”. Good question I thought… why should he buy from us? My reply was off-the-cuff but honest and legitimate: “Well, the fact that you have called me and spoken to the director of the company on the phone is the first reason. Try calling Amazon and asking them a few questions... or asking to speak to Jeff Bezos”. “Being a family-run business for over 25-years now, we care about our customers and our reputation is our business, and when we get something wrong (which we do, believe me!) we take it personally and rectify it”. “We have on-site string experts and guitar techs who can answer pretty much any guitar-related question you have”. “We've built rock-solid relationships with the world's biggest strings brands and get our stock direct from the official suppliers, and - I’m not gonna sugar coat it - there is a counterfeit guitar strings epidemic on sites like eBay and Amazon, so if you see a set of Ernie Balls for £4 with free delivery it's odds-on they are cheaply made strings in wolves clothing”. With us there is no guess work – we are selling the real deal”. Look, I’m no salesman and honestly, I hate sales spiel but I was quite proud of myself by the end of that call. It goes without saying that the guy ordered then and there! I still speak to him now when he calls up... nice guy! Thank you, Paul Jefford Director Stringsdirect.co.uk 8 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 I never buy from Amazon as they are a dodgy company in terms of how they pay tax and treat their employees. But also, I want to have independent shops where the people know what they are talking about and where customers are important to them. The only time I will ever buy from Amazon is if they get exclusive rights to life saving medication one of my family needs, otherwise they can FRO. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 If I didn't buy from Amazon, I'd buy very little, as there are very few outlets for many items locally available to me. I also buy from other web outlets, such as Thomann for music stuff, PB Modelisme for modelling materials, Berlin Packaging for glass jam jars, and many more. My only criteria would be to not knowingly give my custom to any Israeli company. Of course, I also shop locally, as a preference. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 I need to replace the strings on my bass - I dislike the low B on the set of rotosounds I have at the moment. I was wondering where I could get some advice so now I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 There are plenty of reasons not to buy from Amazon, speaking to the CEO is not high on the list. There's two things I only ever buy from specialised online stores due to the high risk of fakes - Micro SD cards and bass strings. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 I tend to avoid Amazon purchases, if I want something cheap I'll buy from Ali-Ex. 10 - 12 day wait for delivery hasn't killed me yet 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 (edited) 1 hour ago, Dad3353 said: If I didn't buy from Amazon, I'd buy very little, as there are very few outlets for many items locally available to me. I also buy from other web outlets, such as Thomann for music stuff, PB Modelisme for modelling materials, Berlin Packaging for glass jam jars, and many more. My only criteria would be to not knowingly give my custom to any Israeli company. Of course, I also shop locally, as a preference. Lots of other mail order places out there, and most bricks and mortar specialist shops will do mail order as well. I am the same as you regarding Israeli companies as well, Amazon stock Israeli goods and support businesses in occupied territories and supplies defence contracts. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/12/google-amazon-workers-condemn-project-nimbus-israeli-military-contract https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/5/12/how-us-big-tech-supports-israels-ai-powered-genocide-and-apartheid#:~:text=Perhaps the most well-known,Israeli government and defence establishment. Edited July 14 by T-Bay 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magister Ludi Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 Amazon for provincial french drummers shower curtains.... 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 I’m fine with buying from Amazon, if they’re selling what I want then great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyJohnson Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 (edited) There does seem to be people taking this (frankly pointless) moral stance against Amazon, based off taxation, work conditions, dealing with suppliers etc. To be brutally honest, customer is king. Why should I pay £55 for a set of Elixir Nanowebs from Strings Direct when I can get the same product for £15.00 cheaper from Amazon? Same thing applies pretty much everything that comes in through my front door and they'll always be the first point of call for pretty much everything we buy. I honestly couldn't care less if Jeff Bezos doesn't want to contact me about my choice of lawnmower or water filter, it's all about how much you pay and how fast you can get it. If employees are disgruntled at the working conditions, then leave. That's their prerogative. Look, I used to by an awful lot of books from a two independent booksellers and was frequently told that once the independents shut down the book market would crumble. What actually closed their businesses was the council hiking fees rates and the collapse of the net book agreement (which kept books at an artificially high price). The book market hasn't crumbled, far from it, and in part Amazon is keeping many publishers in business. Elixir don't care if they sell into Strings Direct or Amazon, sure they'll make less money selling to Amazon, but they're selling way more that they would through Strings Direct. As a society we're conditioned to sneer at success; it doesn't matter whether it's Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Jobs/Wozniak or any number of entrepreneurs. These people got to where they are because they either had an idea or the tenacity and drive to make their business succeed while others didn't diversify and fell aside. Sure they ruffled a lot of feathers, but as my mate's dad used to say, "that's business, you won't get anywhere just sitting there with your thumb up your a$$." Nobody is getting all tetchy about the people who own and run Samsung or Sony or Walmart or Vitol or Cigna Health, because they're not in everyone's faces or trying to put rockets into space. I know this all sounds cold and harsh, but if you want to spend 30% more for the same product, then knock yourself out. Edited July 14 by NancyJohnson Grammar baby. 4 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 I'm pragmatic as well as vaguely principled, so I don't completely exclude Amazon (and my brother-in-law sends us Amazon vouchers as presents). They're not my first port of call, nor indeed my second or third, though I do use them to look at reviews and to find alternatives to products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 Move this convo away from politics please, folks, otherwise we'll just get rid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 I usually finish up buying off e bay after checking on Amazon, is that better or worse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 Just now, PaulWarning said: I usually finish up buying off e bay after checking on Amazon, is that better or worse? You really want this thread closed don’t you Paul 🤣 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burns-bass Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 This all escalated quickly… Amazon use all manner of tricks to enable them to undercut competitors. Tax dodging, Union busting, zero hours contracts - they’re not a good company. How you spend your money reflects to some extent your values and beliefs. (I have bought stuff from Amazon in the past but try not to!) 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 Asking why people wouldn't buy from Amazon is a question entrenched in politics and ethics. Btw a lad who used to work for us started driving for them, the stories about drivers not having time to eat and use the bathroom are true, as are the ones about them using an empty soft drink bottle to pee in. This lad would skip breakfast and lunch as he had no time to stop for a toilet break later in the day. He does patient transport for a private hospital now so at least the delivery experience was of some use to him. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 A mate of mine worked for Amazon and absolutely loved it, up until they shut his depot down and relocated. He’s now been made redundant from them (with a decent settlement far above what companies have to offer) but during his time with them at the original depot he was pretty much the happiest I’ve ever seen him in the 20 odd years I’ve known him. His job wasn’t driving or picking though, from what I understand neither of those roles are particularly desirable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 I buy things from Amazon and via eBay if what I want is there. The number of times I've gone into shops to look for something and when I've asked the assistant has advised me to look online... I usually respond with something like "Well, I've come here and would like to give you my business.". Incidentally, I recently went to a shop to look for a piece of HiFi; they said they had one and told me it was storage off-site but would confirm in the week; they called back and said it hadn't been serviced, so I said that meant I was sitting on a £399 bill, but they stuck at the price discussed inthe shop, so I declined. They then put it on eBay and it sold for less. TBH, I'm getting to the point of not bothering with shops, as I'm getting the idea that I'm just wasting my time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegs07 Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 I periodically try out different retailers rather than Amazon and am frequently disappointed. The last thing I bought was a Bose speaker. Previously I would have gone to the store in town but Bose shut all their stores. They have a Bose store on Amazon which could deliver the next day using Amazons site and distribution network. Preferring to use Bose direct I ordered from their website. Two weeks and several frustrating “chat bot” and emails later my speaker finally arrived. At least I had the warm glow of conscience to console me. Amazon are cnuts but they are efficient cnuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burns-bass Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 23 minutes ago, tegs07 said: I periodically try out different retailers rather than Amazon and am frequently disappointed. The last thing I bought was a Bose speaker. Previously I would have gone to the store in town but Bose shut all their stores. They have a Bose store on Amazon which could deliver the next day using Amazons site and distribution network. Preferring to use Bose direct I ordered from their website. Two weeks and several frustrating “chat bot” and emails later my speaker finally arrived. At least I had the warm glow of conscience to console me. Amazon are cnuts but they are efficient cnuts. Used to love the Bose shop. They spent about 2 hours with my dad choosing headphones and a Bluetooth speaker. He spent about £500 and was over the moon with them. Thankfully we still have Richer Sounds, but I know what you mean about the convenience of Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowB_FTW Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 For the people boycotting Amazon for purchases, I understand your stance, but it doesn't really matter where you direct your online business to, because Amazon Web Services (AWS) makes up so much of the internet backbone these days, that no matter where you make your online purchases, you are still very likely to be using Amazon via AWS to do so. And not just purchases either, pretty much any website you use will likely have AWS at some point between you and the service you want to access online. If you truly want to boycott Amazon, you may as well just get off the Internet, as that's really the only way to avoid using Amazon these days. Mark 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegs07 Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Burns-bass said: Used to love the Bose shop. They spent about 2 hours with my dad choosing headphones and a Bluetooth speaker. He spent about £500 and was over the moon with them. Thankfully we still have Richer Sounds, but I know what you mean about the convenience of Amazon. The Bose shop was great. Once every several years I get a new speaker. Richer sounds are also very good. Most of my shopping is food and we are blessed in Bristol for this with lots of good independents on Gloucester Road and Henleaze. DIY stuff from Kellaway. People have mentioned strings direct here and I have found them to be very efficient. I don’t really buy much new stuff TBH preferring to buy as much as possible used, but when I do I have to admit to using Amazon. They are efficient if not ethical. Edited July 14 by tegs07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 (edited) Just wondering if anyone who has objections to buying from Amazon has done anything about it? Maybe advocated for policy changes, by contacting local representatives and expressing concerns about corporate tax avoidance and worker treatment? Or supported campaigns and petitions, and maybe donated to or volunteer with organizations like Tax Justice UK or Fair Tax Foundation that work to promote fair taxation and corporate accountability? Edited July 14 by MacDaddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 35 minutes ago, MacDaddy said: Just wondering if anyone who has objections to buying from Amazon has done anything about it? I don't buy from amazon, and if someone asks for a recomendation for something I will recommend from another shop. But where they buy it from is their business, I choose not to buy from amazon, that is my doing something about it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuyR Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 1 hour ago, MacDaddy said: Just wondering if anyone who has objections to buying from Amazon has done anything about it? Yes. I’ve bought everything I have ever purchased in my life from other suppliers. Our govt ought to have the will to protect our own tax paying businesses by charging Amazon and similar non tax contributors a percentage on UK turnover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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