new tactics at PLAY

marcoeser

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warning, there is a new tactic over at PLAY. Once you make an order they will put it on "packing" status so you won't be able to cancel it. I quote:
"Packing - Your item is being packed and should be dispatched shortly. Your order cannot be cancelled at this stage."
I ordered evil dead on Sunday and they've now been packing it for 4 days. Its bloody huge box then.:mad:

marc
 
I noticed this too. Once you order any In-Stock item, it will go to "Packing" status straight away and no matter how hard you try, even phoning, you cannot cancel. You can off-course return the disc for a refund but they won't give you your Postage Cost back in such cases.
 
cdwow give a great service for both cd and dvd.i am waiting on a dvd they are out of stock of(the first time that its happened)and they have e-mailed 4 times to apologise and explain the situation and if i wish offer a full refund if i dont want to wait the extra few days.

not as big a selection in dvd as play but great service and quick delivery!
 
Don't mean to be thick but...

Why would you buy one day and cancel the next?

Surely you check the prices before you buy or am I missing something?

Richard
 
I had same happen to me with SACD ,they had that down as packing for 8 days !!!!!,supposedly posted Sat 2 Nov ,still waiting
 
its not that I want to cancel I just want the ability to cancel if I choose to.
 
Having a few delays with CD-WOW myself, but at least they mail and explain the situation.

U2 Best of CD...delayed out of stock
Donnie Darko DVD......delayed 3 times in the last week and half.


They did however mail me to tell me they have reduced the price of a dvd since I ordered it and given me a gift certificate for the difference for my next order......top marks......I thank you. :D
 
There's a million and one reasons why you might want to cancel. For instance, I ordered "The Secret Of My Success" from Play only to be told by Squirrel God a few minutes later that the transfer was non-anamorphic and riddled with artefacts. So I went back to cancel but couldn't. Even phoned them but still couldn't cancel. It's obviously a deliberate policy.
 
Oh I see.
Just never had cause to do it myself so could see no reason at all.

Richard.
 
The inability to cancel orders at Play is my only gripe with them. It is not a new thing, it has always been that way - all that has changed is the names of the various statuses (statii? :p).

They have a status before "packing", which is to do with your credit card details being processed (I forget what it's called). You cannot cancel during this stage either.

Basically, you can only really cancel items that are not in stock or which you pre-order.

If you have ever used Amazon, you will find that they also have a final packing stage, during which you can't cancel your order. The difference between Amazon and Play however, is that Amazon don't go into the packing stage within 10 secs of placing your order!

However, looking at the global picture, many sites don't even offer you an on-line cancel facility (e.g. CD-WOW, EzyDVD, AtlanticDVD, FutureEnt) - you have to email them to cancel. To be fair, they always cancel promptly. I recently emailed CD-WOW 2 mins after placing an order to cancel one item in the order and they cancelled it and sent me a personal (not auto-generated) email acknowledging this within 5 mins of me emailing them :eek: However, I'm sure we would all appreciate just being able to click "cancel" next to the order. Of course, you wouldn't want to cancel with FutureEnt anyway since they keep 2% of your dosh if you do :rolleyes:

Anyway, back to Play - what I do when I place an order with them is to keep the page open that comes up right after you place the order. I tend to keep it open for about 30 minutes or so, just in case I decide to change my mind. Why? Well, because if you keep the page open and don't refresh it, then you can click the cancel link ;)
 
Originally posted by marcoeser
its not that I want to cancel I just want the ability to cancel if I choose to.

A perfectly reasonable attitude to take... surely it's better to have the option of a choice that you rarely make than no choice at all?
 
Yeah this peeved me royally :(

I ordered a disc that I thought was different to my current copy and then re-read the play description (my fault I suppose). I then went to cancel it and found I couldnt. When it turned up it was different anyhow but still!!!

Dave
 
Hadnt noticed this, mind you also havent used play for a while. A tad cheeky. Just have to check around more carefully before ordering i suppose
 
I can't understand what all the fuss is about. Play are a business and as such don't have to give you your money back unless the item is faulty. You don't go down the High St, buy a disc and go back 30 mins later asking for your money back because you don't want it anymore. I for one am glad that we have such a wide and cheap choice over the internet and roll with the punches regarding their conditions. We don't want to have to go back to purchasing from HMV, now do we? I make sure I do my homework before purchasing items. I suggest those making rash purchases do the same.
 
My copy of star wars AOTC R2 (ordered @ £15.99, currently £16.99 if you order it) has been in the packing state since saturday - I phoned them up and they said it has been sent - do I believe them? And as to buying on the high street then immediately taking it back - i've done that before, most shops havn't got a problem with it since that's what you are paying the extra for (service).
 
Originally posted by cybersoga
My copy of star wars AOTC R2 (ordered @ £15.99, currently £16.99 if you order it) has been in the packing state since saturday - I phoned them up and they said it has been sent - do I believe them? And as to buying on the high street then immediately taking it back - i've done that before, most shops havn't got a problem with it since that's what you are paying the extra for (service).

That would be the DVD that is due for release 11-11-02

(which arrived this morning!)

:D
 
Originally posted by Kirk
Having a few delays with CD-WOW myself, but at least they mail and explain the situation.

Donnie Darko DVD......delayed 3 times in the last week and half.

pretty much everyones out of stock of this at the mo I'm waiting for it too from CD-Wow, high demand that's all, it's all Squirell's fault!
 
Originally posted by James45
pretty much everyones out of stock of this at the mo I'm waiting for it too from CD-Wow, high demand that's all, it's all Squirell's fault!

...anyone actually seen a BAD review of Donnie Darko yet?
 
The inability to cancel orders at Play is my only gripe with them. It is not a new thing, it has always been that way - all that has changed is the names of the various statuses

No, there was a time you could cancel discs once ordered. Ie, pre orders for a disc. I did it many a time.

I can't understand what all the fuss is about. Play are a business and as such don't have to give you your money back unless the item is faulty. You don't go down the High St, buy a disc and go back 30 mins later asking for your money back because you don't want it anymore. I for one am glad that we have such a wide and cheap choice over the internet and roll with the punches regarding their conditions. We don't want to have to go back to purchasing from HMV, now do we?.

Hmmmm. You can change your mind by the way, Marks and Spencer is a classic example. I believe in the customer. We should be pushing for every possible bit of service available, and not going with the flow, just because someone lays down a rule to suit them. If you want to cancel, then cancel. You don't have to explain to anyone why.

And this would be an excellent point to direct you all in the direction of THXTex's post about long distance/mail order selling. Upon receipt of the goods, you can legally return them within 7 days without explanation if you want to. So in the long run, it's be easier on Play to continue with a cancellation system.

I make sure I do my homework before purchasing items. I suggest those making rash purchases do the same.

I think you'll find everbody here does just that. Even so, you may still be caught out by the odd duff disc. Ie, how many bought the Queen disc and are only now finding out about it?
 
Originally posted by General Skanky
No, there was a time you could cancel discs once ordered. Ie, pre orders for a disc. I did it many a time.
Skanky,

You can still cancel pre-orders - I do it too (e.g. recently cancelled R2 LOTR extended edition). What you can't seem to cancel is items that are in stock - they go into "processing" or "packing" as soon as you order them. I've never been able to cancel them as long as I've been using Play (apart from using the "keep page open" method I detailed earlier).

Originally posted by Actaeon
I can't understand what all the fuss is about. Play are a business and as such don't have to give you your money back unless the item is faulty. You don't go down the High St, buy a disc and go back 30 mins later asking for your money back because you don't want it anymore. I for one am glad that we have such a wide and cheap choice over the internet and roll with the punches regarding their conditions. We don't want to have to go back to purchasing from HMV, now do we? I make sure I do my homework before purchasing items. I suggest those making rash purchases do the same.
Actaeon,

As Skanky has already pointed out, we have Distance Selling regulations in this country that you sound like you are unaware of. Buying online is NOT THE SAME as buying from the High Street and we have the right to cancel at any time - legally. Play are making it very awkward for its customers to cancel. We can all appreciate that you can't cancel an item when it's on its way out, but it's very odd that you can't cancel just when your c/card details are being processed and it's also very odd that items are at the "packing" stage for a long while before being despatched. Perhaps they are hoping that we say "oh I can't be bothered to send this back, especially as I'll have to pay the postage myself". That's not on in my book, and many other people's books either - especially as we would not have to have paid the return postage ourselves if Play had been sensible about their cancelling policies.

I'm glad you always do your homework before purchasing but there are some things that can be overlooked or not even considered at the time.

The fact that somebody cannot cancel their order 2 mins after they've made it is ridiculous. It is also ridiculous that somebody cannot cancel their order 2 or 3 days before it is shipped because the item says "packing".
 
some discs from play are coming autopacked-maybe they're in the throes of changeover, anyone asked what is going on?
 

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