Beware the Rhino store - delayed shipping, horrible support!

[SeanSKA01]

I have my own issues with Rhino, not necessarily with the store. In the late 90s/early 2000s, Rhino used to have a yearly music trivia contest. The main prize was getting every Rhino CD release for the rest of your lifetime (or the life of the company). I won the contest one year, and everything ran smoothly until about 4 years ago, when I and the other winners stopped getting the releases. I contacted them, and they have been promising to fix the problems, but here it is FOUR years later and it still hasn’t been rectified.

 

[splinter7]

Wow - what an unpleasant experience. 100% agree that they are likely the most unorganized and utterly frustrating vendor out there. Indeed they are lacking in customer service response. All three of my purchases have had some type of delivery issue (Chicago Quadio, Dobbie Bros, Tull re-pressing). I still don't quite get how the label that manufactured the repress of Thick as a Brick couldn't supply copies to their own web store first????

But I don't get something.....
How did Rhino Social Media know exactly who you are in their rude response post to your tweet? Can you figure out an email address from a tweet or did they private message you? The reply claimed that they emailed you multiple times giving the indication that they know who you are and are aware of the problem. I suppose they could have cross referenced your name to match with a similar email - But that would be a stretch.

Maybe their social media account has been hacked? Poor service or not, I would think that they just would have continued ignoring you over posting such responses.

 

[GOS]

Just out of complete paranoia, after reading all this. I have placed a duplicate order for Tull, Thick As A Brick from Amazon. I ordered the day it was announced from Rhino, as I thought they would be the only vendor at the time. While I have no prior issues with Rhino, when I go now to look at my order history, it's all blank. The site does say they are migrating to a new portal or something to that effect. Regardless, it's a bit worrisome to not see my order on their site.

If they come through and send it as promised, super. I'll have 2 copies for right around $50.

 

[MidiMagic]

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And now we're back to radio silence.

Very bizarre. I'm just at a complete loss of where the idea that they've reached out to me 5 times, and that I've ignored them, is coming from.

I recognize this. You were not conversing with a person, but with a computer designed to fake a conversation while trying to get pertinent information. It does not know how to interpret the partial responses you gave, so it goes nuts.

Recognize this when the conversing computer can't remember anything yoiu said previously.

 

[Cyber 1]

I recognize this. You were not conversing with a person, but with a computer designed to fake a conversation while trying to get pertinent information. It does not know how to interpret the partial responses you gave, so it goes nuts.

That is very likely the case which begs the question "do you want to do business with AI " ?
For me personally I would never knowingly support a company with this type of business model.

 

[Gimme 4]

Sometimes their error works the other way. I've actually had Rhino screw up in my favor, sent an order twice, only paid for one.

 

[jamesc]

I think a lot of companies are still in turmoil since the start of the pandemic. To be fair to Rhino, I'll give them a mostly thumbs up for another customer service situation I found myself in this past year.

I purchased the Doobie Brothers Quadio box from them back when it was released in 2020 but didn't open it until this past summer. I know, dumb move but I'm not really a fan of the band and bought it more to support the Quadio cause. Anyway, I realized one of the discs was missing when I finally opened it. I emailed them with my dilemma and I had to jump through a few hoops and submit the request in different ways but they did send a replacement disc about four months later.

 

[Nyad]

Just out of complete paranoia, after reading all this. I have placed a duplicate order for Tull, Thick As A Brick from Amazon. I ordered the day it was announced from Rhino, as I thought they would be the only vendor at the time. While I have no prior issues with Rhino, when I go now to look at my order history, it's all blank. The site does say they are migrating to a new portal or something to that effect. Regardless, it's a bit worrisome to not see my order on their site.

If they come through and send it as promised, super. I'll have 2 copies for right around $50.

I've had the same issue with not being able to see my order & emailed them twice over the interval, both times I had a response in a week with assurances that my order was in the system and was due on 20th Jan (next week).

On a similar note to the OP I put in an order with Grooves Inc for a Nina Simone Lp in July, every time the fulfilment date is reached they reset the date a week or so further on, it is now 5 months, (the album is an Acoustic Sounds issue and Grooves have really good shipping rates to NZ).

 

[SomethingAnything]

I'm wondering if 'Blatant theft' in this thread title is too strong? To me, this reads more like things escalating and unprofessional practice from Rhino. Hopefully they will finally fulfill your order properly and you can move on, and all of us will know to be wary of purchasing from Rhino henceforward.

 

[ArmyOfQuad]

Wow - what an unpleasant experience. 100% agree that they are likely the most unorganized and utterly frustrating vendor out there. Indeed they are lacking in customer service response. All three of my purchases have had some type of delivery issue (Chicago Quadio, Dobbie Bros, Tull re-pressing). I still don't quite get how the label that manufactured the repress of Thick as a Brick couldn't supply copies to their own web store first????

But I don't get something.....
How did Rhino Social Media know exactly who you are in their rude response post to your tweet? Can you figure out an email address from a tweet or did they private message you? The reply claimed that they emailed you multiple times giving the indication that they know who you are and are aware of the problem. I suppose they could have cross referenced your name to match with a similar email - But that would be a stretch.

Maybe their social media account has been hacked? Poor service or not, I would think that they just would have continued ignoring you over posting such responses.

Well - what I momentarily forgot when writing the first post is that my real name is written in the display name on my twitter account. After Elon Musk declared all parody must be blatantly labeled as such, I labeled my account a parody of Jonathan Gatarz, as a joke. So they could have matched that up to my account and saw that there was email correspondence between us.

But as this unfolded - I don't think that's what happened here. That still doesn't explain how they started their twitter correspondence with me. The first 2 tweets were very snarky and angry, and claim they had been trying to start a dialog with me, but I'm the one that's not replying. My best guess is that someone else was having problems, was calling them out on twitter, and ignoring their attempts to reach out, and they confused me for that? I really don't know - but right from the first tweet, they acted like I was ignoring them, which just simply isn't true. They've still not offered any explanation for that.

 

[atrocity]

I ordered the new "Headquarters" box set directly from The Monkees' store a few weeks ago. After finding the end of disc 2 is defective, I alerted them requesting a replacement. That was November 28th, and I'm still waiting.

I think lots of people are having trouble with that one. One of my drives didn't want to read it, another one just sailed through it without any trouble.

 

[ArmyOfQuad]

I'm wondering if 'Blatant theft' in this thread title is too strong? To me, this reads more like things escalating and unprofessional practice from Rhino. Hopefully they will finally fulfill your order properly and you can move on, and all of us will know to be wary of purchasing from Rhino henceforward.

Fair question, but given that they've had $60 from me for over a month, have sent nothing for that $60, can't offer an explanation or eta, and have not given a refund option despite multiple demands of a refund at this point, I think theft is a fair assessment. I'm at the point where I've given up on the order, and am planning to reach out to my credit card to report it. I'm just concerned that the order being partially filled and needing to dispute only a portion of the charge will probably complicate that process.

 

[Gimme 4]

I purchased the Doobie Brothers Quadio box from them back when it was released in 2020 but didn't open it until this past summer.... I realized one of the discs was missing when I finally opened it. I emailed them with my dilemma and I had to jump through a few hoops and submit the request in different ways but they did send a replacement disc about four months later.

I have one I've never opened. Bought two at the time, an extra one just in case I came across someone who missed out. (They didn't sell out like I had expected. Although Rhino says "not available" you can still get them from other sources.) Now you've got me wondering what's in the box.

 

[GOS]

I have one I've never opened. Bought two at the time, an extra one just in case I came across someone who missed out. (They didn't sell out like I had expected. Although Rhino says "not available" you can still get them from other sources.) Now you've got me wondering what's in the box.

rocks maybe?

 

[jamesc]

I have one I've never opened. Bought two at the time, an extra one just in case I came across someone who missed out. (They didn't sell out like I had expected. Although Rhino says "not available" you can still get them from other sources.) Now you've got me wondering what's in the box.

You should be able to weigh both boxes to see how they compare. Of course, that doesn't rule out duplicates but would help if the sealed box was short a disc.

 

[stereoptic]

Years ago I found a used copy of Rhino's Brain in a Box Science FIction Box Set, but the booklet was missing. I sent an email to Dr. Rhino asking if I could purchase one, but he responded that they no longer have any in stock. A week or so later he emailed back and said he located one and I could have it gratis!

 

[ArmyOfQuad]

I've finally received a shipping notification from Rhino. Hopefully the package arrives with the correct item and without issue.

I've removed the theft reference from the title, and hopefully this resolves this. I hope things improve for Rhino - a little communication would have gone a long way. At this point, I will probably avoid ordering direct from their store ever again.

 

[Tribby2001]

My Jethro Tull Rhino order placed last June was shipped a week ago today via UPS for which I paid an $8 shipping charge.

Normally UPS is a reliable and prompt shipper to me. Today I receive notice it was handed off from the "local" UPS office to the "local" USPS office for delivery -wtf! My last 3 USPS packages have been touring the entire U.S. after having already arrived at my "local" USPS distribution office where it should have been delivered the same day.

What is the problem with UPS and USPS routing packages from my local office to Timbuktu and every USPS offices in between before it ends up back to the same local USPS office? To me it sounds like local "union" shop postal workers trying to make busy work during the slow season, needlessly wasting fuel and emitting ever more CO2.

This country is f*kd up.

 

[JediJoker]

Normally UPS is a reliable and prompt shipper to me. Today I receive notice it was handed off from the "local" UPS office to the "local" USPS office for delivery -wtf!

UPS offers a couple of services where the "last mile" is handled by USPS: SurePost and Mail Innovations. If you have set up a free UPS My Choice online account, you can (usually) choose to "upgrade" a package from one of these services to UPS Ground.

 

[GOS]

My copy from Rhino shipped from California 7 days ago. Tracking says it will be on my porch tomorrow morning. I'm totally OK with that, as long as it arrives per their email.