SonyStyle.com = SonyBile.com
Written: Dec 13 '01 (Updated Dec 13 '01)
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The Bottom Line
sony=good | sonystyle=bad
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| Full Review |
"I've always been a supporter of Sony products and delved into their online site to hopefully acquire a few components missing from my entourage of electronic goodies."
I still haven't found what I'm looking for.
The holidays are here, and I have been shooting video out the wazoo with my Sony DV (digital video) camera. This family footage included everything from Thanksgiving Day to our annual cutting down the Christmas tree.
After shooting some memorable footage of my little family decorating the tree last weekend we cuddled up on the couch in front of the TV to watch the video taken from the last month. My surprise soon turned to angst as I couldn't find the cable that connected the video camera to the TV. After searching for seemingly hours, I ran out to the neighboring bonanza driven stores. Target, Walmart and Kmart were my first choices. Radio Shack and Tweeter were my last resorts. This little cable was nowhere to be found.
Finally going online, I checked out Ebay and Amazon for possibly snagging a used one somewhere. This illusive cable must be a real hot item, because it was void of sale anywhere.
I think we're alone now.
The little light bulb (and I mean little) light bulb went off in my head. I've been meaning to grab some other audiophile gear from Sony, and now is the perfect time to check out their web site. I get their catalog monthly, and it is always filled with colorful illustrations and techno-driven marketing.
I grabbed my handy-dandy-notebook (sorry for the Blues Clues reference... long day) to jot down my information gathering purposes and went directly to www.sonystyle.com .
Navigation
First impressions are very important, especially when it comes to online shopping. If a site doesn't look professionally composed, I am very hesitant to throw my cash at them. At first glance, the page was nicely done in shades of blue and gray.
It was a bit cluttered, but still set up that you could breathe. One thing I noticed, and continue to notice is the broken links. There are actual broken HTML links, and also bad or missing photos. This is quite frustrating when you are looking for something specific. After about 15-minutes of drudging through the site, I came across the piece that I thought I needed. Unfortunately, there was no photo because of a broken link. All I saw was that little red "x" .
This has to be it though. The item description was accurate to what I needed, so it went in my shopping cart. From researching other products, between 5%-10% of the items I was interested in had either a broken link or the photo link was invalid. Still, the item descriptions were decent and could accommodate most users. For those like myself, I have a difficult purchasing something without actually seeing it.
The main navigational menu consisted of the following:
» search window: The standard for all web sites now is to have an internal "meta-search" type tool. The search was fairly accurate, and at least pointed me in the right direction. While, I rarely find these sort of searches helpful; I don't recommend it unless you know exactly what you are looking for.
» gift center: As expected, the gift center gives you suggestions on purchases and allows you to customize your search. You can search from either price range or interest. I found this quite useful and well designed.
» express shop: This "quickie" type shopping is kind of pointless. It allows you to shop by clicking on "quick links" to the products you want by narrowing it down group by group. Very similar to if you were browsing with Ebay. With high dollar items, anyone that just clicks and buys like this is insane.
»my account: This does nothing more than logs you in creating a "cookie" on your PC. You can update your shipping information, but that is about it.
»order status: Enter in your order number and zip code, it will either prompt you to log in, or if you are logged in; it will tell you the status of your order (duh!). It is better than most status pages I have visited, and gives you an itemized list of your purchases.
»other stuff: Aside from the standard organizational patterns, there are three categories to choose from (electronics, computers & handhelds and digital imaging). You can simply browse by category to find what you are looking for. This is the easiest method of shopping, and didn't take long to get the hang of it. There is also an attractive shopping cart that shows you how many items are in your cart. By clicking on the cart you can view its contents.
Performance
What really surprised me was the speed of the website. Or lack thereof I should say. The site was miserably, slow. Even on a 350kbs cable modem, it took time to load up. I dialed in from work to check on an order, and connected at 28.8 took over 45 seconds to fully load the web page.
I am fully aware that the page is filled with photos, but in no way warranted such slow performance. The site was done primarily in JavaScript, so make sure you have all of your java-enabled or you will get some pop-up error windows. As mentioned before, Sony does cookie you, and there really isn't an option to "log out" to dissolve the cookie. Shame on you Sony!
Nevertheless, the menus are somewhat interactive and responsive. Aside from the long load times, the site is clean and well managed. I also never came across the "put item in cart/Error 404" dreaded event. Nothing is worse than putting something in your basket, and the page crashes. So, it looks like the programming is solid... but morbidly slow.
My only other gripe are those dang pop-ups that magically appear as you browse their web site. No matter what you click, expect a 3" window to appear on your screen. Ohhhh.... I HATE that!
Price and selection
Expecting to find a steal on electronics? Well, there are none to be found here. All items are 100% retail with no signs of discount. Most were even higher priced than what you would find at your local retailer.
The selection was good though. If you are looking for something that is discontinued or hard to find; this might be the place to find it. However, for items that are difficult to find, expect the item to be "not in stock" and a 4-6 week wait.
Overall, the value for your money is not beneficial to the consumer. You can find similar items on buy.com or even Ebay at a value 20% or greater. But, they do have a niche and can sucker you into purchasing something because you have no choice. I am a perfect example of that.
Ease of ordering
Ordering was a breeze. Click on "add to order" to put the item in your shopping cart. You are then immediately taken to a screen showing your item of purchase. Once loaded, you are given an option to continue shopping or to check out.
At check out, you can enter a coupon if you have one; or simply continue with the order. Credit cards appear to be safe while Sony uses 128-bit encryption. Shipping was about double of what you would expect to pay on a regular basis, which is quite frustrating.
Upon completion of order, you are told to print out the page for your reference, and an email is sent to you confirming your order.
Shipping and delivery
About five minutes after my order was processed, I received an email confirming my order. The item chosen was "in stock" and is planned for shipment within 4-5 business days. Four to five days? I was a bit shocked. If it were in stock, why wouldn't it ship the next day or day after?
As mentioned, shipping was nearly double what you would expect to pay if you went to the post office. My little cable (remember?) couldn’t weigh that much nearly cost me $6.00 to ship. I could go to the Post Office and ship it 2-Day Priority for half that. Still, shipping was expensive and the delivery date is yet to be determined.
I ordered my cable Saturday evening, and the status has yet to change. No really, its been five days and the status of my order still says ”4-5 business days” (before shipment mind you… )
Customer service
Before I continue, let me finish my story about "The Tale of the Lost Cable". With no other option left, I had to order this $15 accessory. This was ok, because I wanted to use sonystyle.com for some time, and if the order went through satisfactory; I would be back.
No lie here; but five minutes after placing the order, I found that dang cable. I couldn't believe it, and banged my head against the wall. Relieved, yet frustrated, I went back to my computer to cancel the order.
My first method of cancellation was to check out the email for instruction on canceling orders. Of course none were there, but gave a "customer service" email address. I emailed the address, including my name and order number and a brief explanation of what happened and that I needed to cancel my order.
I then proceeded to find a telephone number to call and speak with a live person. Hah! After about 15-minutes of searching, I gave up and called the number on the site to purchase an item. Surely, they could point me in the right direction. The representative, told me that that department wasn't available and to call back during normal business hours.
Monday morning came around, and I proceeded to call the same number. That representative, gave me a number to customer service. I called them. They gave me another number. Ok, my blood pressure started to rise. Finally I was able to speak with a representative at the third number. I wasn't stressed, because I thought my request was a no-brainer. Well, that's what I thought.
The girl was extremely dysfunctional. Unfriendly, and uncooperative she basically gave me the 'ole "ho-hum". She stated that since the item was "in stock" that it was "impossible" to cancel my order. I asked her if the item shipped that quickly, and she responded "no". I was in disbelief. If the item hasn't left the warehouse yet, why couldn't they just stop the order?
Going nowhere quickly, I requested to speak to the manager. The manager seemed to be pre-programmed to speak to me, and spurted out some public relation garbage. The bottom line is this. The item could not be stopped, and my only option is to refuse shipment. You got it right. When the item is delivered, I have to refuse to accept it and it is shipped back.
I was then told that the money would be given a store credit for the item, but would lose the shipping cost. I wouldn't get my money back. I was floored, and still am. Luckily this isn't a big dollar deal, and if it was I would be ready to call my attorney.
Oh, guess what I got today in my email box? You guessed right, an email finally in response to my email sent five days ago. The email had a generic response, which was quoted nearly word for word as the representatives told me. I'm guessing I'm not the first person this has happened to, and they are well readied for people response.
So, customer service was poor, and their attitudes and concern was unforgiving.
I just want to tell Sony to "eatme"
In conclusion, yes, Sony can eatme. Their horrible customer service ruined future purchases for me, and hopefully for you as well.
Their items were above retail cost, and their site (although pretty) was slower than a Pinto. I cannot recommend purchasing anything from the site. I do however, recommend using their site for a reference tool to find out the exact items that you are looking for. As tempted as you may be, most items can be located at more reliable sites with better service.
If you are like me and just can't find that certain something, for the love of all that is good and holy, make sure you look underneath the couch, ok?
Recommended:
No
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About the Author
Location: Maryland
Reviews written: 228
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