Sound City 2000 Mailbag
Last updated 3 June 2005
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If you've arrived at this page directly from a search engine, you'll probably want to see my main Sound City 2000 page first. |
Following are just a few of the email messages that I have received from other people about their experiences with Sound City 2000. Everything is verbatim except I have X'd out personal information. Of course, I don't really know if these stories are true -- this is just what other people are telling me. But based on my experience, they sure sound right!
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2001 18:44:15 -0500
Subject: Sound City 2000
Just found your web site, a little too late I think... I live in Canada and sent
Sound City 2000 a US Postal money order (worth $50 Canadian) well over a month
ago. I've e-mailed them a couple of times, only to have an "auto-generated"
message come back to me immediately saying:
Dear Client:
Thank you for your inquiry. We will answer your questions(s) in detail
as soon as possible.
Please do not be alarmed if the answer is not instantaneous. Although
the _delivery_ of an e-mail takes only seconds, the _composition_ is
another story. Someone at our end has to read your message, gather the
facts, compose the answer and send it.
In some cases, that takes time. We answer all messages first come, first
serve. Note: An additional message and/or repeat message takes you to the
end of the answer queue.
Sincerely,
Sound City 2000, Inc.
Customer Service
*** This is an auto-generated message. ***
*** Its sole purpose is to confirm the receipt of your message. ***
So, I think I'm totally out of luck. I don't understand how the State has
allowed this person to continue to operate this web site for the past few years
knowing that she is purposely committing fraud!
Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2001 23:00:54 Subject: Sound City 2000 Just wanted to drop you a quick line regarding the aforementioned company. I stumbled across your SC2K page and am heartened to learn that I am not the only one who has been duped by this company. I ordered a CD back in October but have never received it. They have, of course, taken my money however. Like you mentioned on your page, they suddenlly stop replying to e-mails etc. when it suits them. Well, I'm glad someone seems to be taking a stand against them. Unfortunately I live in the UK so it is a bit difficuly for me to contact them other than by e-mail but I plan to log a few complaints on the sites you have listed.
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 18:19:25 -0000 I just thought you would be interested to hear that I have finally managed to get a full refund from Sound City 2000, some five months after initially ordering the CD. I hope you can find some use for this on your website, if only to offer encouragement to others who are worried about the chances of getting their money back.
Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2001 03:20:43 Subject: Sound City 2000 Just found your web site concerning Sound City 2000 and Linda Simmons. I have (unfortunately) had dealing with Miss Simmons in the past I thought you might get a kick out of the events that transpired: I was the service manager for a Hard Drive company, Simmons orders 2 hard drives from us, we shipped them out the next day. Awhile later Miss Simmons called the sales manager to say that the drives she received were not the right ones that she ordered, and she wanted to return them. We kept a very tight inventory and had no idea what else she could have received, a week or so later we received her package returning the hard drives and low and behold good ole miss Simmons returned 2 *used* older model hard drives that we've never even carried. She of course was adamant in that we had sent her them, and wanted a refund. What she failed to realize is that all the hard drives are serialized and can be traced back to whom the manufacture sold them too. Turns out the Hard drives were sold to gateway2000 (she must have bought 2 systems from them, then replaced the old drives with our new expensive ones and returned the old ones to us- trying to get a refund) of course after denying her claim, she started making up stories of how bad our service was *we are on http://www.resellerrattings.com with a 6.5/7.0 rating for customer service.* to make a long story short, I spent a good 6 months going back and forth with her credit card company with her trying to dispute the charges. Well, American Express must have had prior problems with her, they sided with me 3 times, and refused to remove the charge from the card. She ended up paying for the drives, then this idiot had the nerve to ask for her old hard drives back (long since thrown away.) So, chalk one up for the good guys, I hope this Simmons lady ends up in jail, a true crook if I ever saw one.
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 19:00:48 EST Subject: Sound City 2000 I ran across your website a month or so ago, but I fear too late for me to get charges reversed on my Visa or obtain the CD I ordered or get any other sort of satisfaction except this email. On July 10, 2000, I ordered a soundtrack CD from these folks, sent an email query about it on Oct 17, another on Nov 10. Of course no response. So just today I sent Sound City another email demanding a refund check. Fat chance of that, I assume. So I'm out forty-some dollars.
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 15:41:50 -0800
Subject: sound city 2000 another ripped-off customer
I wish I had seen your web-site before dealing with Sound City 2000.
My daughter wanted a CD and I ordered it on Sept. 7, 2000. Of course it was
on my charge card bill in October. My daughter called them numerous times
and no one answers the phone. I think she was lucky enough to one time talk
to the very rude Ms. Simmons with false promises being given. To make a
long story short, 90 days was up on Dec. 7 and still no CD or refund.
Thanks for the info. I wish I hadn't been so gullible!!
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 12:37:34 -0500 (EST) Subject: SC2K A month ago I made a purchase from SC2K. Then I found your forum. I was quite shocked. At any rate, you might be interested to hear that SC2K has never replied to a single e-mail i've sent. They claim that their website is under repair, and is consuming their efforts, but their last update was for November.
Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2000 20:03:40 EST Subject: Re: Your soundcity2000 page I am a member of the growing legion of disgusted customers of that firm. I had ordered a CD in Sept., only to never receive it. Of course, they billed my Mastercard the day the order was placed. I contacted Mastercard, and they credited my account for the amount soundcity2000 debited. Since many major cards do this, it might be a good point to bring up to visitors of your site.
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 10:20:47 -0500 (EST) Subject: Sound City 2000 = CD International = SCAM Just a quick note. Years ago, Sound City 2000 traded under different names, such as CD International. At first, I was able to get real, imported CDs from them that were hard to find -- they acted as a liaison to German & Japanese distributors, and published (non-detailed) telephone book sized CD catalogs -- they used to charge a pretty penny for those but I never bit. In every case they charged me immediately, but I still received goods. However, they once listed a title that didnt exist or was deleted but I ordered it unknowingly. I was charged, and they never issued me a refund, despite direct calls to "Linda Simmons" (if thats "her" real name) or their "customer service". They blamed UPS for a non-delivery (their M. O. apparently) Long story short, the state of Oregon helped me get a refund and I thought, thats the end of that. This was over 10 years ago. In August, having worked with & bought many items over the Internet, I felt confident enough to buy (1) rare CD from Sound City 2000 (my merchant test is 1 piece generally) that I was looking for. I was charged immediately, never got the item, and when I saw it was charged to Sound City 2000 Milwaukie OR I laughed & cried simultaneously. Scammed twice under different names! I'll probably get my money back but pity the poor fool that bought $100 or $1000. So you are right-BEWARE SOUND CITY 2000! also CD Europe! I think some of these folks want to build customer databases to sell, without really being in business besides. There are many other legit vendors that deliver fast & accurately (Amazon.co.uk-British Amazon, Collectors Choice Music, Mundo-Japan,etc etc)
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2000 20:45:19 +0900 I should have known your web page before. I ordered a CD 6 months before, but haven't recieved it yet. I sent e-mails but still haven't recieved any exact answers. Now ,I understand that I was decieved by Sound City 2000. I don't know if they refund $22,because I'm living in Japan, with my limited English........ Anyway, thanks for building this web page. I will tell people in our country not to do business with SC2K.
Date: Thu, 05 Oct 2000 17:35:19 EDT It was entirely by chance that I came across your history with Sound City 2000 on the internet, and I must say, that as a result of reading everything you've had to say, I can finally understand a little of what's going on with my order. In a nutshell, I placed an order with Sound City in April 2000. The charge appeared on my credit card statement shortly thereafter. It's now been six months since I've been waiting for my order; after repeated e-mails to the company, all it can say is that because the CD I ordered is a foreign import it takes the necessary time. I was told that the "fine print" says that all online orders take a minimum of 90 days to fulfill (if I had know that, I would have ordered the CD through my local store). In the last week or so I have sent e-mails and not received a reply. Yesterday I faxed a letter to Sound City and have not received a reply. About a month ago, Sound City claimed to have sent me the CD in June, but I never received it, and so I asked it to look into the matter. There is no way I could not have received an order for them because the address I gave is my company address and the mailroom here is extremely diligent and honest (also, it's not an especially big company).
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 14:21:14 -0400 Thanks for your diligence and disclosure re: SoundCity 2000. In my case, I realized within a week I had handed over $80 to a crook. I am now right at 30 days since placing my order and I have gone right to VISA and the Oregon State Atty Gen. I am not waiting and I anticipate the threatening mail for violating the sale agreement by requesting a temporary credit. I would love my 80 bucks back, but I would like to get these guys nailed or at least on 60 Minutes perhaps just as much.
Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2000 17:20:02 +0100 Like many others, I'd like to thank you for putting up this web page on SoundCity2000. I've also been burned, and never received goods or refund (over 4 months after the initial order). I have started a complaint procedure with WebAssured and VISA, which I hope may eventually succeed. It's a pity legal action can't be taken against this company for fraud.
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 04:36:47 EDT Thank you for posting your notice on your website. I also had trouble with Sound City 2000. I made a phone inquiry regarding some CDs that are very difficult to find. The first thing the person on the phone asked for was my credit card number. In my naivete, (I have never had a bad online sale experience before), I gave it to her. She said that she would have to check if the CDs were available and send me an e-mail. I never got an e-mail from her and to my surprise, my credit card was charged. I called and e-mailed several times but I was always given the run-around. I just disputed the charge with my credit card company and they gave me the credit. Today, I received an e-mail from Linda Simmons regarding the credit card dispute. She even threatened me with legal action for disputing my credit card charge. Fortunately, when I did a search on Sound City 2000, your website was the first one that came up on the search results. It is very good that you have posted this on the internet. This way, people victimized by this company will know that they are not alone. Here is her e-mail to me: Ms. X: Our bank notified us that in direct contradiction with the declaration you have made when ordering, you have filed a dispute with your credit card company pertaining to your order. Of course we are requesting the bank to deny and cancel your dispute as totally unfounded, but that's by far not the end of it. By law any cardholder has the right to make a dispute at any time, but we (the merchant) have our rights also. In our online order form, we require the consumer to make a LEGALLY BINDING declaration: "I have read and I understand your Conditions of Sale. By checking this box I accept them." (Customers ordering by phone must make such declaration to the phone agent.) You have made such declaration. It is SOLELY the customer's responsibility to read our Conditions of Sale before placing and order and refer back to them if and when needed. After making the declaration, the order is deemed a binding contract and handled accordingly. To refresh your memory, here are the most important parts of our terms one more time: Payment: As explained in our Conditions of Sale, we process prepaid orders only. The language is unambiguous. It says: "Payment must accompany your order, we accept prepaid orders only" and then "Credit card orders are charged to your account when we process your order (usually within hours after you placed it)." It is even printed in bold to make sure people do not miss it. Fulfillment: Sound City 2000 Inc keeps no stock on hand; the CDs are stocked by its vendors and or the record labels. Items stocked by its vendors ship quickly, less common titles may take longer. If for any reason any part of your order has not shipped by the expiration date set at 90 (ninety) days from the order date, we will let you know exactly the reason why (such as CD out-of-print, or out-of-stock at the record label, etc.), the outlook of its availability from other countries, and your options incl. a full refund. You can read the full text (incl. delivery times) at any time at the URL: http://www.soundcity2000.com/faq/terms.html We have examined your order and it was/is being processed EXACTLY as advertised. Please be advised that based on the above, it is our company policy to view any credit card dispute initiated before the expiration date of the order and/or after the receipt of the merchandise as a rebuttable ATTEMPT TO DEFRAUD THE MERCHANT (that's us) and deal with it accordingly. Apart from the understandable step of permanently suspending such customer and vigorously defend our position with the bank, there may be other consequences: 1) Any monetary loss may be reported to national credit bureaus. Please check with your accountant and/or attorney what effect (if any) such report may have on your future eligibility to obtain credit. 2) If such monetary loss exceeds certain threshold, we may refer the case to our corporate legal counsel for a consideration to recover such monetary loss through legal proceedings. We understand the whole thing may be a simple misunderstanding and so we allow 1 (one) business day for the cardholder to review the case and take appropriate steps to cancel the dispute if he/she chooses to do so. This is STRICTLY your decision. If you wish to proceed with your dispute, you do not need to respond to this message. In such case, we will take any or all of the above described steps at our discretion at any time after the 1 (one) business day grace period expires. If, on the other hand, you concede that your order was/is processed as advertised and therefore there is no reason for dispute, please do the following: a) Call the customer service of your credit card (ending with the digits xxxx) and have your dispute cancelled. b) Write the following declaration on a sheet of paper: "I declare herewith I have no dispute with Sound City 2000, Inc. regarding my order #xxxxxx. The order is valid and is proceeding as described in the vendor's Conditions of Sale, which I have read, understood and accepted in full at the time of ordering." and then write your full name and address. Please SIGN and DATE the letter and FAX it to 503-905-6066. Please note this must be done IN WRITING and FAXED; e-mail is NOT acceptable in this case. Upon receipt of such declaration, we will close the case and reactivate your order (it is suspended at this time). Credit card dispute procedures are safeguards designed to assist and protect cardholders in case the merchant reneges on published business terms or creates some other situation under which the cardholder suffers harm or may suffer harm. They were NOT designed to aid consumers in defrauding the merchants. If we had done something wrong, we would naturally apologize and correct whatever mistake has occurred. However, we have NOT done ANYTHING wrong, your dispute has NO factual basis whatsoever. Therefore, we intend to defend our position vigorously as described above, utilizing all legal means at our disposal. Respectfully, Linda M Simmons, President Sound City 2000, Inc. It is obvious she is now using intimidation to clear up her business matters. Your website is a good tool for victims to know that we can fight back. Hopefully, somebody will do something to prevent this website from victimizing more people. Thank you!
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 16:39:46 +0200 I just wish I had read your pages before sending my order to Sound City 2000! Before them, I've had nothing but satisfaction with CDNow, even for very hard to find CDs. So I thought any web-order cd business would be as good. I placed an order to SC2000 in early june, we are now monday, august the 28th and guess what... That's it, no confirmation, no cd, only the charge on my visa card! I will carefully check what I can do. Things are even more difficult since I'm only a poor frenchman in far-away France... Anyway, thanks again for your pages!!!
Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 21:13:21 +0200 I am very thankful for your informative homepage about Sound City 2000, because it gives me faith, that we are not alone. Here are my correspondence with Sound City 2000, Inc., to whom it may concern. Best wishes Yours, Cologne/Germany
April, 28th 2000 Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, please would you be kind enough to check my order status. Around three month ago I ordered some CD's at your store. Your order policy states that the maximum processing time will be 6 weeks. You guarenteed too that you would have notified me whether the titles are available or not. But (nearly) nothing has happened since then. These CD's I have ordered: [...] ordered Jan. 28th, credit card carged Feb. 7th, delivered March 2000. [...] ordered Feb. 1st, credit card charged Feb. 7th, not delivered since [...] ordered Feb. 14th, nothing happened since [...] ordered Feb. 18th, credit card charged Feb. 25th, not delivered since [...] ordered Feb. 18th, nothing happened since I thought that the normal merchant policy was not to charge credit cards until the merchandise was going out the door. Now I am very disappointed about your attitude. I am just about the point where I start getting Mastercard to reverse the charge. Now it's your turn. I give you two weeks for researching and answering. Regards Your discontented costumer
April, 28th 2000 Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate your business and we always do our best to arrange the fastest possible shipping, within the constraints of our vendors' current inventory situation. As explained on our web site we do not stock CDs; our vendors do. Although largely unreported, this is the same way most merchants operate (such as CDNow, Amazon and others). We just use many more vendors than they do; that's why we can get some titles they can't. Regarding the payment: As explained in our Conditions of Sale, we process prepaid orders only. The language on our web site is unambiguous. It says: "Payment must accompany your order, we accept prepaid orders only" and then "Credit card orders are charged to your account when we process your order (usually within hours after you placed it)." It is even printed in bold to make sure people do not miss it. These are the same terms you have made a declaration about in your order: "I have read and I understand your Conditions of Sale. By checking this box I accept them." You can read the full text (incl. delivery times) at any time at the URL: http://www.soundcity2000.com/faq/terms.html Please bookmark this page and refer back to it whenever you have a question about our order processing routines. Regarding fulfillment: [...] and the [...] CDs are now out-of-print and no longer available. That's why you have not been charged for those CDs and the order was cancelled. Remaining three titles were processed; our records agree with yours. You remaining order (...) is pending with our vendors at this time. Items stocked by our vendors ship faster (you have already received the [...] CD, and the [...] is already also in the mail), less common titles may take longer. We do not receive detailed information about the final status of each order from the respective vendor until the order either ships or reaches its expiration date. If for any reason your order has not shipped by that date, we will let you know exactly the reason why (such as CD out-of-print, or out-of-stock at the record label, etc.), the outlook of its availability from other countries, and your options. This document is sent by mail (i.e., as a letter) and is issued automatically by the computer when the time comes. IMPORTANT: You have mentioned in your message your intentions to dispute the charge with MasterCard. Of course that';s your right as a cardholder, but it is also our right to prevent any loss of money. As above explained, your orders are coming from overseas (Japan), so there is a risk you may dispute the charge while the CDs are in fact on their way. We cannot accept that; after all YOU HAVE AGREED IN WRITING TO OUR PUBLISHED TERMS. Therefore, we need an IMMEDIATE assurance that you will not attempt to reverse the charge before the expiration date of your orders. WE need this assurance (email is fine) latest by Monday. Otherwise, we would have no choice but ask our Tokyo shipper to cancel ther remaining order [...] and NOT ship it. It is your decision. We have done nothing wrong; our terms are clearly described on our web site and you have agreed to them in writing. Therefore, there is no reason for any discontent; your orders were processed EXACTLY as advertised. Please feel free to contact Sound City at any time when looking for any particular CD or DVD. We are the ultimate authority on American, European and Japanese titles: If the disc is available in those markets, we can get it. If WE can't get it, NOBODY can. Sincerely, Sound City 2000, Inc. Customer Service
May, 2nd 2000 Dear Customer Service from SoundCity2000 (is there anybody personal?), I am very impressed by your quick answer. It seems that I have made a lot of mistakes and you made none. I beg your pardon. Joking apart. For sure I would be more impressed, if you deliver the CDs to me in such a short time instead of this unfriendly ultimatum. Now your ultimatum has terminated, because Monday was May, 1st, celebration of worker's day in Germany (did you know that?). In your letter you have entreated not "to reverse the charge before the expiration date" of my orders. In case your order policy were more transparent, I would have never thought about reversing the charge. I am interested in getting those CDs and you are interested in making money, that's why we are in it. Am I right? Unfortunately I am not able to answer your question and give the required assurance to you, because you failed to inform me about the maximum processing time. What is the expiration date exactly? Do you know it? I don't... I am not discontented because the order takes so long time (I have in mind that you do not stock CDs). I am discontented because your order policy is not transparent enough. If you are engaged in a serious business (I hope you are...) you have to communicate with your customers before they are getting discontented. You formulated: "If for any reason your order has not shipped by that (expiration) date, we will let you know exactly the reason why (such as CD out-of-print, or out-of-stock at the record label, etc.), the outlook of its availability from other countries, and your options. This document is sent by mail (i.e., as a letter) and is issued automatically by the computer when the time comes." When the time comes... I hope you haven't Godot or Doomsday or something like that in mind writing those term. Apart from pure theory, I had to ask, whether the [...] and the [...] CD is available or not. Now I only beg for one thing in the future: Please be distinctive enough and inform your customers about "when the time comes" right from the start. As I have written in my last letter and you have stated in your order policy, 6 weeks was the maximum processing time I have proceeded. Is that right? Or have I missed something on your terms-site? To sum it all up: If you are able to ship the [...] CD within the next two months, that will be allright and I am going not to reverse the charge in that time. I think it must be practible for you to get the CD in 4 1/2 months. If there are any difficulties, please contact me and let's see how we can handle it.
August, 1st 2000 Mrs. Simmons, three months have passed since my last e-mail and nothing has happened. Oh no, I must correct myself. On May, 11th 2000 you have charged my credit card again for the amount of [...], though you affirmed that only the [,,,] CD I ordered is still remaining. For what reason have you charged my credit card then??? Now I am very angry about your attitude, because the [,,,] CD I have ordered (and paid for twice in February and May!!!) hasn't arrived since yet. You are acting in a very unserious manner and against your own order policy!!! And it seems to me, that I am not the only unsatisfied customer. So now the ordeal is over: I want my money back!!! You have one week for answering and confirming the restitution, before I'm gonna direct my bank to reverse the charge. In the moment I mediate on informing the state attorney (Oregon Department of Justice) and the Federal Trade Commission about your unserious business, too.
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 22:54:32 -0500 Hey I just wanted to say "Thanks" for your web page. The links came in handy today, when I finally filed a complaint with everyone imaginable about Linda Simmons. FYI here's the descrip I sent the BBB about my case: COMPLAINT INFORMATION Product or Service Involved: Compact Discs (q. 3) Brand/Manufacturer: Misc Model Name or Number: N/A Date Purchased: 7/xx/98 Order or Account Number#: Order # xxxxxx Name of Salesperson: Linda Simmons Problem first occured: 10/xx/98 Company contacted on: 10/xx/98, 11/xx/98, repeatedly since Consumer spoke to: Linda Simmons, Owner Consumer's Description of Complaint: After getting repeated runarounds from this company, I was sad to find Linda Simmons has been burning customers all over the Internet. A quick browse of USENET (News) archives reveals numerous other people who have ordered CDs and never received them; never received refunds long overdue; double billed credit cards, etc. etc. In my case, she claims 2 of 3 CDs were sent last November. Yet nine months after I ordered she is STILL refusing to return even the balance due of $xx.xx. I am not willing to write off the CDs she claims were sent and lost in the mail any longer. I am seeking a full refund of my $xxx.xx and will appreciate any assistance you can lend. Anyhow I hope you can use these links or my case story for your page. Thanks again and best of luck with Ms Simmons -- I can affirm that you're going to need it.
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 22:24:49 -0400 I am currently asking for a refund from Sound City 2000. During the whole ordering and waiting process, I think I have been experiencing the same degree of frustration you were during your lengthy process, only I spent a lot more than you. I wonder what steps you most recommend to get a response from Sound City 2000? The letter from the Web Assurance Program seemed pretty good to me. We've got to give Linda credit for one thing. She has quite an arsenal of delays and excuses. I am impressed by all the delaying tactics she has. I wish I had found your web page earlier. I hope it does others some good. Thanks for notifying people.
Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 16:12:31 -0800 (PST) Well, I have finally received credit on the purchases I never made. (Original order: 5/xx/99; VISA credit 1/00.) Thought I'd write, as I believe in my case that writing the state attorney-general did the trick, so you may want to add that to your list of organizations to contact.
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 01:46:13 -0500 I have been a Sound City 2000 customer off and on for the past 6-8 years. In the early and mid 90's they seemed to be a decent company for mail-order CD's, and one of the few places that offered such a huge music catalog. But during the past year or two, things have evidently gone downhill. I ordered a Firesign Theater CD from them back on February 2nd of this year. They charged my VISA credit card immediately. This CD was advertised as a "New" or "Just Added" USA item at their web site catalog, and because of that, I expected to receive it relatively quick. Boy, was I wrong. When I did not receive it by mid-March (almost 2 months after the initial order), I e-mailed SoundCity and received a response from, who else, Linda Simmons. I got the usual story about how they'd have to check with their vendor to see what the hold up was. The expiration date of my order was March 25th. When that date came and went, I sent another e-mail in April and asked what was up? I received two replys from two different anonymous customer service people. One said that Sound City was still checking on the availability of that CD for me, but the other one said that my order had expired and it was now up to me to decide whether or not to reorder, choose a substitute CD, or get a refund. They said they'd send me an Option Notice. I received that in May, and found out that I had to tell them in writing if I wanted a refund. Also, they forgot to enclose a self-addressed envelope. When I e-mailed them (repeatedly) to ask them what address I should send my refund request letter to, they kept replying "Just use the envelope we sent to you." After many e-mails, they finally got the message that I never received an envelope, and they sent me their address. So on May 23rd I sent them a letter asking that they officially cancel my order and credit my VISA account. That was two months ago. As of today, my account still has not been credited. Fed up and disgusted, I went to their site tonight to see if I could find a different e-mail address to send a complaint to. But I could not make a connection. I received an UNKNOWN HOST message. This made me immediately uncomfortable and I got a sinking feeling that maybe they shut down. So I decided to so an Internet search for "Sound City 2000", and the first hit I got was your "Don't Do Business With Them!" page. I just finished reading your own horror tale. Looks like I'm not the only one who's had a bad experience with these bastards. I fear it may be too late for me to get any satisfaction. If they have shut down, maybe they've declared bankruptcy and I'm screwed. I have wanted to call SOund City for the past 2 months, but I'm on the east coast and they're on the west coast, and I'll be damned if I am going to pay long distance charges to straighten this matter out. Besides, I figure that I'd just get the run-around even if somebody did talk to me on the phone. I am going to call my credit card company tomorrow to see what can be done to retrieve my 18 bucks. I'm pretty sure that they can't do anything until they fully investigate my complaint, and that will probably take 60 days. To sum things up, it's been almost 6 months since I placed my order and my account was charged, but I've received no CD and no credit. Losing the 18 bucks won't kill me, but there's a principle here, and I don't want these crooks to have the last laugh. I wonder how many other victims there are out there who have not complained? I'm glad you took the time to post that very impressive, very detailed web page, where you exposed them for what they are. Thanks!
Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 14:03:56 -0700 I just read your posting in response to mine concerning Sound City 2000. I want to let you know there is some hope. Sound City 2000 finally refunded my money after six months of waiting. Of course, I contacted just about every agency there is for help in dealing with Ms. Simmons. Good luck in recovering your money.
Date: Tue, 31 May 2005 14:50:56
Hello Mr. Swain,
I was going through some old papers at home yesterday. I found copies of
notes and correspondence I had kept since August 1997, documenting a
problem I had getting reimbursed for $217.64 worth of Japanese CDs that I
paid for but never received from--you guessed it--Sound City 2000, Inc.
(Several months later, after filing a complaint with the Financial Fraud
section of the Oregon Department of Justice, I finally received my refund.)
This was in the pre-Internet era. Judging from the information on your
site, I must have been among the first to file a complaint ("Nearly 40
other complaints have been lodged against the company by non-Internet
customers since 1997" according to the Oregonian article of April 2000).
Last night I decided I'd do a computer search today to see whether this
outfit still exists--not that I would ever patronize it again. Your Web
site, "Don't Do Business with Them!" was a revelation to me, as you can
imagine. I had no idea that so many other people were victimized by these
lowlifes.
For your edification and enjoyment, I'll quote a few passages from my 1997
letter to the Oregon Dept. of Justice. Although my experience was similar
to that of many other people, as mentioned on your site, there were a few
new twists in the tactics of the infamous Ms. Simmons.
"...almost a week after my order had expired [and a little over six
weeks from the date of my order], I called SOUND CITY 2000, Inc. and
asked 'Linda' in 'Customer Service' about the status of my order. She
said that holidays in Japan had 'slowed things down'..."
"...more than nine weeks after I placed my order, having not received
it, nor any communication from this company as to when I might--I
called and talked to Linda again...she said that my order 'has been
extended until the situation [in Japan] returns to normal.' She did
not explain what 'situation' she was referring to, or when she
expects it to be 'normal.'...
"When I said I had received no notification of the 'extension' or
request for my consent to it, Linda became hostile and rude. She said
she would be 'glad' to FAX a cancellation of the order to
Japan--which would include a charge of 25% of the total cost of the
order, as a 'restocking fee' (for merchandise that she said has not
yet been shipped to me). Her tone of voice indicated that this was
intended to intimidate me--a charge amounting to nearly $50, if I
don't agree to extend the order indefinitely--not to resolve the
situation politely and professionally."
"I repeated that I wanted to cancel the order. She replied that I
should 'look for a new operator, we don't operate this way' and hung
up on me."
You're welcome to add this message to your "Mailbag" page, in whole or
edited as you see fit.
Curiously, I had placed several orders with SC 2000 before this last
incident, and had always received them. To this day, I have a few dozen
Japanese CDs that I bought from SC 2000; until the advent of the Internet,
and sources of import CDs such as amazon.com, SC 2000 was where I got most
of my foreign CDs.
Regardless, it's most gratifying to see that justice prevailed in the end,
and I thank you for posting all the information.
Do you want to do business with these people...?
Rex Swain; E-mail rex@rexswain.com; Web http://www.rexswain.com