I respect Dr. Robert Moog as an engineer, as an electronics musical instrument designer. Everybody know the name "Moog" as a pioneer of analog synthesizer.
His career of electronics engineer and his business was started with Theremin.
So he was a theremin designer and builder before he started to make synthesizers.
Bob Moog is a hero of us....
And.. I had a little bit longer new year vacation this year, I thought I want to make something during the vacation and then the idea came.. Moog's theremin Kit. There is no dealer who sell Moog's theremin Kit in my country. So I have to import it from US by myself, and then I recognized Moog Music Inc is selling it by their on-line shop. They are accepting the order from overseas, Fantastic!
Then this stupid story is starting...
Who really want to write words such as Moog Music Sucks ?
I don't want too.
However I sadly wrote so, because ...
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I mailed to Moog Music to ask availability of Etherwave Theremin Kit on December 20, 2011, then I got a reply from Stacey Coleman, office manager of Moog Music, on December 21. The mail said that there is no stock and expected lead time is 3 weeks from the date of the order.
So I could not assemble it during my new year vacation.
However it was polite and fast reply at that time, and I did not mind to waiting for the stock, because there is no dealer in my country, and I want to try to assemble the kit and want to know how to play real theremin, this is a good project for me during this winter season. So I decided to order it to Moog Music.
I created an login account for moogmusic.com and ordered the item at there on December 22 as following.
Order Grand Total: $428.15
Payment Method: Credit card
Order Summary:
Shipping Details:
Order #: XXXX
Order Date: 2011-12-21 11:24
Shipping Method: Express Mail International (EMS)
Products Subtotal: $359.00
Express Mail International (EMS): $69.15
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Total for this Order: $428.15
The order procedure was very smooth and there was no problem on their web site.
Then I was waiting for the delivery. I thought It may come end of January or during February.
January was past, February had come and the order status was still "processing"
I thought there was no stock yet but I have a right to know the estimation about the delivery.
Then I sent an email to ask simple question to Moog Music on February 19, 2012. What I asked to them was "When my order will be shipped?" of course.
But I got no reply.
I sent an email again, same question on Febrary 26, 2012.
but I got no reply again.
Now March already, I sent an email again on March 4, 2012, also same question, asking when my order will be shipped, I really want to know the estimation. I have a right to know it. At that time I already felt becoming sick and tired because of no reply, why I have to sent same question again and again and again.
After those three email were sent, more than two weeks past from first mail, then I got a reply from Stacey Coleman on March 7, 2012, so it took more than two weeks, 17days to get an reply for a simple query. If we have 17days we can send and got reply by Air mail between US and Asia, US and EU or US and any other countries. 17days for e-mail is unbelievable for me.
Additionally the mail said very stupid things, like
"because you are outside of the United States, I do have a couple of issues we'll need to resolve before I can ship. I am not able to ship gear via the method you chose because the tracking is only provided to Japan. If the package is then lost, we would have no way of getting that back to you. I need to add $90 to your order for UPS shipping. Also, I am not able to verify credit cards with most banks outside of the US. Because of that, I will need to take payment via Paypal, check or wire transfer."
This message means, they neglect my order. There was no information about such "No EMS and No credit card" when I ordered. ( I don't understand why this guy is saying false information as USPS could not track EMS packet.) I ordered the item with EMS shipping and credit card payment in last December, I got no warning when I ordered, no such information on their web site. Even if that is their policy for oversea ( outside of the US ) customers, they should inform such important condition to all customers, we should be known such basic and important information when we order. They took my card number when I ordered but after two months and two weeks later they are suddenly saying "no card" "no EMS shipping" , changing the order condition, what a neglect.
This guy or Moog Music did not do their proper job for me, for my order, it is very obvious, they did not recognize my order until they received the query from me three times.
It was almost limit of my tolerance , but I asked new total payment because I thought if I cancelled this order my current two month waiting is nothing.
"No credit card" policy is funny and stupid, but they are the owner, I thought I have to use Paypal for them, I don't have an account and I have to take an account. So at that time I still want to buy from Moog Music. That's why I sent last email to them, asking the true total payment of my order on March 8.
Then can you imagine what happened?
AGAIN, NO REPLY !
Oh my Moog.. Quit wasting my time. I was waiting for their reply until March 15 and nothing was happened. I got nothing.
So, office manager, Stacy " No Reply" Coleman did not reply to me.
I realized, I was stupidly losing so many days and times for waiting, waiting and waiting but still got no result, I got no answer for such simple question, very simple question, how much should I pay for it , so Stacy, or Moog Music did not replied such basic answer for me, unbelievable..
Then I decided to cancel the order.. I'm sick and tired for it already....
I send my last email to them to tell cancel the order with complaint for their shop's poor customer support on March 15, 2012.
Then they replied - fastest reply I got ever, I surprised it because it took only one day - on March 16,2012. No reply for my quote so many time before, but replied very quick for the cancellation mail and actually they promptly processed the cancellation of my order.
It seems that the mail was automatically sent from the server during their cancellation procedure, the mail said my order was cancelled, no other word, no apology with it. I saw this is the way how Moog Music treat non-US customer like me. May be they don't want to sell their product to the non-US individuals directly from them, I guess so.
Then this stupid story is ended. Very stupid I am.
I think technical guys are doing good job like Bob Moog, but those sales guys are doing very bad to customer, their sales or e-shop division has rude mind under the legendary big name of Moog.
I'm feeling very sad, so sad, it's Moog that famous Moog.
It was my worst shopping experience I had ever, they are the worst e-shop I ordered so far.
Again, I did not mind about the delay of the stock that's why I was waiting more than two month, but no reply for customer's query is too bad. No information for "No credit card / no EMS for oversea customer" is too, so bad. Their web site has very good design, but no such important information on their site. They are saying we are small company etc but even personal SOHO shops have much better customer service, or mind of hospitality for overseas. No reply for customers query, that is the worst, and what I experienced is, the worst. There is no such e-shop who take some weeks for reply to customers. It seems that Moog Music is a factory but not a shop, has professional skills for develop and make analog musical instruments, but no skill for e-shop, most likely eBay's amateur seller who rated 1 or 2 stars :-p
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There are some suggestion for non US customers.
So if you are living in outside US, and want to buy any product from Moog Music directly , want to order to their e-shop, you need
Ask both payment and shipping method before order.
You may get no reply for your query, or you have to send mail again and again and again until you get reply.
Even if your order procedure was finished without error or difficulties, it's better you ask the estimation of shipping date. Then you may get some information that saying different condition from when you ordered, such as sipping and payment method or something..
Although I cancelled the order, I still wanted the theremin kit that Dr. Mooog left for us.
I really want to buy and want to assemble and want to play it.
I contacted two web shop, one at California and one at Georgia, unlike Moog Music, both of them were replied very quickly, no need to wait a week or more, very polite for me. Unfortunately I did not order to them because shipping method and price was not good for me, or payment method was not suitable for me. However, I felt they did their best for me and I appreciate it.
Well, almost dead end, and I tried to find another way. It was my last option, some shops are selling the kit on US Amazon but they don't ship outside US then I asked to US Amazon about the policy and they clearly denied the item ship outside US, it seemed that there was no hope for me... but also they gave me a suggestion, they said that it is possible if you use forwarder. Forwarder, I never mentioned before but I got what they said soon... Amazon replied me within one or two hours after I sent my question, and their answer was very useful for me. This is a real customer service of the e-commerce.
So I finally ordered the kit to US Amazon and I'm just waiting for the delivery, Amazon already shipped the item to the forwarder...
I wonder if I asked to Amazon at the very first time, last December, I could enjoy to play the Bob's theremin now ... so I was very stupid...
If I had got a word from them, apologize or sorry, I never wrote this "Sucks" thing.
But no word had came to me that's why I sadly wrote this stupid story on my blog in English.
Then I would like to give them following words
Duty, Honor, Customers
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OK, THAT ALL FOLKS!
PS:
I got the kit and built it !
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超要約
Dr. Robert Moogが遺したもの、Moog のテルミンのキットを組み立てたくなったので Moog Musicに直接注文した。事前問い合わせで在庫無しだったのだが待つことにした。
で、ひと月経ち、ふた月経ち、何時出荷されるのだろうか、と問い合わせのメールを出したが返事が来ない、同じ内容のメールを毎週、合計３回も出して、つまり最初のメールから２週間以上経って、やっと一通返事が来た。
曰く、US国外のカード支払いはダメ、EMS配送もだめ、UPS配送で$90上乗せが必要である、そうだ。注文時の条件を否定する内容なのだが、仕方がないのでトータル金額の確認メールを出したのだが、またしても返事が来ない。
出荷おくれ、在庫待ちにはなんとも思ってなかった。実際Paypalのアカウントとらなきゃ、と思ったぐらいだ。しかし問い合わせに返事しない事にいいかげんうんざりしたのでクレームと共にキャンセルする旨のメールを出したら一日で返事がきてオーダーが取り消された。質問には答えず、キャンセルは即日受け付ける、要するに彼らは国外には売りたくないのだろう。
今回の事は、人生最悪の買い物経験となったのである。
Moogの海外の顧客は、注文前に支払いや配送方法について質問した方がいい。
質問しても返事が来ないのが当たり前なので、何度も何度も何度もメールする必要がある。
Moog Musicはキャンセルしたが、しかし、Dr.Moog のルーツ、テルミンのキット、これはやはり手に入れたかったので、カルフォルニアとジョージアの楽器屋に当たってみたのだが、どちらもとても丁寧に素早い返答がもらえた。残念ながら配送や支払い条件が合わなかったので注文するには至らなかった。
いくつか米Amazonで売ってる業者はあるのだが、どこもUS外には出荷しない。念の為Amazonに問い合わせてみるとUS外出荷は否定された、が、同時にForwarder (運送屋、転送屋)を使えばそこを経由してUS外に出荷できるというアドバイスがもらえた。Forwarderを使うという発想も知識もなかったが、方法は直ぐに理解できた。問い合わせの返事は1,2時間のうちに来た。それも、単に"できません"だけではなく、こうすれば出来るというアドバイスまで付けて。これぞ本物の顧客サービスというモノであろう。
と言うことで、米Amazonに注文をおこなって、今は届くのを待っているところである。
もし最初からこうしとけば、今頃 Bob Moogのテルミンで遊べてたのに..
俺はアホだった..
PS:
他所から手に入れて組み立てた！
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解説
現在日本国内でこのKITを売っているところはどこにもない。
正規代理店も並行輸入業者もこのKITは取り扱っていない。
単なる演奏者としての立場なら、国内で完成品を買うのが早いと思う。
私がKITにこだわるのは、単純作業とは言え、自分の手で組み立てるというプロセス、経験を含めて楽しみたいから、である。Moogの製品の中で組立KITはこのテルミンだけ、である。Dr.Moogのエンジニアのキャリアと起業はテルミンから始まった.. そういう事があってのKIT化なのだと思う。
Moogから直接買える、という事で注文して気長に待っていたのだが、しかしまさか、これほどいい加減な対応がされるとは思わず、大いに失望したのであった。
技術はよい仕事してるのに、営業がダメ。組織的に問題がある、のだろう。
一方困ってAmazonに聞いてみたらこうすればよい、という適格なアドバイスが即時に得られた。
まぁ、似たような問い合わせが多く既にFAQになっているのだろうが、並の業者なら出来ません、でおわりだろう。そういう事の積み重ねが信用、信頼に繋がる。Amazonの強さの秘密なのだろう。
一方Moogみたいにその分野で有名だからといってキチンとしてるわけではない..
