Consider this as a review of my dealings with Scott Nangle (or is it Alex), who trade under SNVINYL.CO.UK selling Vinyl and equipment through their website. It's a tad longwinded but that matches the process of dealing with snvinyl.co.uk.
I fancied a MFSL One Step pressing of Bill Evans - Portrait in Jazz, I'd previously ordered these One Steps direct from MOFI but being in the UK you get hit by the DHL tax as it's imported which put the cost into the £150 mark which is a bit of an ouch. Now SNVinyl were doing them for £137 so thought I'd give him a try.
It was ordered and I've got to say his ordering process is rather strange compared to other online systems.
Long story short : The Bill Evans turns up and there's a small problem with the inner sleeves - they're scratched and marked due to movement during shipping and manufacturing process (the long scratches) from MOFI.
Now given that this is a premium product, it's unacceptable, but MOFI haven't learnt their lessons from previous shipping problems. So I drop Scott an email on the 18th June 2019 advising to seek replacements from MOFI. He confirmed he'd passed it back to MOFI.
On the 2nd September I received my MFSL One-Step copy of Bob Dylans - Blood on the Tracks which I had also ordered. MOFI still not learning about shipping premium product and it has the same issue; scratched inner sleeves but you can see this would have been done in the manufacturing process so their quality control isn't up to much.
So it's another email to Scott asking to seek replacement for these on the 3rd of September and asking if they can send them at the same time as the Bill Evans ones. He emails back on the 3rd Sept saying he's got the Bill Evans replacement sleeves but didn't know who they were for and asking if I could send him a reminder in a few weeks.
19th September – I send him his reminder email about the sleeves.
2nd October – I get an email saying ‘inners shipped’. Which was good news; I was out of the country on holiday so figured they’d be with my neighbour when I returned towards the end of the month. But no.
23rd October – I sent him an email (his phone wasn’t being answered) asking if they were shipped from MOFI or from himself.
31st October – I sent him a chase up email since I hadn’t had a response.
4th November – I actually got him on the phone – woohoo. He said the sleeves were on his desk he just needs to find time to send them out.
13th November – chase up email to him as nothing has been delivered and can’t get him on the phone.
29th November – Got him on the phone – again they’re sitting on his desk and just needs to get time to ship them out. Where have I heard that before.
Now before all this hassle I had also ordered a couple of the MFSL Dire Straits 45 RPM pressings and was waiting for these to turn up.
12th December – I dropped him yet another chase up email but I set confirm routing on the email to see when it hit his server and also when he opened it. He did. No response.
19th December – called him and actually got him. He promised that the sleeves and Dire Straits would be with me for Christmas. Advises that he’s been having problems with emails.
He lied.
9th January – emailed him, I had to, his phone was switched off. Seeking an update.
No response.
During all this time I’m getting regular sales emails from him.
13th January – emailed laying out my issues with him and his form of ‘customer service’. His phone is now permanently switched off. I even try calling from different numbers just in case he’d blocked me. No response.
14th January – emailed him with the subject of Trading Standards. Advising him that if I didn’t hear from him by the end of play that day I’d be talking to Lanark Trading Standards. A quick bit of looking and I’d come across this on Trust Pilot.
30 minutes later I get an email advising that my order had shipped. (Dire Straits LPS) I email back asking if he’d included the replacement sleeves.
He responds ‘will get the sleeves shipped ( but this will take a while craig )’ Aaargh, now he’s said he has the sleeves but didn’t send them when he’s sending me a package anyway.
It was the Dire Straits LP’s but no replacement sleeves. I had a problem with Dire Straits – Dire Straits 45 RPM pressing, MOFI had sent two copies of LP1. Now this wasn’t Scotts fault but he had provided the LP so I had to drop him an email advising of the problem on the 18th January.
He advised to return it for a replacement writing on the outside what it is and who it’s from; tracked return done on the 21st January and delivered to and signed for on the 22nd.
30th January – Dropped him an email asking when the replacement for Dire Straits was going to be coming along with the replacement sleeves. He’s still got Dire Straits showing that they’re in stock.
3rd February – I get a response from him asking had I returned it. Did I write name on the box etc. I also get a copy of an invoice for the latest One Step : Yes – Fragile.
I replied – of course I did, the sleeves have been outstanding for eight months and six months accordingly.
4th February An item has been shipped. I’m hopefully getting my replacement sleeves after all this time.
5th February I had to email him. Package delivered which included the Yes One Step pressing however it also included the long awaited replacement sleeves. Now the packing was solid but the sleeves came out looking like they’d been sat on before they were put in the package to be shipped.
As you can see – creases all over the place on what should be a pristine sleeve. He’s also only shipped a single sleeve for the Bill Evans when I requested both LP’s needed replacement sleeves. These were obviously like this when they were packed.
5th Feb – he emails that he’ll order another set for me. I reply asking him to ensure that it’s both sets for Bill Evans and Bob Dylan as well as asking about the Dire Straits replacement.
6th Feb – He emails asking which Dire Straits did I return. FFS. I politely reply telling him for the third/fourth time which one.
13th Feb – Heard nothing back so I email (still not answering his phone – it seems switched off). He’s showing them in stock on his website so it should be a simple replacement.
He replies advising that the Dire Straits is out of print & once repressed in next 1-6 months will send out a replacement copy. Why is he showing it as in stock then ? I email him back asking that and as expected didn’t get a reply.
17th February (the day I’m typing this) I decide I’ll catch him out. Using another email account I have (with a fictitious name) I email him asking
Hello,
I tried reaching you on the phone but it’s not being answered.
I see you have both the vinyl Making Movies and Dire Straits 45 RPM Mobile Fidelitys showing as in stock.
Can you confirm these are both in stockRegards
Steve.
Almost immediately I get a reply.
phone off @ present Steve
complete Mofi catalogue in stock , SACD + 100s of deleted titles
in stock if placed in minutes
So he has them in stock but doesn’t want to send a customer their replacement for one that’s been returned as faulty ? If anyone can figure out the mentality behind that; please do let me know.
So tongue in cheek from my hooky email account I send him this.
Hi,
Since you’ve got them all in stock, perhaps you should send one of the Dire Straits – Dire Straits to my colleague Craig McAteer and not continue to fob him off with waiting on reprints for the replacement you’ve had a month to send him one, he’s currently £11 out of pocket (shipping back to you) and still doesn’t have his replacement despite you advising me that they’re in stock.
RegardsSteve
So he’s been found out; lying to me; I’d figured as much if you hadn’t guessed.
40 minutes after I sent that email from my hooky account, I get an email to my proper account from him advising :
Sent a refund for your Dire Straits
So there we have it – he doesn’t want to send a replacement and would rather just cancel the order. I have emailed (his phone is still off) asking if the refund is going to include the £11 I’m also out of pocket.
At time of writing (17th February) I’ve got no idea if I’ll ever get my replacement sleeves; I think I know the answer to that, and it doesn’t begin with Y and end in S.
In fact I’ve just checked – he’s deleted my account from his site. I’ve obviously peeved him off.
Should you buy off SNVINYL. Not a chance, the prices maybe good but his customer service is severely lacking as you can see from my multiple examples above. The lying is totally unacceptable. I’d rather pay extra and I may even go back to MOFI directly for the One-Steps and just put up with the DHL Tax.
I’ve already ordered a replacement Dire Straits from Brook Audio (£14 more than SNVINYL) and I’ve had confirmation that it’s being shipped tomorrow.
Update – 19th February. He did refund me the cost of the album, not the cost of the postage, nor the cost of returning the faulty item to him. I will get my moneys worth out of him by other means. 🙂
Update : 25th February. MOFI despite not being involved in this were able to assist in providing replacements sleeves for the Bob Dylan. Many thanks to them.
Now if only Scott Nangle hadn’t been a prick about it.