"RIP Alldirect...
I'm surprised by all the negative reviews here about Alldirect. I ordered from them for years and never had a problem. It's true that sometimes items you could add to your cart would end up out of stock. Also there were occasional typos for the artist/album name that would make searching for items tricky (not to mention that their entries would truncate long titles). But all this was WELL offset by their great prices. Their book prices were usually the cheapest around and their CD prices were almost always cheaper by 2 dollars, often more, and way below the list price. [New indie CDS 9.99-11.50... old catalog often 6.99-7.99]. Plus they stocked a fair amount of imports, again usually at the best prices around. This store was clearly geared to those who would order a large package every so often,, getting free shipping, rather than those who would only order 1 item at a time. Customer service was a little slow, but they always replied to email and credited returns I sent to them.
A total bummer they decided to call it quits. All the whiners who flamed them in the reviews can now happily pay a lot more for stuff elsewhere. Hopefully someone will step up and try to fill the void. Don't even try to post and say Best Buy or Amazon or CD Universe could come close to Alldirect..."
"I orered a English book on CD and was sent a Spanish version. I e-mailed them, they just ignore me. All I can say is buyer BEWARE!"
"I really can't say anything good about this place, except their prices, which did me little good - I ended up paying more in the end. Allow me to relate my story.
I ordered a single CD from AllDirect. It was shipped to the wrong address and returned to them. They said they would reship it for an additional charge. Now, I'm not sure whether or not the shipping error was my fault or theirs, but here is where the fun begins. I send them a mail saying to go ahead and reship it - and it's bounced. Their machine says all mail coming from my IP is spam. So I figure I'd call them - but they have no phone technical support. So I tried to contact the domain administrator to correct the problem - and my e-mail was bounced again. When I finally got a mail to them from another address, and they reshipped it, the CD never arrived. I asked for a refund, but I think they're liable to blame it on me just like they did the first shipping error. I've never had such terrible shipping problems with anyone else. A hassle not worth the difference in price. "
"This site makes a great first impression on buyers. It cancels your order 4 days after the fact, claiming out-of-stock. The purchase was important, so for the website to claim that the product was available for shipment is not a good way to do business. Although their prices seem great, I'll never consider Alldirect again."
"I've ordered from Alldirect.com numerous times. I have always had good luck with them and their prices are amoungst the best on the net. Free shipping for orders over $100.00. I usually find what I need at the local bookstore or on Amazon, get the ISBN number and purchase from Alldirect. "
"Ordered on a Saturday and arrived a week from the following Monday. Price including shipping was $20 less than Amazon. No problems."
"Again with the perfect service"
"AllDirect has some of the best prices I've seen anywhere, but their web site doesn't provide much information about the products they sell. There are no pictures or descriptions of items. This is a great place to go if you're already know exactly what you want to buy and want to get the best price. I've ordered from AllDirect several times, and the only problems I've had were these:
My son needed a copy of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I ordered what I thought was the correct book. It was listed for sale as "Huckleberry Finn" and the author was listed as Mark Twain. However, when I received the item, it was nothing more than a "Cliff notes"-type study of the novel and not the original novel. (And the author of the book was not Mark Twain.)
The last time I ordered from AllDirect, I did not actually receive a confirmation email for my order for several days. In fact, the confirmation email arrived in my in-box on the same day that my order arrived at my home. I could find no place on their website where I could check on my order status. This information is included in the email, but since I hadn't yet received an email, I had to wait five or six days before I was sure they'd received my order.
Other than that, I've had no problems with AllDirect. Items have always arrived in a short period of time and were in good condition. "
"Ordered 3 books Monday, received them on Tuesday of the following week. No problems, fairly quick delivery, would use them again."
"I needed to get a CD for a nieces' birthday. They told me most orders would be sent in 2 days. I decided to order 2 more CDs to make it worth the shipping. I got the two extra CDs (which I got charged extra shipping for) in 1 week and waited 1 month before getting a notice that the first CD it was out of stock. Suffice it to say, I missed her birthday. It is not acceptable for an item they said was in stock to be cancelled later. I told them if they'd drop shipping on the first two CDs that we could call it even. They wouldn't. I WOULD NOT SUGGEST BUYING FROM THIS COMPANY IF YOU ARE EXPECTING ORDERS IN A TIMELY FASHION EVEN IF THEY ARE CHEAPER. THEY HAVE LOST MY BUSINESS AND HOPEFULLY YOURS."
"A great experience. Recieved shipping confirmation quickly and items were at my doorstep within days. Prices were even better. "