zzounds?

[riffer7777]

anyone know this website in us?its crazy,seymour duncan pickups half the price in usa compared to the uk.its free shipping within us and they will not ship to uk as they say they lose money.ive been customizing my epiphone gibson ltd edition.seymour do sets now.im after the hotrodders but i may have to pay big bucks.the uk is a rip off nation,tax on everything,including fresh air !!!!!

[mickeymix]

That's why they invented the good ole US of A.....TeaTax
bollox ....Bollox .....BOLLOX!!!!!! I say!

[riffer7777]

lol.i know mickey its all in the game !!!!!!![ive just scratched my balls] i can hear tony blair now "tax that british ballbag scratcher now" the swine !!!

[pbear5]

i've used zzounds (us) a lot and never had a bad experience with them. i don't like their website now so i mostly buy from MusiciansFriend--funny how a little thing like the website gui makes a difference.

[bozobreath]

What's cool about ZZ is the sales folks are musicians. They either know about the specific product you are asking about or will transfer you to someone who does. AFIK: One of the only ones who don't operate on commission.

[riffer7777]

i know they are good,we cant use them and thats bad news.this is the trouble with the uk,we pay far to much tax.tax on: clothes,food,cars,police,fire,refuge,electrical goods.political bloody madness !!!!!!

[epauley]

The point about online store design is so true. A poorly designed and/or difficult to negotiate website will have negative consequences. And, undeniably, zzounds would benefit by adapting a more “user friendly” format.

Of course, that’s just the “hook.” Ultimately, good customer services along with competitive pricing matter. To sustain a sound patron base, a business must think long-term instead of having a “quarterly” mentality.

Reputation has consequences – even on the www. An excellent example is Atomic Amps. Currently, they rely largely on “word of mouth” sales. Atomic's website is straight forward and easy to use. The owner, Tom King, deals directly with customers and what’s more (and too rare) – seems to enjoy it!

Sonoma Wire Works, thanks to the moderators, is another example of a company that understands good customer service.

Finally (sorry for going on but this touches a nerve), when was the last time you watched a film where business wasn’t vilified? Socialism and taxes are always championed. All of my British friends, and I have many, echo the sentiments expressed by riffer7777. Impose a lot of tax-based services and pay double the price.

[scott]

[mounts soapbox]As a UK citizen we are hit with many stealth taxes. We pay a lot of extra 'tax' but very often we don't even know about it.
I don't have a probelm with tax per se, as long as it's used for the benefit of the people who pay it.
I have a major problem when it goes to line the pockets of government bodies/individuals who have no political accountability. [dismounts soapbox]

[epauley]

(Standing near soapbox) Taxes are a reality but unfortunately, even well-meaning political representatives get a lot of pressure to “bring home the bacon” – often at the expense of operating more effectively and efficiency.

Too often, success is punished by being forced to support poorly conceived and implemented programs which don’t stand the test on time.

I am afraid that the lures of power and winning are even more alluring than the lining of one’s pockets.

Sorry for veering off topic. (leaves with soapbox to do laundry)

[scott]

In the UK we've had the "Cash For Questions" scandal where government ministers take bribes from individuals in order to ask questions on their behalf in Parliament. We're also in the middle of a "Buying Titles" scandal where titles/peerages are being bought as opposed to 'awarded'.
I'm not so sure that the lining of pockets is less alluring than winning - at least, not over here!!

[gatorjj]

I'll go with lining pockets myself...but we're getting kind of off topic, and that will probably spawn it's own tax in the form of porno sites

[epauley]

“Cash for Questions” sounds like a game show. I hope Sir Paul or Sir Mick aren’t involved in the “buying titles” scandal.

I should have emphasized the word "power" instead of inserting "winning." However, in the US, winning sometimes supersedes commitment to any core philosophy.

In the end, this is probably a classic chicken or egg debate.

Speaking of eggs (gators hatch eggs don't they?) So, gatorjj you are alive? It’s been very quiet over at the shredrex forum.

[gatorjj]

Hmmm...I wonder if something's not working with the "view last posts" over on ShredRex. We've had a reasonable number of posts every day, are you not getting notified?

[epauley]

Very still - no notifications.