Good Selection and Competitive Prices add up to a Satisfied Customer
Written: Jul 09 '03
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J&R Music and Computer Store is an on- line resource for making purchases of music cd’s videos, and various electronics products. This retail establishment has its roots in New York City, where the J&R store was opened in 1971. It expanded its offerings to the internet in the 1990’s where it maintains a strong presence among on- line shoppers for music and electronics merchandise.
What Does This Site Have to Offer?:
This on- line resource offers the following items for consumer purchase:
Audio- This part of the site offers stereo equipment like CD players, speakers, receivers, etc.
Video- Here, you will find camcorders, television sets, VCR’s, DVD players, and other types of visual electronic products.
Cameras- Besides digital cameras and other photographic equipment, this section also offers film, binoculars, telescopes, and books on cameras and equipment.
Computers- PC’s, notebooks, printers, monitors, scanners, modems, and other computer items can be found here. There are even a few pieces of furniture and fixtures for sale to display your computer and control lighting.
Home Products- This section includes a full slate of household devices, like vacuum cleaners, air conditioners, coffee makers, clocks, portable heaters, blenders, refrigerators, grills….the list goes on and on!
Movies- Pretty self- explanatory, this section is a resource for purchasing movies, documentaries, how- to, and various other categories of live entertainment on DVD.
Music- This is where to turn if you’re in the market for a new music CD. All types of music are covered here.
Office- Cell phones, fax machines, copy machines, answering machines, even fountain pens and mechanical pencils can be purchased here. About the only thing I couldn’t find was the paper to write on, but they sell just about everything else.
Software- Computer software of all types are available here, including financial, business, reference, tutorials, games, and much more.
Travel- Here, you can find travel- related merchandise for sale like travel clocks, luggage, portable hairdryers, inflatable beds, flashlights, etc.
Shipping/Handling:
J&R ships only to the United States and its territories and to Canada. The charges added to each order are based on destination, desired time of arrival, and shipping weight (in most instances). The standard 2- day charge is $9.95 and the 1- day charge is $19.95. Shipping is calculated at a rate per pound (currently set at 90 cents per pound), with a minimum charge assessed to all orders, based on the destination.
If you order CD’s or videos, the shipping is not based on weight, it’s based on the number of items. It costs $2.95 for the first item and 50 cents for each additional item if you go with 2- day mail; $5.99 for the first item plus 60 cents for each additional if you go with 1- day mail.
No shipping takes place on Saturday or Sunday. They ship only Monday through Friday, which could be a factor on the timing of your order. And if you live in New York state, you will have sales tax added to your order.
Methods of Payment:
J&R accepts Mastercard, Visa, Discover, and American Express. If you would rather pay by check or money order, you can do that too, but you will have to go into the on- line site and print out a special form first.
Customer Service:
J&R offers several ways to contact them with questions or concerns. Your first resource is the web site itself, where you can lookup answers to frequently asked questions and send an e-mail inquiry, if you like.
If you can’t find the answers you need, you can also call the customer support line at 800-426-6027 for a general customer service question. And if you would rather place your order on-line, you can call 800-806-1115.
Final Thoughts:
I make a good number of purchases every year from the world wide web. The items I purchase most often are travel services, books, cd’s, and videos. What convinced me to check J&R’s on- line site was to make price comparisons on music CD’s. In the past, I have made most all of my CD purchases through Amazon.com. I decided it was time I checked out a few other on- line stores to see if there were better deals.
To make a purchase at J&R, I found out that you must first create an on- line account. It’s easy to do, and it involves entering a username, password, e-mail address, street address, city, state, zip code, and phone number. Once this information is entered, you are ready to make a purchase. If you don’t setup an account first, you can still add items to your cart and prepare to make a purchase. The setting up of an account will take place when you’re ready to check out.
I came here looking for CD’s, and what I found is that J&R Music and Computer Store is pretty good, but it could use a few minor improvements. I noticed that in the music section, the product information isn’t quite as good as in other sites. Many albums don’t show a picture of the cover, and there are no consumer reviews to read (both of which are standard features in Amazon.com). On the other hand, the list of credits (musicians in the band, engineers, producers, photographers, etc.) is more extensive and (most importantly), the prices are competitive. With most every selection I looked up, the price offered here was equal to the price on Amazon.com.
Shipping isn’t too bad with J&R, and on occasion you can even find a few items that offer free shipping. But these are few and far between and unlike Amazon.com (sorry for making the comparisons so much, but that’s where I normally shop for music), there is no dollar level of purchases that rewards the buyer with free shipping for the entire order (on Amazon.com right now, an order of $25 or more makes your shipping free). Unless you can find an item specifically offered free of shipping, you will have to pay several dollars for delivery even if you purchased 10 CD’s. But one nice thing about this site is that they do go the extra mile and tell you up- front, using large, easy to see numbers, exactly what the shipping charge will be per item. Other sides often hide this at the bottom of the screen, in small numbers so you won’t notice, or they don’t tell you about the shipping charges at all until your order is completed. But with J&R, as soon as you look up a product, you can clearly see what the shipping will cost you, and it’s shown right in the middle of the screen.
My order went smoothly. I received an e-mail confirmation that my order was received and I got my CD’s in the mail in about 5 working days after the order was placed. I have no issues at all with the customer service. They sent me my order in the time frame that they stated.
When I first logged onto this site, I was surprised at the number of products offered. I came here thinking (based on the name of the site) that it offered nothing but computer equipment and music CD’s. I was impressed to see such a wide range of products, including things like household appliances and luggage. It looks like J&R is trying to expand its product offerings to better compete with other on- line powerhouses like (yes, once again) Amazon.com. While there are a good number of products offered, I think J&R could improve a little by expanding the site with product reviews, recommendation lists, and a few more enhancements.
J&R has a price match policy. If you can find a better price at another competitor’s web site, you can click a link next to the product that says “have you seen a lower price?”. A window will pop up where you will be asked to indicate the price you saw, along with the product information and the URL of the site with the lower price. J&R will then get back with you and try to match the price, to ensure you get the best deal.
Buying merchandise on- line is one of my favorite pastimes. CD’s are among the things that I like to purchase on- line because unlike certain other items (like clothing, for example), you don’t need to see a CD first or examine it up close before you make a purchase. You can feel confident that your CD purchased on- line will be in good shape. J&R Music and Computer store offers competitive deals on CD’s and thousands of other merchandise, with very good customer service and on- time delivery. Yes, it could use a few minor enhancements to improve the overall experience. But the bottom line is price, and J&R Music and Computer Store delivers in this area, with helpful customer service to ensure that you get what you want at the lowest possible cost.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Music CD's
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