[royhendo]

sorry for my first post being so negative, but having just received an e-mail from soundwise, i have to say they should be avoided like the plague. i read a review on a site called Lordpercy.com - Your Guide To Gadgets and it promoted the soundwise range of headphones as excellent value - so as it was shortly going to be my birthday, and as the reviews online said there were some decent headphones there, i figured i'd ask for some as a gift to wear to the gym, while jogging, and so forth.

anyway - they arrived a month late, no apology to my sister (she's not the type to spend more than £5 on a pair of headphones and wondered why I'd want a pair worth £40) and the guy only acted when pressed by paypal.

in the meantime i stupidly ordered some other phones for my wife to use, and when we received them, she promptly confessed she doesn't like in-ear headphones - full stop - and refused to try them.

so i write to the guy asking if it's ok to return them... nine days later i get a snooty e-mail back saying no returns, as they can't be resold once they've been in someone's ear. this despite the fact they've never been near anyone's ear, and despite the fact i've outlined this in my original mail, reminded him i also ordered the £40 pair through my sister, and emphasised the various claims of good service on web forums etc (strangely in retrospect these seem to have been posted by people with one or two posts on each forum - granted that's also my position here, but I'm annoyed enough to say my piece anyway).

so all in all, view any reviews you see of their products and service with suspicion.

as i say, apologies for the negative first post, but having lurked for a while and really enjoyed the reviews and advice on the site, i felt strongly enough on this one to feel I should post.

By way of background, I'm a general music lover and have er4ps for my desk at work, and have treated myself to a pair of klipsch image for my commute - I guess I should pull my finger out and post a review at some stage. Anyway, no complaints on either of those whatsoever; but for these, if you're in the market for 'value' in ear headphones, look elsewhere.

 

[synaesthetic]

Thanks for the warning.

Nothing beats the ER-6i for value IEMs! <3

 

[Assorted]

I hate to sound accusatory, but could your 40 pound headphones for your sister have been out of stock/back-ordered?

Have the IEMs been opened at all? Some stores here won't take any headphone, in-ear or not, if the plastic covering was opened. I have to remind you, that there are a lot of people who buys 5 headphones at the same time, only to keep one pair.

 

[x-kevin]

lol... that sucks you had to go through that man

.. i personally don't like soundwise... i've never really thought their products sounded that great...

but everyone has their opinions

 

[royhendo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Assorted /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hate to sound accusatory, but could your 40 pound headphones for your sister have been out of stock/back-ordered? Have the IEMs been opened at all? Some stores here won't take any headphone, in-ear or not, if the plastic covering was opened. I have to remind you, that there are a lot of people who buys 5 headphones at the same time, only to keep one pair.

That's probably the reason; however, when she ordered them, they were shown as in stock with immediate delivery and free shipping. she waited a few days then e-mailed them to ask what the story was, but received flat out no replies. she got no comms from them until, surprise surprise, she contacted paypal and put in a payment dispute; upon which she got an instant reply.

she's a worrier, my sister - she kept texting saying 'no sign of these headphones - am sorry' and i'm trying to reassure her it's no problem and sorry for putting you on to these guys. anyway, it's not a massive problem worthy of esther rantzen or anything; not even lynn faulds wood! But the guy's attitude throughout this has consistently p_ssed me off, and then tonight's e-mail was the straw that broke the camel's back.

The reviews online go along the lines of 'yeah, soundwise's customer service is excellent - maybe the best i've ever encountered - i sent them back and received a complementary pair of phones for my trouble', and the like. no such luck for me. i just have a kitchen cupboard with a wasted pair of soundwise G3 headphones sat in them. it's not going to bankrupt anyone, and they'll no doubt do as a gift for my nephew come next Xmas, but that's not the point - it's the attitude that got to me.

The phones I got (the s6 sports headphones) are decent enough but i'm left with the feeling of being ripped off somehow and i hate that. i don't mind paying when the service is good (for example, when i got my klipsch images through, the service was fantastic and courteous - they cost about four times as much as these, but i don't grudge paying a penny of it - maybe that's a strange motivation, but service and courtesy is important to me I guess...)

 

[QueenJane]

I know we all have diffrent experiences but I have bought from Soundwise UK - Earphones on three diffrent occasions now and each time they were fast and really polite. I also gave the card they sent to a friend who also seemed to find them good.

The first time I bought from them I had never tried in-ears. I did not like so wanted to return or exchange. I had a look at there online policy and it seemed to say it was ok to return. So I emailed them and got a polite reply saying I could return if I liked, but I could also try for a few days and still return for refund or exchange. I tried and I actually got used to them.

The next time I bought I emailed and asked the diffrence between a few diffrent pairs. The guy said I could try to compaire so I bought 3 pairs with the intention to buy 1. I liked all of them but kept 2. I returned 3rd and got a refund no problem. They seemed honest and reliable to me. They guy only expected me to buy 1, or maybe hoped I may buy more. I still returned without problem.

There is a couple of things a bit 'unusual' in your case. You seem annoyed enough to post a coment but not enought to read the terms and conditions. Soundwise seem to state that they Always dispatch within 24 hours, only sell items they stock and offer what seems one of the better returns policies.

Did you perhaps use for a month then want a refund or to exchange ? Why would anyone wait a month for a product dispatched within 24 hours within the UK? Why did paypal not take your side?