"Packing quality: very poor
Shipping confirmations, e-mail communication: fair to poor, misleading.
Phone customer service hold wait time: 20-30 minutes.
Customer service quality: reasonable representatives appear to be willing to fix the problems. Caveat: long hold time.
Prices: very reasonable.

The first time the order was sent, the box fell apart while being in transit, - the USPS office had to tape it together. 3 of 4 CDs were lost, the remaining one - had the jewel box cracked.
The replacement order came in an almost unsealed box that was barely holding together.

Moreover, you receive a separate confirmation message for each item that it has been shipped. Some of those can be sent several days apart (2 in the most recent shipment), but it does not mean that the items is shipped. Rather, the entire shipment is held until all items are confirmed and then everything is shipped together.

When the CSR promised to send the replacement order, she made a mistake: the confirmation for the items being ordered I received indicated one wrong CDs. I had to call again to have it checked/corrected.

Result: Order placed on Dec.31 was finally received on Jan. 23.

So far, this was the worst CD-buying experience in my life. I would think twice before ordering again from tower.com ."

"I wished that I checked the reviews before ordering. Item was "in stock", "On sale ships within 12 hours" and has free shipping. I was prepared for the shipping to take the standard 8-15 days and thought like other excellent companies they set this expectation and you receive the order sooner then expected, which would ensure positive reviews and repeat purchases. Not with this store. Ordered on 1/4 and got a confirmation on the 15th that the order was shipped that day. I guess when it ships in 12 hours they mean 12 non-consecutive hours, and it's counted as around 1 hour each day. To make it even worse it's 8-15 days to deliver from this date but regardless of this they state they allow up to 21 days for delivery. I too have been charged on my credit card the minute the order was submitted and have received the credit card statement well before the item. I would order any audio/video items from another site that offers "free super saver shipping" over the $5.00 or so I would have saved by ordering from tower.com "

"Ordered a reference book and never shipped. Tried 4 times to get updated ship status...No reply to emails or phone msgs. (phone lines were 20 mins. of waiting) The worst part is they charged my credit card the minute my order was placed and after two weeks of no reply I emailed them to cancel my order. Guess what? I received an immediate reply! Worst online experience I've ever had."

"AVOID like the plague. Placed order for 5 cds. 2 weeks later received 1st cd then another week later received a box with 2nd & 3rd inside. Never received last two(4th & 5th). Emailed them twice but no response. Contesting charge with credit card issuer for value of missing cds. It appears that the low prices are a calculated result of only shipping partial orders, thereby the customer is actually charged a higher than list price for those items actually shipped & received. This is NOT the Tower Records of old but rather a shell company posing as a reputable business ripping off its customers big time. AVOID! AVOID! AVOID!"

"Very pleased with my order. Don't take all the panic over Tower's recent buyout by Caiman too seriously. It's possible they were having problems for awhile due to their buyout, but they seem to be just fine now.

It's true you'll find things 'in stock' which in fact, aren't and you might have to keep an eye on your expenses to make sure you aren't charged for things they never had. I'm not sure why this is, but it's not too terribly inconveniencing. Just be wary of items that state they ship within 2-X amount of days, these likely aren't in stock. Most of the merchandise that is labeled 'in stock' however usually is.

I can find stuff here for dollars cheaper, new, with free shipping on orders over $25. Slightly sluggish delivery times, but everything comes as expected. I'd definitely order from them again.

I'm satisfied overall."

"So many negative reviews, and I'm not sure why. I placed an order at Tower.com for four copies of the same book, and all of them were received in the time specified. It's possible that they have gotten better since the last review posted about this vendor."

"This place is terrible!! learned my lesson! should have read reviews beofre placing order here! Buyer beware. They cahrge you immediately! and dont ship your stuff out! I will pay more money to shop at a reputable company! sent an email, never heard back from them. we will see what happens. VERY BAD PLACE "

"Terrible customer service, terrible site, the whole thing is a mess. I cancelled my order days later after not knowing what the heck was goin on both with the weird answers i was receiving as well as the general status of my order."

"My credit card was charged on the day that I purchased an item from their site. Weeks later the item has still not shipped, and their website still says that my order is "currently processing". When I inquired by email as to when they would be done "processing" and start shipping, I got a generic response stating how I could cancel the order if I wanted. I gave this company $100 dollars several weeks ago and they can't even give me information on what is going on? Unless the oder is delivered soon, I will have to cancel, try to get my money back, and order from somewhere else. If they eventually deliver or not, I will never shop with Tower.com again."

"This is NOT the Towerrecords we all knew,it`s now owned and operated by Caiman Holding Inc,the same Caiman.com that sells on Amazon.

I had placed two orders in May 2007:
1) Order WEB6128210,was charged for two cds,they sent one wrong title and the other title never shipped. Asked for refund for cd that never shipped,they promised a refund in 72 hrs,also was issued a return authorization and returned wrong title.
2) Order WEB6139062,tried to cancel one title,they sent it anyhow. Again,I got a return authorization to return title I didn`t want. I kept inquiring if they received the two separate authorized returns and when I`d be getting a refund for all three cds. Well,they told me they never received the returned cds and that they weren`t going to refund me for the title that never shipped,then they blocked my emails to them.

I feel there should be a class action suit brought against them:

Caiman Inc / Tower.com Inc / Caxem Inc
640 Saint Paul Ouest,Suite 208
Montreal,QC H3C 1L9
Canada

CEO & owner: Didier Pilon
Administrative: Yannick Pilon
CS Manager: Nick Andrews
Sales/Marketplace Manager: Sabrina Miller

***-***-****
***-***-****
***-***-****

Tower.com corporate address in USA:

Mail Boxes Etc
Fairfax Shopping Center
2207 Concord Pike,Box 633
Wilmington,DE 19803

***-***-****

Drop off for customers paying with money orders,which AREN`T refundable according to Tower.com's website!"

"Items show as being in stock on their web page, but they aren't. Regardless, credit card was charged for order without any of the items being shipped. It's been three months and , although web site clearly shows one of the outstanding items is in stock, they still haven't sent it claiming it is on backorder. Will not buy from them again nor recommend them to anyone else."

"I ordered 10 DVDs, two shipped together, 3 shipped by themselves, and 8 weeks later, 5 have still not even shipped! I have called, I have emailed, their solution was to cancel the order, not fix the problem. This company has no interest in making customers happy. Buy somewhere else, don't waist your time like I have."

"I placed an order with this company on August 9, 2007. They immediately charged my credit card. Their website allows you to check the status of your order but it always states "Your order is currently processing and will be shipped soon!" I wrote to the company approximately a month ago requesting a refund it the order could not be shipped. They wrote back and advised that the item wasn't on backorder and their shouldn't be a problem filling the order. It's been another month - still no order - still no refund. I'm waiting for another reply. I would never do business with them again. "

"I placed two orders with this store, they never shipped them, I cancelled them, several days have gone by and I still don't get a refund, funny how they are quick to charge your card, but are a "few days behind" with the refunds, or so I've been told in a response from their customer department.

I strongly advise anyone to make purchases from this store, they charge your card at once, it doesn't matter if the item is in stock or not, if they ship it or not, they will charge your card and then your on your own. "