I didn't compose the thread title, I just added my honest experience. If no such thread existed, I wouldn't have started one and I surely wouldn't have given it the title it has. I just thought there was enough history in the thread to warrant adding my own experience. I would consider buying an expensive instrument from Elderly, though I'd drive to Lansing to play it and pick it up.

I ordered from Elderly with confidence, partly because they have been in business serving our needs for a long time and partly because of recommendations from Art, Mick and others. Maybe I just need to move to the UK. <g> I order merchandise online fairly often and I'm used to the way these transactions are normally handled. I place the order, print the receipt as instructed, receive a confirmation (usually within a few minutes) via email and await another email informing me that the order has shipped.

Normally, the order ships the next business day. If not, and a couple of days pass, I receive an email note explaining the status. Many online merchants also provide a page on their websites for checking the status of orders. In Elderly's case, I had the receipt I printed and the automated email confirming the order so there was no reason to believe it wouldn't be shipped soon. If Elderly has a policy of holding an order for several business days before processing, I support their right to operate with that policy. If I find there is no more responsive supplier for something I need, I'll probably even use Elderly again. But if an item is available from someone whom I know will ship the next day, I'll probably go there first.

Eight (now) business days might have been acceptable in the days when written orders were sent through the postal system, had to be delevered internally to the order department, manually checked against inventory, typed in triplicate, routed to the manufacturing or shipping departments, etc., etc. But in the electronic age, human delays of this sort have become quite rare.

I sent Stan the documentation of my order and I see he responded at 1:00 AM. That seems like dedication to me and I appreciate his personal interest. He promised to look into the problem today and to see that the order is shipped and I take him at his word.

      - Mark