passionato.com download problems
Sat, May 1 2010, 10:26AM
hi
has anyone else had problems with this site?
when they started up i was enthusiastic - after struggling with their search engine, badly laid out pages and imponderable download system, i was less enthusiastic and removed them as a source of good quality downloads
after seeing an excellent naxos offer recently, i again took the plunge - search engine still poor but liveable but download failed on fifth cd (and still remains more than a little clunky)
i have now sent 3 emails and tried 5 times to get the final cd - even deinstalling the downloader and deleting previous successful downloads
i have had no response to my emails
it is not that difficult to organise a download site - passionato seem to have a gift all their very own
phil
Fri, May 14 2010, 4:21PM
#2
RE: passionato.com download problems
Is this site actually working currently? Links appear to be broken ( curiously for contact us even) & I cannot find download links even after downloading the downloader.
http://www.passionato.com/ seems to be working, including the 'Contact us' page.
But if you're still having problems you can contact them at support@passionato.com
As they say on their 'Contact us' page
"All queries will receive a dedicated and personal reply and we aim to get back to you quickly.
"Please provide a detailed description of your problem. Most problems can be solved quickly; if the problem can not be solved within 72 hours, we will offer you a refund."
Although, since you can't find any download links, I suppose a refund isn't really relevant at the moment.
Mon, Jul 12 2010, 5:21PM
#3
RE: passionato.com download problems
Hi,
I have had problems with passionato.com also. I received my money back when I opened a dispute through PayPal, but I had no direct reply from Passionato customer service.
Sat, Aug 7 2010, 9:22AM
#4
RE: passionato.com download problems
So, here we are in August and this site is still giving problems. The biggest one for me, apart from the poor punctuation and use of English, is that the Download Manager refuses to accept a change to the default folder to place downloads in. Or at least it accepts it, changes the setting in the preference file, and then ignores it. So I have to move downloads manually from the my computer's system drive to my music drive. There are still the broken links on the site - try the User Manual link from the Download Manager menu for example or just logout which also tries to reach a page that doesn't exist. Have emailed the support desk with no ackowledgement after three days. Also emailed the author of download manager, Robin Sheat <robin@kallisti.net.nz>, you can find this info in the About menu item, also without reply. I am sure he will be delighted to hear from those who have a problem if he is still using this email address.
What surprises me is that all the good reviews about the site in the music press seem to have been written from a press release not as a result of the reviewer actually using the site. See also the previous upbeat post from J. Gordon Holt, founder of 'Stereophile' magazine. Why was he quoting the Passionato party line and not relying on the practical experience of users I wonder?
The downloads I selected recently did work ok however, I too found the site unnavigable when it first launched, so at least I got the music I had paid for.
But will not be using the site again until they fix these problems.
Tue, Sep 7 2010, 12:09PM
#5
RE: passionato.com download problems
Tried Passionato first time a few days ago. The Download Manager does not seem to work on my Macbook. The support address does not seem to work; all emails bounce back with an error announcement. Same thing with their other email addresses. The credit card was charged. No downloading and no support! It is very annoying. Be careful everyone.
Wed, Sep 8 2010, 6:56PM
#6
RE: passionato.com download problems
From the sounds of the problems you're having, I'm guessing you're logging into Passionato from a country outside the area we are allowed to download files (US, UK, Canada, EuroZone). This is a common problem, we've listed the countries where we can download on the home page of the site. And to answer the next question, which we get quite often, is these restrictions are in place due to the contracts we have signed with the record labels (or content providers as they are called in some places these days. We get quite a few questions like these - you'll find that a middle-sized site like ours gets caught in between - iTunes and Amazon have the worldwide distribution, and the small indy labels also can offer worldwide distribution. But unless we're willing to pay Amazon-sized payment at the start of our contracts, it's difficult to for us to offer worldwide access. However, we are starting to open many different countries now, and we will add even more countries by the end of the year.
Wed, Sep 8 2010, 7:07PM
#7
RE: passionato.com download problems
Well...there's a few issues we can address here. Punctuation, yes, there are some spelling mistakes here. One of the problems with a large, complicated web site is that occasionally you have to leave execution to a tech staff that might not be all that familiar with English. We're working on those issues.
Actually, the download manager in question does provide the usability Mr. Dudman is seeking, in two forms, under "Preferences" in the File pulldown menu area.
Frankly, Mr. Dudman, I think it's unfair to criticize Stereophile, since they actually did put us through a process of justifying certain issues with our site, which we acknowledged during the interview process. If your comment that they should have done more research on customers' reaction to the site, is based on three posts on Gramophone's web site, perhaps it's worth noting that we've had over 100,000 transactions since we reopened the site in February 2010, and 45% of our business is returning customers.
We never want anyone to leave with an unsatisfactory experience, but it does happen. But we also think nearly all of our customers are leaving with a positive end result.
It's not been a perfect launch, but we're happy to report that we're here, we're still in business, our UK business increased 125% in August 2010, and we'll be launching in more countries in weeks.
Fri, Oct 22 2010, 12:30PM
#8
RE: passionato.com download problems
Your response is purely defensive with no recognition that your website has serious problems executing a purchase. The one shortcoming you recognize, namely spelling and punctuation, could be eliminated quickly, yet you excuse it based on the fact that your website is complicated. You believe that you have satisfied many customers, but I suggest you review your support emails. Based on my experience with Passionato (3 purchases with 2 download problems and slow Passionato response), I'll bet your reputation is already seriously in jeopardy. It does not take very many disgruntled customers to spread the word that your download approach is unreliable and that "All queries will receive a dedicated and personal reply and we aim to get back to you quickly," is a lie. Passionato may well get its act together or perhaps it will be purchased by a company with the ability to operate the business. Alternatively Passionato will not survive because today, software, books, movies, tickets, and music can be easily purchased and efficiently delivered over the internet.
[EDITED BY MODS - Can we avoid the abuse, please?]
Thu, Nov 11 2010, 12:04PM
#9
RE: passionato.com download problems
Hi, My problem extends to not being able to purchase anything. The prices shown are "N/A" and not actual prices. I am in a legimate buying country and have purchased items previously. Passionato support, after 6 days, seem unable to help other than to ask whether I really am in a legimate country. My ISP has confirmed that I am "presented" as being located in the UK, which is correct. The problem exists on the 2 PCs I own and across the Internet Explorer and Safari browsers on both systems. Anyone else with this problem? A fix would be welcome.
Thu, Nov 25 2010, 6:16PM
#10
RE: passionato.com download problems
[EDIT: I logged into my credit card site to dispute the charge, and discovered that, though I never did receive a response to my emails, Passionato refunded me on Tuesday, a few days after my second email.]
My problem was:
After a week and a half emailing Passionato's support staff, I started Googling for other solutions... possibly a phone number. I didn't find that, but I found this thread.
In my case, I bought some of their recently-on-sale chamber music (from EMI) and EVERYTHING is the wrong music... ranging from Satie, Vaughan-Williams, and Vivaldi to what sounds like a mix of Steve Reich and free jazz. Quite bizarre, especially since the 30 second samples were correct.
Sun, Nov 28 2010, 5:01AM
#11
RE: passionato.com download problems
I like Passionato a lot. They have a terrific selection and great sales.
Still, I've noticed similar problems. They've acknowledged some of them (it seems that they received a batch of bad transfers from one of the labels). Other times, I've had problems getting the files to download properly, or have gotten transfers with noise or distortion.
Their customer service has been uneven. At times they're right there with help and/or a refund, at other times you do have to really work to get a response.
And yes their tagging at times seems to have been done by a well-meaning, possibly compulsive child with no experience with classical music -- it's weirdly detailed about things that don't matter but often misses the big picture.
The site has problems -- the one I love now is the sale they're running now on "over 6000 titles" -- which features significantly fewer than 6000 titles.
But having said all that, they do seem to be honestly trying, and their bargains are definitely worth a look. But my sense is that they're understaffed/overwhelmed, and it can take patience (if not work) on the buyer's part.
Sun, Dec 5 2010, 4:36PM
#12
RE: passionato.com download problems
Since the beginning I have been asking Passionato to allow worldwide downloads. First days they were extremely kind saying that very soon my country (Chile) would be able to download. Today I opened some sort of bombed web page with no allert about the download limtations but two apartheidy sections. In my section, sub pages, as contact, do not function and every work is not available. No explanations at all. Passionato speaks about Amazon royalties, etc., in circumstances that there are a bunch of stores that allow downloads worldwide with no troubles. Well, the lack of allerts means that Passionato is an unfair apartheidy store, means that now it allows worldwide downloads or does it mean that it got straightly unkind? Those n/a for every work is lack of kindness way to say that we continue not being capable to download issues or is Passionato in bankruptcy? I do not see the advantages to allow people to register there if downloads are not posssible for some countries. Funny store.... Unfair ideas... Many thanks and cheers.
Is this site actually working currently? Links appear to be broken ( curiously for contact us even) & I cannot find download links even after downloading the downloader.