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| Recordings to celebrate the world of the oboe | |
Most have programme notes in English, French and German, some have variations, or longer notes in English only.
Follow the 'More Details' link of the individual CD for details.
COSTS
In UK shops these CDs are the 'full price', which is about £14-50. The web price is £11-99, which is approximately 16 euros or 23 US dollars as at January 2008 exchange rates.
The only other cost is Postage and Packing, which is currently on a flat rate. Orders up to £40 cost £1 in the UK and £2 for everywhere else. Orders of £40 or more are post free, worldwide.
This means, effectively, that the cost of the CDs gets less the more you buy. If you are willing to buy an 'Oboe Box' (ten CDs at one go), they cost £7.50 each, post free. (See the top of the Catalogue for details.)
If you live outside the European Community, there is the theoretical possibility that you could be charged import duty in your country. However, out of more than a thousand orders I have only heard of this happening once, to Canada (I now split large Canadian orders into smaller units). US orders - and some of them have been quite big - have never been charged.
Occasionally there will be a price reduction involving a 'promotional code'. This is normally associated with an Ad in a magazine, and is typed into the shopping cart before checking out.
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PAYMENT
As you browse the site, if you want to buy a CD, click 'Add to basket'. You will first be asked whether you are in the UK or not - to calculate postage - and then taken to a basket (a shopping cart) run by www.roman.co.uk. You can adjust the Quantity of CDs, and then continue shopping (back to the Catalogue) or check out.
If you want to get to the basket without buying anything more, click one of the many 'Check/Checkout' buttons. When you are ready to go, click 'Checkout' from the basket, and Roman Cart will take your address details. You can send the CD(s) to someone else if you want, and there is space for a message.
At the bottom of this screen you select the payment method, which for most people will be by Credit or Debit Card. You are then linked to a secure server hosted by www.nochex.co.uk, which first asks you what kind of card you are using and then takes its details.
For security it also asks for a phone number (not accessible to Oboe Classics, and not used for marketing) and other security questions. If your bank is taking part in the '3D secure' system (a kind of web chip and pin), you will be taken to a page and invited to sign up/defer, or enter your password. (Signing up is optional.)
When you're happy that all is in order, click 'Make Payment'; the payment is made and Nochex creates a reference number and hands you back to Roman Cart, which gives you a chance to print an Invoice.
You can print this if you're a belt-and-braces type, but in any case you will now get an email from both Nochex (confirming the payment) and Roman Cart (confirming the order details and address). I also get these, we pack the order and send you an email telling you when we posted it.
It sounds complicated and slow, but it isn't really, and usually it all happens within 24 hours. If for any reason any delay is expected (because of holidays, for example) there will be a message to that effect on the Catalogue page. There have been no errors so far. The payment will show up on your Card bill as 'NOCHEX' because those are the people you made the payment to.
If you want to use PayPal, then Paypal will transfer the money from your account into the mail@oboeclassics.com account in the usual way. PayPal also has an eCheque facility, whereby you can pay direct from your bank account without using a credit card. However, like a normal cheque, there is a delay while the money is cleared.
If you opt to pay by UK cheque, Nochex will not be contacted. You will be asked to send a cheque to 'Oboe Classics' at 9 Beversbrook Road, London N19 4QG. (You will still get a confirmation email from Roman Cart.)
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SECURITY
In spite of stories in the media, buying over the web is much safer than using a credit card in a shop or restaurant. Perhaps the most unsettling aspect of security is the Spam emails many of us get, inviting us to update our bank account details. These should be deleted. With this sytem, you do not 'join' Nochex, it's a one-off transaction. There is no account. (Nochex does run an account system, but we are not using it.) If you have a PayPal account, you will know never to respond to emails, however persuasive, asking for your details.
Nochex is a major UK online payment validator. The site itself uses SSL (secure sockets layer) technology which is used by nearly all secure services. In dealing with them, I have noticed that they are extremely security-conscious, and I know of no example where their security has been breached. More information can be found at www.nochex.co.uk/security. Your Credit Card and telephone information is not passed to Oboe Classics.
If, in spite of these reassurances, the worst should ever happen to you, your credit card company will reimburse you for any money used fraudulantly from your account. If you think Oboe Classics has made a mistake, or your order doesn't arrive, tell us and we'll see what we can do. Our address is 9 Beversbrook Road, London N19 4QG, UK, telephone number is +44 (0)20 7263 4027, email address is mail@oboeclassics.com.
A less pleasing aspect of the rigorous Nochex security system is that it has occasionally rejected genuine customers, and I have been unable to get the people at Nochex to relent. Should this happen to you, try the PayPal route at checkout - PayPal also accept Credit and Debit cards.
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DELIVERY TIMES AND RELIABILITY
Worldwide, the CDs are sent airmail as a small packet. I have been pleasantly surprised at the reliability and speed of the world's postal services. One American buyer was amazed when their CD arrived two days after ordering it, but they were lucky - five days is a more typical time to the USA. Even Australia can be five days. In the UK they are sent second class, but my feedback indicates that they usually arrive the following day. However, the Post Offices of the world don't guarantee delivery times, and there is always the possibility that the CDs may get held up somewhere in the system. However, out of more than a thousand packages sent out since 2002 only two have failed to arrive - one to Poland and the other to another part of London, about five miles away! (I replaced them.)
The CDs are sent in bags padded with bubblewrap, which is normally enough to protect them from the stresses and strains of the journey. However, there are some kinds of mishandling they can't repel, and the CD jewel case may crack. If this is a problem for you, again, I replace the product.
"I must say how impressed I am at the efficiency and speed of your service. Not only do you provide outstanding products but they are delivered and received within days. If only everyone was like that....." Stuart Wright, UK
"I was amazed at the speed with which my order arrived. I ordered something else from England a week earlier, and it still hasn't arrived." Gail Perstein, USA
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