RIMA and Taiyo Yuden (ISSUE RESOLVED)

[888888]

This is just an update on my experiences with RIMA. Today, I received an order of 200 Prodisc and Taiyo Yuden DVD-Rs from RIMA through UPS. I have NEVER seen such a fantastic packing job. A lot of care was put into packing the discs with both special cardboard and bubble wrap. Everything was in perfect condition. I suppose my issue with RIMA was a one time thing and I can now safely say they are the best place to buy DVDR media online. They have terrific packing, service, selection, and prices as well as an easy to use website.


I received my order of 100 Taiyo Yuden CD-Rs and 100 Prodisc 4x DVD-Rs from RIMA today. These links respectively:

http://www.rima.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=R&Product_Code=1160&C...tegory_Code=CM

http://www.rima.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=R&Product_Code=1632-1...y_Code=PRODISC

Upon getting the package, I was already alarmed at the sound of the spindles moving inside the cardboard box. After opening the box, I saw that the Taiyo Yuden CD-R spindle was broken. And not just a little, it was completely fucked up; like if somebody hit it with a hammer on top and then dropped it some more. Luckily, there were no cracks or significant damage to the media except for the top disc which was scratched. The edges of a few of the CD-Rs were chipped but I am not sure if that was caused during shipping and handling. There was only one syrafoam ring thing on the spindle top and the media was not secure on the spindle. Also, there were no "dummy" CD-Rs on either the bottom or the top of the spindle to protect the media. There were also fingerprints on the very bottom CD-R! Basically, I would not expect such shitty packaging from the cheapest media in the world including SuperMedia or Naked Geek. And this is supposed to be the best quality consumer level media in the world- Taiyo Yuden!?

The two 50 spindles of Prodisc were packaged perfectly as usual including shrink wrap and very secure syrafoam rings.

I have a feeling that the CD-R spindle was broken when they shipped it since the Prodisc spindles don't have any damage at all. For all I know, they may have sent me a return (as evidenced by the fingerprints).

After being spoiled by the super-high quality double-boxing of Page Computers and the always reliable NewEgg packaging, the shitty cardboard box and too-few packing peanuts of RIMA are unacceptable. I have dealt with RIMA before with mixed results buying DVD supplies but there media has always been very well packaged so I am very surprised.

I would have returned the media but since the discs seem fine, I don't want to spend the time, money, or effort on a return, especially since I need CD-Rs now. What do you guys think?

I have only tested one of the CD-Rs and it is HD-Burn compatible and verified with Nero at 24x.

Anyway, just a warning to all of those people who are amazed by the super-low prices on made in japan Taiyo Yuden media that RIMA offers. In this case, there is a catch, notably terrible packaging and suspicious looking discs. I was planning on buying some Taiyo Yuden DVD-Rs from RIMA but I don't think I will do that now. In fact, I very much doubt I will ever shop at RIMA again.

[Capmaster]

Odd, the last order I got from Rima was for 200 TY DVD-R. It came in a huge box with loads of that air-filled plastic. Beautiful packaging job.

I wonder if you got a trainee shipping yours that day

[Bondiablo]

i've ordered quite a bit from rima and, except for the very first order 2 or 3 years ago, they've all been very well packaged. that first order of cd cases that arrived scratched and a few broken, they sent a whole new order without even asking me to return the damaged ones.

[babyboo]

Odd, the last order I got from Rima was for 200 TY DVD-R. It came in a huge box with loads of that air-filled plastic. Beautiful packaging job.

I wonder if you got a trainee shipping yours that day

Interesting...I placed the same order...I even think it was on the same day as you since we both spoke about what a great deal it was. When my box arrived there wasn't a single "peanut" and more than enough room for the spindles to bang around in. One of the spindle case covers was cracked while the other 3 were fine. I have burnt about 15 from each spindle without a problem so far.

[tkamin]

i also haven't run into a prob... great packaging (although i only ordered twice so far...) just call them up and tell them about it... you may be suprised by the comment as most big companies compensate good customers...

[budz]

call rima.com to tell them what happened, i'm sure they'll take care of it. if you don't tell them how are they suppose to know your order was fuked up.

[lordsmurf]

I think people expect too much. How should things be packed? In steel crates in boxes 10x larger than the item, stuffed full of down feathers? And then what about the costs? Then people will complain shipping costs too much. Everything you add costs more, even if it's just another handful of peanuts or a larger box. This is a no-win situation.

If it came broken, return it. But you cannot both keep it (meaning satisfaction) and complain at the same time. That's illogical.

[Bodyslide]

I agree with MR.Smurf, I'm sorry Lord Smurf. Items get damaged in mailings all the time. Call and get replacements. In my experience with Rima I have received only 1 shipment that was damaged. Sent an email for a RMA, they sent me out replacements and gave me a few bucks off my next order.

[888888]

I think people expect too much. How should things be packed? In steel crates in boxes 10x larger than the item, stuffed full of down feathers? And then what about the costs? Then people will complain shipping costs too much. Everything you add costs more, even if it's just another handful of peanuts or a larger box. This is a no-win situation.

If it came broken, return it. But you cannot both keep it (meaning satisfaction) and complain at the same time. That's illogical.

I don't agree with you. I don't think I am expecting too much and your silly exaggerations are irrelevant. The box they sent it in was only about half-full of packing peanuts and the sides were taped very badly. This is not a matter of cost cutting but of negligence. A handful of peanuts is not worth a return to a company. Also, if you read my original comment, I have a suspicion that the damage happened BEFORE shipping and the crappy packaging was just a coincidence.

Anyway, I needed those CD-Rs TODAY. The media was not damaged except for a couple discs. I already burned about 20 of them. I don't want to pay shipping on a return and I don't want to wait another week and a half to get them. I am going to send an email to RIMA and tell them about the situation but I really don't know what they can do. I don't want to return it so basically it is just a heads up for them that they have some morons working at the shipping department.

My post was also to inform people on the lack of dummy CD-Rs and adequate cushioning on either the top or bottom of the 100 CD-R Taiyo Yuden spindle. I don't know how RIMA can even fix this.

[lordsmurf]

Have RIMA replace only the bad discs. They've done it for me. Toss them in an envelope and return it Media Mail via USPS. That only costs a couple bucks at most. They're damaged anyway, no need for you to pack a huge box to send back junk. Use a cheap envelope.

At least give them a chance to correct the mistake or problem, before leaving big angry posts.

A few times they just gave me a flat out refund, no need to send back discs. I just counted the broken/damaged ones, and got my money back on them.

[888888]

Have RIMA replace only the bad discs. They've done it for me. Toss them in an envelope and return it Media Mail via USPS. That only costs a couple bucks at most. They're damaged anyway, no need for you to pack a huge box to send back junk. Use a cheap envelope.

At least give them a chance to correct the mistake or problem, before leaving big angry posts.

A few times they just gave me a flat out refund, no need to send back discs. I just counted the broken/damaged ones, and got my money back on them.

None of the discs were damaged to such an extent that they were unusable. I have already used the scratched discs for unimportant data backups so I can't send them back.

The aim of my post was to bring up the issue of this kind of damage during shipping. In this case, the discs where not damaged enough to return them but the packing was bad enough for me not to risk buying from them again.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions. I just sent an email to RIMA informing them about the issue.

[Goober57]

I think people expect too much. How should things be packed? In steel crates in boxes 10x larger than the item, stuffed full of down feathers? And then what about the costs? Then people will complain shipping costs too much. Everything you add costs more, even if it's just another handful of peanuts or a larger box. This is a no-win situation.

http://boston.indymedia.org/usermedia/image/11/gook-finger.jpg

You are in breach of the rules of this forum.

[Myrdhinn]

It may not have been Rima ... having worked for the post office I can tell you packages are not neatly, gently put in the trucks.. they are thrown and if one breaks in transit, at the depot its usually just taped together and sent on its merry way.

[KTH]

My experience with Rima so far has been nothing but good. All my orders were correct, arrived in a timely manner, and were well packed. In fact I recently ordered the OEM version of the GSA-4120 from them, but they were out of the OEM version so they sent me the retail version at no extra cost. Maybe as someone mentioned earlier your order was packed by someone new. You can't expect a new employee to be perfect from day one. Also you can't make an objective decision based on only one order. If you had placed several orders with them in the past and a lot of these orders were also packed improperly then I would say you may have a case. Until that happens you shouldn't just make a generalization that they alway pack orders badly. I personally don't believe in the one strike and your out notion. You kind of sound like this person I know who if he had just one bad experience with a business he will never go back there again with no exceptions. I believe in giving people & businesses a chance of two. Everyone has good & bad days. No ones perfect.

[freestyler]

UPS Ground from California to New York doesn't always arrive in one piece. Sooner or later it was bound to happen.

Notify Rima and see what they can do for you.

I live probably 25 miles or so from Rima's location so I always get my media without even a dent in the box and always the day after I order it

[888888]

I got a reply email from RIMA today. They were understanding and professional. I am very satisfied with the outcome which included an appropriate credit to my card. Here is a part of their email:

Part of the problem is as you have described, which is the loose fit of the TY spindles. While their materials ship quite well in pallet loads, we have been sending them notes to encourage inprovements in their unit packaging that will better support UPS style shipping. We have forwarded your comment to them, to add more support to our claims.

[aglips]

Glad to see a happy ending to your situation.

You should have contacted RIMA as soon as you received your messed up order and this would have been resolved a lot sooner. I had no doubt they would take care of you.

[lordsmurf]

UPS style shipping.

Definition: sloppy, slapped-around packages. Ones that can be turned sideways, upside down, and slammed into a wall. Crushed by heavier packages and kicked around.

[SLICK RICK]

UPS style shipping.

Definition: sloppy, slapped-around packages. Ones that can be turned sideways, upside down, and slammed into a wall. Crushed by heavier packages and kicked around.

Have you ever seen the inside of one of their trucks at the beginning of the day. I work for a local freight company driving 18 wheelers and often meet UPS drivers delivering to the same place as I am. On the inside of their trucks is shelves on each side. But it looks like when the shelves get filled they just say "**** it" and start throwing the packages right down the middle of the truck/van.

[kosekjm]

Across the hall from where I work, my company does package testing for our pc's. They take a new pc, design the packaging material and then beat the crap out of it, drop testing, vibration testing, etc. This is all to simulate "normal" handling while shipping. You should see the damage these machines get until they get the packaging design correct, or as near as they can . Heat sinks flopped off of the cpu, memory chips popped out of the MB, cracked cases. It's a wonder anything survives delivery at all.

[RickTheRed]

They take a new pc, design the packaging material and then beat the crap out of it, drop testing, vibration testing, etc. This is all to simulate "normal" handling while shipping.

Not totally true.
Please let me correct one word
This is all to simulate "worst case" handling, based on ISTM and/other material testing standards.

90% of "overall" shipments will be fine.
10% will have some damage, from small to extreme. Nobody here will even open a typical extreme.
Over packaging will increase shipping costs to everybody, therefore loosing customer to other site offering cheaper shipping costs. Poor packaging will increase returned goods and unsatisfied customers.
No perfect solution!

Best is not to order "fragile" material, if they are to be delivered ground across the country.

[888888]

This is just an update on my experiences with RIMA. Today, I received an order of 200 Prodisc and Taiyo Yuden DVD-Rs from RIMA through UPS. I have NEVER seen such a fantastic packing job. A lot of care was put into packing the discs with both special cardboard and bubble wrap. Everything was in perfect condition. I suppose my issue with RIMA was a one time thing and I can now safely say they are the best place to buy DVDR media online. They have terrific packing, service, selection, and prices as well as an easy to use website.

[DaveS]

Last week I ordered 750 foam peanuts from Rima. They arrived packed in cake boxes filled with DVD blanks...I inspected each peanut and found 98% of them to be undamaged. I returned the 2% of broken peanuts in the same box they sent me, (although my tape was 2 mils thicker than theirs). They returned the 2% of peanuts to me, packed in those little air filled plastic bags. I then threw away the cake boxes filled with those blank packing DVDs and now I'm happy..next DVD project I send someone I will have plenty of unbroken peanuts to use for shipping.

[888888]

Last week I ordered 750 foam peanuts from Rima. They arrived packed in cake boxes filled with DVD blanks

...I inspected each peanut and found 98% of them to be undamaged. I returned the 2% of broken peanuts in the same box they sent me, (although my tape was 2 mils thicker than theirs). They returned the 2% of peanuts to me, packed in those little air filled plastic bags. I then threw away the cake boxes filled with those blank packing DVDs and now I'm happy..next DVD project I send someone I will have plenty of unbroken peanuts to use for shipping.

I don't see the point of your satirical little story.

[DaveS]

sorry - it was nothing against your posts .. yours were great info..rather it was the vigor of the debate on the shipping process, and maybe not the best satire!! I've used Rima and my experiences have all been very good.

[888888]

sorry - it was nothing against your posts .. yours were great info..rather it was the vigor of the debate on the shipping process, and maybe not the best satire!! I've used Rima and my experiences have all been very good.

Oh ok.

[FulciLives]

sorry - it was nothing against your posts .. yours were great info..rather it was the vigor of the debate on the shipping process, and maybe not the best satire!! I've used Rima and my experiences have all been very good.

For what it is worth I liked it alot

Reminds me of the old days and threads like "Can you burn a DVD without a DVD drive?" and how we went on and on about using a toaster or a microwave or putting the recording disc and source disc together and applying massive amount of pressure to transfer the data etc.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
I had to edit this twice to fix all my spelling errors

[jdizzy40]

Pack yourself in a box and have someone mail you across country. See what condition you arrive in at your final destination. First hand experience is always the best teacher. As an Air Force load master I supervised the packing and air dropping of everything from livestock to tanks. Most of the time we got it right, but even under the best conditions sometimes things go wrong. Yes it's a pain to have to send stuff back, but it doesn't cost yours or someone elses life. Over exaggeration. I think not. The smurf was right on track, but thats the difference in age and experience. Men are Men and boy will always be boys. Time to lock this thread!

[DaveS]

sorry - it was nothing against your posts .. yours were great info..rather it was the vigor of the debate on the shipping process, and maybe not the best satire!! I've used Rima and my experiences have all been very good.

For what it is worth I liked it alot

Reminds me of the old days and threads like "Can you burn a DVD without a DVD drive?" and how we went on and on about using a toaster or a microwave or putting the recording disc and source disc together and applying massive amount of pressure to transfer the data etc.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
I had to edit this twice to fix all my spelling errors

FulciLives - hey, coming from you, I'll take a complement - in terms of knowledge on this stuff you're among the tops of the people who hang out here, although I know your comment wasn't on real content (although I think your posts are a little fewer these days and I think you were out for a few months during last summer?)

and ah, jdizzy40, it was just a little light humor, that's all...I don't dispute what was actually being said about shipping, and although I don't always agree w/ smurfie's style (if I can call him that, or LS to be more proper), I certainly do appreciate his knowledge as it keeps this place running (and I think I am actually a little older? not sure)...

anyway, keep it light boys, and back to work....

[Noahtuck]

sorry - it was nothing against your posts .. yours were great info..rather it was the vigor of the debate on the shipping process, and maybe not the best satire!! I've used Rima and my experiences have all been very good.

For what it is worth I liked it alot

Reminds me of the old days and threads like "Can you burn a DVD without a DVD drive?" and how we went on and on about using a toaster or a microwave or putting the recording disc and source disc together and applying massive amount of pressure to transfer the data etc.
- John "FulciLives" Coleman
P.S.
I had to edit this twice to fix all my spelling errors

Yeah, i thought it was pretty good also
Loved the one about pushing the disc's together!!!!!! did you use a vice or have a semi drive over them ?? maybe on the train tracks like we used to do with quarters & pennies

I remember this one friend of mine back before dvd burners, i made some cd's and had put on labels i printed, she look's at them and say's, how did you do that ?? get the artwork on the cd ?
I said well you see, you heat them in a microwave or a hot pan of water to soften them up so they will run through your printer, but you have to do it fast and when they come out you quickly lay them down on a flat surface before they cool off and harden so they will be flat again....
She was like, wow really!?!?! that's cool!!!!!!!

Of course i told her the truth right away and she was like you JA!!

The scarey thing is... she had already been in college for 2 years, but then again

On Topic: UPS is hard on shipments and yes, RIMA packs the dvd's i have gotten from them EXTREMELY well!!!! thick boxes with lots of foam peanuts!!!!!!!! GRADE A!!!!!!!!