avalive.com

Ordered on 4/19 via their Web site. Within a few minutes, received notification from PayPal that my account had been charged.

On 4/21, I had still received no order confirmation from AValive (double-checked junk mail and trash folders), so I called them. Was told that my order would ship later that day and would receive an email at that time.

On 4/26, still had received no email from them, so I called again. Was now told that the estimated delivery was 4/29, but they could not provide me with a tracking number. After I hung up, they called back and informed me that 4/29 was when *they* would receive the items, and they would ship them to me at that time.

Received email from them on 4/28 containing the billing and shipping information.

Received shipment on 4/30, but it did not contain exactly what I had ordered (I had ordered Audix ADX10-FLP microphone with APS-910 phantom power adapter, plus an APS-911 battery-powered phantom power adapter; received ADX10-FLP and two APS-911 units, no APS-910). Microphone also did not include the foam windscreen, which according to Audix's spec sheet should have been included.

Terrible experience; I do not plan on doing business with them again.

Update: AValive informs me that they shipped what they received from Audix, and are contacting Audix about the issue.

Update: AValive indicated that Audix now ships the ADX10-FLP with the APS-911 rather than APS-910 (though Audix's own site still indicates it ships with the 910). They could not explain why I got no order confirmation email, but said I was not the only one who had had that problem. They blamed the confusion regarding delivery dates on "the new girls in training". They did have Audix ship me the parts I needed, and provided me with a UPS shipping label to return the second APS-911.

I placed my order on Oct 26, 2009 for an item that "usually ships with 24-48hrs".

4 days later, the item shipped via USPS.

Not only that, but the two people who I spoke to over the phone don't even say 'Good morning/afternoon/evening'.

It's amazing that they both did not have a greeting other than 'AV ALIVE '. It may seem petty, but something that minor can make the fact that the item shipped two days late just a little easier to swallow. Given the consistent lack of greeting, I can only assume they teach their customer service agents NOT to give a greeting.

Between the shipping delay, and the greeting, this is clearly what separates this company from a company like Amazon.

I'll update the review once I receive the item.

[11/02/2009] - Received the item. Total time from purchase to receiving, 5.5 business days.

AV alive; lowest price for some parts, high shipping cost, not a 24/7 site, still waiting for the parts! this store, had the lowest price for the crimp tool that I wanted. So I ordered it on 04/23/10. AV alive sent me an email on 04/30/10 with a tracking no. I placed the order around 23:47, four days later AV alive emailed me with the shipping costs, I had to OK the amount, then I emailed back to see if this was the lowest rate, AV alive said it was and the parts will ship. so close but, AV alive emails me 04/29/10, to say some of the parts come 25 to a bag, not 20 or 40. so I had to change my order. the web site said that you could order 1 to xxx parts, not any more! if you want connectors, RG59C-F's, you start @ 25. I had to call AV alive on 04/30/10 to find out WTF was going on! AV alive said they would up-date the web site, and my order was on it's way. Also the ladies I talked with, were very nice.

I went with AV Alive because the product I was shopping for was more than $1000 cheaper there than my local retailer. I was exceptionally pleased with the price, and the CSR's were very helpful on the phone and over email.

My situation was difficult because I live in Canada, but wanted them to ship the item to an address in the US.

One thing that caused a lot of problems was my credit card. I have a "Canadian" VISA, which AV Alive could not accept, even though I've used it countless times in the US and in other On-line stores that are US based. I can't recommend AV Alive to anyone here unless that restriction is lifted.

The only option for me for payment was Wire Transfer, which is more costly and inconvenient. After that was resolved, the CSR's dealt well with the other problems I had.

I submitted an online quote request for a sound system rental and didn't get a response for 3 days. I then called and left a voicemail and didn't get a call back for over 24 hours. I then called again and was told that the the item I wanted to rent is no longer offered for rent, even though a rental request can be placed for the item on their website. Then I was told that the rental office is busy and cannot rent anything that must be shipped out in less than one week. The person I spoke with was pleasant and confident, but clearly rental equipment is not something that they are promoting at this time.

I ordered AKG K141 MKII headphones via AValive two and a half weeks ago. The device was shipped in (to me) acceptable amount of time - it took seven business days for the headphones to be delivered. Unfortunately, two omissions spoiled overall impression. The first disappointment was absence of the tracking number, although according to the seller I was supposed to receive it (in my online account it was stated I'd get it once the manufacturer sends it to AValive). The second disappointment was Customer Service incompetence - when, after six business days, I called to check status of the shipment, I got the information that they're still waiting for AKG to send them tracking number and ship the headphones. The following day I got my headphones. So, all in all, overall experience is moderate - I got my headphones in reasonable amount of time for a decent price, but people should be aware that customer service seems to be useless; this fact might be very important if someone needs to deal with them in case they have a problem with purchased item.

I ordered the iPad 2 March 24, I am now writing a review and it is April 28th, no iPad in sight. My order status said it was in fact in stock, and that within 1-4 business days I would receive a tracking number. After 6 business days with no tracking number I called them up only be treated rudely and told that it in fact wasn't in stock. When told that their system automatically says that when my credit is charged. Why was my credit card even charged if it wasn't in stock. I have been talking to customer support and in mid sentence I've been hung up on, put on hold, and transferred to a voice mail. I have cancelled my order. When I was done cancelling my order, I called customer service, never once raising m voice or saying anything unnecessary or rude, I told them that due to there poor service I had cancelled my order. The customer service representative kept cutting me off saying that he was doing the talking not me, and that I was quote a "punk kid".

One thing I have noticed with this company and there reviews is they always have an excuse. It's never their fault. They need to take responsibility if they ever want to be considered a company. They are as of right now a "joke" and will never be anything more. I called apple and talked to a customer support representative who was patient, kind, and listened to what I had to say, unlike avalive. Hmm I guess apple doesn't just hire anyone. Other companies should consider this, then again avalive isn't a company. They are a pathetic excuse for an online seller at best.

A note to anyone who dares to attempt to buy anything from here, don't just don't. A horrible experience, I hope no one else will ever have to go through.

Purchased over 5K of AV goods from this vendor and other than requiring me to sign a cc form it was hassle free. I was able to check my order status online and the items arrived with in 3 days from. placing my order with free shipping. Overall a good experience and I will buying from them again

I placed an order for a product and was alarmed by the shipping ($25.80 GROUND shipping for a $2.21 item that weighs ounces). Didn't want to pay that much for shipping, but really needed the item, so I proceeded with the order. About an hour later, I checked the status and it stated there were "order issues." I immediately tried to call the company ( no answer) and sent an email to find out the problem. The next thing I knew, my order was cancelled, and the item I order was labeled as "No longer available from AValive." I tried calling several more times with no answer. This morning, the item is for sale again on AValive.com. Not sure what's up with this company, but they didn't even have the decency to reach out to me and explain why my order was cancelled. After doing my research, I'm glad the order didn't go through - they appear to be a bait-and-switch type company who has horrid customer service.

The day I called in to check on my product happened to be the day I received it. 9 days after purchase.

wrote this review 15 minutes before the product showed up.

*** EDIT ***

STILL WAITING FOR MY PRODUCT!
Had to call customer service twice for them to tell me that the warehouse is usually slow.

I wish they would have told me earlier so I could have bought this product somewhere else.

I could not have asked for a smoother transaction. After ordering, an email was sent immediately asking for a few days patience to obtain tracking info. 3 days later, as promised, I received an email with tracking number - arrived the following day!
I saved $125 off the lowest priced internet competitor for a Neumann TLM 102 - yeah, $575 - Brand spanking new to my house.
Why guys are paying this for a used one off ebay is beyond me - guess they are not researching thoroughly - or if they have found the AValive site- are scared off by a few disgruntled folks. Again, after making a high dollar purchase - it's easy to understand
some nerves and hyper vigilance - but I'm thinking the key here is to remain patient as requested by the seller - for the allotted period of time before investigating - and all will run smoothly.

I was a bit skeptical to from this online vendor only because the reviews here were adequate at best, but I was happy to be misinformed as an end result.

I ordered an JVC HD camcorder (GY-HM100U) on Monday, December 11th 2009 and promptly received the camera December 18th without any problems or delays. A one-week delivery from North Carolina for free aint to shabby :)

Immediately after making the purchase I received a notification that my order has been received (Friday). On Saturday I received a credit card authorization form that needed to be faxed for approval. On Monday I received a JVC form (since there was an instant rebate - something the other vendors online never offered) along with a W-9 for tax information purposes. Yeah there's a bit of faxing and authorization to be had, but that's only due to the rebate and the costly nature of this item. Finally that Friday I received the camera from UPS in perfect condition after tracking it from AVAlive's confirmation email (which was sent to me again on Monday).

To summarize the entire experience I'll put to you like this - DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE! AVAlive was an awesome vendor to deal with - no drama, no pressure sales, and ultimately the best price on the net. I was extremely satisfied with the purchase and would definitely buy from them again!

I was charged a $30 restocking fee for a defective product that I had been troubleshooting with the manufacturer for 2 months. Won't do business with this company again.

This is the second order I have placed with AValive/Triangle Visual in the past month and I have been beyond impressed with them. First the items I ordered were hard-to-find, no one else had them in stock. AValive not only had these items, but had them at prices that were at least competitive, if not considerably lower than their competitors. What truly inspired me to write this review, however, was the effort put out by AValive's customer service staff. If you can't find what you're looking for, if you need it by a certain date, if you have any questions at all, contact these people. You will get a timely response and the information you need. I most definitely look forward to doing business with them again.

I ordered 40 units of a particular item, and I expect them to arrive today on 5-20-13. In the past there has been no problem with AVAlive shipments. Their website is clear and easy to order from.

A little bit slow at first (but I learned that this is because the store first needs to obtain the merchandise from the manufacturer); maintained communication with their C/S; overall very satisfied with the purchase and savings.

I ordered an iPad 2 White 32GB from this site for mothers day because of the price and free shipping (loved it, saved me A LOT of money), but shipping took nearly a week and a half to get to me. About four days to clear my debit card, about three days for them to get the iPad to their warehouse, and about three days to ship to me (from North Carolina to Southern California).

Overall, this is a legit site for selling iPads. I got this for mothers day but it was obviously three days late, which is okay. My mom loved it when she opened the package anyways. The iPad was packaged well when shipped and still in its plastic packaging. The iPad itself is working just fine as a new one is.

I also contacted customer service for a follow-up on my order via the website chat. Representative was very responsive with my questions asked and thats how I learned that my package will come in later than expected in order to be tax-free, which I could've been informed before ordering so at least I was expecting a delay. Either way, I was neither impressed nor angered (can't think up of a better word) with the shipping time. But they did ship it as soon as they could (which looked like the same day they received it).

Will buy from this seller again. Thank you!

I recently rented a projector for my event that I had and they showed up on time and were reasonably priced. They helped out with all the questions I had. Highly recommend if you are in need of renting.

I ordered on Monday morning and the items shipped on Thursday despite the fact that the vendor's website says same day shipping. I would have been happy if the items had shipped within 24 hours. I wouldn't complain if they had been shipped within 48 hours. Four days to ship an item is entirely too long.

In addition to that, I didn't receive the shipping notification email until Friday. So my impression is that it takes AVAlive four days to put 4 items in a box and tape it up and 24 hours to send an email.

The email, when I finally received it, didn't have a linked tracking number. Instead of simply linking a tracking number to the tracking information on the UPS website, I had to open a PDF document (?!), copy the tracking number, browse to the UPS website in my internet browser, and paste the tracking number into the field. All this to find out that my items aren't going to get here when I need them due to the inertia of an inept shipping department.

I bought these items from AVAlive because they had the lowest prices. Next time, I'll buy elsewhere and gladly pay a little more.

UPDATE: Shortly after posting this review, I received a rude email from someone at AVAlive. This person stated that their website does not say same day shipping. Their website does say same day shipping before 3:00 pm. My order was placed before noon central time. I encourage anyone to look at a product on their website to see that it does say that.

This person also stated that, "anybody know that you can right click tracking #'s and they show up in Google Automatically." I didn't bother trying that because I know better. You can copy and paste tracking numbers into Google, but if you're going to do that you might as well just go on to the UPS website and paste there. The point is, it would be simple to actually include the tracking number in the body of the email and link it to the UPS tracking information. I don't know why I would need a PDF attachment, one more document that I have to open, just to get my tracking number.

UPDATE 2: I have since received voice mail messages and a response here on this site from someone at AValive. It may say that you ship in 3 days at most, sir, but it took you 4 days to ship these items. Let me break it down so that you can understand it. I ordered Monday morning, you shipped on Thursday. Monday is 1 day, Tuesday is 2 days, Wednesday is 3 days, Thursday is 4 days. You can argue this all you want, you're simply wrong. Any company that can't ship their orders within 48 hours (barring unforeseen circumstances or special situations) doesn't deserve to be in business anyway.

Concerning the PDF attachment, viruses are also sent as attachments to emails, so your lame excuse about links doesn't fly. Nobody, NOBODY sends tracking information this way, except AValive. I will admit having to open a browser and copy and paste isn't that big a deal, but it is an unnecessary annoyance, especially when you add that to your lousy shipping department and your shoddy customer service.

This business about right-clicking the tracking number and it automatically opening in Google is a lot of bunk. It's so stupid I don't know why you would even try to sell that to me.

I'm done with this review and I'm done with AValive. I just wish I had known about this site BEFORE I purchased anything from this pitiful excuse for a company.

Although AValive is not a large internet powerhouse, their website made it very easy to find what I wanted (something from Mid-Atlantic), and even compare multiple items from the same vendor. You see, this vendor cannot be ordered from directly, and most Internet vendors do a very poor job of surfing for M/A products really HARD (and M/A makes a hundreds of thousands of parts). The pricing is very competitive as well. Checkout was pleasantly straight and shipping reasonable. Emails have been quick to come, and quick to be answered. 5 out of 5 if you ask me.