Tower.com review: Scam and cheating 3

I preordered a music cd from tower.com which was scheduled for release on 07-15-08 at $10.99. Tower automatically charges your debit/credit card, not when your order actually ships. While checking to see if it had shipped several days ago (which it hadn't) I found the EXACT same cd, the very same cd in every respect - matching upc and all, already in stock on tower for about two dollars more, while my order still hadn't shipped. Very strange. Then, on the release date for the cd, the item I preordered in good faith is listed as "not available for sale on tower.com", while, of course, they were happily selling the cd elsewhere on the site and still in stock. I phoned tower and although the operator understood my situation, he would not send the cd. Again people, this is exactly the item I preordered and paid for in advance. The phone rep canceled my order and said I could order it again, but at the higher price. And I can expect to wait 5-7 days before my debit card is refunded. I couldn't order the cd again due to lack of funds, and wouldn't have anyway. Not from them.

To recap: I preordered a cd, an item I paid for in advance, and they refused to send it to me. Does this make any sense? A cd is such a small thing to worry about, granted. But the very fact that my item is in their hands and they're inexplicably not mailing it to me is at best incompetent disrespect, at worst ###ic and utterly appalling business. I've been a customer for about a decade and spent over $500 from tower just this year.