cd-wow.co.uk > Reviews (294)

Let me start by saying this is ONE OF the cheapest places to get your CDs, online of offline. Anyone who still buys CDs in the shops I can only say WHAT THE HELL??? Currently CDs in HMV or MVC cost at least £14.99 each. I believe that to be highway robbery and you’ll NEVER catch me buying a CD in the high street. Now onto the site, where you can get CDs for 8.99!!! I have now been using the site for about 18 months, and have watched it grow from a very basic text like site in the beginning to what it is now.

Okay, I kid you not, all single CDs on the site are 8.99 and all doubles are 10.99, and this includes delivery to your door! Some special releases are a bit more (Radiohead book CD thing was 12.99), but this rare. All CDs they sell are international editions, so if there is a special edition with extra tracks on it you are after, make sure you check the track listing before you buy!

When you first hit the dark and simple site that is CD-WOW, you might think it is a bit basic. But trust me, this is the appeal rather than the letdown in this case, espectially as the whole site runs very quickly and smoothly. The background is a light black (yes I know – I made it up) with the words CDWOW repeated over and over like a wrapping paper. Along the top is a neat very basic CDWOW logo and a banner to their current promotion of bargain basement CDs (6.99 for some slightly out of date releases). Directly under this is a full size banner showing their ‘album of the month’, with an in depth description and picture.

The main page is divided into 3 columns, the first being a list of around 20 of their newest releases, all with album pictures, prices, and an instant add to cart link. The second column lists the CDWOW top 20 CDs by sales, with the same details as the first column. The third column shows what is available for pre-order, and half way down continues the new releases from the first column. So far so good, if you want a new releases that is.

I have read too many ops here that say CDWOW only sells the top75 CDs. Firstly, this is a load of bollocks, and it shows that the people who wrote these ops did not use the site very much and therefore should not be writing them in the first place. Yes, CDWOW’s collection is not as diverse as some other sites, but they stock more than the top 75 I can guarantee that.

From the main page there is a link called ‘browse artists’. Here is where you will find any CD not in the charts. Trust me, Guns n’Roses – Use Your Illusion I & II are not chart toppers currently, yet there they are for 8.99. AND Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chilli Peppers is the same, 8.99 (definitely not a chart topper for the last 5 years). You can also search by artist, title or track! So if you remember the song but not whom it’s by (like I ALWAYS do) you are in luck!

Now, you’ve picked a few CDs and added them to your cart and you are ready to ‘checkout’. This is where I come to some mixed feelings about CDWOW. You do not become a member at CDWOW or have an account like other online shops.

Every time you purchase, you need to fill in your details again. I do like this in one way, because sometimes I get things to different addresses or use a different credit card (eenie meenie miny mo – haha), and also because they are not storing your information for some little hacker to come along and steal. On the other hand, it is a bit of a pain in the ass to put it all in every time I order (quite often). You be the judge here as I live with it, and it’s not a major complaint.

CDWOW do not process their own credit and debit card transactions, they use a service called Woldpay Online. Again this is good, as it’s a world known and respected organisation so you know its safe. But it is also one more link in the chain that can confuse new shoppers. Don’t be scared, its quite alright and safe.

You will get a confirmation email from Worldpay very quickly confirming the payment has gone through. Shortly after that you will get an email confirming your order from CDWOW. Then sometime after that you will get another email confirming your order has been despatched. I like this level of communication, as you always know what is going on and never feel the need to contact them. Though I might add, recently they started adding a phone number to their emails (an 0870) for support, and I have called it once and the guy at the end was very helpful in checking an order for me. Well done CDWOW.

This is where you notice why the CDs are so cheap. Delivery time. The CDs come from Hong Kong or somewhere, so it can take up to a week to get them. CDWOW say to allow 5-7 days for delivery, but in all honesty I have never waited more than about 4 days (unlike some UK based online retailers!). I don’t know how they do it, but they get here fast considering. Each CD is shipped separately (partly to avoid customs charges and partly because I can imagine their warehouse with all the CDs already packaged thereby making picking a quick job!). Their explanation is ‘we do this to reduce damage, pilferage and so that our packages fit all letter boxes!’. Fair enough! They come packed in a cardboard fold around case, just the size of the CD inside which is encased in bubblewrap. Also included is a thank you card – which is a nice touch.

I have heard complaints about getting CDs with cracked cases, the bit inside that holds the CD being broken, etc. This is where I have found their customer service to be excellent. Just email them! I think people tend to complain the wrong way, try complaining to the company instead of to everyone else!! CDWOW will send you a replacement case free of charge, and it only takes a few days!!

In all in all, I cannot recommend CDWOW enough to everybody. Why bother with the Amazon’s and the Play247’s???? At the beginning I said CDWOW was ONE OF the cheapest places. This is because now Play247 are selling a lot of their new release CDs at 8.99 also (not all so I will continue at CDWOW for new stuff). But ore importantly Play247 have a larger back catalogue with prices going up to 12.

99 including postage. If you’ve browsed the shelves for some older music in HMV you’ll know it can be up to 18.99 there, so this is indeed a bargain. Strangely though, their delivery is not much quicker than CDWOW!

So if your still stuck buying CDs from HMV or if you are an Amazon regular, I suggest you give my friends at CDWOW a chance. Buy a CD or two, and put them to the test yourself. What have you got to lose??? Sorry if it was long winded, I wanted to get everything in, and I hope you enjoyed the read.