Warning regarding Award Session

**cmajor9** · 05-31-2016, 04:45 AM

I'm sorry to be posting this, but if anyone on the forum is considering buying an amp or other equipment from Award Session in the UK (makers of the Sessionette and BluesBaby amps), you will probably want to know that they are currently not responding to emails. In addition, an amp I ordered from them back in January, and which I was billed for in March, has never been delivered, and I have been unable to obtain any up-to-date status information from the company.

After having exchanged emails earlier in the year with no result, I tried writing the customer service rep at Award Session on May 30 to see if I could receive any update on my order. The email was returned with the following error:

A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its
recipients. This is a permanent error. The following address(es) failed:

stewart-ward@award-session.fsbusiness.co.uk
(ultimately generated from info@award-session.com)
host 89.44.100.21 [89.44.100.21]

I tried again and received the same error. I then scoured the site for any alternative means of contacting the company, but found no other email or telephone access. The only alternative presented is to send a letter by post to Steward Ward, which I plan to try today in hopes of finding some resolution.

I'm trying not to think the worst, but am beginning to resign myself to the possibility that I may never receive the amp I ordered, and that this company may no longer be filling orders.

**Fidelcaster** · 05-31-2016, 05:31 AM

Thank you. Good luck!

**bananafist** · 05-31-2016, 05:32 AM

Stewart is/was a member here - maybe send him a pm?
Good luck.

**jorgemg1984** · 05-31-2016, 05:47 AM

I also had a bad experience with them regarding a cable, a few years ago. Best of luck!

**JazzNote** · 05-31-2016, 08:10 AM

Thanks for letting us know.

I have once experienced something like this with cd's i ordered from Tower Records. Eventually i found out that they had gone bankrupt in the meantime. I reported it to the creditcard company which was a hassle by itself and received a refund from them.

**MarkRhodes** · 05-31-2016, 09:06 AM

Sorry to hear about this. Good luck!

**MaxTwang** · 05-31-2016, 10:16 AM

Sorry to hear. If you paid by credit card then see how long you have to file a dispute with your credit card company. Last year I had a window installer go silent on me until I disputed the charge on my card, that got the installer's attention and I dropped the dispute after the windows were installed.

**Jabberwocky** · 05-31-2016, 02:19 PM

Sorry to read about this. Hope you get an amp or a refund.

Did you try Facebook? https://m.facebook.com/Session-Amps-...0525222690086/

Latest post is dated May 26th 2016.

**David B** · 05-31-2016, 03:28 PM

Send them a note on their Facebook page. I see that others have posted about difficulties getting emails to them and they have responded, as recently as today.

**Aant** · 06-04-2016, 01:27 PM

Weird. I ordered my BB45 back in March and received it. I had to write them at one point and they've responded, if I recall well within 48h. Basically I got the amp a week after my card was debited.

**bananafist** · 06-04-2016, 02:06 PM

he wont thank me, but Stewart Ward, the founder and owner has a FB page too, try that.

**KirkP** · 06-04-2016, 05:06 PM

The Session Amps FB page indicates a problem receiving emails.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...40525222690086

**Jabberwocky** · 06-04-2016, 11:10 PM

I wish the OP, cmajor9, would update this thread to let us know if the problem has been resolved. Has he been successful in trying to reach Award Session?

Don't leave the thread dangling with no resolution. A small business' reputation is at stake.

**cmajor9** · 06-05-2016, 03:27 PM

Unfortunately no resolution as yet. Thanks for asking!

**Aant** · 06-08-2016, 03:58 AM

As per their facebook page:

Starting during the past week, it appears some people are finding that emails they send to us are bouncing back and we don't see them. If this has happed to you, then sorry but it's nothing we have done!If you read the error message that accompanies them, it says that our email address in in a 'suppression list' (or exclusion list). From what we can find out, companies that send you email newsletters place you in a supression list when you unsubscribe to their emails. MailChimp is one such email service provider.
We don't send you emails of this kind and probably never will. But we have unsubscribed to several 'spam' emailers just recently and we are thinking this is where the problem may lie. Maybe somehow our address has been added to a suppression list and is affecting incoming emails from some people - not all... but this is just a hunch at the moment.
Now, people automatically think this is something we've set up. But that's MOST DEFINATELY not the case! We depend on email, so there's no way we would set anything up of this kind!
At the moment, we cannot offer any advice, but we will look into the matter in more detail and try to find out how to stop this from happening - and post here.

If any of you have knowledge about this, we'd love to hear from you.

**BigMikeinNJ** · 06-09-2016, 08:53 PM

Originally Posted by Aant

As per their facebook page:

Nice that you followed through and posted this. Sort of sets the record straight, the OP should chime in also, YES ???

**cmajor9** · 06-10-2016, 11:53 AM

After sending a letter by post, I received an email from Award Session this week. The letter offered no news about the amp I ordered. When I tried to reply to their email, my reply was (again) returned as "undeliverable". So I have sent a follow-up letter by post. Fingers crossed.

**Jabberwocky** · 06-11-2016, 05:36 AM

Originally Posted by bananafist

Stewart is/was a member here - maybe send him a pm?
Good luck.

Surprised he has not responded to this thread. This thread gives me pause.

**Franz 1997** · 06-11-2016, 06:25 AM

I have no iron in this particular fire, but why not try a PM to 'Sessionman' on this forum ( aka Stewart Ward), if you haven't already. The PM notification might pop up on his computer.

**cmajor9** · 06-17-2016, 04:05 PM

Franz 1997 - Thank you for your suggestion. I have sent a PM to Sessionman last Sunday, but have so far heard no reply. Perhaps he is away? I've also sent a second letter by post to Award Session a week ago, but have not heard back from them. I am trying not to lose hope, but its now been nearly 6 months since I ordered the amplifier from them.

**cmajor9** · 07-04-2016, 02:20 AM

Sad to say, I've heard nothing back from Award Session, and there is seemingly going to be no action by them to make the situation right by either delivering the amp or refunding my money. I was able to send an email to their customer service rep, Billy, that was not returned last week, but there has been no reply. At this point I doubt there will be any resolution. At least I can strongly warn any other forum member thinking of purchasing from Award Session that this company apparently can't be trusted to deliver, nor to respond to a customer with a problem. Buyer beware!

**bananafist** · 07-04-2016, 05:31 AM

That is bad news, you have my sympathies. I must say I'm surprised this has happened, Stewart has always kept on top of things in my experience of dealing with him in the past. It is troubling that you've heard nothing, and its not the way to win customers. I always bought my cables from him, and had a Session amp modded in the past, but seems I need to think again.
I hope you get an acceptable resolution.

**David B** · 07-04-2016, 05:56 AM

I've just posted the link to this thread on the Award Session Facebook page for you. Hope you can get a satisfactory resolution.

**Jabberwocky** · 07-04-2016, 07:20 AM

My sympathy, cmaj9. Sorry to read of this. I hope Award Session does right by you.

**Sessionman** · 07-04-2016, 10:51 AM

Hello Cmaj9,

I am sorry to hear of your problems with email to us. We have been through a very bad time with emails being bounced due to over aggressive spam traps on our Host's server.

It seems that as soon as it's rectified it's OK for a week, then starts again. Emails that are bounced, cannot be down loaded by us, as they are no longer on the server. So we have no idea that that person has emailed us.

Please email us again, so that I can deal with this for you.

Thanks.