Sound Exchange — Attraction in Temple Terrace

[UPDATE - July 16, 2025 / My Reply to the Owner’s Response] This is my update in response to the owner of Sound Exchange's reply to my original review:

I want to clarify what actually happened, as I feel key details have been misrepresented in the business owner’s response. My aim with this update is twofold: to help prospective customers make an informed decision about whether to do business with Sound Exchange, and to encourage the owner, Mr. Ronald W. Stoy, to review his team’s approach and consider areas for improvement. For anyone looking to assess the credibility of Sound Exchange: • Open Google Maps. • Search for Sound Exchange N Nebraska. • Click on the “Reviews” tab. • Click on “Sort” and select “Lowest Rating.” This quick search will confirm the validity of my experience, as others have expressed similar frustrations with the service. I wish I had done this before my visit. Regarding the owner’s response: I believe there may have been a misunderstanding about my visit, and I’d like to address it. I’m confident Mr. Stoy did not personally write the response, but instead, it seems to have been written by a staff member. The tone and details suggest the response was crafted in the first person, which implies personal knowledge of my experience, though I interacted with a female employee. Unfortunately, the response doesn’t accurately reflect what occurred. I remained calm, courteous, and respectful throughout, as my review clearly states. The staff member, however, was dismissive in a manner that many others have similarly reported in their reviews. The characterizations in the response – particularly the use of the word “demanding” – are misleading and, frankly, offensive. To assist in resolving this matter, I respectfully request that Mr. Stoy personally review the security footage from the front counter during my visit, between 4:20 and 4:25pm on Saturday, July 12, 2025. I believe this footage will clarify the nature of my interaction and help correct any inaccuracies. I also request that Sound Exchange preserve the security footage from [4:15pm to 4:30pm] on that day for review. This will ensure transparency, and I trust that it will help resolve this matter amicably. Once the footage is reviewed, I kindly ask that you revisit your response and amend it to reflect a more accurate and professional account of the interaction. I also suggest reviewing who is responsible for responding to customer feedback to ensure that the representation of your business is handled appropriately. Because I am genuinely interested in resolving this constructively, I will reach out through additional channels to ensure we can discuss this directly. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

I strongly advise against doing business with Sound Exchange.

I came in with a well-maintained collection of 126 DVDs and Blu-rays — many unopened, including steelbooks, limited editions, and top titles. I’d just been offered $120 by a local pawn shop and asked if Sound Exchange could do better.

The clerk dismissed me immediately, stating, “We typically offer 50 cents to a dollar per Blu-ray,” and refused to even glance at the organized digital catalog I offered to share (via CLZ) to save her time. Instead, she insisted I bring in the entire collection, clearly uninterested in helping or making an informed offer. Her attitude felt unwelcoming and uninterested — like my time and business weren’t worth the effort.

Ironically, as I left, I saw one of my exact steelbook editions on their shelf priced at $89.99. They offer you pennies, then turn around and mark up massively.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but this was one of the most dismissive and disappointing retail interactions I’ve had. It felt like they just didn’t want my business. Based on my experience, I do not recommend Sound...

I am extremely disappointed with my recent experience at Sound Exchange on Nebraska Avenue in Tampa. As a returning customer who had previously purchased around a dozen new vinyl records without issue, I was shocked by the level of unprofessionalism and disregard for customer satisfaction during my latest visit.

This time, I purchased six used vintage jazz records that were explicitly labeled as being in “mint condition.” Upon playing them the same day, I immediately noticed they were extremely dirty—to the point that they left visible dirt on my vinyl needle—and the audio was distorted, unclear, almost screeching, and inconsistent, with the pitch fluctuating throughout. These records were clearly not cleaned or properly inspected before being sold.

The next day, I returned to the store, well within their posted 7-day return policy, seeking only store credit, not a refund. I spoke with the manager on duty, a woman with short dark hair (unfortunately, I did not catch her name). I explained the issue in a calm and respectful manner, expecting a reasonable resolution.

Instead, the manager insisted on listening to each record herself. After playing them, she inexplicably stated that they “sounded fine,” despite the same distortion and quality issues being evident again. A fellow employee even acknowledged that the records sounded unclear and suggested it could be due to their condition when sold. Despite this, the manager refused to accept the return or issue any form of credit. Her tone throughout the interaction was dismissive, unprofessional, and frankly, disrespectful. She even went as far as to tell me to bring my record player so she could hear it being played on it. I thought that was extremely unnecessary to do and ultimately the stupidest thing I had ever heard.

At that point, it became clear that Sound Exchange had no intention of honoring its own return policy and I was essentially being scammed. I ultimately left the records behind, as they were unusable, but the store still kept my money.

This experience was not only frustrating but also deeply disappointing. To any of my friends that share my same hobby of music, I strongly warn you against shopping at this location. The staff is extremely rude and is unwilling to take responsibility for the quality of their merchandise or honor their own stated policies. What should have been a simple and respectful resolution turned into an incredibly frustrating ordeal. I will not...

Ok can I just say I Don't mind spending premium $$ as long as I get premium service or product. That being said, Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably caught wind of the resurgence of Vinyl as the Connoisseurs choice of media playback. For the better part of the last 7 years I have continued to collect with much happiness. Today I encountered SNAKE OIL of the highest degree at SOUND EXCHANGE a chain of independent record stores located in Brandon, Pinellas Park, and Tampa. They charged me $5 just to look at 8 records and give me an evaluation in store: credit or cash. Well they Transferred THE WRONG record...so I decided to not trade my records..they insisted on the $5 when I did not purchase the record b/c THEY transferred the WRONG one, and did not have the one I wanted. Every other store in the area DOES NOT CHARGE to evaluate records and give you a cash price or the equivalent store credit. IN FACT every record store I have dealt with (Over 75 in 9 states) does not charge to evaluate...So PLEASE DO NOT BUY OR TRADE ANYTHING WITH SOUND EXCHANGE, they are a small independent business and can easily change their business processes, but they choose to take advantage of the consumer b/c of the current popularity of vinyl. Now in the Owners defense I DID sign a piece of paper when I traded which told about the 5$ charge..I did not read this so this is partly my fault BUT I would expect that since there was a mistake on their end (improperly identifying/labeling a record) that management could waive the charge so that we could continue to do business in good faith. They did not see this as an option hence my less than glowing review. It's sad because a place like this...