Whom to contact when record store abandons you?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by Lamus, Dec 29, 2017.

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  1. Lamus

    Lamus Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    I purchased a brand new Neil Young Archives LP Box Set 5-8 and received two copies of On the Beach and zero copies of Time Fades Away. The record store won't help me ("Sorry, man; didn't you read our disclaimers?") and my attempts at getting an appropriate contact through the Warner Bros. store have not paid off.

    Does anyone have experience going direct to the manufacturer? What would be a good lead to get closer to someone who can help me? Yeah, I could save myself the trouble and buy the single version of Time Fades Away but I can't believe that you can pay for a product and not receive it and then the people you gave your money to just walk away.

    And, yes, I understand where the indie record stores are coming from. It's a tough business. I don't want to bash them.
     
    905 likes this.
  2. dewiecox

    dewiecox Forum Resident

    Disclaimers and being an independent store don’t give them a right to sell a product that isn’t as described. Put it on them to get a replacement.
     
  3. AZRunner

    AZRunner Forum Resident

    Location:
    SW FL
    That sucks and I can’t offer any help, but I would never spend another dime at that store.
     
    Dave, Jimmy Agates, Jrr and 2 others like this.
  4. Sammy Waslow

    Sammy Waslow Just watching the show

    Location:
    Ireland
    Disclaimer my eye. The product is faulty, and surely there is some legislation to cover you that would completely override their policy. It's not like you changed your mind and were trying to return an opened box. I've never heard the like in my life. All stores, indie or otherwise, are entitled to send faulty product back to the supplier. It's not right that you're getting stung with a dud box.

    I do remember about thirty years ago, a friend "dialled direct" to EMI when a Queen cassette he bought was faulty. Aligning his predicament to returning a bad chocolate bar to the manufacturer and being refunded with a giant box of free confectionary, he thought sending it back to EMI, rather than bringing it back to the store, might land him a box of Queen goodies and promos. It didn't.
     
  5. Sidewinder43

    Sidewinder43 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lavaca County, TX
    1) I would go to this link:

    Neil Young Original Release Series Discs 5-8 (4CD)

    There is a Contact Us option under support at the bottom of the page. I would explain your situation and include the receipt and pictures if possible.

    2) I would never go to that store again and would bash them at every opportunity.

    Hope this helps. Good luck.
     
  6. milankey

    milankey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, Ohio, USA
    I'm not hesitant to bash that store. In retail, returns are a part of doing business. They could sell the titles you return individually without the box and still break even at the very least.
     
    Dubmart, Jrr, Brother Maynard and 3 others like this.
  7. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    So what's their DBA then ?
     
  8. milankey

    milankey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, Ohio, USA
    do you mean the business name as in "doing business as" ?
     
    Crimson Witch likes this.
  9. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    just a scare up, in case the defendant should happen to be reading....

    ;)
     
  10. spridle

    spridle Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleveland
    That's not unusual practice for an Indie store these days. Their distro's won't take returns, so they aren't, either. It's on the label to make things right because they're the ones that won't take stock back from the distro's anymore. Pushing it onto the one person that really can't afford to take the hit is ridiculous, but that's what the labels are doing. I've had to deal with them a few times and they all have handled it quickly and cheerfully when I've told them what my problem was. I had a boxed set that had a problem and had to return the whole box first, but I had the replacement within a week after they received it. I told them I'd have just exchanged the bad record, but they didn't want to do it that way. I also had a bad record in a two record set and that label just sent me the bad record. Got in in two days.

    Just be nice and explain that the store and distro put it all on the label's policy and you just want the issue corrected. They'll do it and it won't be a big deal.
     
  11. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    cheers for that reply, @spridle ~ I've been in the same box as @Lamus, though my merchant happened to be
    ( fortunately for me) of the philosophy that a happy customer is a returning customer ~ that is, the amount of money I will spend in their store over six months or a year's time will outmeasure the value of a single refund or exchange.
     
  12. Batman21

    Batman21 If you don’t run you rust

    Location:
    DC
    FWIW, Ive asked my local indie shops about this non return thing - they’ve all said that the distributers all credit them on their next order...

    If u happened to pay by cc id call and dispute the charge. You did not recieve what you paid for.
     
    eddiel, bootbox, Gaslight and 3 others like this.
  13. spridle

    spridle Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleveland
    I've had that same experience but I could see the effect of the hit. Say it was a 20 dollar record. They made less than five bucks on it. So I exchanged it for the same record. They couldn't sell the one I exchanged, because they're good people. So that's a hit of thirty bucks at least for my bad record, that wasn't their fault. I love my record store, and they treat me wonderfully, but I'm not the only customer they love. If they did that once a year (I don't really have that many problems, but some people return records because they're too black these days), they'd take a 1000 dollars a year in that kind of hit. Add theft in and my record store is going out of business quick.
     
    Crimson Witch likes this.
  14. glide

    glide Forum Resident

    Location:
    NH, USA
    Please “out” the store so I know not to shop there.
     
    Yayastone, Shawn and milankey like this.
  15. gonz

    gonz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Michiana
    I’d rather have two on the beaches

    Time fades are a dime a dozen

    On second thought, I see youre in AZ, out the store.
     
  16. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    Indeed, you make a fair point, @spridle.
    [all] will depend on the particular merchant and the status of their overhead, that is, their cost of doing business.
     
  17. davidkeith

    davidkeith Senior Member

    The label won't always be of help. Bought the new Alison Moyet this past summer and it was defective (couldn't go back to the store as we were on vacation, with shipping costs and such), so I contacted the label. Label said there was nothing they would do to help, it was the store's problem. But isn't Neil Young on Warner? Maybe try the Warner Music Store. If they can't help, they may be able to point you to someone who can.
     
    Crimson Witch likes this.
  18. MichaelXX2

    MichaelXX2 Dictator perpetuo

    Location:
    United States
    Threaten legal action. You got blatantly ripped off.

    Meanwhile, in a different store hundreds of miles away, somebody received a box with two Time Fades Away discs and zero On the Beach... :p
     
  19. Lamus

    Lamus Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    Thanks, Sidewinder. I'm thinking that link will go to the same place as the Warner Bros. store that I previously contacted but I'll try. Those guys told me since I didn't order through the Warner Store I was screwed.

    Gonz, don't worry, it's not a local PHX store. It's an indie store in another town and I ordered mail order.
     
  20. Exile On My Street

    Exile On My Street Senior Member

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    First off, you're only missing a single record so I don't see why they are unable to exchange the title you have for the one you need. It's not faulty, just redundant! You're obviously someone who spends a lot of money in their store and will likely continue to do so, so what is so hard about a simple exchange?

    Tell them straight out man, go in there and be honest with them. I've done it in the past but now I'm more careful of what I purchase and where. I had an issue with a Allman Brothers Fillmore East bluray boxset. I spent about $20 more for it at the indy store because I wanted them to have the business. I told them I have supported their store for years and would rather spend more money with them but next time I'll save $20, stay home and order it from Amazon.

    They relented and offered the exchange. If this doesn't work, contact the manufacturer. I've done that in the past as well.

    But I no longer buy big, expensive items from indy stores anymore.
     
    Tommyboy and uzn007 like this.
  21. If you paid through credit card, put it through dispute.
     
  22. WaxHammer

    WaxHammer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Emeryville, CA
    What a ripoff. Sounds like someone did a swapout to get the other record. Give us the name of the store, I will happily blast them on yelp.
     
  23. deredordica

    deredordica Music Freak

    Location:
    Sonoma County, CA
    Better Business Bureau. Also, leave a Yelp review.
     
    Chemguy likes this.
  24. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    100%. What the heck has a disclaimer got to do with a new, sealed product?

    Better Buisness Bureau the bums if they persist in this ridiculous manner.
     
  25. Threaten to send a horde of Beatles' fans or audiophiles looking to talk/inspect matrix/stamper #s.
     
    Dave, SonicZone, Tommyboy and 4 others like this.
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