retailers need to take it up with the manufacturers then, not the customers. if a record is defective i'll return it.
I'm almost the same - bought them all except Ummagumma and DB, only one I had to return was DSOTM as it was warped - looking forward to getting a replacement soon, the rest were flawless.
What exactly are you suggesting? That customers stop returning defective product for fear that Amazon will stop stocking it? All signs point to Amazon not caring at all if I return defective pressings. I don't think the three return policy only applies to records. Also, it would probably help the QC if Amazon threatened to stop stocking records. That would probably light a fire under the Labels to demand better QC. I don't see that happening though.
Amazon is the exception. They're the 800-lb gorilla who CAN take infinite returns... and probably CAN cease selling a particular vinyl record if QC is poor. But at the same time, they've got a million more things to care about over a poorly-produced piece of vinyl. Your local indie retailer can't take multiple returns on a particular title before they decide it's not worth the monetary loss to keep stocking said product. That's really their only option. It's laughable to think they can force a giant corporation like WB or Sony to alter their "no returns" policy for vinyl.
I've heard some B&M stores tell me that they can send back defective copies to the distributor. I think it varies.
Some retailers can send back a percentage. It depends on the distributor, I believe. Your local mom and pop isn't buying directly from the label...
They're not? (not being sarcastic) Where do the local shops order from? I always figured it was direct.
I don't see the problem. Enough retailers (especially large chains) cease selling records due to defects, record companies make the effort to ramp up QC in order to cut down returns or abandon the format (again). It's simple economics. I don't get this mindset that the consumer has to roll the dice every time they buy an album whether they get a defective copy or not.
There are distributors (also called distro or "one stops") all over the country that supply stores with their orders. The main distributors carry stock from all the majors and big indies. Smaller distributors specialize in certain indie labels (from rock to jazz to classical). When I worked in a mom and pop store back in the 80s, we bought stock from three major distributors in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Columbus (we were in a small Ohio college town). Most of our jazz and blues came from an indie distributor in Cleveland. Back then, we had label reps who gave us promo copies, posters, flats, etc. Sometimes they'd get us concert tickets too. They would come to our store and help us with displays, talk up new releases, etc. That was about the only contact we would have with the major labels. Here are some examples of the current distributors that stores might buy from: All About Alliance Entertainment - Premier Wholesale Distributor » URP Music Distributors - YOUR VINYL RECORD SOURCE » Independent Music Distributor; purveyors of fine music since 1997 » Secretly Distribution » So in short: store < distributor < labels
I'm still not sure what you are suggesting. Are you saying that if someone gets a pressing with a sounding scratch all the way across a side, a warp that makes the cartridge skip, or an extra label pressed into the grooves, that they should just say, "Oh well! Forget about that $30." and buy another copy instead of returning it?
Off topic but.... Back in the day*, retailers generally get a rebate or discount on their purchase in lieu of allowing returns. So their story may be that they have to eat the defects but the other side that you didn't hear is they probably received a price break on their cost as a subsidy from the wholesaler to avoid the hassle of dealing with returns. It sucks for the retailers if there are a lot of defects because they will lose. It's a bonus to the retailer if there are no defects. Knowing this, I'd return it if it is a serious problem, non-fill. A minor warp or a few clicks and pops can generally be fixed with a vinyl flat and a vacuum RCM. I fix those myself and don't sweat the small stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if there really is nothing wrong with many of the returns that couldn't be fixed with an RCM and the vinyl flat. Maybe I should start scooping up defective returns on the cheap to resell after they've been fixed and these go OOP. *Note, I've been away from the business for 11 years now so I can't confirm if this practice is still in place.
Is it real that in the USA (unlike Europe) there are no laws regarding returns of defective or damaged products? If a store buys a box of LP's from a distributor in the USA, and it arrives damaged, is it not legally mandatory for the distributor to accept a return of damaged items, in the USA? If a store buys a box of LP's from a distributor in the USA, and they turn out to have a manufacturing defect, is it not legally mandatory for the distributor to accept a return of such items, in the USA? Is that really a fact? I find that hard to believe because even when I buy from the distributors in the USA directly (and my store is in Europe), they never had a problem giving me a refund/credit for damaged or defective items.
Not if they're clearly sold "as-is" (probably something in the fine print). But otherwise, I thought it was illegal to refuse returns as well.
That's something else... but I'm talking about "regular" business to business trade. Do the laws exist, as described, or not? My guess is, they do...
It's possible for a pressing plant to check for things like dishing or warping, but very difficult to detect every little pop or tick in a new pressing. There are too many variables that could cause that. As far as the warping goes, I think much of that could have been caused by environments after leaving the pressing plant. Being stored in a non climate control setting could cause all kinds of problems. Another elephant in the living room is the 180 gram vinyl being pressed. It takes a longer time for the thicker pressings to thoroughly cool before placing in the record jacket. This was a common cause of a lot of warping back in the days of vinyl records. The larger the roll out, the propensity for defective product due to pressured time constraints.
180g vinyl is more trouble than it is worth. Wish they would go back to 140g approx. Fed up with inner sleeve knifing issues.
Could someone please send me a link to confirm that these are indeed from digital sourced files? A troll on youtube is trying to tell me these are cut from the analogue tapes. I sent him this link Pink Floyd vinyl mastering confirmed | superdeluxeedition » but he says I am wrong, and apparently we are all wrong too.
The SDE article says what we've basically been hearing all along - new analog transfers but the LP's are cut from hi-res digital files. You won't convince the troll. Some people just gotta argue.
I stopped arguing with them, directed them to this thread, said unless Grundman, Guthrie confirm these were digitally sourced we are all wrong ... in reference to the Hype sticker, I did point out to this person that "remastered from the original analogue tapes" doesn't mean they were CUT from them.
Just got home from a weekend at Disney with the grandkids to find my Animals sitting out in the rain! The package was soaked through, but the shrinkwrap did it's job and kept it dry as a bone! I'm loving this version of Animals ! Still my favorite Floyd by far!
Mooseman is mad...I still have not received my copy from amazon. Is the north east coast having problems with receiving these?
No, of course they bring it back to us. But we take the hit as a store... The label doesn't suffer in the slightest for terrible QC. By the same token, if someone exchanges a defective copy 3 times, there's a good chance we cut them off and/or suggest they shop somewhere else. That whole "customer is always right" idea doesn't mean jack if someone is gonna go through $60 of product we Can't return or resell in order to give us a single sale that generates $5 in profit.
