Returning or exchanging defective vinyl at your local Record Store

qontheboard

I just had two really shitty experiences trying to exchange vinyl at my local record store, and was looking for some feedback. The first incident was about a month ago. I called and asked them to put aside an upcoming release for me, which they were happy to do. When I went to pick it up, the guy at the cash pulled a sticky note off the cover, and my first thought was, " I hope they didn't put the sticky on and then write the info". I took a quick look, and it looked fine. However as soon as I got it home and looked closer, you could clearly see the the printing on the outer sleeve (music on vinyl outer sleeve) and sure enough there were indentations on the cover from writing the info on top of the cover instead of writing the info on the sticky and then putting it on the cover. So I went back thinking I could exchange it easily as it was their mistake. I was utterly shocked at the response I got. First he tried to tell me that the writing only affected the outer sleeve. I told him to take a closer look, that the writing could clearly be seen on the cover. He then basically spent the next 5 minutes trying to deflect and make me feel like an asshole for wanting to exchange the album. In the end I was able to exchange it, but the experience left s really bad taste in my mouth.

The second incident was just two days ago. My wife purchased an album this past weekend, and I opened it on Monday and one of the labels was all puffed out. It was not glued down properly and was really rigid and dome like. I slipped it right back into the sleeve, as I knew it would'nt play properly unless I cut the label off or slice it and try to glue it down. So needless to say my wife and I went back on Tuesday to exchange it. As we were walking out the door my wife asked if she was going to get any attitude for wanting to exchange the record. I told her no way because it's a factory defect, and if it can't sit on the TT properly without wobbling all over the place how could they not exchange it. Well fuck me sideways. My wife ended up having to deal with this little "glorified hall monitor" type (the nicest way I could say asshole), who insisted it was not defective. He put it on a TT, put headphones on and as we watched it wobble around and watched the TT arm rise and fall, he declared it's not a defect because it does not affect playability. I could not believe what I was witnessing and hearing. The thing is he wasn't even cordial, pleasant, or even neutral in his attitude and demeanour, he was a dick from beginning to end. He was literally cross examining my wife as I tried to keep my distance and let my wife handle it herself, but I was starting to get really pissed. Thankfully my wife stood her ground and was able to exchange the record. However before he would do the exchange he tried to play the guilt card saying they would have to eat the cost etc. because the record was not defective and they couldn't return it. He repeated this 4 times.

Anyways, was wondering what folks think about this. Am I the asshole for wanting my vinyl in the form it was meant to be. Anyone else experience anything like this at their local.

q

MedozK

I have no experience with poor customer service, but I have had the bubbled label. The labels aren't glued they are pressed into the vinyl. It is actually two labels that have been pressed by mistake. I had a TMR record like that a few months ago, and I called TMR about it, they said I could bring it in or they explained I could peel off the second label. I just peeled off the top label, and the second one that was pressed in the vinyl was fine.

HesCalledDyer

You are not wrong in wanting your vinyl to be proper.
In the first case, that is mishandling on the store's part and they should replace it and deal with eating the cost.
In the 2nd instance, just because it doesn't affect the sound quality of the record does not mean it isn't defective. Playability means more than just "does it sound the way it's supposed to?" If it's wobbling to and fro, that is affecting not only the playability of the record, but in the long run could hurt your stylus. A misapplied label IS a defect, there is no other way about it. He certainly is lying if he said he'd have to eat the cost, because all he'd have to do is contact his distributor and get a replacement. Or even bypass the distributor altogether and go straight to the presser. Sounds like this guy just has a shitty attitude and is too lazy to fix problems on his end.

lolobugg

he sounds like a fucking dick...
my store always takes back the vinyl if it is defective.
one thing to remember is that stores cannot return vinyl, they are not like CDs.
once they purchase it, they are stuck with it if it doesn't sell.
I will talk to my guys and see if they get credit for defects.
I would assume that would get back cents on the $ but that is the cost of doing business.
you were totally in the right to ask for replacements.

Of The Aggie

That's too bad that they have terrible customer service given the fact that these stores have to provide something above and beyond to keep customers coming and spending way more for vinyl than they would on Amazon. I probably wouldn't have cared about the sticky note thing but I would've definitely taken back the one with the bad label.

mfc2006

I would let the manager know about your experience. Poor customer service can leave a bad taste in your mouth & I'm sure they wouldn't want to lose a customer over these incidents.

qontheboard

MedozK said:

I have no experience with poor customer service, but I have had the bubbled label. The labels aren't glued they are pressed into the vinyl. It is actually two labels that have been pressed by mistake. I had a TMR record like that a few months ago, and I called TMR about it, they said I could bring it in or they explained I could peel off the second label. I just peeled off the top label, and the second one that was pressed in the vinyl was fine.

Thanks for the info MedozK, you learn something new everyday! Now if only the twit we dealt with knew enough to know all he had to do was peel back the label, this all would have ended with a smile and a thank you very much.

q

qontheboard

HesCalledDyer said:

You are not wrong in wanting your vinyl to be proper.
In the first case, that is mishandling on the store's part and they should replace it and deal with eating the cost.
In the 2nd instance, just because it doesn't affect the sound quality of the record does not mean it isn't defective. Playability means more than just "does it sound the way it's supposed to?" If it's wobbling to and fro, that is affecting not only the playability of the record, but in the long run could hurt your stylus. A misapplied label IS a defect, there is no other way about it. He certainly is lying if he said he'd have to eat the cost, because all he'd have to do is contact his distributor and get a replacement. Or even bypass the distributor altogether and go straight to the presser. Sounds like this guy just has a shitty attitude and is too lazy to fix problems on his end.

Thanks for the words of support, and you are absolutely right about the stylus. While he was being a dick to my wife, I was doing everything I could not to interject, as my wife was holding her own. But I wanted to say to him, "why would anyone put their stylus through that sort of abuse?"

q

qontheboard

lolobugg said:

he sounds like a fucking dick...
my store always takes back the vinyl if it is defective.
one thing to remember is that stores cannot return vinyl, they are not like CDs.
once they purchase it, they are stuck with it if it doesn't sell.
I will talk to my guys and see if they get credit for defects.
I would assume that would get back cents on the $ but that is the cost of doing business.
you were totally in the right to ask for replacements.

I do believe you are correct about credit for defects. I recently had a conversation about this with someone at Brookvale Records.

q

qontheboard

Of The Aggie said:

That's too bad that they have terrible customer service given the fact that these stores have to provide something above and beyond to keep customers coming and spending way more for vinyl than they would on Amazon. I probably wouldn't have cared about the sticky note thing but I would've definitely taken back the one with the bad label.

mfc2006 said:

I would let the manager know about your experience. Poor customer service can leave a bad taste in your mouth & I'm sure they wouldn't want to lose a customer over these incidents.

The worst part of all this, is that this is the biggest record store in my city, and they have the most stock and selection. Not to mention it's a 2 minute walk from my front door. I think I've spent about $1500 there in the last 3 months (I know, I have a problem!) So it's difficult to not buy my vinyl there, however in the future if I can get it somewhere else, I will make the effort to do so. They have already lost me as a "super customer". Also it was two different people the latter being second in command from what I gather. It seems as though the non-customer service thing comes from the top, as if it's a policy the employees are trained to employ.

q

lolobugg

qontheboard said:

Of The Aggie said:

That's too bad that they have terrible customer service given the fact that these stores have to provide something above and beyond to keep customers coming and spending way more for vinyl than they would on Amazon. I probably wouldn't have cared about the sticky note thing but I would've definitely taken back the one with the bad label.

mfc2006 said:

I would let the manager know about your experience. Poor customer service can leave a bad taste in your mouth & I'm sure they wouldn't want to lose a customer over these incidents.

The worst part of all this, is that this is the biggest record store in Toronto, and they have the most stock and selection. Not to mention it's a 2 minute walk from my front door. I think I've spent about $1500 there in the last 3 months (I know, I have a problem!) So it's difficult to not buy my vinyl there, however in the future if I can get it somewhere else, I will make the effort to do so. They have already lost me as a "super customer". Also it was two different people the latter being second in command from what I gather. It seems as though the non-customer service thing comes from the top, as if it's a policy the employees are trained to employ.

q

sounds like the old school "clerk mentality" that was so nicely displayed in the movie "High Fidelity". It used to definitely be like that in the 90s. I am lucky that at my local shop the owners are always working and they know me by name. Such a different experience when they actually care about their customers. Good for you for boycotting.... hit em where it hurts.

PJ_Soul

I think that any defective vinyl should absolutely be exchangeable or refundable. However, I've heard from others several times that a lot of record stores try to avoid doing that. I'm really not sure why. Just like with every other retailer, they all should be taking back defective products, and then in turn returning them to the wholesaler for a refund. Why should their businesses be different than any other??
I tried to argue at a London Drugs recently that if their new albums weren't sealed, then they should be lowering the price of the album, since unsealing it necessarily reduces its value. No go. They absolutely refused to give a discount (I was expecting something similar to a floor model discount). I thought that was bullshit (even if I am just going to open the thing myself... they don't know that. Maybe I want it for a mint collection). I mean, you can't sell something that has a reduced value due to "damage" and not lower the price. That's just wrong. Anyway, I bought the album because I WAS going to play it, but still... it's the principle of it.

jerparker20

Sorry to hear that.

The one shop I go to has a 1 year return policy on all new and used vinyl. I haven't had any issues, but have in the store when people have returned stuff. The staff asks a few questions and for a receipt, and that was it. That's customer service.

hinsey21

qontheboard said:

Of The Aggie said:

That's too bad that they have terrible customer service given the fact that these stores have to provide something above and beyond to keep customers coming and spending way more for vinyl than they would on Amazon. I probably wouldn't have cared about the sticky note thing but I would've definitely taken back the one with the bad label.

mfc2006 said:

I would let the manager know about your experience. Poor customer service can leave a bad taste in your mouth & I'm sure they wouldn't want to lose a customer over these incidents.

The worst part of all this, is that this is the biggest record store in Toronto, and they have the most stock and selection. Not to mention it's a 2 minute walk from my front door. I think I've spent about $1500 there in the last 3 months (I know, I have a problem!) So it's difficult to not buy my vinyl there, however in the future if I can get it somewhere else, I will make the effort to do so. They have already lost me as a "super customer". Also it was two different people the latter being second in command from what I gather. It seems as though the non-customer service thing comes from the top, as if it's a policy the employees are trained to employ.

q

what store is it?

qontheboard

jerparker20 said:

Sorry to hear that.

The one shop I go to has a 1 year return policy on all new and used vinyl. I haven't had any issues, but have in the store when people have returned stuff. The staff asks a few questions and for a receipt, and that was it. That's customer service.

Wow! A one year return policy. That would be awesome. Especially since I tend to buy a bunch of vinyl and not open them for a month or two. Please tell me this magical place is in the GTA.

q

jerparker20

qontheboard said:

jerparker20 said:

Sorry to hear that.

The one shop I go to has a 1 year return policy on all new and used vinyl. I haven't had any issues, but have in the store when people have returned stuff. The staff asks a few questions and for a receipt, and that was it. That's customer service.

Wow! A one year return policy. That would be awesome. Especially since I tend to buy a bunch of vinyl and not open them for a month or two. Please tell me this magical place is in the GTA.

q

No. St. Paul, MN.

qontheboard

what store is it?


Hey hinsey21, sorry but I don't want to publicly out the store right now. Despite the bad experiences, there are a few really good people there, and two of them may be 10c members. In the event that other members report bad experiences, and name the store, I would have no problem outing them then.

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hinsey21

Ahhh ok when you said biggest record store in Toronto I would have surely thought you meant Rotate This. But i highly doubt any 10c members work there.

Tim Simmons

I'm trying to figure out how a bubble in the center of the label is affecting play in the grooves. Unless you have a record clamp and are unable to screw it down properly, I'm not getting how it affects the tone arm's glide. Was the whole record warped?



But the simple response to all of the issues as was said earlier is record stores can't return product so they don't want to take product back.

I've had more success contacting a label with a defect (3 times) than I have with returning a record (once - where the above was explained to me).

Sorry your experiences were less than stellar. I do think you were a little uptight about the writing pressure on the sleeve, especially since it was "on closer inspection".

qontheboard

Tim Simmons said:

I'm trying to figure out how a bubble in the center of the label is affecting play in the grooves. Unless you have a record clamp and are unable to screw it down properly, I'm not getting how it affects the tone arm's glide. Was the whole record warped?



But the simple response to all of the issues as was said earlier is record stores can't return product so they don't want to take product back.

I've had more success contacting a label with a defect (3 times) than I have with returning a record (once - where the above was explained to me).

Sorry your experiences were less than stellar. I do think you were a little uptight about the writing pressure on the sleeve, especially since it was "on closer inspection".

The whole label was a bubble, not just the centre of the label. So yes, bubble side up plays fine. Flip the record over bubble side down, and the record does not lay flat, hence the wobbling around.

As far as the writing pressure thing goes, "on closer inspection" meant taking it out of the re-sealable outer sleeve, which is a little thicker and glossier than regular shrink wrap. The reflective surface made it hard to see anything, but as soon as I took it out, it was plain as day. When I purchase a single lp that is limited and on coloured vinyl for $36.99 plus another 15% in sales tax, I don't know, I just don't want someone's handwriting clearly engraved on the cover. I realize not everyone would care, but I wouldn't call it "uptight", I would say "old school expectation of goods and services rendered".

Although I open and play everything I purchase, I sometimes don't open something well beyond the two week limit. I will definitely try contacting the label in the future should the need arise. Thank you for the info.

q

FR181798

The writing on the sleeve thing occasional happens, especially on used records. You can take it out but it takes a while and can be tricky. Use a blunt round ended object like a the wring end of a pen and put a bit of pressure from the inside if you have access, keep working it and you can get most out. It shouldn't happen but it does and its an awkward thing to ask for a refund for so usually I wouldn't bother.