It is a very common policy among retailers that any opened media (vinyl, CD, DVD, game software, etc.) can only be exchanged. Refunds are only available when it is unopened with factory seals intact. Sorry, no idea where cost of returns is absorbed.
Who's absorbing the cost?
The other day I purchased a couple of albums from HMV.
Got them home and discovered that one album (with two discs) was damaged
The damagewas to both discs and looked identical, it was though they had been jammed into a thin slot and had pressure applied to actally bend them.
I returned them to the same HMV store only to be told that I could either
They also said they had no option because the Record companies refuse to take back damaged goods
However, most other stores I deal with do offer refunds on damaged albums.
My point to HMV - even if I exchanged the album they would still be left with an album they could not sell and would have to write off. So they could actually give me a refund and glean a lot of customer goodwill, but instead chose to alienate me.
Sometimes corporations cannot see the wood for the bottom line.
So who does absorb the cost if not the record company
Thanks in advance 😩
Got them home and discovered that one album (with two discs) was damaged
The damagewas to both discs and looked identical, it was though they had been jammed into a thin slot and had pressure applied to actally bend them.
I returned them to the same HMV store only to be told that I could either
- Get a gift certificate
- Get an in store credit
- Exchange for another album of equal or greater value
- BUT Refunding my money was against corporate policy
They also said they had no option because the Record companies refuse to take back damaged goods
However, most other stores I deal with do offer refunds on damaged albums.
My point to HMV - even if I exchanged the album they would still be left with an album they could not sell and would have to write off. So they could actually give me a refund and glean a lot of customer goodwill, but instead chose to alienate me.
Sometimes corporations cannot see the wood for the bottom line.
So who does absorb the cost if not the record company
- The distributor
- The retailer
- The store
- The customer, i.e. built into the price of each album
Thanks in advance 😩
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- 33 posts total
tls49 - With games, DVD's, CD's etc... - i.e.all electronic formats, most stores won't even take them back for exchange once opened - since they can be copied easily via a computer. But vinyl? most people don't possess the gear to record vinyl these days - except audiophiles of course :-) So lets treat All products the same? Guess that the easy way out. We are in a time when corporate policy is decided by a bunch of inexperienced dweebs that have no clue about customer relationship building. Someone is eating the cost of damaged albums - who is it? No wonder Costco is growing so fast - don't like it? take it back for a full refund. I'll go back there anytime Can't wait for them to sell vinyl :-) Cheers |
Refunds are only available when it is unopened with factory seals intact.That’s true, but in the past a customer with a defective record was sometimes given a refund depending on the store’s policy. Defective product was returned to the distributor for credit. Since the resurgence of vinyl, record labels will not take back an album for any reason. The burden is on the consumer and the individual vendor. Music Direct would not even exchange a defective Zeppelin LP for me, whereas Amazon has no problem doing so. I agree that the cost is built into the price of each album. Have you noticed the price of new vinyl continues to rise? |
- 33 posts total