Vinyl Me Please (store, exclusives, swaps, etc)

TenderLovingKiller® said:
Yeah and while I appreciate it I don’t necessarily need a 2nd copy of any of them. WAP and Stars will become a Christmas or birthday gift to one of my Brothers and the Lightmen will either be resold or maybe thrown on the PIF thread. I have no problem sending them back if that was what was required. All I expect for is what I paid for Short of that a refund would be more than fine. Maybe they should reconsider there return policy too. Either do some “scratch & dent” sales or maybe take some of the sleeves with damages records and records with damaged sleeve and reconstitute them into NM/NM copies. Might save them a bit on back end since they a clearly working hard at cost savings right now.
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Yeah I personally wouldn’t have a problem with sending back my records but I know that is a hassle for some. Thankfully I’ve only had a handful of issues over the years with VMP but I’m also much less stringent cosmetically. I don’t blame you for complaining though. It’s justified. They definitely need to rethink their return policy and then be fucking consistent about it. It’s frustrating to hear that some people have no problem getting replacement for minor things while others have to prove beyond doubt that they need a replacement.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
Yeah and while I appreciate it I don’t necessarily need a 2nd copy of any of them. WAP and Stars will become a Christmas or birthday gift to one of my Brothers and the Lightmen will either be resold or maybe thrown on the PIF thread. I have no problem sending them back if that was what was required. All I expect for is what I paid for Short of that a refund would be more than fine. Maybe they should reconsider there return policy too. Either do some “scratch & dent” sales or maybe take some of the sleeves with damages records and records with damaged sleeve and reconstitute them into NM/NM copies. Might save them a bit on back end since they a clearly working hard at cost savings right now.
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Make sure and spin Stars and Phoenix to see which copy you'll keep - Stars has a widespread loud clicking issue over the last song and Phoenix was pretty noisy on Side A.
 
MikeH said:
I understand people wanting albums in perfect condition but shipping accidents do occur.
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They happen, but for me they happen much more often with VMP. I stopped ordering store items from them last year because of the number of records I was getting with crushed corners. Even my ROTMs get dinged up, but less so. Their boxes are poorly designed and have inadequate corner protection for the weight of their product. Especially with all the tip-on jackets and 2-LP releases.
 
Yeah, I guess things change when you're no longer buying things you don't need to support a company you believed in:
  • I cancelled Crumb when it was announced (a few weeks ago) that it would be delayed.
  • Tried to cancel Charlie Collins, but it was already in my box at that point.
  • Just cancelled Lukas Nelson.
  • Now thinking about cancelling Fist City.
I was really excited about all of these when I initially ordered them, but now I feel like I don't really want them, and don't really understand why I was so enthusiastic before.

I've gotten responses from Jason each time, and his responses for the two he was able to cancel were exactly the same, so they must be using templates for those e-mails. I got an "Extremely sorry about that!" apology thrown in when he wasn't able to cancel the Charlie Collins, but haven't yet encountered any outright rudeness (but not sure I've gotten an e-mail from him that wasn't just a copied/pasted template response either).

But, um, now I need to spin that copy of Stars I picked up to confirm whether I have that issue on the last track that everyone seems to have...
 
mitchwagz said:
Yeah I personally wouldn’t have a problem with sending back my records but I know that is a hassle for some. Thankfully I’ve only had a handful of issues over the years with VMP but I’m also much less stringent cosmetically. I don’t blame you for complaining though. It’s justified. They definitely need to rethink their return policy and then be fucking consistent about it. It’s frustrating to hear that some people have no problem getting replacement for minor things while others have to prove beyond doubt that they need a replacement.
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No way SC could handle returns well. They already send out damaged sleeves. They would probably see it as a item restock.
 
displayname said:
Man, all these delays and problems are depressing. Maybe part of their reasoning for shutting down the forum was that they knew that had a big streak of production problems that was about to his the streets. I don’t get many exclusives, but Morby came on time, but warped.

Either way, the pre-order situation is inline with several of the decisions since Demon Days: cash first, customers second. It’s been an obvious MO for awhile now. I’m certain investors got involved to push these charges. Unfortunately VMP’s execution level is like that of an intern that got promoted because he fit in, not because he was qualified.
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Gotta follow up when VMP does the right thing vs the wrong thing.
My first copy of Morby OMG was warped. Second copy still has a slight wobble, but is well within acceptable tolerance. I'm on side C, but it's sounding wonderful now. I sent a video with my initial email to VMP, and the new copy shipped out quickly and on it's own. It was a smooth fix just like the old days.

Hopefully they get back to this standard practice.
 
MikeyP said:
Before anyone jumps on this "sale" of theirs, you might want to consider the fact that these titles will most likely be 4 for the price of 1 at Bespoke in a month. I'm pretty sure VMP just trades them all their overstock. If anyone sees Storf walking around in a button up that's 2 sizes too small with a bone handled knife clipped to his belt, you'll know the truth.
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I know I'm replying to an early message, but I was on mobile and preoccupied on the road. I couldn't help thinking about this before @MikeyP 's post.
I don't think Bespoke used store exclusives in their "Groove" boxes...I believe they were all former RotMs. If I had to guess 5 of the records that they will most likely include as choices in their inevitable Groove box (by most to least certain) by summer's end:

1) TI - King. I can't imagine that this sold well at all. There isn't even a Discogs review, as of the time of this posting. To be fair, much of the album bangs and I've been appreciating southern hip-hop recently. Wouldn't choose it as an RotM, but certainly in the Groove Box if available.
2) Eddie Floyd - Knock On Wood. Discogs listing says that 5000 copies were pressed. However, only ~800 users have a copy. I reckon at least ~2000 total copies are still in their warehouse. Was this an unpopular Classics pick (for those collecting this track series)?
3) Ivy Sole - Overgrown. They suspiciously brought this back in stock when OutKast oversold in hopes that people would swap to it. Decent record, but came off as forgettable. The visually striking and gorgeous colorway is certainly neat.
4) Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. People were swapping to the OutKast RotM before that sold out and became a preventable disaster. I'm sure this will be in stock by the end of summer, and it is still WELL IN PRINT outside of VMP. Questionable RotM choice for many, I'm sure.
5) Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma. Another album still in print. VMP version sounds fantastic, but I've never listened to a standard copy to compare. Wonder if there's still thousands of copies in the warehouse.

Anybody else have any ideas? Please let me know if I missed anything.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
I was just essentially told by CS to piss off regarding the corner dings on all 3 of the VMP releases in my June box. Every order I have receive over the past year or so has come wrapped in bubble wrap this one did not. They packaged the albums poorly, the record jackets were then subsequently damaged during shipping then won’t replace the damaged product because “hey, this shit happens” and think store credit will suffice so I can what, order more records (that will be potential damaged in shipping (rinse, repeat)? Good thing I paid with PayPal if they don’t handle this right I am going to file a claim and get my $$ refund. I mean I will have to eat the cost of send the albums back to them but It will be worth the $4 media mail. COSMETIC DAMAGE IS STILL DAMAGE. Aesthetics matter when you are collecting. If the physical presentation of the product didn’t matter would not be collecting a physical product and they would not be selling said product for premium price.
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This has happened on any package from VMP with more than two albums. I have asked them to split shipments and was willing to pay for the postage. They told me 'nah, it will be ok'and they came dented in the corners. I swear its the design of their shipping box: the 'wings' (flaps with no sturdy cardboard underneath) on them are always crushed in when I get the box.
It's like getting a pizza and the driver has sat on the box.
 
ChristoBee said:
So that replacement policy is definitely a lottery. I got a replacement SRT for the damaged jacket and a replacement Sorcerer for a mild warp that would probably not pass that weird nickel test. I didn't even have to specifically ask for a replacement, Stephen was the one to answer me.
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I’m convinced that if someone other than Jason had answered mine on Morby, I may still be a member. My wallet thanks him.
 
Mather said:
Who knows, thought I looked at the page but maybe not, either way all good thanks for clarifying though. I thought they pulled it.
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Nah, pretty sure it sold out normally. They tweeted yesterday there were less than 50 copies. The band was also tweeting about it, which might have resulted in a surge in purchases.
 
Rip_City said:
I know I'm replying to an early message, but I was on mobile and preoccupied on the road. I couldn't help thinking about this before @MikeyP 's post.
I don't think Bespoke used store exclusives in their "Groove" boxes...I believe they were all former RotMs. If I had to guess 5 of the records that they will most likely include as choices in their inevitable Groove box (by most to least certain) by summer's end:

1) TI - King. I can't imagine that this sold well at all. There isn't even a Discogs review, as of the time of this posting. To be fair, much of the album bangs and I've been appreciating southern hip-hop recently. Wouldn't choose it as an RotM, but certainly in the Groove Box if available.
2) Eddie Floyd - Knock On Wood. Discogs listing says that 5000 copies were pressed. However, only ~800 users have a copy. I reckon at least ~2000 total copies are still in their warehouse. Was this an unpopular Classics pick (for those collecting this track series)?
3) Ivy Sole - Overgrown. They suspiciously brought this back in stock when OutKast oversold in hopes that people would swap to it. Decent record, but came off as forgettable. The visually striking and gorgeous colorway is certainly neat.
4) Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. People were swapping to the OutKast RotM before that sold out and became a preventable disaster. I'm sure this will be in stock by the end of summer, and it is still WELL IN PRINT outside of VMP. Questionable RotM choice for many, I'm sure.
5) Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma. Another album still in print. VMP version sounds fantastic, but I've never listened to a standard copy to compare. Wonder if there's still thousands of copies in the warehouse.

Anybody else have any ideas? Please let me know if I missed anything.
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I think there was Stax fatigue with the Floyd, because that’s a great album. For whatever reason, it just didn’t sell.

T.I.’s King was an odd choice - I think Trap Muzik or Urban Legend would have been a better choice as an ROTM. I really like it, but it has sort of a commercial surface level sense to it that the earlier albums happens don’t have. I also had a OG copy in fine shape so I didn’t feel the need to spend $23 on it.

Cosmogramma is a great album, but I think it takes a certain type of listener.

Ivy Sole is the reason I like curation, I enjoyed it and would never have listened to it otherwise.

Phoenix was a “eh” choice - the album is fine and I’d certainly take a copy on the cheap, but not for the monthly price.

Other possibilities would be Rico Nasty, Mavis, Camp Lo, and Experience Unlimited.
 
How many Bespoke Post VMP boxes have there been? Two so far?

EU and Eddie Floyd are both on my "potential future swaption" list, so if there's another box a few months from now, I hope they're in them.

I'm scratching my head on Ivy Sole. It wasn't available as a swap for May and then its sale page was hidden (you had to actually use the search bar to find it). When I asked Storf about it in the days before the VMP forum shut down, he remarked there weren't many copies left.

Of course, they then did bring it back as a swaption, but who knows how many copies are left now. I imagine when it was a search result-only listing and not a swaption for about a month, sales for it must have ground to a complete halt.
 
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