MTS-Blink TOYPAJ

[travis]

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the colors aren't remotely close to the red, yellow, and green that they are supposed to be.

Nah, the one thing you can't fault MTS on is their production quality - all the albums they have put out have looked/sounded fantastic.

That doesn't give RJ a free pass, though.

Remember those "latex blue" copies of Enema that were hand numbered? Yea they were the same trans. blue as the first press.

[thebear]

True...forgotten both of those.

Fuck, well I guess 'hit or miss' pretty much sums up MTS.

[srcvinyl]

Nah, the one thing you can't fault MTS on is their production quality - all the albums they have put out have looked/sounded fantastic.

That doesn't give RJ a free pass, though.

Remember those "latex blue" copies of Enema that were hand numbered? Yea they were the same trans. blue as the first press.

And dont forget the same as the third pressing that came out this Fall!

[eskimoswim]

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the colors aren't remotely close to the red, yellow, and green that they are supposed to be.

Nah, the one thing you can't fault MTS on is their production quality - all the albums they have put out have looked/sounded fantastic.

That doesn't give RJ a free pass, though.

they've sounded average at best

[thomasj182]

I wonder if they ever sent out those test presses people won? I will never fucking order from this label again! Such a scum bag for holding money and then jacking the prices up on them. I'll bet he ran out of money for the release and is trying to scrape what he can to get them done but can't because he probably over shot the projections.

[sharkticon]

RJ's response to my email to Dan (which can be read here):

Hi Brian,

I wanted to reach out to you outside of your conversation with Dan to explain the situation a little further and hopefully settle things a bit. I understand that you're angry, and that we may have lost you as a customer. I hope that isn't the case, but I do understand that this release has been one annoying/frustrating set-back after another.

Besides the production issues with the jacket, having to start from scratch after the plant said we were good to go months ago, this is the biggest project we've worked on to date, and we've definitely learned a ton about what to do and what not to do. I appreciate anyone that orders from Mightier Than Sword, more than words can explain. I built this company up from my college dorm room with I was 18, and am proud of where the company is at today (besides this specific release and all the issues its had). Regarding my statement about a refund – since the release has taken so long, I didn’t/don't want our customers to feel like they've been ripped off and "trapped" with their order. Offering the refund was my attempt to calm those customers who were constantly complaining/e-mailing about their order via the MTS Facebook, Twitter, Blog and e-mail. Obviously they would prefer the vinyl over a refund, but seeing quite a few disgruntled customers, I felt that offering a refund to anyone who wanted one would alleviate a bit of the tension. I understand how that may have come off as me not caring about who orders from MTS and the support they show, but please believe me that that is definitely not the case. Our customers are what keep the label going, and I know that this episode may have alienated quite a few of them. We are going to take the first half of 2012 to slowly build our reputation back up, releasing hi-quality records on the date originally promised. The issues/delays that have been experienced with "Take Off Your Pants And Jacket" WILL NOT happen again.

The reason why I priced the black bundle higher was because of a couple reasons: first off they had been sold out for months, and the pressing plant mentioned we would have a couple extra on top of refunded orders. I felt like the price should be higher because they had been sold out for a while. It's not priced higher because its popular, its priced higher because its the most rare pressing of this release, and while future pressings will be made, the 180 gram black with the foil stamp on the jacket will never be made again. These are strictly limited to 500, forever.

That being said, I'd like to offer you your original order, free of charge, as soon as the vinyl arrives to our office. Please let me know by replying to this e-mail and confirming your shipping address. I know this won't satisfy all of the issues this release has had, but hopefully it will prove to you that we actually do cherish our customers and the support/trust they put in Mightier Than Sword to release hi-quality records in a professional and timely manner. We have some big issues to sort out on our end, but I can guarantee you that moving into 2012 delays of this nature will not exist.

Please feel free to e-mail me anytime if you have any further issues or concerns.

Thank you so much,

RJ

My counter:

Hi RJ -

Thanks for the reply. Delays happen. I totally get that. I work in artist merchandising myself - it happens all the time. And I'm willing to bet a large portion of your customers have been buying records online long enough to understand that, as well. But remember that for ever patient and understanding person, there's someone right behind him who has no clue how the process works. What everyone is up in arms about is

1. the lack of transparency. Your customers are your shareholders. They deserve the right to know how their money is being used during the interim period of risking their money and receiving their product. Like I said in my previous email, that $30-60 price tag could prevent someone from putting gas in their car or food on their table for a week. While I agree that that's irresponsible, some people would rather eat ramen for a week in order to own a record they love. I digress. Customers don't need to know about every decision you make. But if there are major updates, good or bad, customers deserve to know. Locking down your Facebook and deleting dissenting comments sets you back further. I get your reasoning for doing it - avoiding negative feedback and having the power to easily remove it. But, it just riles people up more.

2. If you promise to send an update "next week" or provide tracking #s as proof, you should probably follow up on that.

Obviously, you care about your customers. But your phrasing gives the impression that you do not. Look, I'm not trying to tell you how to run your label. Clearly, you've seen a good amount of success over the past couple years. But the fact remains, shipping delays plague your large releases and your fans and customers are growing weary of it.

I appreciate your gesture of offering my order free of charge. That's very generous of you. But, I'll have to pass. I stand by my opinion and I feel like accepting it would undermine that opposition. I don't doubt that customer satisfaction is important to you. Thank you, but no thank you.

All the best,

Brian

[batman]

[kurt]

I appreciate your gesture of offering my order free of charge. That's very generous of you. But, I'll have to pass. I stand by my opinion and I feel like accepting it would undermine that opposition. I don't doubt that customer satisfaction is important to you. Thank you, but no thank you.

All the best,

Brian

YES!

HARD IN THE MOTHERFUCKING PAINT.

[maxxxg]

RJ's response to my email to Dan (which can be read here):

Hi Brian,

I wanted to reach out to you outside of your conversation with Dan to explain the situation a little further and hopefully settle things a bit. I understand that you're angry, and that we may have lost you as a customer. I hope that isn't the case, but I do understand that this release has been one annoying/frustrating set-back after another.

Besides the production issues with the jacket, having to start from scratch after the plant said we were good to go months ago, this is the biggest project we've worked on to date, and we've definitely learned a ton about what to do and what not to do. I appreciate anyone that orders from Mightier Than Sword, more than words can explain. I built this company up from my college dorm room with I was 18, and am proud of where the company is at today (besides this specific release and all the issues its had). Regarding my statement about a refund – since the release has taken so long, I didn’t/don't want our customers to feel like they've been ripped off and "trapped" with their order. Offering the refund was my attempt to calm those customers who were constantly complaining/e-mailing about their order via the MTS Facebook, Twitter, Blog and e-mail. Obviously they would prefer the vinyl over a refund, but seeing quite a few disgruntled customers, I felt that offering a refund to anyone who wanted one would alleviate a bit of the tension. I understand how that may have come off as me not caring about who orders from MTS and the support they show, but please believe me that that is definitely not the case. Our customers are what keep the label going, and I know that this episode may have alienated quite a few of them. We are going to take the first half of 2012 to slowly build our reputation back up, releasing hi-quality records on the date originally promised. The issues/delays that have been experienced with "Take Off Your Pants And Jacket" WILL NOT happen again.

The reason why I priced the black bundle higher was because of a couple reasons: first off they had been sold out for months, and the pressing plant mentioned we would have a couple extra on top of refunded orders. I felt like the price should be higher because they had been sold out for a while. It's not priced higher because its popular, its priced higher because its the most rare pressing of this release, and while future pressings will be made, the 180 gram black with the foil stamp on the jacket will never be made again. These are strictly limited to 500, forever.

That being said, I'd like to offer you your original order, free of charge, as soon as the vinyl arrives to our office. Please let me know by replying to this e-mail and confirming your shipping address. I know this won't satisfy all of the issues this release has had, but hopefully it will prove to you that we actually do cherish our customers and the support/trust they put in Mightier Than Sword to release hi-quality records in a professional and timely manner. We have some big issues to sort out on our end, but I can guarantee you that moving into 2012 delays of this nature will not exist.

Please feel free to e-mail me anytime if you have any further issues or concerns.

Thank you so much,

RJ

My counter:

Hi RJ -

Thanks for the reply. Delays happen. I totally get that. I work in artist merchandising myself - it happens all the time. And I'm willing to bet a large portion of your customers have been buying records online long enough to understand that, as well. But remember that for ever patient and understanding person, there's someone right behind him who has no clue how the process works. What everyone is up in arms about is

1. the lack of transparency. Your customers are your shareholders. They deserve the right to know how their money is being used during the interim period of risking their money and receiving their product. Like I said in my previous email, that $30-60 price tag could prevent someone from putting gas in their car or food on their table for a week. While I agree that that's irresponsible, some people would rather eat ramen for a week in order to own a record they love. I digress. Customers don't need to know about every decision you make. But if there are major updates, good or bad, customers deserve to know. Locking down your Facebook and deleting dissenting comments sets you back further. I get your reasoning for doing it - avoiding negative feedback and having the power to easily remove it. But, it just riles people up more.

2. If you promise to send an update "next week" or provide tracking #s as proof, you should probably follow up on that.

Obviously, you care about your customers. But your phrasing gives the impression that you do not. Look, I'm not trying to tell you how to run your label. Clearly, you've seen a good amount of success over the past couple years. But the fact remains, shipping delays plague your large releases and your fans and customers are growing weary of it.

I appreciate your gesture of offering my order free of charge. That's very generous of you. But, I'll have to pass. I stand by my opinion and I feel like accepting it would undermine that opposition. I don't doubt that customer satisfaction is important to you. Thank you, but no thank you.

All the best,

Brian

Give him my address, i'll take some free Blink records. If they're ever done.

[joshnotgood]

Interesting. I guess his response (RJ's) did seem, to me at least, like he meant what he was writing. And I thought Brian's response was well written and made good points.

It will also be interesting to see how everyone will react when they get their records. Will there be a lot of, "It was worth the wait," type forgiveness when these are in hands? I guess I feel like people here are generally forgiving, which I think is good for the board.

[thomasj182]

RJ's response to my email to Dan (which can be read here):

Hi Brian,

I wanted to reach out to you outside of your conversation with Dan to explain the situation a little further and hopefully settle things a bit. I understand that you're angry, and that we may have lost you as a customer. I hope that isn't the case, but I do understand that this release has been one annoying/frustrating set-back after another.

Besides the production issues with the jacket, having to start from scratch after the plant said we were good to go months ago, this is the biggest project we've worked on to date, and we've definitely learned a ton about what to do and what not to do. I appreciate anyone that orders from Mightier Than Sword, more than words can explain. I built this company up from my college dorm room with I was 18, and am proud of where the company is at today (besides this specific release and all the issues its had). Regarding my statement about a refund – since the release has taken so long, I didn’t/don't want our customers to feel like they've been ripped off and "trapped" with their order. Offering the refund was my attempt to calm those customers who were constantly complaining/e-mailing about their order via the MTS Facebook, Twitter, Blog and e-mail. Obviously they would prefer the vinyl over a refund, but seeing quite a few disgruntled customers, I felt that offering a refund to anyone who wanted one would alleviate a bit of the tension. I understand how that may have come off as me not caring about who orders from MTS and the support they show, but please believe me that that is definitely not the case. Our customers are what keep the label going, and I know that this episode may have alienated quite a few of them. We are going to take the first half of 2012 to slowly build our reputation back up, releasing hi-quality records on the date originally promised. The issues/delays that have been experienced with "Take Off Your Pants And Jacket" WILL NOT happen again.

The reason why I priced the black bundle higher was because of a couple reasons: first off they had been sold out for months, and the pressing plant mentioned we would have a couple extra on top of refunded orders. I felt like the price should be higher because they had been sold out for a while. It's not priced higher because its popular, its priced higher because its the most rare pressing of this release, and while future pressings will be made, the 180 gram black with the foil stamp on the jacket will never be made again. These are strictly limited to 500, forever.

That being said, I'd like to offer you your original order, free of charge, as soon as the vinyl arrives to our office. Please let me know by replying to this e-mail and confirming your shipping address. I know this won't satisfy all of the issues this release has had, but hopefully it will prove to you that we actually do cherish our customers and the support/trust they put in Mightier Than Sword to release hi-quality records in a professional and timely manner. We have some big issues to sort out on our end, but I can guarantee you that moving into 2012 delays of this nature will not exist.

Please feel free to e-mail me anytime if you have any further issues or concerns.

Thank you so much,

RJ

My counter:

Hi RJ -

Thanks for the reply. Delays happen. I totally get that. I work in artist merchandising myself - it happens all the time. And I'm willing to bet a large portion of your customers have been buying records online long enough to understand that, as well. But remember that for ever patient and understanding person, there's someone right behind him who has no clue how the process works. What everyone is up in arms about is

1. the lack of transparency. Your customers are your shareholders. They deserve the right to know how their money is being used during the interim period of risking their money and receiving their product. Like I said in my previous email, that $30-60 price tag could prevent someone from putting gas in their car or food on their table for a week. While I agree that that's irresponsible, some people would rather eat ramen for a week in order to own a record they love. I digress. Customers don't need to know about every decision you make. But if there are major updates, good or bad, customers deserve to know. Locking down your Facebook and deleting dissenting comments sets you back further. I get your reasoning for doing it - avoiding negative feedback and having the power to easily remove it. But, it just riles people up more.

2. If you promise to send an update "next week" or provide tracking #s as proof, you should probably follow up on that.

Obviously, you care about your customers. But your phrasing gives the impression that you do not. Look, I'm not trying to tell you how to run your label. Clearly, you've seen a good amount of success over the past couple years. But the fact remains, shipping delays plague your large releases and your fans and customers are growing weary of it.

I appreciate your gesture of offering my order free of charge. That's very generous of you. But, I'll have to pass. I stand by my opinion and I feel like accepting it would undermine that opposition. I don't doubt that customer satisfaction is important to you. Thank you, but no thank you.

All the best,

Brian

I'm going to buy a colored version with my 50% off coupon and mail it to you free of charge because you fucking rule! This is the last time I will support this label ever! Pm me your shipping address, you will have it no later than 2013! Seriously though, pm me your address!

[sharkticon]

Interesting. I guess his response (RJ's) did seem, to me at least, like he meant what he was writing. And I thought Brian's response was well written and made good points.

It will also be interesting to see how everyone will react when they get their records. Will there be a lot of, "It was worth the wait," type forgiveness when these are in hands? I guess I feel like people here are generally forgiving, which I think is good for the board.

I feel the same. RJ could have written me off and ignored the response. But he took the time to provide a detailed reply and an offer to make amends. I can only imagine how frustrating having to deal with 4 months of delays and hundreds of upset and confused customers must be. That's tedious and daunting. And it comes with the territory. They chose to post pre-orders without approving key parts first. If they needed funding to get the process going, that should be made clear to customers before they even have a chance to hit "Check Out".

I've never been dissatisfied with records I've received from MTS/AFS. I have Enema Of The State, Blink's self-titled and The Devil And God, some Kevin Devine stuff, and a handful of other odds and ends that I can't recall or have since sold off. They're all well put together and sound good on my turntable. I don't doubt that this release will make people happy once it shows up.

[beardacus]

RJ's response to my email to Dan (which can be read here):

Hi Brian,

I wanted to reach out to you outside of your conversation with Dan to explain the situation a little further and hopefully settle things a bit. I understand that you're angry, and that we may have lost you as a customer. I hope that isn't the case, but I do understand that this release has been one annoying/frustrating set-back after another.

Besides the production issues with the jacket, having to start from scratch after the plant said we were good to go months ago, this is the biggest project we've worked on to date, and we've definitely learned a ton about what to do and what not to do. I appreciate anyone that orders from Mightier Than Sword, more than words can explain. I built this company up from my college dorm room with I was 18, and am proud of where the company is at today (besides this specific release and all the issues its had). Regarding my statement about a refund – since the release has taken so long, I didn’t/don't want our customers to feel like they've been ripped off and "trapped" with their order. Offering the refund was my attempt to calm those customers who were constantly complaining/e-mailing about their order via the MTS Facebook, Twitter, Blog and e-mail. Obviously they would prefer the vinyl over a refund, but seeing quite a few disgruntled customers, I felt that offering a refund to anyone who wanted one would alleviate a bit of the tension. I understand how that may have come off as me not caring about who orders from MTS and the support they show, but please believe me that that is definitely not the case. Our customers are what keep the label going, and I know that this episode may have alienated quite a few of them. We are going to take the first half of 2012 to slowly build our reputation back up, releasing hi-quality records on the date originally promised. The issues/delays that have been experienced with "Take Off Your Pants And Jacket" WILL NOT happen again.

The reason why I priced the black bundle higher was because of a couple reasons: first off they had been sold out for months, and the pressing plant mentioned we would have a couple extra on top of refunded orders. I felt like the price should be higher because they had been sold out for a while. It's not priced higher because its popular, its priced higher because its the most rare pressing of this release, and while future pressings will be made, the 180 gram black with the foil stamp on the jacket will never be made again. These are strictly limited to 500, forever.

That being said, I'd like to offer you your original order, free of charge, as soon as the vinyl arrives to our office. Please let me know by replying to this e-mail and confirming your shipping address. I know this won't satisfy all of the issues this release has had, but hopefully it will prove to you that we actually do cherish our customers and the support/trust they put in Mightier Than Sword to release hi-quality records in a professional and timely manner. We have some big issues to sort out on our end, but I can guarantee you that moving into 2012 delays of this nature will not exist.

Please feel free to e-mail me anytime if you have any further issues or concerns.

Thank you so much,

RJ

My counter:

Hi RJ -

Thanks for the reply. Delays happen. I totally get that. I work in artist merchandising myself - it happens all the time. And I'm willing to bet a large portion of your customers have been buying records online long enough to understand that, as well. But remember that for ever patient and understanding person, there's someone right behind him who has no clue how the process works. What everyone is up in arms about is

1. the lack of transparency. Your customers are your shareholders. They deserve the right to know how their money is being used during the interim period of risking their money and receiving their product. Like I said in my previous email, that $30-60 price tag could prevent someone from putting gas in their car or food on their table for a week. While I agree that that's irresponsible, some people would rather eat ramen for a week in order to own a record they love. I digress. Customers don't need to know about every decision you make. But if there are major updates, good or bad, customers deserve to know. Locking down your Facebook and deleting dissenting comments sets you back further. I get your reasoning for doing it - avoiding negative feedback and having the power to easily remove it. But, it just riles people up more.

2. If you promise to send an update "next week" or provide tracking #s as proof, you should probably follow up on that.

Obviously, you care about your customers. But your phrasing gives the impression that you do not. Look, I'm not trying to tell you how to run your label. Clearly, you've seen a good amount of success over the past couple years. But the fact remains, shipping delays plague your large releases and your fans and customers are growing weary of it.

I appreciate your gesture of offering my order free of charge. That's very generous of you. But, I'll have to pass. I stand by my opinion and I feel like accepting it would undermine that opposition. I don't doubt that customer satisfaction is important to you. Thank you, but no thank you.

All the best,

Brian

This was outstanding. Thank you for this. There is, quite possibly, hope yet.

[tyler]

It will also be interesting to see how everyone will react when they get their records. Will there be a lot of, "It was worth the wait," type forgiveness when these are in hands? I guess I feel like people here are generally forgiving, which I think is good for the board.

I don't think anything they present will be worth the wait/trouble and putting up with what was essentially lying, and I certainly hope people aren't quick to forgive them for this. However for me, the end product will define whether I shop from them. If it turns out above excellent then I may, otherwise I don't think I'll deal with them again.

I sincerly hope he fixes the delay issues in 2012 like he said he would. His business could well go down the drain if a situation like this ever happens again.

[Guest]

You should have taken the free record and flipped it on ebay.

[geezfools]

I wish I had even gotten a response from the man himself to explain how I felt, but it's all good, I got my refund and I'll show my support with orders, zero of them. I'd like to think that he actually meant all of that, but he gives that same song and dance with every update. Makes all these promises about it never happening again and how it will be different in the future. Bah, whatever. Oh and raising the prices? I don't think there is ever a reason a label should raise the prices of a release, especially if the fucking records hasn't even been released, maybe down the road when they find the magical box of OOP records. What's even better is when labels will STILL sell those at the original price, knowing they could get triple the price just as easy.

Dude is weak...

[thebear]

Hi Brian,

The reason why I priced the black bundle higher was because of a couple reasons: first off they had been sold out for months, and the pressing plant mentioned we would have a couple extra on top of refunded orders. I felt like the price should be higher because they had been sold out for a while. It's not priced higher because its popular, its priced higher because its the most rare pressing of this release, and while future pressings will be made, the 180 gram black with the foil stamp on the jacket will never be made again. These are strictly limited to 500, forever.

Thank you so much,

RJ

That is some serious bullshit.

[dethrock]

Wow sharkticon, he offers you your record for free and you still basically tell him to go fuck himself. Good for you. +1

*edit

After typing this i thought it might come off as sarcastic, which it is not meant to be. I'm actually very impressed you turned down the offer.

[wtfomfg666]

I WANT THIS NOWWWWWW

[jeyzeus809]

RJ's response to my email to Dan (which can be read here):

Hi Brian,

I wanted to reach out to you outside of your conversation with Dan to explain the situation a little further and hopefully settle things a bit. I understand that you're angry, and that we may have lost you as a customer. I hope that isn't the case, but I do understand that this release has been one annoying/frustrating set-back after another.

Besides the production issues with the jacket, having to start from scratch after the plant said we were good to go months ago, this is the biggest project we've worked on to date, and we've definitely learned a ton about what to do and what not to do. I appreciate anyone that orders from Mightier Than Sword, more than words can explain. I built this company up from my college dorm room with I was 18, and am proud of where the company is at today (besides this specific release and all the issues its had). Regarding my statement about a refund – since the release has taken so long, I didn’t/don't want our customers to feel like they've been ripped off and "trapped" with their order. Offering the refund was my attempt to calm those customers who were constantly complaining/e-mailing about their order via the MTS Facebook, Twitter, Blog and e-mail. Obviously they would prefer the vinyl over a refund, but seeing quite a few disgruntled customers, I felt that offering a refund to anyone who wanted one would alleviate a bit of the tension. I understand how that may have come off as me not caring about who orders from MTS and the support they show, but please believe me that that is definitely not the case. Our customers are what keep the label going, and I know that this episode may have alienated quite a few of them. We are going to take the first half of 2012 to slowly build our reputation back up, releasing hi-quality records on the date originally promised. The issues/delays that have been experienced with "Take Off Your Pants And Jacket" WILL NOT happen again.

The reason why I priced the black bundle higher was because of a couple reasons: first off they had been sold out for months, and the pressing plant mentioned we would have a couple extra on top of refunded orders. I felt like the price should be higher because they had been sold out for a while. It's not priced higher because its popular, its priced higher because its the most rare pressing of this release, and while future pressings will be made, the 180 gram black with the foil stamp on the jacket will never be made again. These are strictly limited to 500, forever.

That being said, I'd like to offer you your original order, free of charge, as soon as the vinyl arrives to our office. Please let me know by replying to this e-mail and confirming your shipping address. I know this won't satisfy all of the issues this release has had, but hopefully it will prove to you that we actually do cherish our customers and the support/trust they put in Mightier Than Sword to release hi-quality records in a professional and timely manner. We have some big issues to sort out on our end, but I can guarantee you that moving into 2012 delays of this nature will not exist.

Please feel free to e-mail me anytime if you have any further issues or concerns.

Thank you so much,

RJ

My counter:

Hi RJ -

Thanks for the reply. Delays happen. I totally get that. I work in artist merchandising myself - it happens all the time. And I'm willing to bet a large portion of your customers have been buying records online long enough to understand that, as well. But remember that for ever patient and understanding person, there's someone right behind him who has no clue how the process works. What everyone is up in arms about is

1. the lack of transparency. Your customers are your shareholders. They deserve the right to know how their money is being used during the interim period of risking their money and receiving their product. Like I said in my previous email, that $30-60 price tag could prevent someone from putting gas in their car or food on their table for a week. While I agree that that's irresponsible, some people would rather eat ramen for a week in order to own a record they love. I digress. Customers don't need to know about every decision you make. But if there are major updates, good or bad, customers deserve to know. Locking down your Facebook and deleting dissenting comments sets you back further. I get your reasoning for doing it - avoiding negative feedback and having the power to easily remove it. But, it just riles people up more.

2. If you promise to send an update "next week" or provide tracking #s as proof, you should probably follow up on that.

Obviously, you care about your customers. But your phrasing gives the impression that you do not. Look, I'm not trying to tell you how to run your label. Clearly, you've seen a good amount of success over the past couple years. But the fact remains, shipping delays plague your large releases and your fans and customers are growing weary of it.

I appreciate your gesture of offering my order free of charge. That's very generous of you. But, I'll have to pass. I stand by my opinion and I feel like accepting it would undermine that opposition. I don't doubt that customer satisfaction is important to you. Thank you, but no thank you.

All the best,

Brian

Like I said in my earlier posts, I am not happy with the delays, and I am not saying RJ did everything right or handled the situation perfectly or even professionally. But at least he's trying to make amends. If he gave you a "fuck you" then I'd start getting worried, but he didn't and I still stand by my statement that getting all upset about this is not going to change anything.

That said, kudos to you for sticking to your guns. I'm sure 99% of the people on this board wouldn't have done so. I know i would have taken that record in a second.

[genuma]

sharkticon 2012

[jase]

Hi Brian,

The reason why I priced the black bundle higher was because of a couple reasons: first off they had been sold out for months, and the pressing plant mentioned we would have a couple extra on top of refunded orders. I felt like the price should be higher because they had been sold out for a while. It's not priced higher because its popular, its priced higher because its the most rare pressing of this release, and while future pressings will be made, the 180 gram black with the foil stamp on the jacket will never be made again. These are strictly limited to 500, forever.

Thank you so much,

RJ

That is some serious bullshit.

Exactly. It sold out because it's popular AND the rarest variant. Not only that, but it isn't limited to 500. There's more. He acknowledged that. Then goes on to say there's only 500.

He's still lying

[runforcover]

Exactly. It sold out because it's popular AND the rarest variant. Not only that, but it isn't limited to 500. There's more. He acknowledged that. Then goes on to say there's only 500.

He's still lying

most times for every release there are overruns. the standard 10% overrun plants do. so there are always more than the amount a label says a particular record or variant is limited to. they order a certain amount and usually get around 10% of that as an overrun.

so in this case it would be about 50 extra copies. but he definitely should not be selling the overrun copies or copies from refunded orders for more than what he originally sold the main pressing for.

To be fair that's not really how overruns work. It's more like if you order 1,000 records there could be anywhere from 1,000 to 1,100 records, no more no less. It doesn't magically cap off at 10% extra, but technically you wouldn't be financially responsible for any records pressed over 1,100 copies because you only ordered 1,000.

I may have explained that horribly, but to summarize overruns usually, at least in my experience, are nowhere near 10% of the pressing. There has been many times we've gotten the exact amount we've ordered.

[kriss]

I wonder if RJ took the 'thanks, but no thanks' as a genuine sign that he really needs to step his mess up or if he just shrugged and went 'eh, don't have to send a freebie out of nobility after all'. Either way Sharkiton, +1.

[thebear]

RJ and Dan still haven't got back to my e-mails, and I sent them yesterday morning. What'd you do for a response, sharkticon?