đź“Ł News Carpenters: "The Vinyl Collection"

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Wow this set has taken a huge dose dive, Amazon is selling it for $106.00 and 45% of the reviews are 1 star the highest % of reviews are negative. I bought it at $150.00 just a few months ago. This is such a shame for the Carpenters legacy to be left with such negative reviews on a format they once started their careers. This could have all been avoided with proper overseeing of the pressing and using a reputable pressing plant. UMe really dropped the ball on the Carpenters legacy. Let's hope things change once the re-pressing happens. Hopefully the Carpenters vinyl can recover from this negativity.
 
@Wayne Crozier

`They have told me in no uncertain terms that they will charge my credit card again if I don’t send the damaged ones back to them!!. Is this legal?,`

with respect wayne, you can`t expect Amazon or anyone else for that matter, to keep sending out replacements to you, without returning any faulty sets. it makes no difference what Universal or anyone else says, your contract is with Amazon, if that's where they`ve come from! they obviously want the faulty sets back, so they can return them back to Universal for a credit or replacements. yes, universal have said they will replace them if you deal with Universal directly and that`s fine, but even they expect people to destroy the bad sets, but if you keep getting replacements from where you bought it originally, then it`s fair and reasonable to expect return of the bad sets.
I`m not saying this is the case, because I know it isn't, but for all Amazon know, if they keep sending you sets to replacement the last one without return, you could end up with half a dozen perfect sets and quids in, to sell back on. the main issue here, which I guess you need to take up with Amazon, is who covers the cost of return.
I have to say as well and this is again, with respect, given the issue everyone is clearly having with these sets, including you, I can`t understand why you just didn't send the first set back, get a refund and wait for universal to deal with it, rather than get to where you are now if I`m reading right, to have effectively 4 faulty sets!
I`ve received my set from Tony who sold a set on Ebay and apart from a few very minor scratches on CARPENTERS and LOVELINES, the set is pristine, as are other peoples, if the issue was machinery during pressing, I would have thought every set would be the same, so the hit and miss of this issue is hard to understand. I certainly think they`ve handed this wrong, they should have recalled every set and dealt with it, but it looks like their just dealing with it individually as and when it arises and it`s destroying the reputation of the set, because it`s clearly showing in the prices, as last week, it was ÂŁ350 on Amazon, but is now ÂŁ150!
ridiculous the way this is being dealt with and I`m willing to bet, that in a few months or so, you`ll find these sets on ebay for ÂŁ50 or less :)
 
I have no issue sending the sets back, none at all to be honest, what I do have an issue with is paying the postage for the return that’s the main thing!. They can have all the sets back without an issue but expecting me to pay the return shipping to the USA is a bit strong!. Surely you agree with that?.
 
I have no issue sending the sets back, none at all to be honest, what I do have an issue with is paying the postage for the return that’s the main thing!. They can have all the sets back without an issue but expecting me to pay the return shipping to the USA is a bit strong!. Surely you agree with that?.

that's my point though Wayne, they don`t need to go to the states!
if you bought them from Amazon U.K, then they go back to Amazons return depot up north and if they are telling you they need to go back to the states, their full of it :)
and I totally agree, they should sort the postage, no doubt about it, but I`m afraid you`ll need to contact them about that. please don`t take anything I say funny, it`s not meant to be honestly, it`s just frustrating when people don`t get treated properly by these guys, but at the same time, I couldn't understand why you`d got to the point of having 4 sets of this collection, 2 maybe, but not 4, because had the second set been faulty as well, I would have demanded a refund and waited till they sorted the issue, i.e U.M :)
 
Bought them from Amazon USA sorry for the confusion, wasn’t available over here when I ordered it.
Regarding the sets, my mum is also a record collector and when I buy a box set she likes to also buy it!, she is also the person who got me into the Carpenters.
Amazon USA are refusing to pay the postage in advance, and the postage recorded to the States isn’t going to be cheap.
I ordered an extra set thinking that I would potentially get one without event second time around!. We will wait and see I guess!. At least three members on here so far have been very successful and have pristine boxes which one day by probability or luck I hope to have to!.
 
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Bought them from Amazon USA sorry for the confusion, wasn’t available over here when I ordered it.
Regarding the sets, my mum is also a record collector and when I buy a box set she likes to also buy it!, she is also the person who got me into the Carpenters.

ok, I`m with you now :)
o`dear, that makes it awkward then, because returning 4 sets to the states isn't going to be cheap and in all honesty, the very reason I wouldn't buy anything that expensive from that distance.
have you spoke to them about the cost of return and who deals with it?
very sad the way this is being dealt with I think. this should be recalled properly and retailers should stop selling it ..... period.
my set from tony is near perfect, `carpenters` and `loveliness` have a couple of silly very light scratches, but other than that, it`s spot on. had I paid the earlier prices, I would have returned it, but nobody else bid, so given the price, it`s not worth kicking off about :)
anyway, when it`s ÂŁ50 at the end of the year when they can`t sell them, I`ll buy another set!
 
Bought them from Amazon USA sorry for the confusion, wasn’t available over here when I ordered it.
Regarding the sets, my mum is also a record collector and when I buy a box set she likes to also buy it!, she is also the person who got me into the Carpenters.
Amazon USA are refusing to pay the postage in advance, and the postage recorded to the States isn’t going to be cheap.
I ordered an extra set thinking that I would potentially get one without event second time around!. We will wait and see I guess!. At least three members on here so far have been very successful and have pristine boxes which one day by probability or luck I hope to have to!.
They tried that with me, but I refused to return a faulty item at my expense. When they said I would then have to re-order a replacement set, I politely told them that if I did that, I would be paying for postage and import charges yet again, which was not acceptable.

I only bought this set from the Amazon US site as the price was a third of the U.K. one. As not every set seems to be affected I suspect they lowered the price because of the problems and they wanted to shift stock in the hope that people would accept the product. I guess the price will go back up again once the corrected product gets to their warehouse.

Out of the 12 records, there are 3 which I would consider have a bit of a problem and the sound issues are not that prominent when listening through speakers, as opposed to headphones. So I am not sure it is worth going through all the hassle and risk having to pay a lot more money to get a replacement set and certainly not for the price Amazon UK are asking, or are likely to be asking.
 
They tried that with me, but I refused to return a faulty item at my expense. When they said I would then have to re-order a replacement set, I politely told them that if I did that, I would be paying for postage and import charges yet again, which was not acceptable.

Can I ask if you managed to get a compromise from Amazon as they have asked me once again to post the items back to them and they will pay me then!, paying postage recorded up front to the USA isn’t a cheap option?.
 
Hello. First time posting here, hoping I do it right. Just played my new vinyl Singles 69 73. I could swear “Yesterday Once More “ is the 1991 remix (it should be the original single version) but wanted comments from other collectors to be sure. Thanks!
 
just gave `a kind of hush` a spin while I was working .......... OMG :)
that sound quality is something else and I actually had tears in my eyes listening to `I have you`!
that voice just gets me every-time and never stops. Jesus Karen, you had no idea just how good you were sweetheart and nobody has come close since :) Voice of the heart next.
 
First time poster here. I just bought the vinyl collection from Amazon and have many of the same issues as others here. I've contacted Universal by email but have not heard back yet. Is this the way to go or am I better off dealing with Amazon? I just want a pristine set and not have to deal with keeping ordering from Amazon to hopefully get lucky. PS I just noticed today Amazon has them for $102! Got mine for $114. (Also I'm a US resident of that matters)
 
First time poster here. I just bought the vinyl collection from Amazon and have many of the same issues as others here. I've contacted Universal by email but have not heard back yet. Is this the way to go or am I better off dealing with Amazon? I just want a pristine set and not have to deal with keeping ordering from Amazon to hopefully get lucky. PS I just noticed today Amazon has them for $102! Got mine for $114. (Also I'm a US resident of that matters)

If I were you I would deal with Universal direct if in the US, Amazon will just send you another one which more than likely will be the same to a certain degree. The only thing is you are going to have to wait until they repress the set to get your hands on one. This new copy no doubt will significantly be improved but is probably months away. Dealing with Universal on the positive said ensures that you won’t have to pay any inflated price when do they do repress, but you will have the heartache of having to smash Carpenters records which I feel is very hard to do personally as it is the Carpenters music after all your breaking.

As a footnote I’m in the U.K. and I don’t think there is an outlet for us Brit’s to deal with Universal direct?, unless anyone can suggest otherwise?.
 
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Thanks for the response. I also feel that dealing with universal directly is my better option. I'm not sure what their response time is to emails but I have not heard anything back from them since sending them my original email. It says they prefer email but I might just give them a call anyway to talk to someone.
 
Thanks for the response. I also feel that dealing with universal directly is my better option. I'm not sure what their response time is to emails but I have not heard anything back from them since sending them my original email. It says they prefer email but I might just give them a call anyway to talk to someone.
Mark, it took over a week for me to get a response by email. They are very slow. I even emailed back with more questions about destroying them and it took another week for them to reply.
 
Why don't you contact UMe directly and ask them and then report back here with facts to help others instead of guessing or assuming.

Of course I can do that but I was hoping someone else had got there before me!, a
Lot easier asking the ladies and gents on here first before doing something which someone may have already done!. I have had a lot of dealings with them over here and bought a lot of records from them over recent years but sometimes waiting a couple of days for a forum member to chip in can save a bit of time.

I have just emailed the U.K. Customer Service department -

Carpenters - The Vinyl Collection boxed set.

I purchased two boxes of this from Amazon USA and both boxes suffer from mis-pressings , scratches , seam splits , sharp edges of Records like razor blades and many other issues. I am under the impression that Universal have recalled all of the pressings of this boxed set ?. This information is widely circulated on forums and on websites in the USA.
With the fact this boxed set is pressed and available primarily for the US market many folks such as myself have had to import it to the U.K. at added expense, please can you call me to discuss the recall of the box set and how I need to proceed?. Indeed what I need to do going forward. Thanks

When I get a response I’ll let everyone know.
 
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Can I ask if you managed to get a compromise from Amazon as they have asked me once again to post the items back to them and they will pay me then!, paying postage recorded up front to the USA isn’t a cheap option?.
Yep you’re right. I was given an approximate cost of £47.00. They said they would refund all my costs and send me out another box. I told them that option was not viable at the moment as UMe have not completed the repressings and that I was likely to simply get an in stock replacement and again, I re-iterated that a customer should not be out of pocket due to the supply of faulty goods.
So they said to send the set back and they would just process a full refund and I would then be free to buy again at a local store. I had already pointed out that the reason I chose their US branch was that the price was so much lower in the US than the U.K.

I feel that it is like dealing with a complete bunch of numpties at Amazon. I am never convinced they actually read communications correctly. They come out with the same "computerised text and sentences" in their emails.

I have just had a communication from UMe to say they would advise me of the best option available to me once the new repressings gs have been completed.
 
Thanks for the response. I also feel that dealing with universal directly is my better option. I'm not sure what their response time is to emails but I have not heard anything back from them since sending them my original email. It says they prefer email but I might just give them a call anyway to talk to someone.
I emailed them yesterday and got a response today. I told them I was based in the U.K.
 
Yep you’re right. I was given an approximate cost of £47.00. They said they would refund all my costs and send me out another box. I told them that option was not viable at the moment as UMe have not completed the repressings and that I was likely to simply get an in stock replacement and again, I re-iterated that a customer should not be out of pocket due to the supply of faulty goods.
So they said to send the set back and they would just process a full refund and I would then be free to buy again at a local store. I had already pointed out that the reason I chose their US branch was that the price was so much lower in the US than the U.K.

I feel that it is like dealing with a complete bunch of numpties at Amazon. I am never convinced they actually read communications correctly. They come out with the same "computerised text and sentences" in their emails.

I have just had a communication from UMe to say they would advise me of the best option available to me once the new repressings gs have been completed.

So am I correct in thinking

1. Amazon have given you £47 postage in advance to send the item back to them ?, how did they work out this figure ( I was told it wasn’t possible to do such a refund ).
2. This refund was provided in advance for you to send the box set back to them?.

If this is the case I’m really annoyed with Amazon as they have been saying it isn’t possible to do that!!.
 
I just feel like sending the lot back to them and having done with it, each time I email them I get a new person replying who doesn’t know what I’m referring to!. Why they can’t just supply an email of the CS representative so that you can liase person to person is beyond me!.

Apologies to any other forum member who feels like it’s reading “War & Peace” , regarding the Amazon saga but I feel it’s important as many no doubt have bought from that route. But apologies for this.
 
So am I correct in thinking

1. Amazon have given you £47 postage in advance to send the item back to them ?, how did they work out this figure ( I was told it wasn’t possible to do such a refund ).
2. This refund was provided in advance for you to send the box set back to them?.

If this is the case I’m really annoyed with Amazon as they have been saying it isn’t possible to do that!!.
I told them that I was not prepared to pay approx ÂŁ47 to return it and incur that cost. Now the problem with Amazon is that you end up dealing with whoever picks up your latest email.
So the first person told me I would have to pay and that there was no way they could offer a refund for that and that there was nothing else they could do.
After complaining, the second person sent me a return label so I would not have to pay anything and that I would simply have to re-order, that was when I To,d them I was not going to pay for shipping and import costs again.
The third person came back and said that they would arrange a free replacement once the return had been received and that they would refund my shipping costs as long as I emailed a copy of my shipping invoice.
I said that was okay but there was no point in arranging a replacement now because UMe have not done the represses yet.
A fourth person told me just to return them for a full refund on the original order plus my shipping costs so that I could buy the product at my local dealer.
Whatever way I decide, if I return, I suspect it will cost me more money as the price will have gone up, and that is why I contacted UMe.
I did suggest to Amazon that as there were only 3 defective albums, (and they were only problematic if I listen via headphones-did not tell them that), that I would be happy if they simply credited my account with some vouchers so that I could buy the 3 albums seperately. It’s going to cost them $70 just to cover my shipping costs and then they are going to have to refund the original shipping costs, which would probably total around $100. I could buy the three albums for around $60, but they could not understand that and so refused. Hey ho.
 
I think some of you need to keep in mind that these retailers are not ok with a "let's make a deal" in other words credit me for 3 bad albums and I can just order them again. I'm not saying people here would do this but there are many people who want to make money or a profit off this stuff. Tell the retailer there defective get a credit and re sell them on eBay and you've made a profit.

Reading these comments make it seem that a lot of people here are making this harder than it needs to be and it appears there is no patience to wait for the re-pressings. I can't understand it myself.
 
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