Dear Insound and Love is All,
I preordered the Love is All LP because you had some huge promotion about a free seven inch single with a unreleased B-side cover of the Faith no more track.
So I preordered.
About a month later I received the album and no single.
I emailed the one email address on the site for customer service: CassieHelp@insound.com. I emailed her in November the day after no single.
A week later she says....we'll send it out....great, no problem. Waited and waited...nothing. I'm not trying to be too annoying about it, so I wait more. It could have been an oversight....fine, no big deal, send the single.
I heard nothing for almost a month and now I get a response today after emailing again to see what the fuck happened:
I’m sorry for any inconvenience, but we did send out a copy of the 7” to you as per our e-mail correspondence below. It would have shipped USPS and should have been delivered in your regular, daily mail. I’m not sure what happened to it in transit, but if it got turned back to us in the mail for some reason I will be happy to have it reshipped. In the meantime, though, I’m terribly afraid that we do not have any copies of the bonus seven inch left in our office.
I think Cassie, that a month later you fucked up. You never sent the single to begin with. I don't even care about the stupid single at this point (obviously....ed)..... I'm not going to threaten never to buy anything from Insound again, or tell you how much I've spent here over the years.
I could post all the back and forth emails, but it's pointless.
I've even linked to your site in older posts and I probably will again. I might even go so far as to order again, but more than all of this you've turned that important corner for me:
You have gone from the dependable indie online mailorder site to just another fucking bullshit Amazon/Ebay online megamart.
Congratulations.
You just proved again how right it is to order direct from the artist or label.
Absolutely. I’d way sooner hit the label up for something. Some labels (Marriage, States Rights for two) have been known to drop in an additional cd from their catalogue in orders I’ve placed pro bono – and I’ve gone back to them because of it. Some labels even include demo cds they’ve probably received from hopeful bands – which is cool enough. If they didn’t dig it, maybe someone else might? Better to chance it on one more guy before it hits landfill right?
ReplyDeletei had a similarly frustrating experience with an insound preorder this summer. they were selling autographed copies of an album, and i said "sure, why not," and preordered within a day or so of the offer going up. when the album finally arrived, it was just a normal copy. annoying.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who is lucky enough to count cassie as a friend, first I think you should be nicer. She is a lovely, competent, and professional girl and doesn't deserve to be dragged through the mud on the internet because of some sketchy mail problems.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, accusing someone of being incompetent is fine if you know them - but unfortunately for you, you don't know cassie. She is anything but incompetent, and I've never known anyone more dedicated to her job. Secondly - I've spent time at insound, and calling the ten kids who love music and work all day to get the best stuff as soon as they can an amazon/ebay megamart is just totally insane. Maybe you didn't get your record. Maybe you did and you want another one to sell. There's no way to know, and it doesn't really matter. There's no reason to be a dick to someone you've never met.
I don't know, I have no problems ordering from small distros, especially ones that are also labels. Then again, I've also ordered from shady labels who never sent me shit.
ReplyDeleteI've ordered from Insound before, and was eligible to get a limited promo 7" with the CD I purchased. The CD came in the mail without any 7", so I figured I just didn't order in time. Then a couple weeks later the 7" came too. It was a nice surprise, though a little strange.
I really appreciate it when distros send package tracking info. I don't know if it costs more for them to use, but it's a nice assurance that my shit is coming, and I can obsessively check the status to see my records' journey.
Love is all record sucks
ReplyDeleteBen,
ReplyDeleteYou're right...I'm flying off the handle...I have no basis for anything I say. Just an opinion. I'm sure the people there are very nice and competent. I lied and I'm an asshole so I can get a free single.
If you havent received your single yet please give me a ring whatsyourrupture@gmail.com I would be happy to walk it over to you.
ReplyDeleteWhat,
ReplyDeleteThanks I did receive it in the end...thanks for the offer. Appreciate it.