Don't buy from BMG Music Club

I made the mistake of trusting that BMG really makes CDs as good as other places, and I thought that they would stand behind their products. I could not have been more wrong. Here is the response I got from them when I reported a CD of theirs oxidizing (I have put in "XXXXX" to conceal things like my account number, etc.):

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To: Mr XXXXX Account XXXXX

Thank you for your recent correspondence.

We received your message concerning an order you received. We cannot process a replacement shipment of XXXXX.

Please note replacements are not possible for selections that have been
in your possession for an extended period of time.

Your understanding is appreciated.


Your Friends at
BMG Music Service

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So, you had better backup your CDs if you want to be able to listen to them in the future if you bought them from scum like BMG.

(If you don't know about oxidation in CDs, do an Internet search for "CD rot".)

Man I've got a butt load of BMG CD's, some of them 15 years old, never had a single problem. They look, feel, and weigh identical to the CD's you buy in the stores. Are you storing them in a high humidity location? Did you leave the CD in a car?

How old is the CD?

Due to the local music market in my area I rely on BMG for classical cd's. I have not had a problem with any cd's from BMG.

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Originally Posted by N. Abstentia

Man I've got a butt load of BMG CD's, some of them 15 years old, never had a single problem. They look, feel, and weigh identical to the CD's you buy in the stores. Are you storing them in a high humidity location? Did you leave the CD in a car?

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When not in use, I store them in my living room in their original cases on a CD rack. They are not in a high humidity or high heat location. I NEVER leave my CDs in my car. If I want to leave something in my car, I ALWAYS make a CDR copy for that purpose. (Ironically, I have NEVER had a problem with any of my CDRs that I keep in my car all year round.)

I have well over 1000 CDs, and I have only noticed such problems with 3 CDs (so far). The other two were from a set from Pearl. The manufacturer of those CDs acknowledged the problem, and replaced the discs. I like Pearl, though obviously it would have been better if they had not developed a problem in the first place. But the major corporation BMG does not stand behind its products.

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Originally Posted by Stone

How old is the CD?

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Unfortunately, I do not remember when I purchased it. It was several years ago at least, but from the copyright dates on it, I know it could not have been more than 14 years ago.

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Originally Posted by JohnMichael

Due to the local music market in my area I rely on BMG for classical cd's. I have not had a problem with any cd's from BMG.

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If I had been asked a couple of weeks ago, I would have also said that I never had any problems with BMG. To me, the most disturbing aspect is not that they are capable of manufacturing a defective CD (which should surprise no one), but that they are unwilling to do anything about it. The two discs from Pearl that I had that had oxidation problems were replaced by the manufacturer. They admitted that it was a defect in manufacturing, and dealt with it appropriately, even though the sale had taken place long before, and I no longer had a sales receipt. The much larger BMG corporation, however, is unwilling to admit responsibility or do anything about their defective CD. And their own records show that I bought it directly from them.

I strongly suggest you consider backing up your CDs while they are playable. If I had done that with the one that is no longer properly playable, I would still be able to listen to that music. With both the Pearl and BMG discs, the problem did not manifest itself until a long time after I purchased them. Now, I have "static" when playing the BMG disc, and it will only get worse with time. And it is unlistenable now.

So, you think I should contact Sire about my The Queen is Dead CD I purchased 20 years ago that has some rot?

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Originally Posted by Stone

So, you think I should contact Sire about my The Queen is Dead CD I purchased 20 years ago that has some rot?

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Yes. Responsible companies take responsibility for their mistakes. I had two discs (in one set) from Pearl that "rotted", and they were replaced by the manufacturer. Pearl is not the only good company; see:

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/bronzed.asp

What we are talking about is a manufacturing defect that is not immediately apparent. So it is pretty much always going to be an "old" item that goes bad. Obviously, it is best if there are no manufacturing defects at all, but I certainly would not hesitate to buy some more Pearl CDs (or Hyperion). Not every company is run by money grubbing scumbags with no concern for quality and no sense of responsibility for their mistakes. Apparently, though, BMG is run by money grubbing scumbags with no concern for quality and no sense of responsibility for their mistakes. Otherwise, they would react differently to a report of a problem with their CDs.

I have some CD's that are suffering from laser rot, maybe I should take them back to the store...no wait, Tower doesn't exist any more. Well, I can take the ones that I got from Waxie Maxie's...no, wait, no I can't...I can try Nobody Beats the Wiz...no, they're gone too...somehow I doubt Best Buy or Circuit City would take back my 10-year-old disks without a receipt -- do you still have your receipt?

Hmm... hey, if you expend tons of time and energy trying to get a company that is notorious for its poor customer service to actually give you a refund for a CD that you've already gotten 20 years of use out of anyway and eventually succeed, do you think you could consider it a Pyrrhic victory?

Just wondering...

~Rae

I bought a T-shirt on vacation 14 years ago. It has a hole under the arm now. I wonder if I can return it?

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Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn

I bought a T-shirt on vacation 14 years ago. It has a hole under the arm now. I wonder if I can return it?

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Kind of a blow out huh?

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Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn

I bought a T-shirt on vacation 14 years ago. It has a hole under the arm now. I wonder if I can return it?

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OMG, too funny. Thank you.


jc

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Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn

I bought a T-shirt on vacation 14 years ago. It has a hole under the arm now. I wonder if I can return it?

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Only if you give us a really spicy story on how that hole got there.... lol.

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Originally Posted by PeruvianSkies

Only if you give us a really spicy story on how that hole got there.... lol.

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It's 14 freakin' years old. How do you think it got there? What, you've never worn out a shirt? :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Rae

Hmm... hey, if you expend tons of time and energy trying to get a company that is notorious for its poor customer service to actually give you a refund for a CD that you've already gotten 20 years of use out of anyway and eventually succeed, do you think you could consider it a Pyrrhic victory?

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Barely. I mean, you have to take into account that when King Pyrrhus won his, he lost most of his troops, and would lose another engagement -- whereas this person would certainly still have it in him to go through it again if he wanted to. The whole point of a Pyrrhic victory is that, "...another such victory...and we are undone".

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Originally Posted by Dusty Chalk

Barely. I mean, you have to take into account that when King Pyrrhus won his, he lost most of his troops, and would lose another engagement -- whereas this person would certainly still have it in him to go through it again if he wanted to. The whole point of a Pyrrhic victory is that, "...another such victory...and we are undone".

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I's jus' makin' a joke about his name...

~Rae

Umm...okay...so it's 14 years old. Pony up the $7 and buy another copy. Problem solved.

Sorry to hear it. I haven't had any problems. `jd

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Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn

It's 14 freakin' years old. How do you think it got there? What, you've never worn out a shirt? :rolleyes:

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Yes t-shirts are known for getting old.

Mine get older each year I've owned them, and for that reason I refuse to buy any more Yes shirts. Roger Dean or no Roger Dean.

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Originally Posted by BarryL

Yes t-shirts are known for getting old.

Mine get older each year I've owned them.

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It's funny how things get older over time, eh?

Old thread but funny.

I found out 20 years ago that aside from the CD deterioration issue mentioned here, the disks sound was of a lesser quality than the same disk purchased from a store. They use inferior machinery to do the copies of copied masters.

6 crappy sounding CDs for a penny are still 6 crappy sounding CDs.

A thread from the dead?

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Originally Posted by GMichael

A thread from the dead?

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It was a lot more lively in this space back then!

Maybe we should resurrect more dead threads just for fun.