[ShamanO]

so topspin is in cahoots w/ the SP site for ordering? so then topspin is just a shady little company snatching up peoples money and not delivering product in a timely manner SHAME.
that's actually kind of shitty on their part.

[orchidaii]

frednirv632, on 30 November 2011 - 08:28 PM, said:

That's probably the most rational thing anyone on this board has ever said. Honestly though, just download the torrents and call it a day.

Problem with that is that most of us that ordered through sp.com did it to support the band and future reissues...even though we knew it would be at a loss to us with the ridiculous S&H :x

[Deleted User Account]

orchidaii, on 30 November 2011 - 08:38 PM, said:

Problem with that is that most of us that ordered through sp.com did it to support the band and future reissues...even though we knew it would be at a loss to us with the ridiculous S&H :x

Yes. You're allowed to be upset. Rational isn't just sitting there and taking it. Tweeting the band wouldn't be an act of whining, by the way. The band did pick the company they're working with... and if that company is letting people down, it's reflecting poorly on the SP brand, as it was touted as an official SP store. I'm sure Billy would actually care. He's a pretty shrewd business guy, and I bet he doesn't suffer fools gladly.

[standing]

guys, here's what im gonna do, and what we should all do EN MASSE. Go through topspin and/or your credit card company to cancel your order. And order it from amazon. Even with regular shipping (through amazon) you will get your item 2 days from now and at HALF the cost of sprc. 2 days from now is long before you will get something that ships the 6th. (Has anyone even gotten an email saying it shipped yet?). If we all did this, they would realize they fucked up. Any of us who pre-ordered already got the bonus track download, and that can just be for our hassle at this point. I would seriously recommend this course of action for anyone coming to this thread to complain.

[MachinasDei]

RottingApples, on 30 November 2011 - 06:10 PM, said:

I'm surprised how worked up some people are. It would be one thing if after all the waiting, the plug was pulled at the last second leaving us with nothing, but these things are coming out- for some they already have, for some they will in the next few days. Seriously, everyone needs to chill out and stop getting so worked up over a little delay. You're gonna get it, just have a little patience. I wish mine were here too, but waiting an extra few days isn't the end of the world.

true, but when you PAY extra, as everyone did who preordered, for something to be here on time, it should.

crestfallen73, on 30 November 2011 - 08:25 PM, said:

My main frustration isn't necessarily not getting them yesterday or even today. It's that Topspin has already taken the money out of my bank account. They got what they wanted while I am told in an email basically that they don't know how to run a business and properly fullfill business obligations and I'll just have to wait until they ship my order.It is usual practice that businesses do not take the payment until the order is shipped. At this point there is no way to cancel the order even if I wanted to. THAT is what I am frustrated about!

ditto

gotta love this;

Topspin Media has a NO REFUND policy.
All sales are final. There are no refunds.

should be futile arguing for at least a shipping refund.

[Lunatic]

There's no sense in getting mad about something you can't change. You'll know better next time. Send Topspin an email about your dissatisfaction.

[Sophie]

crestfallen73, on 30 November 2011 - 08:25 PM, said:

My main frustration isn't necessarily not getting them yesterday or even today. It's that Topspin has already taken the money out of my bank account. They got what they wanted while I am told in an email basically that they don't know how to run a business and properly fullfill business obligations and I'll just have to wait until they ship my order.It is usual practice that businesses do not take the payment until the order is shipped. At this point there is no way to cancel the order even if I wanted to. THAT is what I am frustrated about!

I'm not a crycbaby but shipping rates to France cost me $26.60 (just to let you know...) that were taken from my bank account the day after my purchase. (just to let you know too...), and I received the same e-mail as the others. Consequently I feel as frustrated as crestfallen73

orchidaii, on 30 November 2011 - 08:08 PM, said:

I was tempted to tweet to them, but I don't want to sound like a whiny fan :x In all fairness, I remember reading on the pre-order form that the reissues would only be shipped on the 29th. So I suppose I never expected to get my copies on the release day x) It's just torture to see all the fans with their copies and their *thumbs up* pics!!!

Moreover I now learn that I will never ever get great lithographs which are distributed in regular stores, and I feel as frustrated as Orchidaii (OK too much frustration for me today ;)/>)

By buying the reissues on the official site on the day of their release I wanted to show the band my support as many other fans, but believe me Topspin won't pull my legs another time :nope:/> -too many malfunctions and absolutely no guarantee-. From now on I will show my support to the band by buying the reissues on the day they are released in stores. Fact !
I wonder how many pre-orders they will get for Pisces...

Topspin makes me feel like singing Cherub rock... Who wants the honey as long as there's some money he ?

[solacematt]

I don't know about everyone else here, but I found this a bit interesting. I called up 8 best Buy stores yesterday around south Florida asking if they had the Lithographs and if they had either reissue and they all said the same thing - they sold out yesterday. A few stores said they had quite a few people calling about availability too. So as many of us ordered from the band's site in hopes that if we showed that there was real consumer interest in the reissues and fans would buy them, it looks like it's not just online fans, but many fans actually did go out and buy them as well. If anything this shoud signify to the band and EMI that they should continue with the reissues and not just stop here.

[toadkat9]

Topspin is probably just waiting for their copies to arrive from Amazon.com LOL!!

[ShamanO]

The band store SPRC should have more to offer the fans PERIOD. Lithographs and on time release in your hands day of if not earlier...what's the point of a record club membership besides getting a download once in a while? BETTER START HOOKING YOUR FAN CLUB UP YO!

This post has been edited by ShamanO: 01 December 2011 - 03:06 PM

[AlienCloak]

toadkat9, on 01 December 2011 - 02:49 PM, said:

Topspin is probably just waiting for their copies to arrive from Amazon.com LOL!!

:rofl:/>

[loserbeach]

I too am one of the people who has not received the pre-order. I only ordered the Gish deluxe bot set from sprc. I ordered Siamese Dream from Amazon and got it a day before it was released. I am disappointed but it will get here when it gets here. I picked up the Gish vinyl yesterday at my record store and they were offering free lithographs with the purchase. However, they forgot to include it and I forgot as well :(/>

[JSpiwak]

Despite the email that they would, my reissues didn't come today. This is really pissing me off. Not to repeat what everyone else is saying, but you'd think that pre-ordering something gives you the item the day it comes out, if not before that. I ordered it off Amazon, and I'm wishing I had just waited and picked it up from Best Buy on Tuesday.

[orchidaii]

ArticulateEric, on 30 November 2011 - 09:02 PM, said:

Yes. You're allowed to be upset. Rational isn't just sitting there and taking it. Tweeting the band wouldn't be an act of whining, by the way. The band did pick the company they're working with... and if that company is letting people down, it's reflecting poorly on the SP brand, as it was touted as an official SP store. I'm sure Billy would actually care. He's a pretty shrewd business guy, and I bet he doesn't suffer fools gladly.

Ohh, I meant tweeting to TopSpin. However, I am in a position where I can inform the band. I would be surprised if they didn't know about the problems with TopSpin's service though.

I sent a formal complaint to TopSpin just now - if they give a bogus reason for the delay - it definitely warrants putting that complaint on the BBB.

Is it just international fans going through this? Did US fans receive their reissues through TopSpin? If not, I'm suprised that there has not been some kind of uproar.


This is from their website: http://support.topsp...l-my-order-ship

When will my order ship?

All physical products will ship out and arrive on or around 11/29. Simply click on Status in your receipt for the most up-to-date tracking information. If you have any specific questions regarding the shipping details of your order, please write into our Fan Support department.

[soonergiant65]

Why is everyone bitching so much? Next time just order from Amazon. It's the cheapest, no taxes, no shipping and handling charges, and you get it on time. You might have to wait an extra day or two if you choose free shipping but other than that it's easily the best way to go.

[standing]

orchidaii, on 01 December 2011 - 05:21 PM, said:

Ohh, I meant tweeting to TopSpin. However, I am in a position where I can inform the band. I would be surprised if they didn't know about the problems with TopSpin's service though.

I sent a formal complaint to TopSpin just now - if they give a bogus reason for the delay - it definitely warrants putting that complaint on the BBB.

Is it just international fans going through this? Did US fans receive their reissues through TopSpin? If not, I'm suprised that there has not been some kind of uproar.


This is from their website: http://support.topsp...l-my-order-ship

When will my order ship?

All physical products will ship out and arrive on or around 11/29. Simply click on Status in your receipt for the most up-to-date tracking information. If you have any specific questions regarding the shipping details of your order, please write into our Fan Support department.

its everyone- US fans included.

[JSpiwak]

soonergiant65, on 01 December 2011 - 05:37 PM, said:

Why is everyone bitching so much? Next time just order from Amazon. It's the cheapest, no taxes, no shipping and handling charges, and you get it on time. You might have to wait an extra day or two if you choose free shipping but other than that it's easily the best way to go.

I ordered off Amazon using that logic, but I may not end up being able to get my hands on them until Monday if they don't magically arrive at my dad's office tomorrow.

[odracir]

orchidaii, on 01 December 2011 - 05:21 PM, said:

Ohh, I meant tweeting to TopSpin. However, I am in a position where I can inform the band. I would be surprised if they didn't know about the problems with TopSpin's service though.

I sent a formal complaint to TopSpin just now - if they give a bogus reason for the delay - it definitely warrants putting that complaint on the BBB.

Is it just international fans going through this? Did US fans receive their reissues through TopSpin? If not, I'm suprised that there has not been some kind of uproar.


This is from their website: http://support.topsp...l-my-order-ship

When will my order ship?

All physical products will ship out and arrive on or around 11/29. Simply click on Status in your receipt for the most up-to-date tracking information. If you have any specific questions regarding the shipping details of your order, please write into our Fan Support department.

Yeah, another international customer here, and yeah, I don't like this. USPS and then the slow Mexican Postal Service takes forever for any order to arrive. Nothing slower exists in the whole world, and with this news I expect my package to arrive for christmas or even beyond with all the chaos that is going to take place with the mail during those days. The problem is that you couldn't select any another method like UPS for shipping. I don't like this, I made this also to support the site, when I know there are other fastest methods like amazon.com.

[CaptainFalcon]

I'll just order off Amazon next time. I'm in the U.S. And got the email saying they would ship by the 6th. :whattodo:/>

[Brievilone]

I'm in Chicago and currently my order status is "Acknowledged". Gee, thanks TopSpin.

And I thought the practical side of a pre-order was to gauge demand and prepare? I placed my order on October 18th, so a month and a half ago. It's just silly.

[scottytheoneandonly]

lithographs? wha? :shocked:/>


still waiting for mine to arrive :rant:/>

crestfallen73, on 30 November 2011 - 08:25 PM, said:

My main frustration isn't necessarily not getting them yesterday or even today. It's that Topspin has already taken the money out of my bank account. They got what they wanted while I am told in an email basically that they don't know how to run a business and properly fullfill business obligations and I'll just have to wait until they ship my order.It is usual practice that businesses do not take the payment until the order is shipped. At this point there is no way to cancel the order even if I wanted to. THAT is what I am frustrated about!

did you use a bank card? If it's a master card or visa, even if it's associated with a checking/savings account, you can still call and get the charges reversed or cancelled.

I paid for my with American Express. I ordered weeks ago. They billed me the day I placed the order.

I'm tempted to call Amex and file a claim. there are several stores within 5 min of my house that have the deluxe reissues in stock.

Topspin, NEVER AGAIN

[scottytheoneandonly]

ShamanO, on 30 November 2011 - 08:34 PM, said:

so topspin is in cahoots w/ the SP site for ordering? so then topspin is just a shady little company snatching up peoples money and not delivering product in a timely manner SHAME.
that's actually kind of shitty on their part.

looking over the Topspin website and my receipt, it appears that Topspin doesn't actually handle "fulfillment". "Band Merch" does that.

Band Merch handles all the other merch orders. In fact, when I bought Ts two months ago they are the ones who billed me.

so what does topspin do? other than take my money and send me emails?

[Brad from Topspin]

Hi Smashing Pumpkins fans. My name is Brad and I'm head of operations for Topspin. I've read through most of the comments here and figured I would write to you all in hopes of providing some additional understanding around the delays and also let you know a little bit more about who we are. First and foremost, the delays were caused by manufacturing issues. The response was huge to these re-releases and not enough were manufactured. We had absolutely no control over these delays. Those of you who ordered from sp.com should have received a follow-up note letting you know that they would be shipping out on 12/6. Everyone who ordered should have also received instant digital downloads. I know it's frustrating to not have the physical product, but hopefully having the digital helps a little.

Topspin is a technology company. We're a bunch of die-hard music nerds based in Santa Monica, California. We build direct-to-consumer software, enabling artists to sell physical and digital goods, tickets, merch, experiences, etc. in a single shopping cart so you don't have to go to a bunch of different places to get stuff. Artists like Smashing Pumpkins, Trent Reznor, Paul McCartney, Beastie Boys and thousnds of other artists you've probably never heard of use our technology instead of driving their fans to other places because they benefit far greater from doing it on their own. For a lot of artists Topspin ensures that they have money to tour and pursue their dreams of being a working musician. Bottom line, you're helping out the artist a lot more when you buy direct. As a massive music fan myself, I know I feel a lot better going directly to artists as opposed to giving my money to places like Best Buy who really don't care about me as a customer. We're good, music-loving people just like you guys. We're most definitely not trying to rip anyone off and we've taken care of many of you that have written in with issues.

While we're the technology that's powering your ability to purchase stuff directly from the Pumpkins, and we fulfill the digital files, we're not actually fulfilling orders for the physical stuff. A company called BandMerch is handing the fulfillment of the physical goods. If you look at your original receipt you should see contact info for BandMerch. If you have questions about your order, please let them know and they should be able to help you out.

I hope all of this info helps. I'll check in over the weekend to see if anyone has additional questions about us or what we're doing. Have a great weekend, everyone.

[breathesgelatin]

Brad from Topspin, on 02 December 2011 - 02:26 PM, said:

As a massive music fan myself, I know I feel a lot better going directly to artists as opposed to giving my money to places like Best Buy who really don't care about me as a customer.

For the record, I didn't order from Topspin. Probably the best way you could show fans you care about the customer, however, would be to get their products to them in a timely fashion. To me, better customer service = better care for me as a customer. I'm sure the fans who are sitting around waiting for their reissue products aren't very much comforted by the fact that you guys have warm fuzzies for them or whatever.

Quote

While we're the technology that's powering your ability to purchase stuff directly from the Pumpkins, and we fulfill the digital files, we're not actually fulfilling orders for the physical stuff. A company called BandMerch is handing the fulfillment of the physical goods. If you look at your original receipt you should see contact info for BandMerch. If you have questions about your order, please let them know and they should be able to help you out.

Way to pass the buck to BandMerch.

[Brad from Topspin]

Such a n00b. Posted this in the wrong forum a second ago. Sorry about that.

Hi Smashing Pumpkins fans. My name is Brad and I'm head of operations for Topspin. I've read through most of the comments here and figured I would write to you all in hopes of providing some additional understanding around the delays and also let you know a little bit more about who we are. First and foremost, the delays were caused by manufacturing issues. The response was huge to these re-releases and not enough were manufactured. We had absolutely no control over these delays. Those of you who ordered from sp.com should have received a follow-up note letting you know that they would be shipping out on 12/6. Everyone who ordered should have also received instant digital downloads. I know it's frustrating to not have the physical product, but hopefully having the digital helps a little.

Topspin is a technology company. We're a bunch of die-hard music nerds based in Santa Monica, California. We build direct-to-consumer software, enabling artists to sell physical and digital goods, tickets, merch, experiences, etc. in a single shopping cart so you don't have to go to a bunch of different places to get stuff. Artists like Smashing Pumpkins, Trent Reznor, Paul McCartney, Beastie Boys and thousnds of other artists you've probably never heard of use our technology instead of driving their fans to other places because they benefit far greater from doing it on their own. For a lot of artists Topspin ensures that they have money to tour and pursue their dreams of being a working musician. Bottom line, you're helping out the artist a lot more when you buy direct. As a massive music fan myself, I know I feel a lot better going directly to artists as opposed to giving my money to places like Best Buy who really don't care about me as a customer. We're good, music-loving people just like you guys. We're most definitely not trying to rip anyone off and we've taken care of many of you that have written in with issues.

While we're the technology that's powering your ability to purchase stuff directly from the Pumpkins, and we fulfill the digital files, we're not actually fulfilling orders for the physical stuff. A company called BandMerch is handing the fulfillment of the physical goods. If you look at your original receipt you should see contact info for BandMerch. If you have questions about your order, please let them know and they should be able to help you out.

I hope all of this info helps. I'll check in over the weekend to see if anyone has additional questions about us or what we're doing. Have a great weekend, everyone.

[ZivotSon]

I went into BestBuy yesterday and picked up both the SD and Gish Re-Issue packages. Total cost with taxes was $54. The BestBuy had about 6 SD Re-Issues left and about 10 of the Gish ones. In addition, there were about 15 copies of the single CD remaster for each album. There's obviously tons of product out there and I'm puzzled why the folks who pre-ordered it couldn't get theirs before I got mine. Actually, I'm not puzzled. BestBuy is a professionally run outfit and the folks selling stuff over sp.com are probably not as well organized or funded. While some will say what's the big deal about the delay, the big deal is really to sp.com because when the MCIS re-issue comes out, a lot less people are going to bother with the pre-order. They'll just go to BestBuy and get it quicker and for less.

[AlienCloak]

scottytheoneandonly, on 02 December 2011 - 12:19 PM, said:

so what does topspin do?

They take your money and send you emails.

Quote

other than take my money and send me emails?

Oh.... lol... I don't know.

[MachinasDei]

going to call AMEX to see if they can deny the charge to Bandmerch/TopSpin.

this is still piss poor planning, sorry TopSpin, why dont you offer us reduced or free shipping or a way to download the album NOW?.....

instant digital downloads really? all that is is the SPRC Welcome Package.....NOT the albums/all discs....(i really hope i can download the albums etc...that would satisfy me in the meantime, but i wasnt offered this via TopSpin)


has anyone downloaded these as Brad from Topspin implied? I ordered from topspin, not from itunes, would rather give my $ to Best Buy they because they are professional, thats the difference.

sorry TopSpin, too little too late, and might want to keep your customers in the loop when some stuff goes down ( an additional email explaining why we're still waiting a week later for a PREorder could go a long way) , thats why "bigger companies who dont care about you" have the edge, they have their shit together. I'm all for small business, but when you suck, well you suck, and others thrive.

[JukeboxFuckup]

Sorry Brad, that argument of "no stock" would work, if it wasn't for the fact that several large audio retailers have these things packing their shelves. It's pretty obvious what has happened. Basically despite the fact we ordered our items 2 months ago, paying a higher price than everyone else - for the sake of trying to "support the band" - our orders have been given secondary rights to the big music chains getting their fill. It's pretty obvious, hence why everyone is pissed off.

You charged our cards 2 MONTHS AGO

Just give people refunds who ask to cancel, that seems fair considering you totally botched up your ordering process. Surely as the Provider of the merchandise for the official website - SURELY you could have ensured that these orders must have first rights to stock?

[Flood]

Okay, I'm very late to this game, but i'm so enraged by this entire ordeal. Here's my scenario much like others on here:

Got email notification from SPRC on October 18th. Purchased Deluxe Gish & Siamese Dream box sets minutes after e-mail. (tru fan?)

Was expecting shipment email on November 29th. Waited. Got the generic "Due to the sheer number of orders some of the physical products will ship out later than expected but we're working as quickly as possible to get them all processed. All pre-orders will be in the mail no later than Tuesday, December 6th." e-mail from Topspin.

Here's where Brad I think is either lying or not being truthful. I first posted a request on BandMerch's message board for support with the following message: "Yeah I have a serious problem with paying you guys money for a pre-order to have it not even shipped out the same day as the release date, yet I can go on Amazon today and have it overnighted for tomorrow delivery FOR CHEAPER and no delay in shipment. This is ridiculous that I have pre-ordered and paid more just to get it later. I will remember this for the next reissues that the pumpkins put out. I'll go to Amazon and get the cheaper price and have it shipped ONTIME. Do you have any idea when I can expect to get this delivered? I would like a reimbursement for shipping because this is so insane that I ordered directly and you were so incompetant at calculating the demand. I want my shipping charges refunded."

Their response: "Hi We're sorry for any inconvenience. Please contact TopSpin Media regarding any refunds as we do not have any credit card information.
Thanks,
BandMerch Customer Service"

I then e-mail order to TopSpin Customer support yesterday where I asked for a shipping refund and demanded when I was going to get my purchase and that it is really embarrassing that Best Buy and Amazon can fulfill orders whereas directly from the band purchasing is delayed. I have yet to receive a response from them.

This entire situation is unacceptable and I most certainly will never support the band by buying merchandise through these incompetent people. I'm very surprised that the Pumpkins would put these jokers in charge of their online merchandise.

I also purchased with my Amex and am considering rejecting the charge and refusing shipment if I can procure a copy at my local best buy. Problem is that I called the closest one to me and they said they had it in stock but were unable to locate physically in the store to reserve for me. I may pop by there tomorrow and reject the charge on my AMEX card.

BRAD, you really need to get your s*** together. This is going to leave a bad taste in the mouths of many fans who expected to get these box sets on time. It's more frustrating paying MORE and then not even ship it on time. The SPRC preorders should have been fulfilled prior to any big name store period.

-Rob

[Simon]

Flood, on 02 December 2011 - 05:33 PM, said:

I'm very surprised that the Pumpkins would put these jokers in charge of their online merchandise.

If there's anyone in all of this who wanted this to be as smooth as possible, it's the band. I doubt everyone is :cheers:/> right now, except to celebrate the warm reception it has gotten from those who have received it.

[Flood]

Simon, on 02 December 2011 - 05:37 PM, said:

If there's anyone in all of this who wanted this to be as smooth as possible, it's the band. I doubt everyone is :cheers:/> right now, except to celebrate the warm reception it has gotten from those who have received it.

I'm sure you're right, however at the end of the day they're making bank no matter how you look at it. [sarcasm]So what if a few fans didn't get it the first day...[/sarcasm] Again, I'm assuming that a good majority of us who ordered through SPRC are the die hard fans that expect a pre-order to be shipped ontime. If Corgan preordered this from TopSpin and this happened to his order, he'd be tweeting his brains out about it. This has left me with a bad taste about the re-releases.

Also, if TopSpin was actually a competent company they knew damn well ahead of time that they were not going to be able to ship out all of the preorders. If they were decent they should have notified us sooner so that we could have cancelled our orders and had a fighting shot at getting it day 1 from some other vendor or store.

MachinasDei, on 02 December 2011 - 03:41 PM, said:

going to call AMEX to see if they can deny the charge to Bandmerch/TopSpin.

this is still piss poor planning, sorry TopSpin, why dont you offer us reduced or free shipping or a way to download the album NOW?.....

instant digital downloads really? all that is is the SPRC Welcome Package.....NOT the albums/all discs....(i really hope i can download the albums etc...that would satisfy me in the meantime, but i wasnt offered this via TopSpin)


has anyone downloaded these as Brad from Topspin implied? I ordered from topspin, not from itunes, would rather give my $ to Best Buy they because they are professional, thats the difference.

sorry TopSpin, too little too late, and might want to keep your customers in the loop when some stuff goes down ( an additional email explaining why we're still waiting a week later for a PREorder could go a long way) , thats why "bigger companies who dont care about you" have the edge, they have their shit together. I'm all for small business, but when you suck, well you suck, and others thrive.

Hey, I just went through my emails and the only instant digital download link I see is for the SPRC Welcome package, not the entire albums. I would settle for that in the meantime. That's what TopSpin/BandMerch or at least some representative from the band should do. This is a real mess up for them. I am still furious about this. They should offer those whose preorders were delayed an instant download of the entire remastered album free of charge.

This post has been edited by Flood: 02 December 2011 - 06:00 PM

[jaggedjunkie21]

I preordered from Amazon (Canada) when the price was listed at $23.34 for each of the reissue boxes. The price since went up to $27.99, but thanks to price protection I got charged the $23.34. With free shipping as well.

My order didn't ship until Tuesday morning, but it arrived by Thursday morning. Considering I live quite far from the Amazon warehouses, I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived.

The extra Frail demo has leaked onto torrent sites anyways. I'm glad I made the choice I did in ordering from Amazon.

[Flood]

jaggedjunkie21, on 02 December 2011 - 06:23 PM, said:

I preordered from Amazon (Canada) when the price was listed at $23.34 for each of the reissue boxes. The price since went up to $27.99, but thanks to price protection I got charged the $23.34. With free shipping as well.

My order didn't ship until Tuesday morning, but it arrived by Thursday morning. Considering I live quite far from the Amazon warehouses, I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived.

The extra Frail demo has leaked onto torrent sites anyways. I'm glad I made the choice I did in ordering from Amazon.

You my friend are lucky! I'm happy you got it!

[orchidaii]

Brad from Topspin, on 02 December 2011 - 02:40 PM, said:

Such a n00b. Posted this in the wrong forum a second ago. Sorry about that.

Hi Smashing Pumpkins fans. My name is Brad and I'm head of operations for Topspin. I've read through most of the comments here and figured I would write to you all in hopes of providing some additional understanding around the delays and also let you know a little bit more about who we are. First and foremost, the delays were caused by manufacturing issues. The response was huge to these re-releases and not enough were manufactured. We had absolutely no control over these delays. Those of you who ordered from sp.com should have received a follow-up note letting you know that they would be shipping out on 12/6. Everyone who ordered should have also received instant digital downloads. I know it's frustrating to not have the physical product, but hopefully having the digital helps a little.

Topspin is a technology company. We're a bunch of die-hard music nerds based in Santa Monica, California. We build direct-to-consumer software, enabling artists to sell physical and digital goods, tickets, merch, experiences, etc. in a single shopping cart so you don't have to go to a bunch of different places to get stuff. Artists like Smashing Pumpkins, Trent Reznor, Paul McCartney, Beastie Boys and thousnds of other artists you've probably never heard of use our technology instead of driving their fans to other places because they benefit far greater from doing it on their own. For a lot of artists Topspin ensures that they have money to tour and pursue their dreams of being a working musician. Bottom line, you're helping out the artist a lot more when you buy direct. As a massive music fan myself, I know I feel a lot better going directly to artists as opposed to giving my money to places like Best Buy who really don't care about me as a customer. We're good, music-loving people just like you guys. We're most definitely not trying to rip anyone off and we've taken care of many of you that have written in with issues.

While we're the technology that's powering your ability to purchase stuff directly from the Pumpkins, and we fulfill the digital files, we're not actually fulfilling orders for the physical stuff. A company called BandMerch is handing the fulfillment of the physical goods. If you look at your original receipt you should see contact info for BandMerch. If you have questions about your order, please let them know and they should be able to help you out.

I hope all of this info helps. I'll check in over the weekend to see if anyone has additional questions about us or what we're doing. Have a great weekend, everyone.

I don't accept your apology. You should have informed us at least 2 weeks before the release date that you would not be able to fulfil the original contract that we would receive the product BY November 29th. I find it hard to believe that your company or BandMerch would wait until the night of November 28th and go 'Ohh shit guys - I don't think we have any merchandise to send out". I don't care about getting the product at this point - I got it at Best Buy. For 'hard-core music lovers', you have managed to make the band look really bad and have probably upset the casual fan to a point of no return. I think most of us that took the time to post here are fans that pre-ordered on October 17th. We're far more understanding when it comes to these mishaps - believe me. I just have no idea how you are going to convince us to ever use your services again - which is a real shame for the band. We really did want to support them as much as possible. If I'm being a hardball, it's because I want you to get your shit together for the next reissues - the band deserves that.

[Flood]

orchidaii, on 02 December 2011 - 06:39 PM, said:

I don't accept your apology. You should have informed us at least 2 weeks before the release date that you would not be able to fulfil the original contract that we would receive the product BY November 29th. I find it hard to believe that your company or BandMerch would wait until the night of November 28th and go 'Ohh shit guys - I don't think we have any merchandise to send out". I don't care about getting the product at this point - I got it at Best Buy. For 'hard-core music lovers', you have managed to make the band look really bad and have probably upset the casual fan to a point of no return. I think most of us that took the time to post here are fans that pre-ordered on October 17th. We're far more understanding when it comes to these mishaps - believe me. I just have no idea how you are going to convince us to ever use your services again - which is a real shame for the band. We really did want to support them as much as possible. If I'm being a hardball, it's because I want you to get your shit together for the next reissues - the band deserves that.

Excellent post, agree 100%.

[breathesgelatin]

orchidaii, on 02 December 2011 - 06:39 PM, said:

I don't accept your apology.

The craziest thing of all is that I don't even perceive Brad to have been apologizing - just blaming the problem on other people/companies/circumstances.

[orchidaii]

I'm aware. I just wanted to point out that he didn't bother to apologize and that if he did - it wouldn't have any value at this point.

People who care about their customers apologize and keep them informed on their purchases - even if it is about situations 'beyond their control'.

[chrism72481]

I also have not received my orders. I wrote to BandMerch this morning and have yet to hear anything back from them. Also, where the hell is this digital download of the album? All I got was the same 5 SPRC tracks.

I will not be ordering from the SPRC or Topspin when the next reissues come out.

[Flood]

I will be going to best buy in another hour or so and if they have the box sets I will get them there and decline the preorder from TopSpin. Brad was just passing the buck on the BandMerch and it's the same with BandMerch passing the buck back to TopSpin. If they were a real customer oriented company they should have contacted us sooner and not two days later on the forums. Ridiculous. I'm still waiting to hear back from TopSpin via my support request.

[soonergiant65]

JSpiwak, on 01 December 2011 - 08:47 PM, said:

I ordered off Amazon using that logic, but I may not end up being able to get my hands on them until Monday if they don't magically arrive at my dad's office tomorrow.

You don't have it yet? I got mine two days after it was released. I pre-ordered mine from Amazon the first day it was available, maybe that's why I got mine before you. By the way, it's awesome.

I think I would like to add my two cents worth on the whole Topspin Brad thing. Hey Brad, you came to the wrong website looking for people to hold your hands and sing Kombaya. You took these people's money with an understanding that this was a Pre-Order, and I almost pre-ordered it from you guys as well until I saw that rediculous shipping and handling price. We aren't dummies, we know what's what.

Oh yeah, passing the blame over to BandMerch at the very end of your post? You sounded like an asshole politician. :sp:/>

[Sophie]

orchidaii, on 02 December 2011 - 06:39 PM, said:

For 'hard-core music lovers', you have managed to make the band look really bad and have probably upset the casual fan to a point of no return.

Absolutely, I feel like I've been robbed : I paid (and I should say PRE-paid) extra charges for a service I will never have.

orchidaii, on 02 December 2011 - 06:39 PM, said:

I think most of us that took the time to post here are fans that pre-ordered on October 17th.

Yep, I stayed awake a part of the night for this, imagine my level of frustration right now !

orchidaii, on 02 December 2011 - 06:39 PM, said:

We're far more understanding when it comes to these mishaps - believe me. I just have no idea how you are going to convince us to ever use your services again - which is a real shame for the band. We really did want to support them as much as possible. If I'm being a hardball, it's because I want you to get your shit together for the next reissues - the band deserves that.

From now on even for SP material which I was used to ordering directly from SPRC I will go back to the record store just at the corner of my street in Paris.
And you know what, I'm currently in Luxembourg for tonight's SP gig and I've just bought a Gish reissue LP from a great small record store there because: yes they had tons of LPs and CDs ! Moreover I chatted with the owner for almost an hour and he is also coming at the gig tonight. Now dear Brian tell me you provided me with more customer care and we'll see...

You can do whatever you want now (apologize properly would be a start by the way), I won't come back to you. :nope:/>

[MisterSquishyHalo]

Damn they charged you when you placed your pre-order?

No wonder why people use Amazon, they don't charge until they ship

[Flood]

Update: I just got back from Best Buy and purchased both the Gish and Siamese Dream Deluxe sets. Unfortunately they didn't know what I was talking about for a lithograph, but at least I have them now. Brad I want a full refund now. I'm emailing back to TopSpin and Bandmerch that I want a full refund. I don't care what your policy is. You took people's money on a preorder and charged them instantly! Not even waited until it shipped. If you do not honor my refund I will refute the charges on my Amex card and refuse shipping when it gets delivered.

SPRC TopSin Price for Gish: $30
Best Buy Price for Gish: $24.99

SPRC TopSin Price for Siamese Dream: $30
Best Buy Price for Siamese Dream: $24.99

SPRC TopSin Shipping Charges: $11.47
Best Buy Tax Price: $3.17

SPRC Total: $71.47
Best Buy Total: $53.15

Everyone who pre-ordered through SPRC and TopSin should cancel their order and save themselves $18.32 and go get it at the store. At least you'll have it and be saving money!!