MikeH
Well-Known Member
Last time they gave a percentage of sales to a charity people shat on them too for not giving ALL the proceeds to charity.
Vinyl Me Please (store, exclusives, swaps, etc)
- Thread starter Captainfog
- Start date
Nee Lewman
बैस्टर्ड
it's a win lose. I am all for percentages of sales to charity though.
Rowan
Well-Known Member
Kinda wish I’d read the rest of the thread before placing an order. You’re right. In principle there were a ton of ways VMP could maybe have done this differently to prevent it from being passed about the net but having read the comments that came after the code was posted I’ve zero beef if VMP pull my order. Just means I’ll be back to the double Alicia Keys rather than the triple.
I suppose the main issue is that this code is going to get hammered (both by people who knew the reason it was put and and those who were/ are oblivious) and it may prevent people like VMP doing something similar again in future.
Hemotep
Well-Known Member
I don't know how they advertised it but I didn't see anything on it other than here, and I personally don't think it matters but I didn't use it only because there wasn't anything I wanted right now.
But I very strongly don't think a company should rely on customers explaining the rules of discount codes on the internet. Not saying at all that it's wrong to explain or speak on someone's feelings about it, just that VMP should have just explained what it was and who it was for on their website, or sent user specific one-time use codes if that was their intent. That's their responsibility and to think otherwise is odd to me regardless of the impetus for this one which clearly touches on folks' political beliefs and feelings, so it's obviously going to be a bit touchy.
I think my own take probably pisses some off, but I have a ton of veterans for students and live by a massive VA where a lot of the folks who use the community food bank my wife works at across the street and I volunteer at are veterans, so I deal with a lot of related issues because I talk to vets nearly every day. And I'm not saying at all that people shouldn't get to enjoy themselves and that the thought of this isn't "nice," it is nice that they did it. But veterans and first responders who actually need help in this country are too broke or broken to pay their bills and get medical care, they aren't really going and buying records. So to me, this just isn't even a thing worth getting stressed or upset over. Get upset about the homeless vets and the tax breaks that rich folks get which could be funding housing for them. Get upset about the first responders with cancer who go bankrupt with medical debt.
And just cause this is the internet and tone doesn't come across well, I don't think anyone here has been rude or a jerk about it and this isn't meant to be directed at anyone on here, just me sharing my thoughts. I respect @MikeH sharing his thoughts on this too, even if mine are a little different.
But I very strongly don't think a company should rely on customers explaining the rules of discount codes on the internet. Not saying at all that it's wrong to explain or speak on someone's feelings about it, just that VMP should have just explained what it was and who it was for on their website, or sent user specific one-time use codes if that was their intent. That's their responsibility and to think otherwise is odd to me regardless of the impetus for this one which clearly touches on folks' political beliefs and feelings, so it's obviously going to be a bit touchy.
I think my own take probably pisses some off, but I have a ton of veterans for students and live by a massive VA where a lot of the folks who use the community food bank my wife works at across the street and I volunteer at are veterans, so I deal with a lot of related issues because I talk to vets nearly every day. And I'm not saying at all that people shouldn't get to enjoy themselves and that the thought of this isn't "nice," it is nice that they did it. But veterans and first responders who actually need help in this country are too broke or broken to pay their bills and get medical care, they aren't really going and buying records. So to me, this just isn't even a thing worth getting stressed or upset over. Get upset about the homeless vets and the tax breaks that rich folks get which could be funding housing for them. Get upset about the first responders with cancer who go bankrupt with medical debt.
And just cause this is the internet and tone doesn't come across well, I don't think anyone here has been rude or a jerk about it and this isn't meant to be directed at anyone on here, just me sharing my thoughts. I respect @MikeH sharing his thoughts on this too, even if mine are a little different.
jfitzy
Well-Known Member
Well said. It’s this kinda attitude that makes this little corner of the internet so enjoyable for me.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
my wife used to work in risk management and shakes her head at nearly everything VMP does from a business standpoint haha. For a company that’s 10ish years old they fly by the seats of their pants so much. And simple things would save them a ton of money.
I think as with many things VMP does it’s just a really poor execution. They could have done a lot of things differently including donating to charity instead. It seems Cam had a specific relationship to music from his time in the military and is trying to genuinely do a nice thing, even if it’s a bit out of touch for the reasons you’ve said.
I agree on all you’ve said actually. You and I 100% agree on how fucked it is for veterans in this country. I’m sure we agree on quite a lot of related things too. I have a few family members who are active or are vets, including a cousin who has bouts of severe PTSD from his time serving in Afghanistan. He’s luckily been much better lately but it ebbs and flows and sometimes he has really bad episodes out of nowhere.
So from a personal standpoint, this is a loophole that I can’t use in good conscience knowing who the coupon code was meant for. I get why people will use it and it is VMP’s fault if they get burned on it for sure. I had originally seen someone post something from Cam’s linked in with his thoughts on Veterans Day and the coupon code where it explicitly said it was for vets, active military and first responders. The guy on Reddit posted the code knowing the full context behind it and any comments pointing out it was meant for those folks has been downvoted to oblivion.
One guy said he was a first responder for picking up his dogs shit so he happily used the code.
serotonein
Well-Known Member
I get where you're coming from on this, but VMP once again operating as if they've never used the internet before should not preclude them from actively trying to do better in the future
Holdsworthian
Active Member
I just went to that thread and saw the massive downvote of your comment. No wonder our country is so fucked.
Nee Lewman
बैस्टर्ड
But they don’t.
Rowan
Well-Known Member
I emailed them last night and threw it back to them. I’m actually a Blue Light card holder in the uk as a health worker but I’d rather have a clear conscience than still marginally expensive ATCQ and Alicia Keys albums.
Plus I’ve friends that served during the troubles, Iraq etc and if they’d known I’d been using service personnel discount codes…. Well honestly they’d not be arsed in the slightest. In fact they’d probably rip the piss out of me for being soft and fessing up after the fact and ask why I didn’t order them a few albums too
MikeH
Well-Known Member
If only they knew Veterans Day was coming up
. But still a nice gesture
MikeH
Well-Known Member
You’re free to use the code just as you’re free to mock those who don’t wanna use it. I get why people wanna use it and doesn’t matter to me. It’s a loophole and they are a big company that charges too much for their product. Go for it.
Skalap
Well-Known Member
I respect everyone's opinion and decision on this sensitive question. We probably react and have different opinions depending on how this situation can affect us.
Mine is that I wouldn't blame any customer to take profit of this discount code as it doesn't steal a single dollar from the people this offer was supposedly intended for. I actually blame VMP to put out a discount code supposedly only veterans could use when actually everyone can use it. Again, if they want to help veterans in need, give part of the sales to associations instead of giving veterans the opportunity to buy overpriced items at a less excessive price.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
Something like 20% off plus 20% of proceeds to a veterans association for everyone and 40% off for active military, vets, and EMT would have been best of both worlds. Entice people to buy more with discount + giving to charity and then give something directly to those who the discount was meant for.
Rowan
Well-Known Member
So leaving the stable door ajar rather than forgetting to build the stable at all?
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
I have very complicated thoughts around the current need to fetishise military service as a means of churning more and more men and women from a lower socio economic class through the military industrial complex, spitting them out the other side without support. The displays this weekend every year and the feeling of being compelled into participating have increased year on year over the last 20 years and I’m glad to be in neutral country the more and more I see of it. It felt much less mandatory and much more of a personal choice when I was younger.
I see this as a part of it. Everyone has to be seen to be participating more than doing. I don’t blame either VMP, they’re just bowing to the climate, or the people taking advantage, they’re getting a few quid off from a hollow gesture.
We need more mature adult conversations and less displays of public sorrow and celebration of people who are just doing their jobs and who we ignore when the reality of them doing their jobs confronts us over the rest of the year.
Hemotep
Well-Known Member
Not to mention that, at least when it comes to the military and police, a lot of their jobs support some truly awful and inhumane things. I know many in the military join when they are young and ignorant of such things, and I don't blame them for joining. But many do celebrate those awful things and I am not blindly thankful for what they do. I hate it. It just being a job or just following orders shouldn't be an excuse for a lot of bad that is done in the name of America. It makes living in the top global militaristic country difficult because a lot of folks see any criticism as being taboo.
Honestly the harshest criticisms of this often come from veterans. But so too are many distributors of the Kool aid who dismiss any legitimate critique as off limits and ignore or dismiss what their fellow vets say. But so many of them have been screwed over and seen first hand the effect of the military machine that they know it's not a good system.
Police are a whole other hornets nest in this country.
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
Police are a hornets nest everywhere. They protect money and all the awful things that people with money do to protect their money and to bend the system to protect their money. I have an inherent distrust for all police everywhere, I don’t see how you can join without having some worrying traits.