Free CD's

[headcase]

I'm sure everyone already does this but none the less.

CD's today cost about €30. I don't know what your income is like but I don't have that much money to be throwing around, especially as there are dozens of CD's I want. Downloading music is useful for the odd song but is still slow, time consuming and you can only ever get popular songs, and popular songs are usually terrible. So I rip off the local Virgin Megastore or Golden Discs.

1: Go and buy a CD. Elsewhere, buy a box of blank CD's.

2: Bring it home and copy it. Or put it on your iPod, or both.

3: If you want, scan the front and back of the CD case so you can print them and put them in the blank CD box for that pirated effect.

4. Return the CD with some arbitrary excuse. (It was a gift and I already have it etc). You'll probably only get store credit but that's fine.

5. With the store credit, start again.

If your doing this often try to avoid going to the same cashier too often. I try to get other people to return it for me sometimes too. Also beware, if you get a "Gift Card" dump it when it's empty. Otherwise they'll have a record of the same gift card being used to return loads of CD's.

[Beyond]

Downloading music is slow? Bullshit. I can download a song in a second on my 10mb/s connection. Even when I was on the 3mb/s line I could download an entire 3-4 minute song in as many seconds. Also, it's not selectively "odd songs".

You just need to know where to look. More so, if you possess spoofing/protocol options you can almost gaurantee that you'll never get caught stealing music on the net.

Also, I know FYE and Best Buy have a policy to not accept open CD returns and I am sure most respectable distributors do the same to prevent scams much like yours.

[Beyond]

Exceptions
• Labor and/or installation services
• Items that are abused
• Opened computer software, movies, music and video games
(To get credit for these items, they must be unopened. If the original is damaged or defective, please see details below.)

Taken from BestBuy.com in regards to their no return policy items.

All returns must include the following:

1 Original packaging (manufacturer's box, styrofoam, plastic bags, etc.)

FYE's policy. Original packaging would include the plastic wrap and security stickers.

[db]

Yeah Walmart wont give you credit either they'll just replace it.

[Beyond]

You'd be better off just grabbing what you want at Wal Mart. Worst comes to worse you get caught and not charged or prosecuted since they stopped that!

[headcase]

Originally Posted by Beyond

Downloading music is slow? Bullshit. I can download a song in a second on my 10mb/s connection. Even when I was on the 3mb/s line I could download an entire 3-4 minute song in as many seconds. Also, it's not selectively "odd songs".

Wow, a second! That's amazing. You know what, your an amazing guy.

How long it takes to download the song doesn't matter, of course it only takes a few seconds. Finding the songs while sorting through the tons of rubbish is what takes the time. On top of that you have to know what song your searching for, where's the fun in getting music you already heard (searching for artists just gets you all their most popular songs).

If they won't give you store credit then shop around, find somewhere that does. I thought that was implied. I know it works because I do it every damn week. Respectable distributors? I though that Richard Branson guy was pretty successful.

[Beyond]

Proof? I call BS.

Hard to find? Did you not read my post? You just need to know where to look, aka forums.

EDIT: Amazon and Wal Mart have similar policies.

I called Virgin Mega Store (because you dropped Branson's name). They told me if someone brought in a cd opened they would only allow a return ONLY if it was visually defective. In that case they would simply exchange it for the same CD.

[Beyond]

Oh, and do you have anywhere you shop it works? Because I'll be more than happy to debunk it.

[Beyond]

Here's how you actually do it.

1) Buy any CD you want.

2) Take it home and open it up.

3) Copy it to your computer.

4) Find a similar color paint as the cover art on the actual cd. For example, black is popular. Drop a small drop on the cd's readable surface.

5) Take it back to the store and tell them that you got a defective CD and it appears as the paint from the CD artwork got on the other side. It happens all the time. The paint sometimes will not dry fast enough when they are stacked.

Two things can happen here. You are given a new cd or an outright refund. Stores have different return policies for defective material sold.

If you are given a new cd simply save your ORIGINAL receipt and come back at a later date and return the unopened CD that you were given as a replacement.

If you are given an outright refund, well, GJ. You got the music and you got your money back.

What gave me this idea is when I first bought "Ten" by Pearl Jam. For some reason the song "Black" would never play. I just skipped it until I pulled out to change CDs one day. On the surface was a drop of pink ( Ten had a pink cover art ) paint on the playing surface. I called Wal Mart and asked them what to do. They said it happens sometimes and to come back in for a complete replacement.

This works especially well at Target because of their "Defective Product" return policy. My friend works there and tipped me off on the policy. They'll take back a product for a full refund if it is defective in any other instance not spurred on by the user.

[headcase]

Originally Posted by Beyond

Oh, and do you have anywhere you shop it works? Because I'll be more than happy to debunk it.

Yep, Virgin Megastore. If you call up asking if they'll change an opened CD with no defects then of course they'll say no. Like if you ask a cop "Your not going to check the trunk, are you?", they probably will. It's a suspecious thing to say. I'll try to get someone to video me next time.

[Beyond]

I didn't ask them. I went to their website and read their policies. They don't change policies for anyone. That's showing favoritism and it's a bad buisness practice.

[headcase]

Well then I must be really special.

[Beyond]

Until you prove otherwise, you're also a really shitty liar too.

[headcase]

Will do. How can I prove it?

Keeping in mind it is illegal so I'm not actually going to video myself. I could take a picture of an open CD, and scan in the receipt which will show that CD returned in exchange for another. Seems foolproof. Would that be sufficent?

I feel some pwnage coming on.

[Beyond]

Video sir. You aren't breaking a law by returning material that's accepted by the medium ( The store ). Common buisness practice and I see no self incrimenation happening.

I'm not taking pictures as evidence. I can shop well and I respresent the bottom 1 percent in terms of skills. In other words, shit can happen to pictures. Shit can happen to videos, but you don't come off as the kind of guy that can do "special effects" to a simple video.

[headcase]

Hmm, sensing it too are you? Despite my how fantastic my phone is, it doesn't have the capacity for that long a video. Plus I get the feeling that video might accidently find it's way to Virgin managment, hence foiling my ingenius plans. And a guy following my with a video camera/phone will probably raise some questions too.

[Beyond]

I'm not sensing shit besides the usual bullshit. I'm just preventing myself from being falsey "pwned". Just because you have a return receipt and an open CD doesn't mean your plan is teh win, it just means you have a receipt and open CD. See where I'm going with this? Youll need a video to counter act what I and Virgin Megastore know ( their policy, not mine ).

What would it matter if Virgin management knows? I mean this is just their policy and since they already dont follow it, according to you, why would they change? It's in their employees manuals yet they don't follow it, right? So a kid on some small ass forum showing it possible isn't going to skew them.

[headcase]

How, pray tell, would I have a receipt showing I returned one CD for another without returning one CD for another?

They don't enforce the policy because this kind of scam isn't a problem. Obviously most people haven't though of it. If, however, they have blatent proof that someone is taking advantage of the slack enforcement in one particular store, the only one in the city, they might tighten up. I have no delusions of grandeur. I don't think Richard Branson losing sleep as my criminal genius destroys his business, but at the same time I don't want to risk what has so far been a rather profitable venture for a bet that means very little to me.

[Beyond]

You aren't taking advantage of anything because their return policy, and I will state this again, explicitly prohibits your idea from making it past step 4. I don't know how I can say this any further. I have spoke to a Virgin representative at a main number listed on their website to confirm the policy is enforced at all locations and was further instructed that there is no reason or excuse or even any allowance for the policy to be changed by anyone at any location.

Therefore we are left with this. You claim that the policy isn't enforced. I along with Vigrin rep's insist it does. From this we gather that you are the one needing to prove what you state is not utter bullshit. I mean after all, this is just you typing on a forum and Virgin just confirming a policy that contributed to their world wide success.

You say you do this on a regular basis, how then would you be attracting attention if you go to the store and do it? I mean you do it often right? Why would they begin to have suspicions?

[Beyond]

3: If you want, scan the front and back of the CD case so you can print them and put them in the blank CD box for that pirated effect.

4. Return the CD with some arbitrary excuse. (It was a gift and I already have it etc). You'll probably only get store credit but that's fine.

Headcase's argument that would entail opening the CD in the first place.

For any item(s) which are defective, damaged or sent in error by us, we will refund the cost of the item(s) plus the cost of any postage charges paid by you as part of your initial order. If you require a replacement we will send this to you free of charge.

For items which are no longer wanted we will refund the cost of the item but we will not refund any postage charges paid by you as part of your intial order. We will not issue any refunds where the item has been removed from its sealed packaging.

Please read the last line, I am not just pulling this out of my ass. Headcase is arguing that Virgin, more importantly his location(s), allows the return of opened media, a violation of the companies policy.

Do you not see the complete and utter lunacy of your idea?

[headcase]

By having someone video me. It's not exactly subtle is it? Anyway I'm happy with my "photo" proposition.

If we're stating irrevelant facts then I'm the one with reason to be confident. You can only quote 3rd parties, while I can sit here quite comfortably in the knowledge that I'm right. You might not believe me yet, but you can't prove anything, you can only hope that I can't prove anything. And after this whole arguement you've set yourself up for quite a fall.

[Beyond]

On an additional note, a store credit, as defined by Virgin, is under the criteria of a refund. From this we can determine that Headcase's story is once again debunked because he argues that you get a refund, which we know they don't issue for undamager and opened media.

[headcase]

Irrevelant. I said I got store credit. As I already stated on numerous occasions the policies don't strictly apply. Your beating a dead horse.

[Beyond]

Originally Posted by headcase

By having someone video me. It's not exactly subtle is it? Anyway I'm happy with my "photo" proposition.

If we're stating irrevelant facts then I'm the one with reason to be confident. You can only quote 3rd parties, while I can sit here quite comfortably in the knowledge that I'm right. You might not believe me yet, but you can't prove anything, you can only hope that I can't prove anything. And after this whole arguement you've set yourself up for quite a fall.

Why would anyone have to film it for you? Can you not just hold a camera in one arm and let it role while you complete the transaction? You don't have to film everything, I just need a documentation of the supposed "enigma" taking place.

3rd parties? Pal, these 3rd parties run and govern all Virgin satelites. And I can prove that you're lying. I have illustrated that it would be impossible for Virgin to accept opened material because it violates company policy. As a result, you can't even return it let alone recieve a refund for it.

[Beyond]

Originally Posted by headcase

Irrevelant. I said I got store credit. As I already stated on numerous occasions the policies don't strictly apply. Your beating a dead horse.

Yes, they do. As noted in the "Terms and Conditions" portion of their website as well as verbal confirmation from a rep. from Virgin. These people are paid to represent Virgin, they don't spew irrelevant information. If they did she would have stated, "Well the policy is unique at each store" or something to that effect.

[headcase]

Your really certain I'm lying?

[Beyond]

100%. Unless of course the website, the Virgin rep., and a recent email confirmation from a SECOND Virgin rep. that the policy is enforced and uniform at ALL locations is false.


And I didn't ask, HEY IF A FRIEND OPENS IT AND TRIES TO RETURN IT CAN HE? I asked 2 questions. I brought up the questioned policy and asked, 1 - Is this a policy that Virgin Megastores has? 2 - Does it apply to all locations ? If so, can it be over riden by any employee at the location?

[headcase]

Fine, put your menoy where your mouth is. What are you willing to back yourself with?

[Beyond]

$10,000. That is of course, you can match whatever I put up. If not, I will match whatever you're willing to put up.

[headcase]

I'm serious. It doesn't have to be money. Something to make it worth my while. I trust that you'll pay up .

Edit: Alright, me and Beyond have a little wager on this. I'll have my proof as soon as I can. I'll save you the details of the bet, it'll be all the sweeter later.