Interesting discussion.
This is a tough one. Badorb was obviously horribly mismanaged. How much of that is the band's fault? Though Badorb was essentially started by the Orb how much did Alex & Co. actually have to do with it?
They were the public face of it. They promoted it. They sold records and T-shirts at shows. That said, I'm certain that they were not the ones taking the orders and putting the records in the boxes. But they do bear some responsibility, and since I was not aware of any other contact point besides them, well, that's the route I've taken. I know there are people on this list that have contacts with the band (and possibly their management), and that's why I came back here after a long absence, to see if one of you would get in touch with them for me and see what's up.
$56 seems like small potatoes...
(It was actually UKP 56, which comes out to about US$90.)
I would suggest sending actual physical mail to the Orb's management listing your grievances and showing any receipts for unfilled orders you have.
I can give that a shot. Anyone have that address?
have you tried contacting anyone at Deviant?
I emailed them yesterday. I'll let you know when I get a response.
I had been I don't think boycotting an artist is a very productive idea. All LX is trying to do is make a living doing what he loves, he tried something new and it didn't work out. I for one was happy to take part in the experiment, even if it ultimately failed.
All I was trying to do was help LX make a living doing something he loves (and I love), by pouring my money into his enterprise. I put up with lots of delays along the way, but I accepted that. It's OK that it didn't work out, but it's not OK that he essentially defrauded me out of $90, and it appears that he doesn't feel any responsibility to return it to me. Christine even told me she was in the process of setting up an account to handle refunds, and then left me hanging. I'm sorry, but I can't let them off the hook for that. Starting a record label and selling records over the Internet does not qualify as an "experiment." That's an extremely charitable way of looking at it, but the fact is that when you start taking other people's money and don't provide the goods, that's not experimenting, that's fraud, plain and simple. I have been very happy to support many other bands' online efforts (Prince, They Might Be Giants, Curve, Einsturzende Neubauten, and more), and in every other case I have been treated well, and have been given everything I paid for. What made the Orb incapable of following through, or at the very least, refunding my money?
Good friends I stick with through thick and thin. Lovers, I am devoted. I cannot boycott The Orb.
I love the Orb too. But all indications are that they don't love me. I've been with this band since the beginning. I was on this mailing list when it started. I own over 50 Orb recordings. I've gone to see them in concert. I bought every Bob, two t-shirts, all the MP3s, and the Bless You comp. And this is how I got repaid. LX skips out, and I'm holding the bag. I'll be honest, I'm not surprised at the response from this list. After all, how often do you hear your favorite artist called a cheat? But that's exactly what has happened. Pretending otherwise (calling it a "failed experiment," for instance) is failing to look at the reality of the situation. I recognize that most of you got everything you ordered, and some of you even got extras (anyone have an extra Bob14?), but since it's clear I'm not the only person who lost money here, I don't see how you can defend their behavior. All would be forgiven if they repay me, and others who participated in this endeavor and are still owed money. I'm not one to hold a grudge. I would even accept comparable value in future releases in exchange. But I will follow through on my boycott if it doesn't happen. I've managed to avoid buying the Kompassion EP so far. It's tough, though, and very sad. If any of you have any other ideas, I'm all ears. -- Adam J Weitzman - voxpop arbitrageur