[see update, below. HD Tracks just gave me a full refund - thank you HD Tracks!]
In the last week, I've gotten the same response from both HD Tracks and B&W Society of Sound for issues with downloaded files.
For HD Tracks, I received an album where the tracks were out of order - they were stupidly named so Suite 1, track 1 is followed by Suite 5, track 1. This was for Janos Starker's Back Cello suites - an album with over 30 tracks, that cost $40, so its totally annoying. They wrote back "Unfortunately this is the way the album was delivered. Yes, you can manually go into the folder and correct it. We will contact the label regarding the issue for the future."
For B&W Society of Sound, *all* of their LSO titles have bad data in the FLAC headers. This doesn't make them universally unplayable, but they won't play on several players I use (and they do have real errors.) I can covert to WAV then back to FLAC using MAX and they play fine. They wrote: "The FLAC files are supplied to us directly from the LSO however we have passed your comments onto them and will forward you their reply."
So - now retailers don't need to take responsibility for the goods they sell?
I should add that I once had trouble with the table of contents in an ebook I bought from Kobo. They gave me a refund instantly. That ebook cost something less than $5, but for $40 downloads, these sites can't be more helpful?
Posted on: 03 October 2013 by Harry
DG and HDT have given me refunds in the past. Retailers get a lot of criticism, and HDT get an awful lot of criticism for the quality of what they sell. If their after sales service is up to scratch it's no different from when I bought vinyl or any format since. And I've bought some bloody awful vinyl. The difference being that I don't have to get back in the car/bus/train and take it back.
Glad they did the right thing by you.
Posted on: 04 October 2013 by Jasonf
Originally Posted by Harry:
DG and HDT have given me refunds in the past. Retailers get a lot of criticism, and HDT get an awful lot of criticism for the quality of what they sell. If their after sales service is up to scratch it's no different from when I bought vinyl or any format since. And I've bought some bloody awful vinyl. The difference being that I don't have to get back in the car/bus/train and take it back.
Glad they did the right thing by you.
Harry,
from the above then, I assume that you guys in Britain are able to download from HD Tracks? It says on the website that only customers based in USA are able to download. I sent them an email yesterday, seems being in Norway I can't download anything as yet.
Jason.
Posted on: 04 October 2013 by Harry
Sure thing Jason.
Having spoken to a number of writers, recording artists and producers, my suspicion that the differential availability of material is less about rights and more about market fixing, as the studios attempt to do with DVD and BD, was pretty much on the money, I obtained an IP blocking application which allows me to download from HDT. Quobuz were les inclined to tow the label line. They will limit availability by region as directed but will unblock if a customer politely requests their legitimate right to buy.
Posted on: 04 October 2013 by Jasonf
Hmmm, interesting, thanks Harry.
Jason.
Posted on: 04 October 2013 by Bart
I bought the new Grateful Dead studio recordings remasters from HDTracks, and they downloaded not in folders by album, but as 100-something individual tracks that I had to organize myself 
Far from ideal.
But where I've had bigger problems in the past, HDTracks did refund my purchase.
