A growing number of Taylor Swift's fans are complaining that they were “scammed” by her online merchandise store, with many accusing her record company Universal Music Group of chronic mismanagement of the site. .
Store.TaylorSwift.com The store sells gifts, CDs and records, as well as T-shirts and sweaters from the record-breaking Elas tour, but there have been complaints of items being delayed, damaged or not arriving at all. It's happening one after another on social media.
The newspaper reported multiple customers who say they waited months for their products to arrive from the site, which promises many items will be “shipped within a week,” but receive little response from UMG customer service. I spoke to him. The same goes for refund requests.
Grace Green, a 32-year-old Arizona resident who has been a fan of Swift since her debut album was released in 2006, posted that she ordered 22 items on the site last year for a total of $1,044.75. told the paper.
Mr. Green defended the splurge as a “desperate, insane attempt to get everything at once,” noting that items on the site quickly sold out.
“The adrenaline is pumping, the palms are sweating, and I’m adding items to my cart.[チェックアウト]By the time you click , the site will show that the item is no longer in stock. ”
But what's even worse, he says, is “if the item doesn't arrive on time or if it's broken or tattered.” Green shared a photo of the 1989 cardigan she received, with the threads already coming undone.
A wave of customer complaints affected the X account @TayMerchProbs, which has nearly 2,000 followers. We recently published the following results. Pole In Swift's “Lover” snow globe, Retail price is $70. Of those surveyed, 60% said they had not received it yet, and about 25% said it was broken or in tatters.
Jacqueline Jordan, a 39-year-old Swift fan, said she wanted to “hold UMG accountable for their actions and galvanize change” after “reading UMG's horror stories on Reddit and ultimately becoming a victim.” He told the Post that he launched the X account last month to do so.
Jordan said he ordered the “1989” cardigan in November. It didn't show up until this month, after she emailed UMG's fulfillment center, Artist Endeavor.
“Why are they using a 'small business' to manage the logistics of the world's biggest artists out of one tiny warehouse?” Jordan said of Artist Endeavor. “My guess is that it’s because UMG is too cheap to do the right thing.”
Despite all the accusations against UMG, a spokesperson for the record label declined to comment. Swift's publicist Tree Payne also declined to comment. Instead, they directed inquiries to a spokesperson for Bravado, UMG's official merchandise subsidiary.
“We have a global network of various suppliers and fulfillment centers. We are responsible for fulfilling all orders, so ultimately all of this is under Bravado's command.” “A combination of unprecedented consumer demand and seasonal delivery issues” caused the severe delays, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that Bravado will issue full refunds for items scheduled to ship by Dec. 15 that are not delivered in time for Christmas, and those items will be shipped free of charge.
A Bravado spokesperson added: “This is unacceptable and we deeply regret it.” “It will take him 7-10 business days to process your refund. You should have received another email with tracking information and you should start seeing movement after December 26th.”
When asked on social media about customers who were said to be still waiting for their products, a Bravado spokesperson said: “Those who still have outstanding orders can contact customer service directly to prioritize order fulfillment. That's what you should do.''
Representatives for Artist Endeavor did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.
When asked about Bravado's claims of “unprecedented demand” and “seasonal transportation issues,” Mr. Jordan responded, “Call BS.”
“The situation at UMG is Ticketmaster 2.0, if not worse,” Jordan added, noting that Ticketmaster experienced “historically unprecedented” demand for pre-sale events, resulting in website outages and hours-long She was referring to the time she stopped general ticket sales for Swift's Elas tour after causing long wait times. Only fans can log off empty-handed.
Jordan also cited similar complaints about UMG dating back to at least 2019, including a Twitter post about severe shipping delays on Ariana Grande's official merchandise site.
In 2021, related complaints about Billie Eilish's UMG products surfaced. “Happier than ever @billieeilish Has anyone else ordered something from @Spotify and never received it? He received one email last month about the delay, but since then… I haven’t heard anything…” one user said. I have written at that time.
Hoping to get the order, Jordan took to LinkedIn and sent a message to UMG executive Victor Thomas.
Thomas, UMG's vice president of fan services and e-commerce, passed an email to Jordan and said in a LinkedIn message seen by the Post that the company was “working with our logistics partners to ensure we can fulfill everyone's orders.” “We are working very closely with them,” he promised. ”
When Ms. Jordan emailed Mr. Thomas, she received a reply that he was no longer employed by the company.
Another X user named Pamela share Earlier this month: “My order was placed in November and got lost in the mail. It was ignored for a month, promised a refund and reshipment, then left for another two weeks, and today the story changed again. . Who is responsible for Universal Music Group?”
“@UMG appears to be using deceptive business practices and taking advantage of long-time customers. This is unacceptable, pervasive, and shady,” she added.
Meanwhile, a 25-year-old customer from Indiana named Elizabeth said she ordered about $300 on Nov. 16 and still hasn't received it.
“It's still in the 'labeling' stage and I've emailed her store twice to ask about it and haven't heard back,” she told the Post.
Green believes this issue needs to be taken more seriously and said, “UMG needs to be investigated by the FTC.”
“Taylor Swift is the biggest pop star on the planet right now, and if UMG can't foresee that popularity spilling over into merchandise sales, or isn't using best practices, it needs to be investigated.”
“At this point, we would like to see a class action lawsuit filed against anyone who purchased Taylor Swift merchandise under the UMG label. And we would like to receive a settlement check at this time,” Green added.
A representative from the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces federal consumer protection laws that protect against fraud, deception, and unfair business practices, said, according to its website.
FTC investigations are private and we cannot confirm or deny the existence of any particular investigation. ”
