[CLL Dodge]

Originally Posted by habby

Appointing administrators http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21021073

Neil Saunders, the managing director of retail analyst Conlumino, said he felt the appointment of administrators at HMV "was always inevitable".

"In the digital era, where 73.4% of music and film are downloaded, HMV's business model has simply become increasingly irrelevant and unsustainable.

Untrue, in the UK at least:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20885506

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20887307

[spacepostman]

Originally Posted by mintchocchip

It will be such a shame if HMV go. There won't be any record stores on the highstreet

Last time I checked Virgin Megastore was still open.

[linnylou]

Originally Posted by steven123

I unfortunately have an unused £20 voucher for HMV, really wish I had used it before now. Any idea if there will be any time to use it before they shut up shop altogether? (I assume they will trade under administration like comet did for some time?).

Kicking myself as I was actually in a store last week but the games I had wanted to buy were all out of stock, should have took that as a warning but I had no idea things were so dire....

I'm in the same boat, and I was also only in the store last week, but didn't use the whole value of my gift card.

I'll be going in-store tomorrow, but I'm not hopeful I'll be able to use it.

[Straker]

Originally Posted by Muttley76

Nor me either. I don't see it as being any different than shop lifting, quite honestly.

It is no different. Chalk up another collapse to download thieves.

[blueisthecolour]

Originally Posted by spacepostman

Last time I checked Virgin Megastore was still open.

?? Is that a joke that i'm missing?

[DariaM]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh2010

If you go on there website at the moment, they've got this blue cross sale where anything with a blue cross next to it has 25% off the price

The prices however are ridiculous, how are they still open????/

The website will continue to operate long after the individual stores are closed.... but, as to why they are still open, you can offer thanks to the thousands of staff who were unpaid, and told to work for HMV for nothing by the Job Centre, and if they didn't, would not become eligible for basic Job Seekers Allowance.

[steven123]

Originally Posted by linnylou

I'm in the same boat, and I was also only in the store last week, but didn't use the whole value of my gift card.

I'll be going in-store tomorrow, but I'm not hopeful I'll be able to use it.

Just saw this on BBC News "The firm said it would not be accepting gift vouchers or issuing any more." Here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21021073

I'm really fuming about this and as far as I am concerned both HMV and their administrators are cheating, lying and thieving bastards. I don't know how they are allowed to get away with this, they have £20 of my money (and I'm sure others are in the same boat) and now I am going to get nothing, through no fault of my own, exactly how is that any different to stealing?

Why are they allowed to do this, why should they be allowed to simply dismiss their responsibility to their customers (honouring gift vouchers that might have only been purchased mere weeks before the collapse) because they have gone into administration.

I know to some £20 isn't much but to me its an awful lot as I'm unemployed and what little I have goes on essentials, that voucher would have been a nice little treat for myself if it wasn't for thieving gits like HMV.

[TOONARMY12]

Originally Posted by Theo_Bear

Why the hell would I even think about buying films cheap from Amazon, let alone paying HMV's extortionate prices, when perfect copies of Les Miserables and Django Unchained are already freely available from the good ship Skull & Crossbones?

So basicaly you pirate films?. Well done

[SXTony]

Originally Posted by spacepostman

Last time I checked Virgin Megastore was still open.

There's no Virgin Megastore anywhere near me.

Where am I going to get the Skyfall Steelbook blu-ray now?

[blueisthecolour]

Originally Posted by SXTony

There's no Virgin Megastore anywhere near me.

Where am I going to get the Skyfall Steelbook blu-ray now?

The internet?

[brobinso]

Originally Posted by steven123

Just saw this on BBC News "The firm said it would not be accepting gift vouchers or issuing any more." Here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21021073

I'm really fuming about this and as far as I am concerned both HMV and their administrators are cheating, lying and thieving bastards. I don't know how they are allowed to get away with this, they have £20 of my money (and I'm sure others are in the same boat) and now I am going to get nothing, through no fault of my own, exactly how is that any different to stealing?

Why are they allowed to do this, why should they be allowed to simply dismiss their responsibility to their customers (honouring gift vouchers that might have only been purchased mere weeks before the collapse) because they have gone into administration.

I know to some £20 isn't much but to me its an awful lot as I'm unemployed and what little I have goes on essentials, that voucher would have been a nice little treat for myself if it wasn't for thieving gits like HMV.

The decision not to accept gift cards has been made by the administrators, not HMV. They're trying to find a way for the business to continue so need to do whatever they can to make this a smooth process. They desperately need to raise money which is why the stores are still trading, but unfortunately means they won't be accepting gift cards.

With any luck, HMV may be able to continue trading (in a reduced number of stores I suspect) and may even honour existing gift cards. The same thing happened with Game last year, but the new owners decided to honour gift and loyalty cards when they came out of administration.

If HMV do go completely, you may be able to make a claim against the administrators for your credit, but I can imagine staff wages and suppliers will be addressed as their main priority.

[Caxton]

They are doing nothing to keep any present customers happy, by not honouring the HMV gift vouchers, they are still trading, the vouchers have been paid for, so they should honour them.

I have not got any vouchers and have not shopped at HMV for years.

[CJClarke]

Originally Posted by SXTony

Where am I going to get the Skyfall Steelbook blu-ray now?

Considering that i got an e-mail just a couple of hours ago from HMV advertising their range of forthcoming steelbooks, i'd imagine that they'll still be selling it, at least online. I hope so anyway because i have it pre-ordered.

I can see HMV going the way of Zavvi and being purely online once they've closed their stores.

It is a massive shame that it's come to this as HMV was the last of the major brick and mortar DVD/Blu Ray/Game/Music stores, and i have a lot of sympathy for the staff who will be losing their jobs (i've got a friend who works there too), but HMV the company only have themselves to blame for not staying competitive and charging ridiculous prices (case in point, i was in there the other week and they were selling the Blu Ray of Taken for absurd price of £30!).

[steven123]

Originally Posted by Caxton

They are doing nothing to keep any present customers happy, by not honouring the HMV gift vouchers, they are still trading, the vouchers have been paid for, so they should honour them.

I have not got any vouchers and have not shopped at HMV for years.

Exactly, if the administrators want the business to be at all viable to sell on they should honour gift vouchers as not doing so will only incense people like me who will boycott HMV altogether if they do maintain any high street presence.

[steven123]

Originally Posted by brobinso

The decision not to accept gift cards has been made by the administrators, not HMV. They're trying to find a way for the business to continue so need to do whatever they can to make this a smooth process. They desperately need to raise money which is why the stores are still trading, but unfortunately means they won't be accepting gift cards.

With any luck, HMV may be able to continue trading (in a reduced number of stores I suspect) and may even honour existing gift cards. The same thing happened with Game last year, but the new owners decided to honour gift and loyalty cards when they came out of administration.

If HMV do go completely, you may be able to make a claim against the administrators for your credit, but I can imagine staff wages and suppliers will be addressed as their main priority.

Like I said, they will only upset customers by refusing gift cards and it seems a very opportune time to block them i.e. right after Christmas when they must have sold thousands easily even with their flaky sales. Free money for them effectively as they get to sell a load of gift vouchers and now are getting away without honouring them. Blatant daylight theft IMO.

The reason I am equally annoyed with HMV as the administrator is because they made no attempt to warn customers in advance that they were in trouble or would enter administration (so people could use any outstanding gift card balance quickly and to discourage people to buy them for others as gifts which have become worthless in mere weeks), they denied administration right up till the end saying the blue cross sale was "perfectly normal for the time of year" thus giving customers no warning of their position and neither have they (yet) given customers any window to use remaining vouchers or gift cards before the shops go altogether.

Both parties are equally despicable IMHO.

[RedSnapper]

I find it difficult to understand how it is legal to continue trading but not honour gift cards.

I dont belive it has anything to do with trying to keep the business afloat but everything to do with grabbing every penny they can before the ship sinks.

[Straker]

Originally Posted by steven123

The reason I am equally annoyed with HMV as the administrator is because they made no attempt to warn customers in advance that they were in trouble.....

Seriously?!?!?! Barely a month has gone by for at least a couple of years now without some rumblings about HMV in the national press and on TV. I don’t have much sympathy for anyone left holding a gift card as the writing has been on the wall for all to see for many, many months.

And FGS, would people read and absorb - It is the ADMINISTRATORS who have decided not to accept gift cards (not the management of HMV) and no other business in the same situation would either. Their sole duty is to try and prevent the chain from going into liquidation at which point everyone will be standing in line behind the banks, HMRC, the Vatman and the liquidator themselves (whose fees are massive btw). I speak from bitter experience when I say that if it gets to this stage unsecured creditors (which is what giftcard holders are) will be lucky to get 10p in the pound.

If you want your money back now for giftcards the best bet is to contact your credit card company and dispute the charge, if they’ll let you.

....and neither have they (yet) given customers any window to use remaining vouchers or gift cards before the shops go altogether.

Rilly? Today is the 15th so Xmas bought vouchers/cards could have been used for the last two weeks presumably.

[Bluray]

Originally Posted by RedSnapper

I find it difficult to understand how it is legal to continue trading but not honour gift cards.

I dont belive it has anything to do with trying to keep the business afloat but everything to do with grabbing every penny they can before the ship sinks.

Exactly!
Surely the money for vouchers is already in the till, so isn't not honouring them stealing the original customers money?

[Tassium]

Interesting thread where one person slags of individuals for mere copyright issues labeling them a thief, while the administrators are noble knights of retail for refusing gift vouchers.

[Syntax Error]

Originally Posted by blueisthecolour

It's a classic scam. There's not much British people love more than a bargain and these sort of 'panic sales' usually get people rushing through the doors (anyone remember the Woolworths closing down sale?). However, like with Woolworths, DVD/CD stock is very easy to resell back to trade so there's no point in HMV taking any kind of serious hit on the price, even if they are about to go into administration.

Higher speed broadband and larger hard drives means that HMV's death is inevitable. We're a pirate nation now . . .

Spot on.

I was nearly tempted to buy the Primeval Box Set from HMV for £35 minus 25%, but then realised that Amazon were selling the same thing for £21 anyway.

The Blux Cross sale is just a ruse IMO.

[theonlyweeman]

My understand is that when you purchase a gift voucher you become a creditor to HMV. Creditors should always be paid from largest value of money owed to the smallest. By temporarily refusing gift cards HMV are simply restoring the correct creditor order, so that the creditor with most to lose doesn't do so at the expense of other creditors

[Avalon Sky]

I love HMV and hope that it doesn't go to the wall. I was in there the other day, having a good old rummage through the racks, and bought a DVD box set for £15. Checked on Amazon later and they were selling it for £2 more than I paid in HMV.

I would much rather spend my cash in my local High Street (Tesco excepted) than with a company like Amazon anyway

It will be a sad day if HMV doesn't come through this (in my opinion)

[Tassium]

Originally Posted by theonlyweeman

My understand is that when you purchase a gift voucher you become a creditor to HMV. Creditors should always be paid from largest value of money owed to the smallest. By temporarily refusing gift cards HMV are simply restoring the correct creditor order, so that the creditor with most to lose doesn't do so at the expense of other creditors

That's a made-up system though, made up by banks probably.


In general the public should not be expected to take the same risk in dealing with a company as other companies might have to take.

It's bad for business for one, and also unreasonable to expect a member of the public to have to vet the viability of every company they deal with when only small value transactions are involved.

[Simon Rodgers]

Originally Posted by gerry d

Too be honest i'm not surprised that this has happened.While HMV can't compete with the likes of amazon & play they done themselves no favours over the years with some of the ridiculous prices for dvd's/blu-ray's especially boxsets.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

[Johnny Clay]

I'll be sad to see it go, frankly. But not too sad.

It was nice having a shop with a world cinema section in the middle of town, even if it was a bit scant. I'll miss that, but with each passing year HMV looked like it was trying to please everyone and ultimately pleasing no-one.

Given that Cinema and Gaming (presumably) seem to be in pretty good fettle at the moment, I imagine the decrepit state of the music industry is the biggest factor. But then music in general has become highly atomised and demograph-specific, with nothing like the mainstream standing it used to have.