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It appears necessary to write this. All content contained within this blog is the sole property of Cali MJ Fan, unless otherwise Sourced as another's proprietary work. Copyright 2009-2017. All Rights Reserved. You are free to link, share and repost with content in full, as it appears, and must include a link back to this blog. Thank you for that courtesy. Much L.O.V.E., Cali

Saturday, January 9, 2010

OPUS: MJ Fans respond to Kraken Opus UK

*EDIT:  All words in Blue or Purple are links to documentation.  Red is used to highlight Reply.

Italicized comments are issue topics. REPLY: Response made Jan 8, 2010 by and on behalf of OMG customers re: The Official Michael Jackson Opus


1: Barnes and Noble selling The Official Michael Jackson Opus for less than pre-order price of $165. 
REPLY: (a) Original OMG advertised pre-order special was 50% off regular retail of $330.00. Regular retail is now $249. if purchased from the Kraken Opus website, $229 with FREE shipping if purchased through Sony's Official Michael Jackson website and $225.00 if purchased through TicketMasterBarnes and Noble has, in fact, increased its price from $134.99 with FREE shipping to $224.99 with FREE shipping.
REPLY: (b) Amazon has had the MJ Opus listed for pre-order since approx. Dec 26th at a pre-order price of $156.87 + FREE shipping. Nothing has been said about Amazon.com.

2: Shipping issues: 

REPLY:  Many countries are still without word as to their delivery date or were provided a date which has come and gone. Other customers have made MULTIPLE attempts by MULTIPLE means, short of a carrier pigeon, to communicate with Opus UK, either with NO response or a returned 'unable to deliver' message. Russia, for example, has posted online their multiple emails to OMG--a total of 8 attempts beginning Dec 16th. Mexico, South America, Ireland, Georgia, and other countries are still without communications, but others, such as Germany, France, Netherlands, and Japan, will receive a special edition Nate Giorgio print as an apology for the delay in their delivery. The following countries are finally now receiving their Opuses, but well after Dec 28th: (Jan. 5th) Belgium, Denmark, Germany; (Jan. 6th) Czech Republic (with no gloves), Estonia, Greece, Poland, Romania. Thirty-two (32) days have now passed since the original delivery was to have begun and eighteen (18) days since your informal communication.

3: FedEx the best delivery company in the world.

REPLY: Well, Christmas has come and gone. What is the reason for the continued delay? Would Fed Ex agree this is their fault if asked?

4:  Customs blamed for delay:

REPLY: As communicated by OMG's Publishing Director, orders were received "from over 100 countries". We have communications from customers in 35 countries. Would Customs in all these countries agree they were at fault?

5: The biggest delay took place in the UK where weather delayed the arrival of the ship from China, Customs delayed it some more, and then weather contributed to a further delay.

REPLY: True.  Weather did play a big part in the delay for December deliveries.  There are still a few UK customers, as well as US customers, who have yet to receive their Opuses. What is the reason for those continued delays?

6: In spite of all the above THE MAJORITY OF BUYERS HAVE RECEIVED THEIR OPUS' (sic) AS PROMISED BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

REPLY:  The majority of Opus Media Group's customers who purchased their Official Michael Jackson Opus, many who pre-ordered as early as August 15th, DID NOT HAVE THEIR OPUS AS PROMISED BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

7: One glove vs. two advertised:

REPLY: Since OMG's Press Release on August 12, 2009, TWO gloves have been pictured, advertised and their purpose "to be worn whilst viewing your copy to help maintain its mint condition" was communicated through various highly visible articles such as Rolling Stone (09/25/09) in addition to the Dec. 18th communication from OMG to all customers. It was not an unintentional error on the part of someone administering the website. Furthermore, Michael Jackson did not wear an ordinary museum-style cotton glove at any time during his career.

8: Purchase was to include a physical Augmented Reality card (aka Opus Reality or Opus Augmented Reality card) to be used in conjunction with a webpage with update content. 

REPLY: Video August 12, 2009 Karl Fowler on NBC Today show discussing the OAR. Ticketmaster screen grab of DVD and OAR to be included. Again, a change in the original product purchased was never communicated to your customers. It is also still being advertised. (Type OPUS in search)

Quotes from TicketMaster website:
· Every Michael Jackson Opus will be accompanied by a digital Opus Touch & Turn™ DVD, allowing you to view and interact with the Opus on your own computer.
· A unique Opus Reality™ card is also included with each Opus, offering an online 3D experience for the exclusive use of Official Michael Jackson Opus owners.


9: Advance in publication funding by MJ fans who pre-ordered:
REPLY: Kraken Opus UK received more than $3.8 MILLION IN ADVANCE OF PUBLICATION! The bottom line is: the items we purchased and the items we have received (or will receive, for those still waiting) are significantly NOT AS ADVERTISED, including, but not limited to significant discrepancies in retail price at the end of the special pre-order period and advertised delivery dates. We agree that the contributors have offered some wonderful sentimental memories and some shared never before revealed glimpses into Michael's life. However, that is irrelevant to the instant complaints of the thousands of fans who bought into this "bait and switch" deal. Furthermore, the instant complaints have absolutely nothing to do with Michael's family, and your attempt to use a "sympathy ploy" to cloud the issues is utterly unprofessional. This is a matter of principle and strictly BUSINESS.

Michael may have been mesmerized with the technology and the idea of an Opus, BUT, he was also a perfectionist and, as such, would have insisted that the final product be free of blatant factual errors, typographical errors, misspelling of the names of many of his fans who contributed artwork, and material damages and defects. Furthermore, YOUR audacious disrespect for, and Kraken Opus' lack of open communication with, his fans, who have become YOUR customers by default, most assuredly would NOT have gone unnoticed by him.

It is clear from his explicit insistence that the book be affordable to his fans, as Michael was keenly aware of the sacrifices that many of his fans made to see him in concert and would make to purchase his Opus. Many of MICHAEL's fans, still in mourning, made sacrifices in a variety of ways -- went without basic necessities, worked overtime, took a second job, and it has even been reported that some ate only bread and water for a month -- to save enough money in time to take advantage of the advertised special pre-order price, knowing they could not afford the then-reported full retail price of $330, and ALL of Michael's fans who pre-ordered the Opus did so based on the grandiose promises made by Karl Fowler on the Today Show and in other prominent advertisements. Those same fans are the ones who provided Kraken Opus UK with the "overwhelming 20,000 pre-order" soundbite, and Kraken Opus UK has been the beneficiary of a tremendous amount of viral advertising because of US. We purchased the Opus with an agreed upon expectation of specific items and customer service, much of which has NOT been realized.

This is not a perfect world. However, with globally advertised documentation, it is the belief of most fans that there are still issues to be resolved.. Therefore, we hereby set forth those unmitigated issues and suggest to you an amicable solution to each, as follows: (1) second glove to complete the PAIR originally advertised; (2) a print, on the same stock paper used for the Opus, of the originally advertised centerfold, namely, Michael's signed Memorial Wall in Los Angeles; (3) a special edition Nate Giorgio print for EVERY customer who did not receive their Opus before Christmas, since this offer was made to customers from only a select few countries of the many affected*; (4) replacement instructions with returns prepaid, for those who have documentation of visible damage to their Opus; (5) corrections page for ALL customers (same stock paper as Opus); and, last but certainly not least, (6) Since OMG's pre-order special price was advertised as 50% of the $330 regular retail price for pre-orders placed between August 12, 2009, and October 27, 2009, and the ACTUAL, CURRENT retail price is $249.00 on the Kraken Opus website, $225 through TicketMaster, $224.99 with FREE shipping at Barnes & Noble, and $156.87 with FREE shipping on the Amazon.com website, the difference between the $190 ($165 + $25 S/H) 50% off special pre-order price paid by those who ordered on or before October 27, 2009, and 50% of Amazon.com's price of $156.87, equal to USD $111.56 [$190 - ($156.87 x 50%)] should be refunded or, alternatively, a refund of the difference between the $190 ($165 + $25 S/H) 50% off special pre-order price paid by those who ordered on or before October 27, 2009, and 50% of Barnes and Nobles' current retail price of $224.99, equal to USD $77.50 [$190 - (224.99 x 50%)] PLUS a special edition Nate Giorgio print.

10: Disheartening.

REPLY: Ordinary donuts are expected to have holes. Premium pastry is expected to have the advertised crème filling -- that's why premium pastry costs more than your average donut.
What is truly disheartening is knowing that Kraken Opus and/or other representatives of Kraken Opus have been reading the comments on sites such as MichaelJackson.com, yet did not have the common courtesy, much less professionalism, to officially communicate with your customers. Your company was well aware of the size of Michael's fanbase, as well as how dedicated his fans are to him. Perhaps a more appropriate motto for retaining loyal customers is to "under promise and over deliver" -- or at least make sure the crème filling isn't missing from the premium pastry you advertise.

11: Complaints

REPLY:  Regardless, we --the CUSTOMERS who pre-ordered and pre-paid an estimated total of $3.8 MILLION to OMG [20,000 x ($165 + $25 S/H)]-- have been filing complaints, many have been submitted to the FTC.

FANS ADD #12: It appears our Opus books have gone on a significant diet, having lost a total of 11.5 lbs. When pre-ordered, the weight advertised was 38 lbs. and what arrived (for those who have, in fact, received theirs) weighs only 26.5 lbs. When can we expect delivery of the missing 11.5 lbs. of the Michael Jackson Opus?

FANS ADD #13: The Opus we ordered, based on the original advertisement as "the only book approved by Michael Jackson, himself", is not the Opus we received. In fact, it was admittedly changed the book to a tribute -- after receiving an overwhelming 20,000 pre-orders. Therefore, this specific book was never known to Michael Jackson prior to his death, and all pre-orders were placed based on that substantive and provocatively misleading statement by Karl Fowler, thus heightening the urgency of Michael's grieving fans to have something explicitly from THE MAN, himself.


(obtained 01/08/10)

FANS ADD #14 Perhaps, as a token of appreciation for the viral advertising that helped Kraken Opus to receive a record-breaking 20,000 pre-orders, EVERY customer should receive a special edition Nate Giorgio print or a signature page, with signatures of the celebrity contributors, as offered with other Opuses.

This response is written in collaboration with and on behalf of many "disheartened" and disenchanted MJ fans of various nations and many languages, who respectfully disagree with our purchase and anxiously await a courteous, professional and formal reply from Karl Fowler of Kraken Opus UK.

--Summary of sourced documentation

Official sites below
--Kraken Opus/Opus Media Group site:  Michael Jackson Opus
--Michael Jackson Official Website (Sony)
--Ticketmaster.com site:  Michael Jackson Opus
--Barnes & Noble.com:  Michael Jackson Opus
--Amazon.com site:  Michael Jackson Opus

15 comments:

  1. If you are on MJ.com a Forum has been created here

    http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/node/559988

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  2. Thanks Cali...good work and I hope we get a respectable response backed up with some action.

    msdizzydolores

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  3. On behalf of The Response Team (TRT).. thank you Dizzy for your comment. We do too

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  4. Thank you, Cali and The Response Team! Couldn't have said it better myself!

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  5. Ok this is wacked man..I live in canada and i still have not received my Opus. I have tried calling them, I have tried emailing them, and i have yet to get a response. THEY CANT DO THIS!! Honestly, this is unjust. They cant just run off with somebodys money and think they can get away with it. Is there anybody else in this forum with this same issue?

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  6. I am absolutely outraged at the way the Opus shipped my book.
    They put a much higher price in the waybill - 200 pounds, although I purchased it off Ticketmaster website for USD 165 (which is about twice as less considering our local exchange rates).

    Now, according to law, I have to pay another USD 150 as customs fees because the free import limit in my country is about USD 300, and according to the exchange rates and the price specified in the waybill my Opus costs USD 450.

    This is ridiculous. What the &*%$& is going on, why did not they just put the correct purchase price in the waybill? Even if they placed the price for which they are selling it now (USD 229), I would still receive my book normally without overpaying.

    I'm going to write to Andy and claim my money back. I simply don't have another USD 150 to pay customs fees. I have written to him previously but he did not respond to me at all. And to get the Opus back to the seller, the seller has to claim the package back, I cannot even send it back myself, according to local FedEx rules.

    I just hate this situation. I wish I have never purchased this book.

    This is just not the right way to do business, people.

    (I'm from Ukraine).

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  7. I'd like to send a message to all who has not yet received the book: do not expect that much, because you'll only be really nervous when the book arrives!

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  8. I swear I replied to these yesterday...

    @CajunSpice
    Thank you on behalf of the TRT. The hope was something would have been communicated by OMG since Dec 23rd, but alas... silence. There still maybe silence, who knows.

    @Simone Hunter.
    There was a shipment recently in Los Angeles-- I don't know where they are headed, but perhaps some up North? Be patient. They have a few crisises they are dealing with-- so hang tough ok? You WILL get your Opus!

    @Ukraine
    Thank you for sharing your experiences. Since Andy is working with Customs there in the Ukraine and with Russia, we'll cross our fingers that something better gets worked out... and soon! Please keep us posted!

    @Agnes
    To summarize someone recently, make sure you are looking at the donut, not the hole. *giggles* The book itself IS beautiful-- it might not be everything we originally ordered, and maybe somehow they can get all that resolved, BUT the SUBJECT IS one we hold near and dear to our hearts.

    I agree, the glove, eh-- but honestly the seeing Michael LEAP off the big pages.. well, one day I'll be happy.

    Much L.O.V.E.
    Cali

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  9. Dear Cali,
    Please forgive me. I have had some difficult days and until now I had the chance to carefully read the letter you and the Response Team have written. As I told you since my first message last December, your support and help have been essential for me. Thank you so much. I think the letter says what it must, and it reflects the fans' feelings (fans=costumers like me, who have not received any reply or Opus). At the same time, I am sad because a lot of stress could have been avoided, if we had just received some information on time. Well, as you know, my mailing address is in the US and I am still waiting!
    Much L.O.V.E.
    Dancingirl.

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  10. @Dancingirl

    Oh sweetie I hope you are ok. Let's Keep the Faith and hope this does some good as far as deliveries. Then we'll get the other issues ironed out too. I agree, it really could have been avoided. I think Sony has taken note-- lol. I saw their country list of release dates for TII-- kinda looks like my Country Update short list... LMAO So maybe this will be a lesson learned for the fans and companies alike. Deliver what you promise, keep the communication open and everyone will be happy.

    Please keep me posted and I promise to do the same.
    Much L.O.V.E.
    Cali

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  11. I think nobody will forget this experience, and yes, it will do good.
    I am doing better now Cali, thank you. And how are you?
    Of course, I promise to keep you posted, too.
    L.O.V.E.
    Dancingirl

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  12. Australia!!
    Your Opuses are starting to arrive!!!! Fans are reporting DELIVERIES... no tracking #s, just Opuses on their doorsteps! YAY!!!

    parcel post.

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  13. Hello cali any news on the new zealand front :(

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  14. Nothing yet Jennifer... I might have something to update tomorrow. I hate this is taking so long! Grrrrr

    (((Hugs)))

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  15. MEXICO-- First delivery has been reported!

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