Taylor Swift Pre-Order Backfired?!?

Yep, I pre-ordered The Tortured Poet’s Department for $12.99 then an hour later or so I see The Anthology version. I too asked for a refund for $12.99 so I can order The Anthology for $2.00 more - I am disheartened over this whole thing and will never pre-order again ☹️🫤☹️ An opportunity for Apple to do the right thing for all of us who pre-ordered version A not knowing about version B 🙏

Refund process: from your Apple emailed receipt of THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, where it says "report a problem" then a box populates that says "what can we help you with" and there is an option to "request a refund" than a box that says "tell us more" and then explain why you want the refund - I pre-ordered this album (list the above name of album) not knowing Taylor Swift would also release the Anthology version. Once you hit send, you'll get an email stating they will reply within 48 hours. Then when they do reply, you'll get another email, you'll have to log back in to see their decision.

Yeah, that’s what happened. I bought the Anthology and I’m now trying to get a refund on the first one but I don’t have much hope of it. It’s like we were penalized for preordering. I’m never preordering again!!

Hey, just to let everyone know, I went ahead and ordered the Anthology. Then I opened my email from Apple that showed my original purchase for The Tortured Poets Department. I clicked on Report a Problem and followed the instructions, including the explanation being discussed here in various messages here. I did mention that I had purchased the Anthology and was requesting a refund for TTPD. In less than 24 hours, they issued my refund! So, just go do it. Cheers!

I'm not sure how you can consider this a backfire. You pre-ordered an item, and you got exactly what you ordered.

You only 'regret' your purchase because a different product containing that item as well was released afterwards. Taylor releasing multiple versions of an album isn't new. She does it all the time, especially with her 10th album "Midnights" having the standard version (in multiple variant themes) and four other versions with bonus tracks attached.

As compensation for continuing to put out yet another version and because it's also digital, Taylor temporarily discounts these versions with added songs because she knows a lot of people just bought the standard version. However, these versions with added tracks usually aren't dropped two hours later. It's normally several days, to weeks, or months later after release.

Taylor dropping The Anthology two hours later was I believe a form of one-upmanship to get back at whomever tried to leak TTPD a day or two earlier; to announce it first so the surprise wasn't ruined. Otherwise, I think she might have waited longer.

In general, while there is no guarantee a regular artist will release more than just a standard version, with Taylor there's definitely more than an 87% certainty something extra is going to drop. It's not really a matter of "if", it's a matter of "when".

With The Anthology, I was surprised that she put a double album on the market for $15. IMO, it honestly should have been $25 at minimum. I won't be shocked if after release week passes that the price increases to reflect its actual value close to around $30.

That being said, I can't believe how cheap and petty a lot of people in the reply section are being. Gripping over paying $13 for the standard version then wanting a refund with the excuse that The Anthology is only $2 more is ridiculous. The amount of songs in The Anthology should have an MSRP value double that of the standard 16 track version because it is a double album containing 31 tracks. Buying the standard first for $13 then The Anthology second for $15 adds to a total of $28 before tax. That's less than a dollar per song of what it should cost to own 31 songs. Which is why I suspect The Anthology was discounted at $15, because it was only charging the remaining cost of $1 per extra song, as people already bought the first 16 songs of it.

It would be more understandable for people to request a refund had The Anthology not been 'discounted', instead sold at $30, because then people would have spent a total of $43 for 31 songs, which is overpriced - however, the context still remains that the person is purchasing two different products for a cumulative total of 47 songs (16 of those being duplicates is irrelevant). Why should buying digital be any different than buy a physical cd? A copy is a copy.

If you can't afford to spend $13 to support an artist fairly, than you shouldn't be spending that money anyway. Taylor isn't the only person in the industry to release multiple versions of their work. The entire entertainment industry is like this. Consumerism usually dictates the more there is of something people like, the merrier.

For those saying they feel "cheated" and "duped" into buy the standard version, you weren't. You don't seem to grasp the context of what standard means. It's the basic version of what the album is intended to be. The Anthology (a double album) is technically two seperate sister albums sold together. It's like if "Folklore" and "Evermore" were released together in a single package instead of individually. TTPD is songs 1-16. The Anthology is songs 17 - 31.

Yup! I feel like I got jipped by preordering. Realized I shouldn’t have done that anyway since it’s not like there’s going to be a “shortage” of digital albums… facepalm moment for me. But also, a HUGE oversight on Taylor’s part. Really DON’T want to pay double to get the the 31 tracks…….. soooo annoyed!

What is the process for requesting a refund? I assume if costs more to purchase the extra songs separately or maybe iTunes will offer to complete the album?

Same except my purchase from Friday is still "pending" so I cannot request anything at this time. I just want my refund so I can purchase the entire album. I guess I will be streaming it from YouTube until then. :(

You should take your own patronizing advice and actually read what I wrote. It's very simple to comprehend despite its length. My reply isn't just toward you, as it's also towards everyone in this thread crying about having to spend an additional $15 because 15 more songs were released for purchase. Gee, such a novel idea - having to pay for additional DLC.

If anyone should feel cheated, it's everyone who purchased the physical collector's editions. Those are literal incomplete collections now unlike what their name suggests (collector's editions are usually the top tier edition - containing everything). They don't contain The Anthology songs 17 - 31, nor the posters attached to their respective standard editions. They honestly should have been titled as "deluxe" editions instead.

I'm in Australia and the words 'report a problem' don't appear on my email. Any other suggestions?

Agreed with this. Extremely irritated. I will not preorder again. This is not cool

I’m annoyed too!!! I want to return my pre-order for the anthology. Why should I have to buy two albums?

Your wording is incorrect. The standard TTPD album released at 12 a.m. EDT. The Anthology double album released two hours later at 2:00 a.m. EDT. If you made your purchase after the album released (as you said "an hour or so later"), that's not a pre-order you made, that's just a regular purchase. Also, the window for pre-orders lasted for two and a half months from February 4, 2024 until release on April 19, 2024. Why did you wait until the literal last minute / after release to buy a digital copy when it's available to stream for free by then? If you always intended to buy the digital version, what were you waiting for for so long before investing $13? It's not like it's a physical cd, where to get it, you can opt to wait outside a brick and mortar store for an item's midnight launch.