The rate of failure for cassette tapes sold by 8-Track-Shack is less than 1%.  The failure rate of cassette tapes sent to prisons is…well, significantly higher.  This article is meant to address the issues that arise with cassette tapes that are sent into correctional facilities and what to do in the event that you receive a tape with an apparent defect.  Please feel free to pass the link to this page or flyer to other inmates or families.

FAQ’s:

What do I do if a tape doesn’t work? Whether you are incarcerated or not, do NOT return the tape.  Contact us with your problem, via mail, email, phone, etc.  Make sure to mention the tape you are having problems with and your order number (shown on your packing slip).  We’ll let you know the next step once we hear from you.  Most times we’ll just send you another tape.

Do I have to return the tape? Probably not.  Our tapes are guaranteed to work, so we will replace them if we have another in inventory, or offer a replacement if one is not in stock.  At times we may request that a tape be returned, but normally we will not.  As stated previously, our cassette tape failure rate is less than 0.5% on our non-prison orders.  If returns and problems become repetitive with any one customer, we may begin requesting that you return tapes.

Why does my tape drag or have issues? Sometimes tapes have problems, it happens.  And being that some are over 30 years old, it isn’t unreasonable that some tapes will have problems at least occasionally.  That said, the biggest problem is most likely the $15 clear plastic Walkman that you’re using.  It was made in China and cost less than some cassette tapes.  Nearly all of the tapes we receive back from prisons have no issues whatsoever when played with a quality player.

This, of course is a problem if you are incarcerated, as you have no real option to use other players.

Don’t you check your tapes before shipping them? Sales to correctional facilities, and cassette tapes in general, are only a small portion of 8 Track Shack’s monthly sales.  Despite being a small percentage of overall sales, it is still simply not feasible to listen to each tape in its entirety, which can be up to 1 1/2 hours of play time.  And as stated, defective tapes are very rare.  We would need to add dozens of additional employees simply to listen to the music.

That said, we do check that the tapes are not broken, that the magnetic tape is attached to both ends with a full fast forward and rewind (this also catches almost all problems as dragging), we inspect and replace felt pressure pads if needed and put tape in new case and seal.

It can’t be my player, it has to be the tape, I’ve tested it in three players? It can be your player, and probably is.  And your cellmate’s player, and your buddy’s player, and…etc.  Many players that are permitted inside are very cheaply made, not close to being on-par with vintage players from the 1980’s.  Cheap players coupled with old tapes, some of which weren’t themselves the best quality, can result in dragging, garbling, distortion etc.

Do you refund for defective tapes? No.  We replace or repair tapes.  Our complete guarantee is available on our website.

If you don’t fix my order, I’m not going to buy anymore tapes, I’ll be really mad, and I’m going to tell all my friends that you suck….etc. While we appreciate constructive criticism, our customer service reps would rather not deal with belligerent rants from an inmate who couldn’t get his gangsta rap tape to sound just right.  Tapes sold to inmates cost no more than those sold to the general public, yet the returns and complaints are far higher.  If you feel that you cannot deal with our company, which guarantees our tapes, that is your option, but threatening to stop patronizing our business will get you no better service – in fact, a belligerent threatening letter will be pushed to the bottom of the pile until all of the courteous letters, orders and catalog requests have been answered and filled.

If you choose not to order any more tapes because of issues with playback quality we will still guarantee the tapes you’ve previously purchased.