First post after finding this forum (and associated thread) out of sheer frustration.

I have ordered and received as many NIN vinyl albums as many of you, and have gone through the treadmill of photograph / submit email / receive damaged replacement after dropping hundreds of dollars. The point of ordering directly from the artist was (I thought) to directly fund the artist, and receive undamaged, mint items instead of going to an online vendor with another round of markups.

My copies of Deviations, Fragile and Broken were all packaged in the same thinwall box and quite heavy. Of course all were damaged at the corners, and of course all needed to be replaced. They kind of were. The replacements were sent in the same packaging, damaged in the same way. At this point, I'm hearing the vinyl supplies have run out, so only sleeves are available. When I explained my desire to get a mint, unopened copy of a $80 limited edition, they replied that there were only two routes of action - a refund, or replacement sleeve. If I'm collecting vinyl, I'd like to keep the unopened version - or if I were to play the vinyl, I'd like to revel in the artwork while listening to the music.

From the NIN store:
VINYL MISSION STATEMENT

In these times of nearly unlimited access to all the music in the world, we’ve come to appreciate the value and beauty of the physical object. Our store’s focus is on presenting these items to you. Vinyl has returned to being a priority for us - not just for the warmth of the sound, but the interaction it demands from the listener. The canvas of artwork, the weight of the record, the smell of the vinyl, the dropping of the needle, the difficulty of skipping tracks, the changing of sides, the secrets hidden within, and having a physical object that exists in the real world with you… all part of the experience and magic.

Digital formats and streaming are great and certainly convenient, but the ideal way I’d hope a listener experience my music is to grab a great set of headphones, sit with the vinyl, drop the needle, hold the jacket in your hands looking at the artwork (with your fucking phone turned off) and go on a journey with me.
-Trent Reznor

I realise I'm echoing the displeasure of many with my first post here. But is there any way to escalate the concern, try to field a message directly to Trent or the band, as I'm not sure he's fully aware this has been happening?

In contrast to this debacle, I've ordered other limited editions from different artists (at their respective websites), which were far better protected during shipping, and arrived unscathed. I'm unsure the course of action here, as the communication seems to be reaching a limited crew of people throwing vinyl into the mail and sleeves effectively into the trash.