Damaged CD

[Guy Berger]

I received a new copy of Woody Shaw's Blackstone Legacy today which has a crack in it. The crack begins in the plastic donut hole area and moves slightly into the actual metal region of the disc. However, I've listened to the first 5 or 6 minutes of CD and it seems to be playing fine -- so the damage isn't a problem, apparently. (Since CDs read data outward, I figured my laptop's cd rom would have caught a problem.)

My question: should I return the CD? I ordered it from alldirect.com and I have no clue whether they'll reimburse me for return shipping. Furthermore, given their warehouse policies I figure I won't be getting a replacement CD, just reimbursement. Not sure if it's worth the hassle.

On the other hand, this is the kind of damage that could get worse over time -- the crack could get bigger, and maybe corrosion (particularly if the inner part of the CD is exposed to the air). Any thoughts from someone who's owned a CD damaged like this?

[Harold_Z]

I would burn a safety and then check into all direct's return or exchange policy.

[Rooster_Ties]

I'd return it, or get it replaced.

I can't imagine a cracked CD lasting for 10 or 20 years, and maybe it'll give out in less than 10 months (or 10 days!!) -- who knows?????

[Noj]

I've got a disc with the same crack--The Beastie Boys' In Sound From Way Out. It has played fine since '96.

[Guy Berger]

I figure I'll take Harold Z's advice.

Guy

[mmilovan]

I've read in some PC magazines that cracked CD can be dangerous in fast spinning CD roms (there, while spinning around several thousands revolutions per seconds - it can be smashed in pieces seriously ruining the device) so return it as far as possible.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

When I got in my Jackie McLean box set from Mosaic, it had two discs with cracks like this. As you can imagine, I definitely had those replaced!

Kevin