I ordered Witch Girls Adventures and the Witch Girls comics as a gift for a Harry Potter/Urban Fantasy loving friend. The review in Knights of the Dinner Table spoke highly of it, and it sounded pretty neato. Broaching the idea with the friend he seemed hot on the idea, and the RPG group he plays in also seemed willing to give it a shot.
So great Christmas present (albeit one without surprise. But its got thought to it and is something he would like. As opposed to say, my cousin who lives 5 minutes from me 2 years ago where I spent 70 bucks or so on his family getting them each something with at least a little thought and what do I get? A 4-5 dollar tin of popcorn. Popcorn. For someone who was and still is on a diet that at one point had taken 60 pounds off of them.) for someone right?
Well it would be. If the books didn't come in like this:
Both "Wicked" and "Nice" editions with the top of the covers tearing off, plus bent badly. And the comics while thankfully not torn, are bent and creased all up and down their spines.
Have game sellers not heard of boxes? A decent small box and maybe a little newspaper or bubble wrap and I would have gotten these things nice and minty the way I want em.
So many game sellers try to save on shipping using a piece of cardboard and those soft mailers.
They should stop.
Mailboxes and PO Boxes are SMALL. The mailers are always bent out of shape in them. So many books I have gotten have come to me in less than optimal condition because the Post Office just shoves these things into the box, and I can only assume the mangling they get from Point A to Point B.
Seriously sellers, both pro and Ebay: Charge a buck or two more if you have to, but for crying out loud: PROTECT YOUR PRODUCT.
UPDATE: Already they have responded to my email and are happy to refund my money. Sadly new books are 3-4 weeks out as they are currently totally out of stock. I guess between the Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine review, and 2 massive threads on a couple BIG websites (which both sort of veered into some dumb nonsense, which in RPGnet's case is never a surprise. They could find offense in a candy bar if they tried hard enough..) they got a ton of sales going.
Apparently I just had bad luck and am the only shipping complaint they have gotten.
Yeah. Yay for my luck. Another in the many little things that make Christmas suck for me almost every year.
But they communicated with me fast and are willing to fix the problem. Beats some communication I had with Avalanche Press. A week ago they had a super awesome sale going on. Finally checked my finances to see if I could partake. The sale completely disappeared from their site, with a far more inferior one replacing it. I sent an email asking what was going on. A week later and not even a courtesy reply.
After the New Year I might give getting the Witch Girls book another shot. Avalanche Press as it stands won't ever get ANY of my money or support again. Customer service MATTERS.
2 comments:
Amen. When I had a PO Box I instructed sellers to write DO NOT BEND on the envelopes. Otherwise, the slobs at the post office always bent the hell out of envelopes.
Even though their shipping rates are high, I love the sturdy packaging that Lulu employs. Their boxes could be run over by a truck and the contents would still be pristine.
Yeah. Good solid boxes keep damage to an absolute minimum. The now shunned Tunnels & Trolls 2nd party publisher use(d)s nice solid cardboard boxes and Palladium always uses them too. Games Workshop as well.
I've been selling stuff on Ebay and I try to protect them as much as possible. The Cryx army I mailed off has most of the major models wrapped up in layers of bubblewrap I taped to keep damage at minimum. The few that aren't are buffered by the bubbled ones, some shipping paper cushioning it, and the mid grade cardboard box they are in.
I've even used the little extra bits you get in those Sabol Army Transport holders after you pop em out to size your minis as extra protectors in whatever I am shipping.
Its just a darn shame to see something I was getting a pal as a Christmas gift come in the mail in such AWFUL condition.
I contacted them and I will post a follow up once they respond. I even told them the comic's being bent doesn't matter too much but the books just can't be accepted in that condition.
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