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Poster prints = on backorder!

LDAshLDAsh
edited December 2006 in Shopping or Activation Support
Just a warning for would-be consumers, the Sam & Max signed poster prints advertised on the site are currently on "backorder" and restock seems indefinite. I received an e-mail this morning explaining that they are not actually available at the moment and that my credit card has been "pre-authorised", yet the site does not clearly explain this. Many commercial websites do this to help along orders being placed by advertising a product as in-stock when it actually is not. Now, if it had been the case that I was unlucky last and it had only _just_ run out of stock when I placed the order, then understandable, but after 3 days the website still does not state that the item is unavailable and this won't be explained until after an order has been placed. I can only assume this was also the case before I placed my order.
I would strongly advise Telltale to update the status of this product immediately as to not mislead people. I would expect this kind of conduct from a company like Amazon, for example, but for a small company like Telltale, reputation and trust is everything, they may find. It's still unclear whether they plan to charge extra shipping fees since my card has been "pre-authorized", and being that I live in Australia I would not have chosen to purchase an item on backorder and pay double the already high international shipping fees, but if so and if unavailable products still remain listed as available in their website store, then I'll state already that I'm deeply disappointed trying to support Telltale and expected more honesty.

Comments

  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2006
    They are not unavailable, don't worry! We shipped a box of poster prints to Digital River last week. Sometimes it takes them a couple of days to update their information when they receive a new shipment. In this case, the fact that their office -- and the US Postal Service -- were closed last week due to Thanksgiving is probably a contributing factor.

    We keep tabs on our supply and do our best to update the website when something is running low (as we did for the sketchbook just last week). If you place an order with us and there's no indication on the website that the product is going to be delayed, then you can expect it to ship soon after you place the order. Exactly how soon after you place the order is not something we can control, but we would never knowingly advertise a product as "available" on the website if we know we won't be able to send out in a reasonable amount of time.

    If you want your order canceled and the money refunded, that's no problem. Just send me a PM with the order number and I'll take care of it immediately.
    I received an e-mail this morning explaining that they are not actually available at the moment and that my credit card has been "pre-authorised", yet the site does not clearly explain this.

    Would you mind forwarding that email to me? I'd like to see what it says. The address is emily -at- telltalegames.com. Thanks.
  • LDAshLDAsh
    edited December 2006
    Thanks for your concern, Emily, but I just received an e-mail stating that the poster prints are not shipping with the original order, so it seems I will indeed be charged for extra shipping. It doesn't seem difficult to update a webpage stating the item is not available, even just for a few hours, to remain direct with customers, or at the very least clearly state the extra shipping charges.
    I sent you the e-mail you asked for. The entire process just assumes I would pay the extra shipping without clearly stating that anywhere.
  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited December 2006
    It doesn't seem difficult to update a webpage stating the item is not available, even just for a few hours, to remain direct with customers, or at the very least clearly state the extra shipping charges.

    Nope, it's not difficult at all, but as I said, the item isn't unavailable. We can't control what goes on in Digital River's warehouse or the alerts that they send out. All we can do is keep an eye on our stock and update our website with the most accurate information we have, which is what we've done in this case.

    You shouldn't be charged extra for shipping. If you are, let me know and we'll be happy to refund the extra amount.

    EDIT: I just looked up your order and all of your merchandise shipped today, including the poster prints. It's possible the prints shipped in a separate package because they go in a tube, while the rest of the merchandise goes in a box.
  • LDAshLDAsh
    edited December 2006
    Okay, then I would be a happy shopper and that would be just lovely of you. I understand there must be some inconsistancies when dealing through another company and I'm sorry for seeming bitter, it's just that I've had bad experiences with this kind of situation before and I know better than to make a whole lot of preorders/backorders. At least the community support here is great! Thanks so much!
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