MAN, that UPS tracking is nice...

AaronEdward · #1 November 16th, 2000, 07:42 AM

Heres a nice story to go along with these other tales of woe...
I got the email saying it was on its way and all that, I'd opted for 3day shipping so it got here pretty fast.. so I get home from School monday... There it was, the most perfect little UPS package i had ever seen. I open it. I find the manual, and I find the cd case inside (its more of a little paper envelope), I open the case... The cd had broke in half!!! now I'm waiting on Shrapnel to respond to my email, still waiting after 3 days. I realize how much email they must be getting, but 3 days should be enough! I havent even got a confirmation email! so now I have to wait even longer! I can hardly wait to get this game, and the ringworlds and stuff, and I cant do a thing but wait.

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Sarcasm is just one more service we offer.

[This message has been edited by AaronEdward (edited 16 November 2000).]

WendellM · #2 November 16th, 2000, 09:00 AM

quote:
I open the case... The cd had broke in half!!!

Wow, bad deal, man. I've ordered several games from Shrapnel (H&M, AOA:WDK2K, and now SE IV) and each time that I opened the package and saw the CD in its frail paper envelope inside the manual, I had a mild fear that it'd be broken. Well, it was more than mild for SE IV: the manual had been creased badly near the top due to shipping trauma (the manual and top staple were bent about 45 degrees), but fortunately the CD was still fine.

Sorry that it happened to you, but I'd guess that if you email Shrapnel and then mail the shards of the CD back to them, they'd replace it (that possible solution was in the back of my mind when half-anticipating this situation myself). You might want to email them again since you haven't received a reply yet - they're usually good about replying, so your first email might have gone astray. Best wishes!

Psitticine · #3 November 16th, 2000, 07:27 PM

Ouch! Bitter!

UPS should cover the costs on replacing the CD, I'd think. After all, it takes talent to crack a CD in a padded packet marked "do not bend"!!

AaronEdward · #4 November 16th, 2000, 07:40 PM

well I'll mail the parts back to them.. I dont know what ups will do.. It does take talent.. UPS is good at that from what i hear.. ok call me impractical, but would it not be better, just for a better chance of making it, that the cd should come in a hard case?

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Sarcasm is just one more service we offer.

markgame · #5 November 16th, 2000, 07:50 PM

Hmm... my SE4 came in a huge 11x14" UPS flat envelope with no internal cardboard or stiffening, and I don't believe that it had any warning labels on the outside (I might be wrong about this, since I pitched the envelope already). I too had a concern about CD damage, but luckily it was fine.

This is a rather disappointing shipping method. I have purchased Combat Mission and Mindrover this year, both independent games published by small houses, and both were shipped in cardboard (Mindrover actually had a nice little shipping box). If Shrapnel Games continues to rely on this method of delivery I will be reluctant to purchase anything else from them in the future. I'm not trying to be nasty or anything, instead I just want to express a consumer concern.

[This message has been edited by markgame (edited 16 November 2000).]

Psitticine · #6 November 16th, 2000, 08:01 PM

They put the CD inside the manual which helps protect it. I do think a bit of stiff cardboard would be a nice addition though.

Richard · #7 November 16th, 2000, 08:07 PM

Actually our shipper handles that sort of thing but it would increase shipping to go with another method.

I will talk to Tim about this since I think you can put a "DO NOT HAND STAMP" message on most packages and that will usually save such problems from happenning.

In either case we will gladly replace any damaged CD's.

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Sarge is coming...

Richard Arnesen
Director of Covert Ops
Shrapnel Games
http://www.shrapnelgames.com