I dreamt my book got home but the cover was all scratched. So I decided to read this thread.
Any news from international orders? Southamericans? I'm in Argentina and I'm a little anxious since taxes and customs are a little harsh lately.
I dreamt my book got home but the cover was all scratched. So I decided to read this thread.
Any news from international orders? Southamericans? I'm in Argentina and I'm a little anxious since taxes and customs are a little harsh lately.
Ookoodook has informed me that as of Saturday, January 3rd, all pre-order books/calendars have left Ookoodook's warehouse in Texas. That puts them in the hands of the bulk shippers, and since we've never used this shipping company before*, no one can say how long they will take from this point. I also can't say whether or not you will be getting a shipping email if you haven't gotten one already, because I don't know if they're doing that in the absence of direct tracking numbers that need to be distributed. But still: They're in the mail, on their way.
* Lest you think Ook rushed into this without trying the company out first, be aware that this is not the company that they originally planned to use. That first company had been employed successfully several times by APE Games for their (non-OOTS) Kickstarter fulfillment, but was the one to run afoul of the TSA for whatever reason that no one can explain to us yet. Ookoodook could not wait for that bureaucratic quagmire to be sorted out, so they switched the shipment to a competing company. It is that competing company that has the books, but we don't know for certain how long they will take to deliver them.
I chose the Pre-order shipping option, the one advertised on the OOTS front page with a link that went to the following info on the Ookadook website:
"Blood Runs in the Family and the 2015 calendar are both scheduled to arrive in the Ookoodook warehouse during the first week of December, but can be pre-ordered now for immediate shipping when they arrive. During this pre-order, Ookoodook is able to offer a lower shipping price (both domestically and internationally) for most orders that include either the new book or the new calendar—just select the shipping option labeled "Preorder Fulfillment" at check-out for the lowest price."
No mention was made that this "Preorder fulfillment" option was going to so slow or that "immediate shipment" really meant a Dec 31-Jan 3 handoff to a fulfillment house that would then later ship them out.
Telling me that it's my fault for not choosing a higher priced shipping option is just a bunch of hooey, given what Ookadook and you initially told us. Rich, you're mostly a stand-up person, which I admire you for. This particular answer -- not so much.
OK, well how about this:
At no point did we ever promise an exact delivery date, just a rough estimate. The text specifically said that we could not guarantee delivery by a certain date for pre-orders. You ordered it anyway. So it's not my problem if they didn't get there by the date we didn't promise.
There's no unspoken guarantee that a calendar will arrive before the first day that it could be used, and you were in error to assume there was one. If you want guaranteed delivery, wait until the product is in the warehouse next time before ordering. Or, if your life really will fall apart if you don't have a paper calendar, buy one from the store next year.
EDIT: In fact, here's what the red text on the calendar product page said when you placed the order (Bolding mine):
That looks to me like we told you that it would not ship until it arrived, and that the arrival date of the first week in December was a scheduled date, not a guarantee. We didn't specify how long the reduced price shipping would take at all, and if you assumed it would be a certain speed, that's on you.Quote:
Important: This product is being offered as a pre-order and will not ship until it arrives in the warehouse (currently scheduled for the first week in December 2014). Any order containing this product will be held until the product arrives.
I'm very appreciative right up until the point where you accuse me of dishonesty because you made assumptions about shipping that are not based on anything I (or my business partners) ever claimed.
Look, I don't have any problem with the book showing up when it shows up. I'm in the business of producing products and have had recalls, shipping problems, etc. and I do understand these things.
I backed your KS campaign because I wanted to read How O-Chul got his Scar (I already owned your books). I haven't complained about not getting that story yet. It will happen when it happens.
But, time sensitive things are different. For example, if someone shipped me food but didn't guarantee a delivery date and the food showed up spoiled, I would be within my rights to demand a refund. Things that are time-sensitive do create expectations about being delivered so that they can be used *in time* (and, if we're going to get all legalistic about this, companies that create expectations "in a reasonable customer's mind" have been held legally liable for delivering on these expectations even when they didn't actually explicitly promise them).
Now, maybe you view your calendars as "entertainment" and not something actually to be used. I'm pointing out that some people do *use* them.
Further, my original message made a constructive suggestion "In the future", namely that you decouple the time sensitive stuff -- calendars -- from the other stuff for customers who care about this. I would be happy to pay extra to get the calendars on time while letting the books and other stuff arrive when they arrive.
Another constructive suggestion would be to add a 13th month, the January of the following years, to future calendars. This would make the delivery of future calendars less time sensitive. If the 2014 calendar had a January 2015 page, we wouldn't be having this discussion...
Instead of getting all defensive, please take these constructive suggestions under advisement.
I feel like you've never pre-ordered something from an independent firm near the holidays before.
@Giant:
Thank you for being so upfront with information regarding the delays. I understand the holidays are a busy time and that some unexpected matters that are not immediately in your control have once again reared their heads.
I look forward to returning to school with a badass calendar to hang on the walls.
Speaking of calendars, if anyone reading this thread has received their 2015 calendar, telling us what's in it/what it's like might help tide some of us over until we get it. :smallwink:
I honestly don't know if my order has been shipped yet. According to the order status on OoKooDook, it's still only reading as Order Received (as in, they received my order back in November).
I haven't looked at it (because I want to wait until my calendar shows up), but I found this post in the Number of Character appearances. Though as I said I haven't looked at it, so I don't know whether it is sufficient for your purpose :smallwink:.
This. Most calendar places do this, too, selling old calendars really cheaply after a certain amount of months have gone by to try and get at least some of them off the shelves before they hit the wastebin. And since this calendar has original, exclusive art in it, it has intrinsic value to people like me who value the art but have no use for a calendar and therefore can't justify paying $15 for one, but can justify $3 or whatever.
There's that and the high international shipping. Same shipping cost, and two calendars made me order them as the shipping seemed a bit more reasonable. Unfortunately for the same reasons I "had to" wait for the local store to get a bunch instead of ordering the book directly.
@The Giant
{Scrubbed}
I for one and happy to wait. I can see the postman walking to our building from my computer. And I watch for him everyday. And I wait to see if he has a book shaped package for me. And I sometimes watch from behind the blinds. And I watch for him.
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images.../_o0gTsOf.jpeg
The OOTS calendar being a calendar is trumped by its being an OOTS item. Why would you expect anything related to OOTS to arrive at a specific time?
The very comic strip itself is on a "new strips are available when they're done" basis, for very legitimate and long-ago-covered reasons. The Kickstarter Campaign fulfillment is also on a lingering "items will be delivered when they're delivered" basis too, for pretty much the same reasons. And you're doing holiday purchases from a small publishing house, so of course there was a chance of delay there.
There is no reason to expect anything related to OOTS to be delivered on a specific date, or even within a stated 'this is our best attempt' window. If it ever is, spiffy. If not, well, if you've been following OOTS online for any amount of time, you quickly learn that punctuality or predictability is not part of the OOTS experience.
OOTS material, in any delivery system anywhere, is like Gandalf. "A wizard is never late. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."
And OOTS material is frequently worth the wait.
Actually it's the art that makes it worth more than just a couple of bucks. I normaly get calendars for free, if i want to have a specific kind of calendar (for example one with 6 rows so every family member has their own row for planning), i pay around 5€, never more than 10€. Now a calendar with specific art, that's a reason to pay more for it.
Waiting with baited breath (something seems fishy about that!) for my book, and either one or two calendars.
I'll remember what I ordered once it all arrives. :)
I think this post illustrates both your own point that people should be patient, and the upset people's point that Oookadook is developing a history (or even an expectation) of delayed products. This is the second year in a row calendars that were ordered for Christmas in November did not arrive anywhere near Christmas. I agree that delays occur and that Rich can't really be blamed for it, but I think if he plans to sell calendars next year he should probably order them in September so that they are available to ship when ordered during the holiday season. I myself disagree that because the comic which is free arrives whenever Rich wants it to be done you should expect the same for things you pay for. If the comic was a subscription site people would expect, and deserve regular updates. Otherwise they would quit subscribing. That said, you should never look at a shipping estimate as a promise, and I refuse to believe that you "have to" have a paper calendar to use. Clearly you have a computer. Look in the corner if you need to know the date.
That people don't do it your way doesn't mean they're doing it wrong. Paper calendars are useful for families to keep doctor's visits, appointments, and various other bookings up to date and accurate. They are quick and easy to check, and can be more convenient than computers.
On a different note, Kim the USPS carrier brought in my book as I was writing this response! Huzzah for the Giant and his fancy new book!
EDIT: And man, Durkon's preface is kind of heartbreaking.
Would anyone (including, if applicable, Peelee) who got the book and calendar via "bulk shipping" please, when it arrives, say "It arrived via bulk shipping, I'm in YYY U.S. State or ZZZ Country, and it was delivered by someone in WWW uniform"? That would help those of us who are waiting. Here I had been worried that my order via "U.S. Preorder Fulfillment" should have arrived already; relieved to find out that it is probably not lost somewhere, but curious to know when and how to expect it.
Until reading this thread today, I had been mistakenly harassing the letter carrier, but apparently it is not arriving via the U.S. Postal Service.
It arrived via bulk shipping, I'm in Birmingham, AL, and it was delivered by someone in USPS uniform. Specifically, Kim. Also, I got it here at work, which is why I get to talk about it mid-day.
EDIT: Also, question for The Giant: I assume it was bonus strip 855a what explains that it was Z scrying the desert. If not, am I missing something? Note that I haven't read the commentary yet, and it seems pretty obvious, but it's also a lot later on than I was expecting it to be, hence the confusion.
Clearly, you are most likely a single person who has never co-ordinated a busy family with lots of Doctor appointments, activities, etc.
Yes, this is definitely a "first world problem" and easily solved by buying another calendar. But, it is irritating. So, I made some constructive suggestions, labeled *in the future, please* in my original post. The Giant's responses -- which can be summarized as "you should have paid more", "go buy a calendar", and "caveat emptor" -- were less than helpful and, in turn, made me a bit angry.
Got mine today! Location is Topeka, KS. I suspect this means most copies will start showing up now.
(I did not get a calendar, if that makes a difference.)
I don't understand why youre getting so upset. Rich has explained why you are encountering the problems that you have. If, in the future, Rich's choices as to how to distribute his product lead to regular delays, we can justifiably be displeased, but for now at least it appears that unforeseen problems have combined with your slow order speed to delay your product.
And yes, I say your slow order speed, because you chose to pick the slower delivery. It is unfortunate that it was delayed, but that is hardly in Rich's power to control at this point in time.