So, this has been a long time coming. I'm going to tell a story, which is not only from my side but also from the previous employee who used to work for Collected: Comics, the very same person who placed my $100 ordered.
First, I would like to point out that not only was I a long term customer for them in the past that purchased cases of MTG product, special orders and even some graphic novels but I also helped these people when they needed it. When they needed someone to run wiring at their new location in Plano and when they remodeled their TCU location. Sure, they gave me store credit as a kindness without me asking for it. However, I'm trying to paint a picture that I knew the owners personally, as well as the store manager.
Quite some time ago, well over a year, I placed an order through this place for two separate items. One, was a Psylocke statue which I have since obtained. The other, was a signed variant comic. Both were paid in full at the time of pre-order.
So, me being the genius I am didn't keep the receipts. Why? Because I knew both the owners and the manager of the store who was the person who took both my orders.
Since that time, that employee no longer works for Collected (funny, most of the employees appeared to have left at some point or another, though a couple came back).
After close to a year goes by, I contacted the store to check on my pre-orders after I found that one of them, the comic, was floating around on eBay for sale.
I was told by the person who answered the phone, Laura, that she couldn't locate them in their system and that she'd have Ron, one of Collected's owners get in touch with me.
Ron does end up contacting me. In fact, he ends up sending me an IM on facebook. He asked me what orders I was asking about, as nothing was showing in their system. After DESCRIBING both of the orders, he shoots me another and states he has found them. The statue was set to release real soon and that there was no release date for the comic.
I told him I appreciated him checking on it.
Time goes by, I go and collect my statue. I have a few polite conversations with the staff I knew that still worked there post their transition from TCU to their new location. I ask if there's been any update on my comic's release date. That person checks the system, says its been pushed back. I shrug it off.
Flash forward quite some time. No notifications have been given to me about my pre-order having come in. I find it even more strange that there are more and more copies of the very say thing I pre-ordered croping up online. I once again contact one of the owners that I knew: Brent.
Brent tells me that he's unable to locate my order. I'm very confused by this, as in the previous conversations, I was told that both my statue and my comic orders had been located but the date on the comic had been pushed back.
He's unable to locate them in the system and instead, wants to get in touch with the previous employee to try and locate the transactions in their system, which apparently aren't showing for him.
I shrug this off too and give him time to communicate with this person.
This person is contacted briefly, told they'll be contacted again to assist in the location of these orders and then is never contacted again.
So, I end up speaking with additional people I know that have access to the Diamond ordering system to pull up a copy of the issue that I had pre-ordered well over a year ago. It's officially unobtainable. No reprints, no back orders.
I decide to go back and speak with Brent about the matter again. They supposedly can't find anything anymore and wants to give me store credit. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the idea of being given store credit -- however, this is a situation where the product I ordered and paid for wasn't obtained on their side. Now, that product is 1.5 to 2x as much in cost. I declined the store credit and was told that they "Would get in touch with some of their friends in the business and see if they could come up with anything."
So, like I fool, I decided to give them MORE time.
That is, until today. A friend of mine who was making an attempt to gather up a group of previous magic players made a post on their page and tagged me in it, hoping I would be interested in returning to that area to play.
So, here's where this is all leading. If this is how they're willing to treat someone who helped them when they were first starting off, someone who consistently bought product and frequented their store. What makes you think they'd be willing to treat you any better?
Here's a few alternatives I can assure you, that you'll be treated properly at:
The Multiverse Comics, Collectibles, & Games - Hurst.
Generation X - Bedford.
Madness - Plano.
They might be a bit further away from you, but at least you can rest assured you won't be directly stolen from. read more