Check your emails, because Amazon really doesn't want you to have your starter set...

Black Lotus Journal no. 5

I should’ve known better, but when my daughter got psyched about the new Lord of the Rings starter kits I really wanted to make sure we were able to get them. She’s new to the product, just recently getting to the point where she's understanding the rules. Does she still need assistance? Sure, but I know a lot of adults that make mistakes all of the time too and her enthusiasm is respectable for sure.

At the time that I preordered the product, getting one on the first of May and a second after my wife also showed interest a few days later, none of the LGS’s had them posted. I also watched the prices on all products from this set rising more and more so I took the plunge.

In fact, I also purchased a set booster box and a bundle box for this reason. I should note that those two items arrived last week without error and I am more than happy with the entire transaction. By the time my local shop even offered for me to get these, over a month after I preordered via Amazon, I would’ve been paying over $100 more for the same exact content.

That’s with the discount I get there.

I want to support local spots and hate what Amazon stands for, but I don’t usually buy Magic stuff new, had a desire to get some of this content for our family games, and can’t really afford to pay that much more to do so.

No ethical consumption….

Anyway, I’ve alluded to the issue and I know a lot of others are dealing with the same problem.

A preorder is supposed to guarantee you get the product, right?

Well, fuck me and fuck you for thinking so. I guess? Last week, while I was in the middle of a trip across state lines I noticed an email around lunch time that required my approval by the end of the day. If I didn’t see it in time the order would be canceled.

I was admittedly annoyed, but the other set was still listed as being due to arrive by Monday. Both, to be clear, had said they would arrive on Monday as of last Thursday before I received this email.

Today is Tuesday.

Yesterday I checked and saw the item was still listed as arriving that day. It said I’d have it by 10pm, in fact. Around noon I even saw it saying it was out for delivery. By the end of the day, I had another email asking if I even wanted this item.

A call to their “customer service” line did absolutely nothing.

I was trying to figure out how something could be listed as “out for delivery” one moment and “who fucking knows” the next.

The first agent kept ignoring my question and tried to push for me to cancel. After telling her I didn’t like that option three times she told me she’d need to transfer me to someone else. Apparently she wasn’t the right person to handle these sorts of calls.

The second person kept mumbling into the phone and had a trash attitude. After making me spell out “Magic The Gathering The Lord of The Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Starter Kit”, word for word and letter for letter (I’m not kidding), she asked if I wanted to cancel. I told her no, explained why, and she put me on hold for ten-minutes.

When she got back on the line?

“I see the product is not available, would you like to cancel?”

I spoke with one more agent after this; her manager whom I was told could explain the situation to me.

She did not. I was told it was never out for delivery because it was never assigned for delivery. She could only see what the system said, which was that the item wasn’t available at all now, and she asked me again if I just wanted to cancel.

They oversold on the product.

Now, they’re trying to get us all to cancel. If you ordered this from Amazon, check your email and make sure they aren’t trying to play clean up at your expense. Let me know if you have better luck than me or have any tips (315-330-6840 or rwplusb@gmail.com) and thanks for stopping by for this rambling edition of the Black Lotus Journal.