Chief Technical Officer
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My subscription page lists Death in Deli as the next book that will ship. Shouldn't that be The Hounds of Skaith or The Dark World or both of them?
Yes to both. We'll get that fixed.
Hounds of Skaith has just arrived; since The Dark World is due any moment, we'll ship them together.
(These two are arriving so close together because we changed to a more efficient import agent in between these two books.)
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(These two are arriving so close together because we changed to a more efficient import agent in between these two books.)One with Customs Resistance 10, I hope.
OK guys, I hate when you folks do this. i subscribed to one book a month at one set price. now again you guys are doubling up the order. this screws me up. I'm seriously reconsidering my subscription. What is the deal? We had an agreement I pay you once a month for one book a month. why cant you guys seem to hold up your end?
Last time I called in about this i was told it wont happen again.
It's happening again.
I could just as easily buy these at my leisure from Borders and not have to deal with this hassle.
I enjoy Planet stories. I'm trying to support the efforts. but I have bills to pay and funds allocated to them. When you guys screw up like this it screws me up as well. I'm the customer i should not be inconvenienced. the customer may not always be right, but they should not be inconvenienced when they are buying your products. Now I have to switch money around to make sure that my other payment obligations are going to be met, since now I have a double payment to Paizo.
Somebody on your end cant seem to do their job right. Is this my fault?
No.
And yet I'm the one having to switch funds from one account to another to cover a mistake thats not of my doing.
If you cant get your products out on time then maybe you need to look to your internal processes rather than inconvenience your customer base.
Please have a Manager call me with a detailed explanation as to why this is happening. I hope to hear from someone of authority within 24 hours. If not I'll take this to the next level.
Jeff Mejia
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Chief Technical Officer
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If you cant get your products out on time then maybe you need to look to your internal processes rather than inconvenience your customer base.
Actually, this particular conjunction is partly a result of looking at our internal processes. As you probably know, our books are printed in China, and thus must be handled by an importer when they reach the US. Well, the importer that we used for Planet Stories up through and including Hounds of Skaith was, to be frank, uncommunicative and slow. Several of the books arrived weeks later than they we expected, and we wouldn't learn of the delays until, in many cases, the date that we originally expected to receive them. For example, Hounds of Skaith was originally expected in late October, but it didn't arrive until a few days ago.
We're using a new importer starting with The Dark World, and they have already proven themselves more communicative and more efficient than the previous company. We received word from them that The Dark World would be arriving just a few days after Skaith, so we held Skaith a few extra days to ship with The Dark World to save our customers on postage.
We anticipate that the new importer will be able to deliver Planet Stories on a more predictable schedule going forward.
Now, I can't promise you that this will never happen again—there are just too many factors out of our control for anyone to promise that. Shipments from China can be held up by weather, by Customs inspections, by broken-down delivery trucks. All of these things have happened, and will happen again. That said, I can promise you that we do our best to keep to our announced schedules. After all, these delays inconvenience us on a much larger scale than they inconvenience you—when we're planning to receive revenue from a product in October, and it doesn't arrive until November, well... you can see how that's something we really want to avoid.
We are now working really hard to put all of our subscription products on track to arrive within the first two weeks of each month, so that if there *are* unanticipated delays of a week or two, we'll still be able to hit the right calendar month for our subscribers. We work far enough in advance that this change will still take a few months before it affects all incoming products, but it is one of Paizo's most important goals, and changing importers for Planet Stories is part of achieving it.
I do apologize for the inconvenience.
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After all, these delays inconvenience us on a much larger scale than they inconvenience you
wow. I really have to think about a response to that stament that is actually printable.
I thought about it.
Your above response conveys a complete lack of concern for your customers. perhaps they were ill chosen words. but never the less, it appears my being inconvenienced as a customer is farther down your list of worries than it would be at most other companies. you may find that that type of attitude will cost you both goodwill and customers in the long run.
Please cancel my subscription to Planet Stories now.
Jeff Mejia
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Chief Technical Officer
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After all, these delays inconvenience us on a much larger scale than they inconvenience youwow. I really have to think about a response to that stament that is actually printable.
I thought about it.
Your above response conveys a complete lack of concern for your customers. perhaps they were ill chosen words. but never the less, it appears my being inconvenienced as a customer is farther down your list of worries than it would be at most other companies. you may find that that type of attitude will cost you both goodwill and customers in the long run.Please cancel my subscription to Planet Stories now.
Jeff Mejia
I'm not trying to downplay the inconvenience to you—I'm trying to show you that we're also inconvenienced by this, and on the scale of thousands of dollars each time it happens; we're motivated to solve this problem for you as well as for our own needs.
In short, I'm trying to say that we recognize that it's a problem for you, and I'm letting you know that it's a problem for us as well, and we are working to ensure that the possibility of it happening in the future is reduced as much as we can. I really am sorry that we've inconvenienced you.
I'll cancel your subscription.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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Just wanted to add a personal thanks to all Planet Stories subscribers. Thanks for supporting the line, everyone!
You're very welcome. For the pleasure gained from reading new (to me) authors, it's been an excellent investment. Also a very welcome break from modern fantasy/sci-fi tropes.
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Hey, Evil DM, I can understand how what Vic said makes it sound like we don't care about the inconvenience to customers when something like this happens. But I want to stress that that is _absolutely_ not the case, and that we put great value in customer satisfaction.
As Vic said, these problems are _also_ significant for us, because they interrupt cashflow, and most importantly because they can be upsetting to customers.
The last thing in the world that we want is for a customer to be dissatisfied to the point of canceling a subscription. I look at the Planet Stories subscriber numbers every single day, and I definitely notice when the numbers move up or down. I would prefer that those numbers continue to climb, and frankly to climb faster than they have to date.
Unlike an RPG product that is essentially a continuation of a 20-year-old magazine with a huge subscriber base, starting a line of fantasy fiction is not even remotely close to a "sure thing" as a business proposition. Add to that the fact that the books are mostly reprints of nearly forgotten authors more than 50 years in the past and every single sale of every single book matters.
Your inconvenience is not insignificant to us. Indeed, it is the most significant thing of all.
I am sorry that the logistics of a Planet Stories subscription did not work for you. I hope that you continue to pick of individual titles that interest you in the future.
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Hey, Evil DM, I can understand how what Vic said makes it sound like we don't care about the inconvenience to customers when something like this happens. But I want to stress that that is _absolutely_ not the case, and that we put great value in customer satisfaction.
Erik, You know I've done nothing but champion Planet Stories in the past on this forum, on my own blog, and on other messageboards in the hobby.
But when I saw that particular response It pushed a few buttons. mostly because the last time this happened I ended up paying an overdraft fee (The account I draw from for planet stories is a special one that I use for my own recreational purchases, as such i play it pretty close to the wire and keep the funds limited).
Vics response in my opinion came off as arrogant.
In this economy arrogance wont win a company any fans.
My wife took one look at it and was ready to fire off a much more passionate response than mine.
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Vics response in my opinion came off as arrogant.
In this economy arrogance wont win a company any fans.
My wife took one look at it and was ready to fire off a much more passionate response than mine.
For what it's worth, I think Vic's response may be a victim of the medium of communication. My impression is that he was trying to explain what has been happening behind the scenes at Paizo and that some of his frustration at that process might have come off as frustration at you. Plus, my general impression of Vic from his posts is that he is a cool, level-headed guy.
If I may, I'd recommend reading his post again from that perspective.
Now, speaking as an arrogant bastard, I'd have cut your subscription and banned you without a second thought for demanding that a manager personally give you a call to discuss, but I'm petulant like that. The problems with subscriptions arriving irregularly is something the Paizo crew has been addressing for some time now. Every subscriber is affected by it, and yet the vast majority of us manage to express ourselves in a calm and professional manner (again, not so much me) without demanding that we get a personal call and some flowers. If you don't like the product, or the inconvenience is too great, maybe you should switch products or reduce caffiene consumption. I've been hit with a surprise $80 in a month due to the irregularities of the Paizo schedule, which is a pain, but thus far their product has been worth the expense. As far as I know, the shipping irregularities are not part of a conspiracy to disrupt my cash flow or an intentional act designed to annoy me, and I react accordingly.
So, again, I'd recommend acquiring some perspective.
Hey, Evil DM, I can understand how what Vic said makes it sound like we don't care about the inconvenience to customers when something like this happens. But I want to stress that that is _absolutely_ not the case, and that we put great value in customer satisfaction.
Erik, You know I've done nothing but champion Planet Stories in the past on this forum, on my own blog, and on other messageboards in the hobby.
But when I saw that particular response It pushed a few buttons. mostly because the last time this happened I ended up paying an overdraft fee (The account I draw from for planet stories is a special one that I use for my own recreational purchases, as such i play it pretty close to the wire and keep the funds limited).
Vics response in my opinion came off as arrogant.
In this economy arrogance wont win a company any fans.
My wife took one look at it and was ready to fire off a much more passionate response than mine.
Just a suggestion as someone who is on a budget too... If you know that something is suppost to be due at a certain time, then just put the money in anyway. If it is late, then you have the money already there for when the double shipment arrives, since you have put that payement in and the next one. ~wry smile~ And yes, the "doubel shipments" from Paizo has hurt me before. HOWEVER, the people at Paizo do their best to try and tell us if there are any delays, thus alowing us to prepare in advance. They are not perfect and somethimes they screw up. But don't we all at some time or another? ~shrugs and smiles~ Just my $0.02 and it is not meant to come off as arrogant or abrasive. I am just trying to offer some advice from someone who has screwed up on my bank account before.
Vics response in my opinion came off as arrogant.
In this economy arrogance wont win a company any fans.
My wife took one look at it and was ready to fire off a much more passionate response than mine.
For what it's worth, I think Vic's response may be a victim of the medium of communication. My impression is that he was trying to explain what has been happening behind the scenes at Paizo and that some of his frustration at that process might have come off as frustration at you. Plus, my general impression of Vic from his posts is that he is a cool, level-headed guy.
If I may, I'd recommend reading his post again from that perspective.
Now, speaking as an arrogant bastard, I'd have cut your subscription and banned you without a second thought for demanding that a manager personally give you a call to discuss, but I'm petulant like that. The problems with subscriptions arriving irregularly is something the Paizo crew has been addressing for some time now. Every subscriber is affected by it, and yet the vast majority of us manage to express ourselves in a calm and professional manner (again, not so much me) without demanding that we get a personal call and some flowers. If you don't like the product, or the inconvenience is too great, maybe you should switch products or reduce caffiene consumption. I've been hit with a surprise $80 in a month due to the irregularities of the Paizo schedule, which is a pain, but thus far their product has been worth the expense. As far as I know, the shipping irregularities are not part of a conspiracy to disrupt my cash flow or an intentional act designed to annoy me, and I react accordingly.
So, again, I'd recommend acquiring some perspective.
~shocked look~ You arrogant and abrasive? ~puts my hand on my forehead and almost faints~ Say it ain't so! ~grins and runs~
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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I read Vic's post, reread it, slept on it, and reread it again, and I just don't see the arrogance or lack of care in it. I see an explanation of what happened, what's being done to try and keep it from happening again, a statement of commiseration ("it's hard on us too"), and an apology. That's pretty good customer service in my book.
A few lines out of context I can see being abrasive, but it's an entire statement, and needs to be read as such. And I see concern in that statement.
Evil DM, while I don't expect I have much influence over you, I'd like to implore you to stay on the Planet Stories line. It's a good series of books, and needs the support of concerned and thoughtful consumers. I can appreciate being upset over a broken promise, but I hope you can also see that there was no malice intended.
In any case, thank you for your time spent reading this.
Just wanted to add a personal thanks to all Planet Stories subscribers. Thanks for supporting the line, everyone!
Thank you for expanding my fiction horizons!
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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I've subscribed only recently, but I bought the back catalog... I'll have to do some fast reading in order to catch up... ;-)Just wanted to add a personal thanks to all Planet Stories subscribers. Thanks for supporting the line, everyone!
Great! I hope you enjoy the books!