I hate ordering things. I hate it! Cant trust it!

[Misery]

Okay, so here's what happened. I learned about an interesting board/card game that seemed really cool. Tried out a digital version of it on the PC here to see what it was like. However, that's only halfway finished, and doesnt include expansions yet, that'll be awhile off. So I figured... you know what, I'll just buy the physical version. Just get the whole thing all at once. Supports the original designers too!

So I do this. Packages arrive quickly. Here is what I got:

I cant help but notice that something appears out of place here.

I mean, seriously Amazon? How do you mistake game boxes with demon monsters and such on the front for a game about garden arranging? I'll freely admit, I actually kinda like the look of that one, not every game has to be about fighting Godzilla, but still... it's not what I ordered, is it? Not to mention that there were supposed to be SIX things in here. So, one of the expansions got replaced, the other one is just outright missing.

Now granted, that's still ALOT of content. It'll take me a long while to try out all that new stuff even despite how often I play things like this (games like this often can be played solo). So that's good, but it's still quite irritating.

Ugh. Really, THIS is why I dont order stuff. It really is. Walmart sucks, but at least I know that when I buy a toothbrush there, it wont magically transform into a box of cat treats once I pay for it.

I'm curious, do you guys order much, or do you prefer to just buy at actual stores? Ever had to deal with anything like this? Granted, I know that some of us here arent able to drive, so that's certainly a factor, but still.

Argh.

 

[Baeraad]

That is certainly a bizarre mixup. Nothing like that has ever happened to me - someone must have been asleep on the job that day...

Game looks very cool, though. What's it about?

I order almost everything I possibly can. It has some drawbacks, but I don't navigate physical space too well (I swear that I'm some sort of weird singularity that takes up twice as much space as my actual volume...) and it's just a lot more convenient to get it delivered. And like I said, I've never actually had anyone mess up this badly - the mishaps I've had have been caused by me misreading or misunderstanding the instructions, such as the time when I was too sick to leave the house and tried to order two pounds of potatoes from the store, only to have the store send... two potatoes.

 

[Suzanne]

I have had negative experiences that were both accidental and deliberate. But, the positive outways the negative.

Just received my last purchase from ebay and it came from China and is very good. Bluetooth speaker.

Once, I received a reimbursement in an old shoe box lol.

I do not have much choice, so I am glad to be able to purcase online and besides that, many things that are on offer online, are not in shops where I live.

 

[SusanLR]

There are some things that Amazon has that you just can't find easily at local stores and the price
is often good too.
It's those odd things, hard to find things, and sometimes prime pantry things that I usually buy from
Amazon.

I've never had them to mix it up that much. A few times it has been in my favor.
Like I recently ordered a two pack of deorants and they sent two two packs.
Food and clothes are two things I don't order online though.
I've got to feel the material of any clothes and the sizes aren't reliable.
I prefer to pick food in person too.

I have to admit though, if Amazon messes up or I don't want the item after I get it,
they are easy with returns.
And now they are taking returns at a Kohl's dept. store close to the house.
Kohl's will box the item and send it back no problems.

 

[Isadoorian]

Mistakes happen; all apart of being human. Just call or email Amazon tomorrow and they'll get it sorted out, their CS is generally quite well received. Just because one mistake happened doesn't mean it'll always happen.

 

[Kyou Nukui]

I have to order things online because the shops near me don't have the things I need/want.

The biggest problem is the postman. He leaves the front door of the house open after delivering the post to the letterboxes that are in the hallway. We (the residents) put up notices for him to close the door and not leave everyone at risk; but he ignores them.
He mangles my parcels to fit them into the letterbox, instead of ringing my doorbell and handing me the parcel.
He's a menace to society and should be sent to the colonies at the earliest opportunity. -.-

 

[Misery]

That is certainly a bizarre mixup. Nothing like that has ever happened to me - someone must have been asleep on the job that day...

Game looks very cool, though. What's it about?

I order almost everything I possibly can. It has some drawbacks, but I don't navigate physical space too well (I swear that I'm some sort of weird singularity that takes up twice as much space as my actual volume...) and it's just a lot more convenient to get it delivered. And like I said, I've never actually had anyone mess up this badly - the mishaps I've had have been caused by me misreading or misunderstanding the instructions, such as the time when I was too sick to leave the house and tried to order two pounds of potatoes from the store, only to have the store send... two potatoes.

It's a co-operative card game, you have a small team of characters working together to defeat a single gigantic monster (and there's a bunch of monsters to pick from) and protect the town. As a co-op game, it's designed that you can play it solo as well (where you control multiple characters at once). The enemy deck acts automatically and has it's own unique rules, which is such a simple idea but it works wonderfully in these sorts of games. There's quite a few games like this, actually. This one is a deckbuilder though, if you know what that means, so that's unusual for this type of game. These games are designed for replay value, too.

I totally love it though. I've always really liked games like this, ever since I was a kid, but all of them required 2 players, as they were competitive things. So I never actually got to play them, since I had no friends that cared about that sort of thing. In recent years though more of this "solo or co-op" stuff has been coming out. The most well-known of this type of game seems to be Sentinels of the Multiverse (which is also great). I do know some people that would definitely play this with me, but they all live on the other side of the universe, so... solo it is.

This game is brutally hard though. They sure didnt hold back on the difficulty.

I have to order things online because the shops near me don't have the things I need/want.

The biggest problem is the postman. He leaves the front door of the house open after delivering the post to the letterboxes that are in the hallway. We (the residents) put up notices for him to close the door and not leave everyone at risk; but he ignores them.
He mangles my parcels to fit them into the letterbox, instead of ringing my doorbell and handing me the parcel.
He's a menace to society and should be sent to the colonies at the earliest opportunity. -.-

Okay THAT would anger me past the snapping point. I dont order much, but stuff I do order tends to be easily damaged. And my family DOES order alot. I know my father would have a fit if he caught the delivery guy pulling crap like that.

Is there no way you can contact his employer and complain about him? It sounds like this guy keeps doing it because his employer has no idea that he's acting like that.

That's gotta be really frustrating though either way. The sad thing is, there's a bazillion examples of postal workers and delivery people out there that pull that sort of crap, as evidenced by so very, very many videos showing it. Guys doing things like only walking partway towards the house and then outright flinging the package at it, or stuff like that. It's ridiculous. But then again, it's hard for their employers to find out that they're doing that.

 

[LucyPurrs]

This game is brutally hard though. They sure didnt hold back on the difficulty.

Hey Misery, Do you think someone who's into Magic the Gathering would like this game? He plays other board games and also plays both solo and also with friends when they are available.

 

[Judge]

I liken ordering things online to parachute training/jumping. That the more you jump the more likely you'll get hurt eventually. Of all the online things I have ordered, so far I got one audio CD that had no signal on it (Amazon) and an inkjet printer that was the wrong model (Newegg).

It happens.

 

[Aeolienne]

I'm boycotting Amazon due to its dodgy approach to paying (or not paying) taxes. You may wish to try Wordery for board games: they're UK-based but they do free worldwide delivery.

 

[GrownupGirl]

I order things on eBay and Amazon (mostly eBay) because 99% of the stores where I live are terrible and don't have what I want. But I've never had anything this bad happen. I have, however, ordered a doll or stuffed animal and be gravely disappointed by how much smaller it is than it looked online.

And I hate having to wait for my items. It takes weeks and weeks most of time, and I get anxious and worried and start going downstairs a lot to check the mail when it gets close to the arrival date, which can be very vague. Why are offline stores so poorly stocked? Sometimes I have the nerve to say in a deadpan tone, "Oh I'm sorry. I thought this was a well-stocked store." when they don't have what I want.

 

[Fino]

I order everything I can! I love it! I've never had a problem though.

 

[LucyPurrs]

I order everything I can! I love it! I've never had a problem though.

Me too Fino and I HATE to go shopping for anything except food and fish for my aquarium, XD.

 

[tducey]

These things happen unfortunately. When it's happened to me I usually contact the company and they replace the item for me or refund my money to me.

 

[Misery]

So, I found out more about what happened. Sort of.

See, what I didnt mention was that there was a THIRD package, some small mystery gizmo. Very small package. My family orders from Amazon all the time, so this wasnt surprising. I took it in with my stuff, figured "I should open it, make sure it isnt related to mine". Indeed it was not one of mine, clearly something my father ordered. I took it into my room with me when I went to bed, set it on my desk so I'd remember after I got up, to take it to him so he didnt think the package had gotten lost.

The result: He indeed thought the package had gotten lost. No, not lost... replaced. Because there was ANOTHER package, which contained one of my 2 missing things. But he had no idea what it was, it clearly wasnt his thing (though considering I'm the gamer of the household, he should have thought of THAT at least, as he later mentioned). So he took that back to the Kohls nearby and got credit for it, and then found the thing HE had ordered at a store nearby, and bought it there. The solution to fixing mine then is.... just order another one. While his thing, well, now he has extras of whatever that was.

The gardening thing though is a whole other mystery. I still dont know what in the world is up with that. But after having a look at a couple of reviews of that game, I decided to keep it. Actually my sort of thing, and playable solo. Looks like I'm just re-ordering those other two things, as was his suggestion.

Father thought this whole situation was absolutely hilarious. I had to agree. So.... one screwup caused by confused family members, one screwup caused by confused Amazon. Okay, sure.

I order things on eBay and Amazon (mostly eBay) because 99% of the stores where I live are terrible and don't have what I want. But I've never had anything this bad happen. I have, however, ordered a doll or stuffed animal and be gravely disappointed by how much smaller it is than it looked online.

And I hate having to wait for my items. It takes weeks and weeks most of time, and I get anxious and worried and start going downstairs a lot to check the mail when it gets close to the arrival date, which can be very vague. Why are offline stores so poorly stocked? Sometimes I have the nerve to say in a deadpan tone, "Oh I'm sorry. I thought this was a well-stocked store." when they don't have what I want.

Yeah, I dont like waiting either. But weeks and weeks? Is it determined by where you live? I mean, I dont use Amazon much, but I will say this for them: They offered 48-hour delivery, and indeed, I got the packages before 48 hours were up. Granted, that haste may have been part of the problem, but still.

When I've ordered from OTHER companies though.... hoboy. Yeah, I hate waiting. Haaaate it.

Hey Misery, Do you think someone who's into Magic the Gathering would like this game? He plays other board games and also plays both solo and also with friends when they are available.

Yes, actually. I've always been a fan of Magic myself, it's what got me interested in games like this one. It's a very similar idea, with all of the cards having their effects written on them, sometimes contradicting main rules, and then it's your deck of funky stuff VS some other deck of funky stuff. Just that in this case, the players work together instead of competing, and the opponent's deck is strong enough to take on the entire team at once and acts automatically.

If he's interested in this sort of thing, also check out Sentinels of the Multiverse. That seems to be The Big One as far as this sort of game goes. That one is a superhero themed game. It is fantastic. Though I dont have the physical version of that, I have the PC version (found on Steam), but I expect the physical version is just as good.

Just be aware these are expensive. Like, Aeon's End, the core game by itself (the big box in the photo) costs $50. Though, anyone that plays Magic probably wont mind that... Magic is even MORE expensive to play! Bloody money sponge, that game. Always loved it, but still. Money sponge.

 

[Rectify]

do you guys order much, or do you prefer to just buy at actual stores? Ever had to deal with anything like this?

I buy tons online for a few reasons. I can't always find what I want nearby, I don't always go out much and I like to spend a lot of time thinking, planning and comparing prices.

Yes, I've had some mix-ups over the years. However if I consider the amount I've bought versus the times people have messed up, it's not too bad at all. Also you can buy in-store and have people mess things up too. I bought jeans once - that I needed to wear that night - and when I got home the security tag was still attached. My only option was to go all the way back to the store so they could remove it.

I wish you good luck with your purchases in the future.

 

[tlc]

I absolutely hate ordering things online. I'll pay more to go to a brick and mortar store and experience it in my own hands first so I know what I am getting. Unfortunately they are carrying less and less, and are outright disappearing. Also many of the special things I want you can't get around here and places don't want to order it for you even if you ask.

Just went to both Lowes and Home Depot last weekend to check out siding for my house. Getting ideas, or at least wanted to. Neither place had any in stock so I can see what it looks and feels like and what the color and texture is. Both places I have to buy a sample online and have it shipped to me. I haven't bothered yet. The whole thing really ticks me off.

 

[Misery]

I absolutely hate ordering things online. I'll pay more to go to a brick and mortar store and experience it in my own hands first so I know what I am getting. Unfortunately they are carrying less and less, and are outright disappearing. Also many of the special things I want you can't get around here and places don't want to order it for you even if you ask.

Just went to both Lowes and Home Depot last weekend to check out siding for my house. Getting ideas, or at least wanted to. Neither place had any in stock so I can see what it looks and feels like and what the color and texture is. Both places I have to buy a sample online and have it shipped to me. I haven't bothered yet. The whole thing really ticks me off.

Oh yeah, watching physical stores collapse is depressing indeed.

Though, I have mixed thoughts on it. I realize that most people attribute the problem to the advent of the almighty Amazon, but... I tend to think that's not the whole story.

Like, malls for instance, right? That malls are disappearing is a common complaint. But when I check out malls that are still around... and when I think of similar malls as they were many years ago, they almost always have one huge problem: 95% of the stores are clothing stores. You DONT NEED THAT FREAKING MANY. When you have 5000 stores in one place selling the exact same bloody things, well... what the heck does anyone expect to happen? OF COURSE it's going to collapse. It's the same for many shopping centers (as in, the small "strips" of stores all facing one large parking lot). When they're all clothing stores, you only need bother with ONE of them. And if you arent shopping for clothes at the moment... there's no reason to go to any. And then when there IS a rare store in a mall or whatever that's something unique, nobody finds it, because nobody is going to the Cloth Labyrinth, which is a name I came up with just now. I know I dont go to the mall except in incredibly rare occaisions.

Honestly, so many people that run these sorts of things just make absolutely baffling decisions. Of course, it's not just clothing stores. I know one spot near here where there's a Gamestop, right, and then across the street from that... is another Gamestop. Like, what were they thinking? And that company is indeed on the verge of total collapse (surprise!). There's even one intersection that has THREE GAS STATIONS. On ONE intersection! Yeah, those arent "stores", but they're still an example of this kind of stupidity.

And then they're all surprised when things go wrong.

Bah.

It just all frustrates me. It really does. I gotta hand it to Amazon though, they really jumped at the opportunities this all presented, and it paid off for them.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

because nobody is going to the Cloth Labyrinth, which is a name I came up with just now. I

I always go there.

Are you telling me it doesnt exist?

Where have I been going all this time?

I'm imagining how much fun it is to buy socks in the cloth labrinth.

Obviously all matching socks are hidden.

 

[Progster]

I'm curious, do you guys order much, or do you prefer to just buy at actual stores? Ever had to deal with anything like this?

I always shop at actual stores for groceries and clothes, but for other things I order online because where I live there isn't a lot of choice of product. Also, particularly with clothes, I want to see and feel it before buying... I don't really like buying blind, it causes anxiety. I do order a lot of music online, though. Also, unless I buy from China, having things sent by post can expensive, I'd have to really want it to justify the extra expense of having things sent to me.

A big problem where I live is with couriers. I live in a rural area where the houses and street don't even have names or numbers, and I sometimes find that a courier from out of town won't know where the house is, mark it as being a wrong address, and then send it back. I've had packages where the seller has written the contact details clearly on the packet, but some moron, in their infinite wisdom, has taken a pen and deleted my name, phone and address and the packet never arrives and gets sent back to the sender. Extremely irritating.