Grant is one of the better small publishers. I am still waiting for books I've paid for YEARS ago, from other publishers.
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Grant is one of the better small publishers. I am still waiting for books I've paid for YEARS ago, from other publishers.
They may be one of the better publishers but their policy on contacting them is ridiculous. God forbid I have a question about an item. You don't tell your customers not to contact you because your busy.
Last month, I ordered a dust jacket from Grant. They looked for it but couldn't find it, and sent me an email asking if I would mind receiving a jacket that had already been folded (which makes me wonder how much they would sell me that now-jacketless book for) or if I would prefer a refund. It's not like poor customer service is a general rule for them. I just imagine that Karen is tired of answering questions like "When will my book arrive?" or "Has my book shipped yet?" or "Are the AEs numbered?", which are all questions that are answered in the newsletters or online. Of course, it's your perogative to spend your money wherever you want.
I think they'd be better off providing a tracking number for the books. That would cut down significantly on the questions of where and whether a book has shipped.
It's understandable that DG can't reply every single mail or question about your order and alike at this moment, when they're taking care of more than 1000 orders, when they're shipping a collector's book, not just a paperback one which can easily be replaced in case of damage (plus it'd be cheap). They're a small publisher that always made excellent editions, so they'll always have my patience and credit. I don't know, maybe I'm used to these "delays" mentioned by collectors in this thread since I always have them due to the international shipping, but well...it's just my opinion.
I don't think anything will change in my life if I have to wait two more weeks for a book, but the people at DMG will have one less email to reply and, with the amount of work they're having, that'd probably make a difference (As a person who has been working on his own for some time know (at this moment I'm currently taking care of three different entrepreneurs and I have a fourth one in sight), I understand how hard it's when your business is small, to do EVERYTHING everyone expects when your day has the same amount of hours than everyone else. It's not like you have a secretary of personal assistant that takes care of those tasks, because you're your own boss, secretary, HR, etc).
Just a thought.
All the opinions are correct. I'm sure anyone who is waiting on the book wishes it was here "yesterday", and someone wondering about their order wishes there was "live" tracking of the package, and someone else is "bristled" by the tone of the email which in some ways says "don't call us-and we won't call you". The good news is DMG announced and has delivered the product in less than a year, they allowed the payment for the S/L to be split into 3 payments-AND they didn't charge anyone until literally days (not months) before delivery.
As a consumer, we all have the choice of where to spend our hard earned money. So far DMG has always "delivered" to me as a customer.
We are not Amazon.com. Our regular customers know that but
many of our newer ones do not. We normally are a two person
operation but have hired extra help to get us through this busy
time.
We are getting a lot of phone calls and emails from people ask-
ing about their orders. This has slowed down the processing of
orders as we try to check each inquiry.
I thought today's email came across a little snarky.
I understand their frustration with a a bunch of knuckleheads calling all of the time....but it just seems like bad business to to come across like that.
I think the first two sentences could have been left out, and the same point could have been made.
As others have said above DMG has always delivered a fine product, and I appreciate that they do not charge until they ship.
Karen, I may rue your choice of sports teams, but I'm totally with you on this one dear!!!!! They do a great job, with few folks and not much time. Plus, from a logistical standpoint, it makes sense to tackle the higher order volume before the smaller volume items. They need more TLC right?
Spoiler:
:YYY: 03-14-2012 06:30 AMRandall FlaggTippy4, I agree the point could have been made in a less snarky way. I had defended DMG in a post, then open my email and read that and rolled my eyes. 03-14-2012 07:32 AMRickyWhile I understand Grant's frustration at answering the same questions (I'm assuming from newer customers), the Amazon line kind of felt like a slap in the face to repeat customers. 03-14-2012 07:54 AMjhanicI never realized how many sensitive people are out there. This, to me, is making a mountain out of a molehill.
John 03-14-2012 08:49 AMnyy3723a 03-14-2012 08:52 AMLostAlivEI learned to order things separately because I know it is going to take longer to make the traycases than it does for the slipcases. If you ordered both make sure you order the slipcase 1st and you will get it when everyone else does and you will not have to wait for the traycase to be finished. It is just commonsense. 03-14-2012 09:24 AMTonyI don't think it's anyone being overly sensitive. You shouldn't be snarky to people paying you hundreds of their hard-earned dollars. Imagine if the person writing that email had taken 15 minutes to calm down, then written a nicer email instead of saying that they're not Amazon, how much better that would have gone over?
I'm subscribed to the newsletters of many small and large presses, and DMG is the only one who I've seen so far that's used this kind of tone of voice before (this incident and the 'don't email us and ask us anything, it's all right there on the website go read it yourself'), and it's something they can improve on for sure. 03-14-2012 10:30 AMmistercrowley 03-14-2012 11:53 AMskyofcrackThere is nothing wrong with DMG's recent newsletter or policy of not answering phone/e-mail when this is their reality:
'We normally are a two person operation but have hired extra help to get us through this busy time.'
As long as they keep giving us such quality books as:It doesn't say on the site, 'don't e-mail us about anything.' It says, 'Please do not call or email us asking for more information than is posted here. Updates will be announced in future issues of our newsletter and also posted here.'Quote:
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, Christine, The Talisman, The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three, Prime Evil, The Dark Tower III: The Wastelands, Desperation, The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass, Black House, The Talisman/Black House Gift Edition, The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla, The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah, The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower, The Little Sisters of Eluria, The Wind Through the Keyhole.
That is specifically posted in The Wind Through the Keyhole section. That's not their normal policy. Only during this very busy time when they are trying to fill a lot of orders with extra staff.
At the bottom of the help/faq page it says:
'If you still have questions then please email us.'
Just don't ask them a question that's already answered online or in a newsletter. 03-14-2012 11:58 AMRandall FlaggThank you for clarifying that. Prior to your explanation I was confused. 03-14-2012 12:47 PMjhanicI just received both my AE and s/l (#727) editions of The Wind Through the Keyhole.
John 03-14-2012 12:52 PMJasonUK"We are not Amazon.com. Our regular customers know that but
many of our newer ones do not."
Ha! Dare I say, had their sales policy for this book favoured long-term customers over newer ones, like it should have, they wouldn't have had this problem. You reap what you sow. 03-14-2012 12:55 PMdivemasterI've been getting Grant's e-mail newsletters for years and for King books they all say, in effect, "Hey, please don't call or e-mail us about this book. If you do, we're only going to refer you to the website anyway." 03-14-2012 01:48 PMskyofcrack 03-14-2012 02:23 PMLurkerI thought it was pretty funny. I've been buying from Grant since the early 80's, when I was going through my de Camp phase and never have had a problem. The short wait for the Wind books is ok, unlike other books from other publishers, say Necon or Legacies. And since my number isn't too far behind John's...well, tomorrow is another mail delivery day. 03-14-2012 06:03 PMAKCMY CARD WAS CHARGED TONIGHT!
I ordered S/L # 32 and the AE and I am a "W"!!!!!!!
YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!! 03-14-2012 06:37 PMPasiuk57Post Office tried to deliver mine today but was at work. 03-14-2012 07:04 PMjemaherGrant is a class outfit.
I dont begrudge a snarky email cause I dont suffer fools well at all.