The Energon Pub

KnightStrike wrote:I just received two emails from TRU regarding my pre-order. The first was another order confirmation just like the one I received back in September when I placed the pre-order. Ten minutes later I received a second email titled "Important delay notification regarding your order" that states that the order has been delayed and if the order isn't shipped by 11/23/12 they will cancel the order. Since these are showing up in stores for $120 now I am beginning to think TRU is planning to wait till they can cancel all pre-orders then throw the set back up online for order at an increased price rather than lose $X times X amount of pre-orders.

Got same emails. 23rd is going to be a very annoying birthday for me indeed.

fordprefect294 wrote:

KnightStrike wrote:I just received two emails from TRU regarding my pre-order. The first was another order confirmation just like the one I received back in September when I placed the pre-order. Ten minutes later I received a second email titled "Important delay notification regarding your order" that states that the order has been delayed and if the order isn't shipped by 11/23/12 they will cancel the order. Since these are showing up in stores for $120 now I am beginning to think TRU is planning to wait till they can cancel all pre-orders then throw the set back up online for order at an increased price rather than lose $X times X amount of pre-orders.

Got same emails. 23rd is going to be a very annoying birthday for me indeed.

Same here. I got one at 12:32 am ET confirming that the item was located in stock and another regarding the delay at 6:12 am. This is ridiculous. Either you have it or not. I do not understand sending these contradictory emails. It really does seem like they're trying to delay long enough to ensure they get the extra $20 from us.

However, I checked my order status on TRU.com and it still has it listed as located in stock...expected delivery date between 11/7-11/12. To those who received these emails, what does your order status say online?

Items Located in Stock
You can expect to receive your item(s) between 11/07/12 and 11/12/12

Hmmm. Perhaps there is hope. But at this point I'm not very optimistic.

I called because I received the same email, and they stated the email was not correct in the delay. My Order was already allocated, had a tracking number, and I will receive him within 5 days. I would call customer service to double check that your order is still being shipped before anything else.

Sideswipe75 wrote:I called because I received the same email, and they stated the email was not correct in the delay. My Order was already allocated, had a tracking number, and I will receive him within 5 days. I would call customer service to double check that your order is still being shipped before anything else.

I just got off the phone with a TRU rep and she said the second email was correct and that something happened in the 6 hours between emails where the item was no longer in stock. She said the website still showing my item as located in stock with an expected delivery date of 11/07/12-11/12/12 was wrong. I would love to believe that the second email was wrong, but at this point I highly doubt I will ever see my preorder filled. I am extremely frustrated with TRU right now and am tempted to just buy one off a scalper to avoid giving them further business.

Wow that sucks! I'm sorry. They gave me my tracking number so I assume som orders are shipping, just not everyone that pre ordered. I know they fulfill them by when orders were placed. Looks like they did not get enough in to fulfill all orders. Shame they would rather send more to stores to get an extra 20.00 off each one than fulfill the ones they already sold online.

Not sure if these got fulfilled by first come first serve orders, but I think there may be a trend, please let us know if this is happening to you...a couple of TF collectors around my area, some that placed an order of 1 prime and some that placed an order of 2 primes. The ones that placed an order for 1 prime have all gotten email confirmations, the ones that placed an order 0f 2 primes including myself one to open and display, the other to keep in MISB and once the planets aling, hopefully have Peter Cullen autograph him) have got the delayed email...has anyone that placed an order of 2 primes gotten the same response?

Ordered one piece, got initial confirmations ~3:00pm on 9/23, got new confirmation around 12:30am today, got delay email around 6:30am

fordprefect294 wrote:Ordered one piece, got initial confirmations ~3:00pm on 9/23, got new confirmation around 12:30am today, got delay email around 6:30am

This has been a complete nightmare, but with a happy ending. So after calling TRU customer service the first time about the delay being real and the "located in stock" being bogus, I decided to follow up on a lead from the GA sightings thread and check out a TRU that's about 25 minutes from me. I got there and they had 5 cases of MP Optimus with a $119.99 sticker on the side of each box. I decided to not run the risk of never seeing him again and to go ahead and buy him now, regardless of the cost.

However, I had my preorder email printed out with the price of $99.99 and decided to ask customer service if they would match the price. The friendly staff member said it would be no problem as long as I had the physical sheet so she could verify the price match amount. So, I finally have MP Optimus and for less than my preorder because tax was a little less ($106.99 final price)!

Next, I called TRU customer service again to cancel my "delayed" order. The rep told me that the item was in fact in stock and would be shipping "very soon." This shows the complete incompetence of the first rep I talked to and/or the failure of their online ordering system. This rep was very friendly and nice though, and went ahead and set up a free of charge return shipping label to send back the "delayed" (you can understand my frustration right?!) MP OP once he arrives.

At the end of the day, I have one in my possession for less than the one I ordered online. I am going to not open my current one until the online one comes and will keep the figure that appears to be in the best condition (the box and actual figure). As frustrating as this all has been, I am extremely relieved to have one in my possession. I was more than willing to be patient and wait for my preorder but the last email about the delay had me really worried it would never ship before they cancelled it. My biggest fear was for the online one to be cancelled at the end of this month and not be able to find him amid the X-Mas craze.

Needless to say, you CANNOT trust the customer service reps OR the emails they send out from TRU.com. Sorry for so many posts, but I wanted to share my story/trouble with my fellow Seibertronians. I hope the rest of you have an easier time of getting him than I did, but again the only thing that matters is that this story has a happy ending since I finally got mine for a good price!

Oh man, this morning I checked my e-mail before leaving for work, and was quite happy. Finally! Then I get home, and check my e-mail again... and what the hell is this? Delayed? Possibly canceled if it doesn't ship within a certain number of days? This cannot be happening!

I was quite close to calling TRU.com myself to see if I could get a straight answer... but I figured I'd check here first, see if anyone else was in the same boat as me. Glad I did so. From the few people who did call, it sounds like that second e-mail was hopefully an error... Hopefully...

Anyway, my details if it is helpful in further putting together a coherant picture of things:

--------------------------------

My original confirmation e-mail is dated 24 September, 5:56 a.m., for an order of one Masterpiece Optimus Prime.

This morning at 12:36 a.m., I received the e-mail notifying me that the item was now in stock and the item should ship to me and arrive between 7 November and 12 November.

Then at 6:14 a.m. this morning, I received the, "Important delay notification about your order," e-mail, saying that the order was delayed and a new shipping date was not currently available, and that if the order does not ship prior to 23 November, it will be automatically canceled.

Right this moment, according to their website, the item is located in stock and I should receive it between 7 November and 12 November, just as the earlier e-mail this morning indicated.

--------------------------------

So I am cautiously optimistic, although that is tempered with a touch of fear. If the 12th passes and I still do not have it (or have even yet to receive a definite notification that the item has shipped and is in route to me) then I shall definitely be on the phone with them. I feel I've been quite patient, and do NOT want this canceled on me, and don't want to hastle with my local TRU (if they ever get it in) who hasn't even honored prices when I point out a descrepancy with the price on the tag on the very peg in the store that the product I was trying to buy (and which matches the item description on the tag) was hanging on. So I wouldn't be feeling very hopeful about going in with a print out of my preorder and trying to get them to honor that price.

Please, TRU.com, get this right!

I just called TRU customer service. The rep was really helpful and apologetic. She at first did not know why I received those conflicting emails, as it does show that it is "in stock". She thought it was because I ordered 2 of them, so only 1 was in stock. But then later said that's not the case after digging further into the computer database. She went on to say that their inventory has been experiencing major issues and showing lots of errors (maybe because of the hurricane since distribution center is in New Jersey) - but this should be fixed by tomorrow.

She did say that there are more coming in...it took a while for her to find it, but she said a shipment was arriving by Wednesday, November 14th and not to worry. This is a bit odd as she also told me that they receive shipments every Friday...which would mean it is either arriving on Friday, November 9th or November 16th. Maybe it is arriving on November 9th and shipping out on November 14th?!

Lastly, I asked if it did not arrive by November 23rd, can I make sure my order is not canceled. She said "yes, just call by November 22nd, and tell them not to cancel it."

So, my hope is that by November 15th or so, we'll all get an email saying that our orders are really shipping this time...

You and me both! Thanx for the info!!

RocketG35 wrote:I just called TRU customer service. The rep was really helpful and apologetic. She at first did not know why I received those conflicting emails, as it does show that it is "in stock". She thought it was because I ordered 2 of them, so only 1 was in stock. But then later said that's not the case after digging further into the computer database. She went on to say that their inventory has been experiencing major issues and showing lots of errors (maybe because of the hurricane since distribution center is in New Jersey) - but this should be fixed by tomorrow.

She did say that there are more coming in...it took a while for her to find it, but she said a shipment was arriving by Wednesday, November 14th and not to worry. This is a bit odd as she also told me that they receive shipments every Friday...which would mean it is either arriving on Friday, November 9th or November 16th. Maybe it is arriving on November 9th and shipping out on November 14th?!

Lastly, I asked if it did not arrive by November 23rd, can I make sure my order is not canceled. She said "yes, just call by November 22nd, and tell them not to cancel it."

So, my hope is that by November 15th or so, we'll all get an email saying that our orders are really shipping this time...

Thank you ... This is the sort of response I was hoping to hear. It seems like everyone calling has been panicking or getting reps who are just tired of dealing with this so they just give a short "piss off" type answer to get rid of the callers. This one actually sounds like she might have a clue as to what is going on or at least knew how to look into the matter. Given the massive storm they were hit with, I'm giving things a little slack and will continue to wait. If I approach the 23rd and haven't heard anything, then I'll call and worry.

Yah I'm not sure how much of what she said is true to be honest - but at least it definitely sounded like she dug through the computer to find me an answer. Initially no date showed up which confused her, and she kept searching and talking to me as she was going through the steps. Then a few minutes of discussion/searching, she said "Oh, this just popped up. It says 11/14 we're getting more in (or they will ship out - I can't remember)", so the fact that that appeared, gave me some hope.

I received the same conflicting emails. Not sure what to think at this point. I found one at retail last week (at $119 ) so if I don't get mine its no big deal, but I hope that you guys all get your orders filled before the automatic cancellation date.

Some people are getting shipping confirmations (with tracking info) tonight, so I'm assuming the "delay" was a mistake and that all of these will be shipped in the next few days. (it may take more than just 1 day to box and ship each order) so I recommend patience

Checked my order status online and it is still showing "Item located in stock". So go figure. Glad for all those that have been able to locate them in stores and avoid all the hassle of this. TRU's are in short order in my region, so these online orders are my only feasible option before resorting to eBay as anymore I can't afford to spare the fuel or time to drive everywhere searching in vain.

Bubbah wrote:Some people are getting shipping confirmations (with tracking info) tonight, so I'm assuming the "delay" was a mistake and that all of these will be shipped in the next few days. (it may take more than just 1 day to box and ship each order) so I recommend patience

To be fair, all the pre-order folks have been patient. Order made on or shortly after 9/23, Estimated Ship Date: October 15th. That date came and went with NO explanation or updates from TRU and now we get these e-mails over night that are offering conflicting messages. On top of that, brick and mortar stores are carrying these now (albeit at a higher price).

All that, yet I'm still holding out hope about MP-10 getting shipped to me...

Bubbah wrote:Some people are getting shipping confirmations (with tracking info) tonight, so I'm assuming the "delay" was a mistake and that all of these will be shipped in the next few days. (it may take more than just 1 day to box and ship each order) so I recommend patience

I hope people DO receive their preorders, but don't be surprised if it doesn't arrive by the date(s) listed and another email stating there's a delay comes along.

I'm just absolutely confused as to how TRU.com has flubbed this up so badly. It's obviously not Hasbro's fault. They produced them, they shipped them. It's now in TRU.com's hands. Whether they didn't anticipate the demand level, or didn't order right, or the stores got them and they neglected the online segment, I don't know, but this is all on the shoulders of the giraffer staff.

I hope they learn from this lesson.

Autobot032 wrote:I hope they learn from this lesson.

That's a good point. It seems like we're going to see one MP TRU exclusive release around this same time each year. Let's hope they fix this so we don't have to go through this maddening process again!

Oh I know, a lot of people have been patient ... But I've also seen a lot of people ready to go off the deep end haha. Believe me, I know it's been extremely frustrating, I've also got a preorder that I'm sitting on so I've been a little nervous as well. But now that we've gotten notification of them being in stock, it should be a positive thing. I'm sure it'll take a couple days to pack and ship all the preorders, especially considering aren't these shipping from the East Coast, like NJ if I remember? They did just get slammed with a minor storm so that might cause a little delay as well. Look, I know frustration is high, but we've all come this far, a few more days won't kill us

And I'm not saying everyone is over reacting, but honestly, some people really are. TRU did mess up, and communication/customer service knowledge was horrible, but in the end, I've got no doubt all the preorders will be filled for the price promised.

Rhinox23 wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:I hope they learn from this lesson.

That's a good point. It seems like we're going to see one MP TRU exclusive release around this same time each year. Let's hope they fix this so we don't have to go through this maddening process again!

Oh, it taught me one thing... Not to preorder with TRU. I've ordered in stock items and they came through just fine, if a little slow, but I really have no complaints on their in stock items. Their preorder system is wonky, at best, it seems. (At least for this item.) I'd like to see how other preorders have been handled at the .com... (Googling, I'm sure, will come up with some results.)

It also taught me that waiting all that time for a maybe on Sideswipe (the whole licensing thing), plus their online and in store stock levels being utter $#!73, I'm willing to lose the savings I'd have have from going Hasbro. Plus, not to mention, I'd have him NOW, rather than a lot, lot later. Impatience is one of my biggest flaws.

Bubbah wrote:Oh I know, a lot of people have been patient ... But I've also seen a lot of people ready to go off the deep end haha. Believe me, I know it's been extremely frustrating, I've also got a preorder that I'm sitting on so I've been a little nervous as well. But now that we've gotten notification of them being in stock, it should be a positive thing. I'm sure it'll take a couple days to pack and ship all the preorders, especially considering aren't these shipping from the East Coast, like NJ if I remember? They did just get slammed with a minor storm so that might cause a little delay as well. Look, I know frustration is high, but we've all come this far, a few more days won't kill us

And I'm not saying everyone is over reacting, but honestly, some people really are. TRU did mess up, and communication/customer service knowledge was horrible, but in the end, I've got no doubt all the preorders will be filled for the price promised.

If they really are coming from NJ, that explains some of what's going on now, but... this was a fiasco long before Superstorm Sandy caused such devastation. Not to mention, they have centers all over the country handling their orders. When I ordered HFTD Starscream from them, it came from Columbus, I believe. My prior order came from PA or Indiana, if I remember correctly. (It's been a long while, actually...)

Point is...allowing them to use NJ as an excuse for this royal !@#$ up is bad form. And I don't know if they will fulfill the orders, but they should. They made promises, they kept people waiting. Don't offer something if you can't follow through. It's one thing to have a raincheck situation, which can happen to any retailer, but that's when the items are actually in stock and just flat out sell out. This item never even came in stock, and they've already oversold it. That's...ridiculous.

I just have to wonder how people in the business of selling toys can't actually sell toys. I'm dumbfounded.

I managed to score one locally the other day!!!!!!! after about 2 weeks of visiting

Autobot032 wrote:

Bubbah wrote:Oh I know, a lot of people have been patient ... But I've also seen a lot of people ready to go off the deep end haha. Believe me, I know it's been extremely frustrating, I've also got a preorder that I'm sitting on so I've been a little nervous as well. But now that we've gotten notification of them being in stock, it should be a positive thing. I'm sure it'll take a couple days to pack and ship all the preorders, especially considering aren't these shipping from the East Coast, like NJ if I remember? They did just get slammed with a minor storm so that might cause a little delay as well. Look, I know frustration is high, but we've all come this far, a few more days won't kill us

And I'm not saying everyone is over reacting, but honestly, some people really are. TRU did mess up, and communication/customer service knowledge was horrible, but in the end, I've got no doubt all the preorders will be filled for the price promised.

If they really are coming from NJ, that explains some of what's going on now, but... this was a fiasco long before Superstorm Sandy caused such devastation. Not to mention, they have centers all over the country handling their orders. When I ordered HFTD Starscream from them, it came from Columbus, I believe. My prior order came from PA or Indiana, if I remember correctly. (It's been a long while, actually...)

Point is...allowing them to use NJ as an excuse for this royal !@#$ up is bad form. And I don't know if they will fulfill the orders, but they should. They made promises, they kept people waiting. Don't offer something if you can't follow through. It's one thing to have a raincheck situation, which can happen to any retailer, but that's when the items are actually in stock and just flat out sell out. This item never even came in stock, and they've already oversold it. That's...ridiculous.

I just have to wonder how people in the business of selling toys can't actually sell toys. I'm dumbfounded.

Oh I'm not trying to say the storm is an excuse for it all, just a possible cause for the delay with everyone getting notifications, then not having things shipped out today. The last few weeks have been an absolute dibacle, there is no denying or making excuses for it. People would be a lot more understanding if their customer service team actually had a clue what was going on and could offer answers or even *gasp* notify customers haha. I thought I heard somewhere this was their first time doing a preorder on a toy like this that didn't have a hard set release date (like movies or games), but I honestly don't know. This was a nightmare. Like you l've never had an issue ordering in stock items, but this was just stupid. And the lack of communication/knowledge is the worst part. But I'm still pretty confident, that everyone who has a preorder will get it ... Only time will tell though!