Autographed Edition of Call of Cthulhu d20

[BadMojo]

I'm not sure if this is the appropriate forum for this, but I wanted to ask a question of the ENWorld community.

I had recently ordered one of those nifty signed copies of Call of Cthulhu d20 from the WotC Online Store. It had been delayed due to some shipping problems, but that was OK since I was *really* looking forward to this book.

Well, I received my copy of CoC d20 today, and now I am disappointed beyond words. The book may have great art and wonderful content in general, but that's not the first thing I noticed. The first thing I noticed was an unmistakable "wobble" in the pages; this is, of course, the unmistakable sign of too much moisture.

My copy of Call of Cthulhu d20 isn't destroyed, but it certainly isn't "Mint". If I had seen a copy like this in my FLGS, I would have passed on it, signed or not.

So, to sum up, I payed almost $40 and waited two extra weeks for a limited edition signed copy of a book that looks awful due to poor shipping/storage. Perhaps I expect too much when it comes to my RPG books, but should it be totally out of line to expect to get a decent looking copy of a book from the WotC store?

I would imagine that the problem is entirely with whoever WotC "out-sources" their shipping to. Has anyone else had problems with books from the WotC store? I've had my fill of "non-euclidian binding", so I think I'm just going to avoid the WotC store from now on.

Any other tales of woe?

 

[RogueJK]

I had the same problem with OA and Rokugan, which I ordered from... hmm... Amazon.com, IIRC. When I got them, they both had that "moisture wobble" to the pages. But other than that, they were fine. I've used them ever since, and it hasn't been a problem at all.

If I was buying something that I didn't plan to use, for collecting purposes or whatnot, then I might have been upset. But the books get worn just from flipping through them, so I didn't mind too much.

Yes, things ought to make it to you in the best condition possible, especially limited editions, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you plan to use it at all, you'll do much more damage to it just by reading it.

What I am upset about, however, is having to replace my PHB, MM, and copy of S&F, all due to poor binding. About a year of use (not even particularly heavy use), and the pages are already starting to fall out. I've got a bunch of 2e stuff that is in better condition than those three...

 

[BadMojo]

If I was buying something that I didn't plan to use, for collecting purposes or whatnot, then I might have been upset. But the books get worn just from flipping through them, so I didn't mind too much.

Yes, things ought to make it to you in the best condition possible, especially limited editions, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you plan to use it at all, you'll do much more damage to it just by reading it.

If it wasn't a signed copy, I probably would have just shrugged and let it go. My OA also has a bit of wobble, as does my copy of FFG's Dragonstar Starfarer's Handbook. My poor CoC d20 seems to have sucked up a bit more moisture than my OA, but maybe it will dry out some.

The irony here lies in the fact that I probably would have purchased a second unsigned copy of CoC for use at the gaming table. Now, I am tempted to just return my signed CoC and buy a used copy of Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu for cheap on Ebay. Since I really wanted to get a signed copy of the book, I'm now officially...uhhhh...can't think of a nice way to say it.

I've never had this problem with books from other RPG publishers. Perhaps the paper WotC uses is more suseceptible to moisture, I have no idea.

BTW, the binding problems you are having are totally unacceptable too. My 3E books haven't self-destructed yet. Did you have first printings?

 

[RogueJK]

BTW, the binding problems you are having are totally unacceptable too. My 3E books haven't self-destructed yet. Did you have first printings?

Yes, they are all first printings. The sad part is that WotC knows that many of their first printings have binding problems, but they haven't done anything about it. (Or if they have, then I haven't been informed about it.) No trade-in policy. No repairs. No replacements. Nothing.

They just expect you to buy new copies when your first copy wears out. So basically, I'm having to spend sixty extra dollars on something that is their fault. That is, if I can find any retailer which still sells the PHB and MM at their original price. If not, that's an extra $20 tacked on because of the price increase! That is a serious problem to a Starving Student™ like me. This means that I'm having to replace 3 of my old books instead of buying any newer stuff.

That's just totally unacceptable to me.

I guess I'll be carrying the PHB around in a plastic bag so I don't lose any of the pages. Maybe when all the pages start to come out of my MM, I'll just punch holes in them and put them in a binder, like the old Monstrous Compendium. Or I could make and bind my own PHB using the SRD.

Hopefully, they still have a few months of life left in them, since the pages aren't completely coming out yet. Yet. But it's painfully obvious, when I open the book, that they will eventually, since I can hear and see the binding coming undone. And other people have reported the same problem, which culminated in a destroyed book. Sword & Fist is probably the worst off, most likely since it is a softcover.

 

[PenguinKing]

Yes, they are all first printings. The sad part is that WotC knows that many of their first printings have binding problems, but they haven't done anything about it. (Or if they have, then I haven't been informed about it.) No trade-in policy. No repairs. No replacements. Nothing.

Yes, there is. Virtually all book publishers - and I know this includes WotC, because I know people who've used it - have a standing trade-in policy on defects. You can return any book with a defective binding to the publisher, and they'll give you a free replacement.

(And I do mean all - I've sent trashy sci-fi paperbacks that fell apart after two weeks to the publisher and gotten free replacements.)

It always amazes me how many people don't know this. That, and library help-desks.

- Sir Bob.

 

[RogueJK]

Do you have any idea who I would contact about this trade-in policy? It's good to know that they are doing something about it. I am surprised that I haven't heard about that before, since many people complain about the same problem.

(Oh, and I just noticed that my DMG is going the same route as the PHB and MM. It's not as far along as they are, but it's getting there. *Sigh* )

I guess the bigger question is whether or not they will accept a trade-in on a book that has been used for about a year. I knew about the problem for a while, but didn't do anything about it since I didn't think there was anything I could do...

 

[BadMojo]

Yes, there is. Virtually all book publishers - and I know this includes WotC, because I know people who've used it - have a standing trade-in policy on defects. You can return any book with a defective binding to the publisher, and they'll give you a free replacement.
- Sir Bob.

Oh, I'm sure WotC would offer to replace my signed copy of Call of Cthulhu with a new, unsigned copy if I shipped the damaged one back to them at my expense. Why would I pay full price for a normal unsigned copy of the book when I could get the same thing cheaper from any number of stores both online and local?

I have certainly learned my lesson; I will never order from the WotC store again. Surely they know what kind of damage moisture can do to a book. Does this damage occur at the warehouse? Does it occur in shipping? I wonder why WotC can't just ship their books with some kind of dessicant. Seriously, if I could click a box at the WotC store that said "book arrives in acceptable condition - add $2", I would do it.

I suppose it all comes down to the bottom line. The extra cost of proper shipping materials would cut into profits, and I imagine that not enough people return books to make it an "issue". I intend to vote with my wallet.

 

[PenguinKing]

Oh, I'm sure WotC would offer to replace my signed copy of Call of Cthulhu with a new, unsigned copy if I shipped the damaged one back to them at my expense. Why would I pay full price for a normal unsigned copy of the book when I could get the same thing cheaper from any number of stores both online and local?

Such policies are intended primary to apply to store-bought books - you buy Call of Cthulhu at your local gaming store, and the binding turns out to be defective, you can send it to WotC and they'll give you a replacement at their own expense. I'm not aware of WotC's specific policy as applies either to shipping damages or to limited offers from their online store - that varies from pubisher to publisher. However, it would be in your best interests to contact their customer service deparment (custserv@wizards.com last I checked) and ask rather than getting all pissy over delayed gratification and just assuming they're out to screw you.

- Sir Bob.

 

[BadMojo]

However, it would be in your best interests to contact their customer service deparment (custserv@wizards.com last I checked) and ask rather than getting all pissy over delayed gratification and just assuming they're out to screw you.
- Sir Bob.

Oh, I will contact WotC Customer Service, but unless they can magically produce another copy of the sold-out signed limited edition of the book, I won't be satisfied. I don't think WotC is actively out to "screw" me since that would be a bit self-centered of me, wouldn't it? I just don't think that they have the financial motivation to address the larger problem.

Delayed gratification? I don't think there will be *any* gratification, delayed or otherwise that comes out of this situation.

The best I can hope for is to cut my losses and just try to find an undamaged copy of CoC d20 at my LGS. At this point, I'm not even that concerned about the money I will probably lose from this fiasco. What I want is what I ordered: an undamaged, signed copy of Call of Cthulhu d20; I don't think they will be able to deliver that.

So, I will call WotC Cust Service and I will most likely be disappointed. Bottom line: at this point as a consumer, I have *zero* faith in the WotC Online Store. I certainly don't have to buy from them, and in the future, I won't; maybe it will save me the effort of having to get "pissy" again.

{edited - broke up a large paragraph}

 

[psionotic]

What I am upset about, however, is having to replace my PHB, MM, and copy of S&F, all due to poor binding. About a year of use (not even particularly heavy use), and the pages are already starting to fall out. I've got a bunch of 2e stuff that is in better condition than those three...

That's odd.. I have used my 3E books far more than I ever used any of my old 2E stuff, and I am yet to have any problems with the bindings on any of them, and we play 1-2 times per week, not to mention occasional reading of them at my home.

Bad Mojo: Tough break on the Cthulu, especially being an autographed copy. I feel for ya.