Frustration over HTTV not arriving
After hearing days ago that people started receiving theirs I really figured it would be here by now. I am in York, PA and still waiting, at least until Monday now it seems.
I realize though that this is the first go at this for the MGo crew and that unintented delays go with the territory. Does anyone have any idea when I should start to wonder if I will be seeing one at all there could have been a problem with my contact information? Is anyone else still waiting? I know I filled out the information on where to send my copies when I was prompted to and was one of the earlier contributers to the Kickstarter campain.
:((
Edit:
First off - Brian, if you read this thread, I meant no disrespect by voicing my disappointment as a forum topic. I am a devotee to MGoBlog since its inception and can't thank you enough for the work you put into this; it enriches my life daily. I sincerely hope that it continues to provide you with enough income to make it your life's work.
Second - Wow am I impressed with the passion displayed by so many on this thread. The anticipated arrivial of HTTV certainly brings out some strong emotions, and I am clearly not the only frustrated person here. Obviously shipping is experiencing delays, at least judging from the responses of most. I am not "butthurt" by the delays and stated originally that they are understandable. MGoBlog has been nothing but professional always and will I'm sure have such problems fixed for future HTTV editions.
Third - Internet trolls that question the intelligence of people they have never met based a few lines of text, or call people "wankers" or "butthurt" or other such garbage over the internets are no doubt fat, pimple faced losers living in their mother's basements without care for their personal hygiene. Since I have never met any of you either it gives me great pleasure to be absolutely sure of this.
Now back to my camp by the mailbox, because I f'ing love me some HTTV.
UFR this!
I to have not received my HTTV.
However, I also chose not to order one.
Could the two be related?
I'm in A2, and received mine on Wednesday. Trying to pace myself so as to make the articles last for the next 6 weeks, but I had to read the Craig Ross piece as soon as I got it (it's a sort of rebuttal to JUB's Three & Out). Amazing piece -- those 5 pages alone were well worth the $15.
I don't wanna know how ir ends, until I read it myself! I get why people are impatient. Who wouldn't be? It's like a kid at Christmas: is it here yet, Is IT HERE yet, IS IT HERE YET??? As sure as the actual season, it's coming.
I'm from the Red Rose City on the other side of the river and I've had trouble getting mail between home and Ann Arbor. After bitching a bit at the post office I had the postmaster tell me that for some reason mail between PA and MI will pass through Minnesota. Not always for letters, but packages will. So USPS's weird routing scheme is likely the culript.
Also with all the power outages in Ohio and Michigan, I bet some of the local USPS sorting/shipping facilities are running behind. Over the winter when MN had some big snow storm, my packages spent a week in MN before heading on home to PA.
My understanding of such things largely comes from a neighbor a few houses down who works at the USPS sorting office in Detroit, but anything that is going by air at least will sometimes take an awkward route because of difficulties in finding appropriate space for cargo. The most direct flight - say, from Lancaster, PA (I assume you would go in and out of Philadelphia) to Detroit may not have room - but the flight from Philadelphia to Minneapolis can carry the cargo, so off to Minnesota it goes, where it is then transferred to another flight, hopefully to the nearest airport. It still adds time, and sometimes, it happens a few times. My wife has had packages arrive here in Michigan from California by way of Denver and Boston.
So, if you live far enough from Ann Arbor that there is a part of the route which may involve airplanes, that might be part of it as well.
That, and depending on the level of service that they shipped the mags, many times they just wait around until they can be easily accomodated. For example, SmartPost (i.e. FedEx ground with final delivery by USPS) is actually batched and then processed by the USPS when they have free time and capacity. There are no real service requirements for it, so if it is around the holidays or a busy time, they are allowed to let it sit in the back of the DC until they are able to process it -- they don't HAVE to get to it right away, and won't authorize overtime for it.
Brother just received his UM football preview from MGoBlog. Lordy, there can't be a more impressive fansite out there. Professional product.
I work in the publishing industry, It's is not easy to ship product to a newly created database, especially where custom orders are concerned. The additional costs that the MGOCrew are absorbing due to T-shirt and aurograph constraints won't allow normal bulk rate shipping timelines to apply. Patience Weedhoppers, patience.
when one would assume it would come on normal delivery. I posted in the other topic, but my post office is super slow delivering stuff and I've gotten magazines up to a week late (and in terrible condition, no less) as compared to my father in Connecticut getting them fine.
works well for the content of your post!
I'm nearly finished with my diary on the topic and will be posting soon. Needs moar chartz
I moved this post. Please refer to edit to the OP.
I'm sure this has been covered but I've had my head in the sand. Will I be able to find this at Meijer or some book store in Grand Rapids? Or do I need to order through the site?
I think it only for sale at Underground Printing in Ann Arbor or online through the MGoStore.
This is the kind of information that tends to pile on the disappointment. It was stated in a previous thread that those who ordered "extras" such as signed copies or teeshirts could expect to be delayed compared to those who used kickstarter and just wanted the mag, and yet here is an MGoUser with an "extra" who has recieved his copy before many of us who did not order extras. Another expectation set and not lived up to.
I realize there are much bigger issues in the world and in life, but I make my point because I'm surprised at how much grief those who are stating their disappointment are getting.
What this boils down to is a business transaction. One where multiple expectations have been set, and subsequently missed. And one where the level of customer service has also been below many's expectations.
A previous poster in a previous thread suggested that successfully managing expectations is the key to a successful transaction and happy customers. His suggestion was dismissed. But in hindsight, it seems he might have very well have been on to something.
This isn't exactly ordering from Amazon, though.
This is a completely new operation, you were warned about possible delays up front, and this is a first of it's kind. Brian has built up MGoBlog to the point where they even have the ability to do this - something no other fan base has the priveledge of.
I find little room to complain. The fact that the season is still so far away makes it seem even more ludicrous.
how in the hell would an expectation of quality or success be developed if people DON'T treat this offering as if it were any other product on the market? was there a significant discount given to the mgofaithful and thus a lowered expectation? you've outlined how this is a privilege but the legitimate truth is that, unlike an Amazon, a more informal/conversational dialogue could be taking place from the producers of the product to the people who ordered but there's not. there's zero way of anyone knowing if their order was goofed or what, if any, delays exist. i'm not trying to shit on the product, or even the process, but it seems absurd to imply that because this is a non-national effort, people cannot have ANY expectations regarding the process.
It was a donation to try and start a new venture. People knew going in that was the case. It's wasn't a product purchase. You could have donated $5 and received nothing. There were reward levels, but if you wanted a traditional transaction you fly to the city with the store and hand them your cash and you're handed back the product. If you wanted to be part of starting something up, warts and all, you donated to a Kickstarter fund. From the names in the magazine, some donated a lot more than $15. But it didn't guarantee them faster service.
I'm more arguing for reasonable expectations. If someone doesn't get their magazine and it's August then I think we've hit reasonable complaints despite the fact that this is a couple people hand-delivering thousands of mags.
@Tom, I'd like you to post a link that shows where I was warned that there would be delays (before I pledged to kickstarter on the first day). Here's the original post: http://mgoblog.com/content/kickstart-hail-victors
Note that it states magazines will ship in June. Also note, M-Wolverine, that it states that this is not so much a donation as a "pre-order." Regardless of the semantics, it clearly states that my payment will result in delivery of a product. I'm not arguing that I didn't take a chance... there was a chance that it wouldn't get funded and I would get my money back and no HTTV. But the thing funded almost 3 times the original goal.
I've kept my complaining in check to this point. But I have to say that every day that goes by without receiving HTTV or any kind of update from the producers of HTTV, and the more MGoBloggers sitting there with their copies of HTTV tell me that I'm an entititled prick, my patience erodes. For all of those that suggest we are out of line to complain, I would like to ask when exactly... what date and time... will it be ok for us to complain if we still haven't recieved anything?
I'll give you that. Brian asked in a UV (I think) for patience since this is a new venture.
I'm not saying that because it's MGoBlog that normal consumer expectations should be lowered. I'm saying because it's their first time distributing that you should be patient. It's probably one or two people hand-packaging and making trips to the post office. I just don't understand how people's expectations are not dampered because of:
A: First-time operation
B: Small (one, two people?) staff shipping this thing out to thousands.
C: It's still early.
Also, nitpicking: Ships in June does not mean arrive in June (I know we're now closer to August than June, hence the nitpicking warning).
I just don't understand the lack of patience. The season isn't for another 5-6 weeks. That's probably the exact reason why Brian is trying to ship early: so when problems inevitably arise, they can be fixed well before the season starts.
I get the whole 40+ days until the season starts, but I would argue that the delay is still a bad thing. My plan was to order more for gifts once I saw my copy. I ordered two more already sight unseen, but was planning on ordering 5 more. Now I will not be ordering any more because at this point I fear that any more ordered from here on out may not actually arrive before the season. And there has been no track record of customer service established here to assure me otherwise. It's hurting business.
Plus, it's easy for you to tell me I should have lower expectations with 20-20 hindsight, when in fact you have no inside information on the process or why the delays. If Brian or someone else in the process said, hey I'm sorry for the delay, here's why things are running behind, and here's what you should expect, then I might be ok with it. That happened a couple of times earlier, but not any tim recently. In fact there are several threads including this one devoted to the entire delay issue, yet not one person actually involved in producing or shipping this thing has commented in those threads. At an absolute minimum, that makes us feel like they don't give a shit about those of us who actually helped make this whole thing go financially. It's aggravating.
I understand the frustration, I just people are a little paranoid they won't get it. A little research has enlightened me on the possible situation:
You can have it. It's $12.50 plus shipping (
I think that's $3.00EDIT: S&H is $4.99 and tax is $1.05, so $18.54 total to get it mailed) and will be put in mailboxes starting June 30. There are plenty to go around. Consume!
http://mgoblog.com/category/post-type/hail-victors-book
- It started shipping June 30, a little more than 2 weeks ago.
- Underground Printing is handling the distribution - maybe a call to them would be a better inquiry than posting on the MGoBoard. This also could help explain why the authors have been mum as to the lack of arrivals: It's not their ball game.
- If you pre-ordered, your "donation" actually wasn't a donation at all - you're actually saving money! Yay!
I'm not paranoid I won't get it. I think part of the issue is wanting it really really bad. Reading that shipping started over two weeks ago... people as far away as LA are already receiving it, and still an empty mailbox and no official explanation... frustrating.
Consider this: After I posted my last comment, I checked my email to find tracking information on the other HTTV's I ordered. I ordered them yesterday. According to the tracking info, they are in Missouri, and scheduled to arrive on Thursday. While at that point I might not care any more because I will actually have one in my dirty little hands, it will be interesting if the copies I ordered yesterday arrive before the copy I ordered in May.
love, pity, whatever you want to call it, I guess.
Whatever gets me my copy.
back to the top of the board.
Got mine yesterday, hope I was the very last and that everyone else has had theirs by now.
still haven't gotten mine
is that you're the one doing this "customer service" and not mgoblog staff. that's not a reflection on you.
I haven't received my copy yet, either, but I think it's because my seventeen different Victoria's Secret catalog subscriptions have been clogging my mailbox.
I harbor the same gripes as have been stated above, along with my "I'm not sure if my postman stole it/is reading it or not" gripe, "maybe it's too big to fit in my tiny mailbox" worry ("and what if one of my neighbors stole it"), and the whole "college student going to be moving soon after a summer internship" fiasco which would really, really suck if "I" got it after I moved.
The "will be in mailboxes starting June 30" thing is going on a month now, and if I get it by the end of this week I'll be surprised at this point. I've no doubt the material is spectacular and there is no ill will/malicious intent on any of the parties who produced/shipped, but the incredible frustration mounts daily. People (especially those fortunate enough to live in AA/who already received theirs) telling those who HAVEN'T received their copy to CALM DOWN BRO and the like further exacerbates the situation.
I stole your copy out of your mailbox after the mods gave me your address.
Thanks for marking me as "flamebait" btw
I live in San Francisco, so about as far as it has to travel from Michigan other than Alaska, Hawaii or non-Ontario International. It's beautiful -- I'm only through the depth chart analysis and Alabama preview. I have to ration from now until September 1! I'm most excited about the Fielding Yost article.
Slow, hot summer day,
Where are you, HTTV?
Guess I'll blame the mail.
For what it's worth, I'm now the proud owner of three HTTV's, all of which arrived yesterday. The one I "pre-ordered" in May arrived USPS yesterday. Two that I ordered through the website just this Monday arrived UPS a couple of hours later. Interpret that as you will, but it suggests to me that 1) USPS is slow as hell, and 2) There must have been a massive backlog initially that is now mostly worked through.
I can't remember the last time I read a magazine from cover to cover, but this will be the first time in a long long time. Simply awesome.
still haven't received
Assuming it doesn't come tomorrow, the earliest I could get it would be Monday (23), which is nearly a month after they "shipped". The fact that others who have just ordered are getting theirs before the "pre" orders are is just unacceptable, not to mention the month-long wait.
EDIT: I start moving out on Friday (27th) and if it's not here by then...
UNACCEPTABLE!!!
Kidding aside, have you tried calling Underground Printing? They may be able to help you out since they are the ones distributing it.
Everything is shipped. Brian put up a note about it in the Kickstarter explaining some of the things I went through during this process.
If it hasn't arrived by next week then email me with your address and I'll check into it. If you did the Kickstarter and didn't give us your address that could be the problem (there's a few and they've been emailed a few times).
We are meeting next week to discuss how we can make sure next year's arrives in a timely fashion.
