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[GenericName]

Hey let's please just agree to disagree: Bloobeard, you think Jeph and Cristi are incompetent and you have your reasons and they are enough for you, Kragit, you think they are reasonably doing their job and your reasons are enough for you. Neither of you is going to change the other's opinion, and unless Bloobeard is threatening legal action or something this argument will go nowhere.

The end! There's nothing more to talk about!

[Bloobeard]

Hey let's please just agree to disagree: Bloobeard, you think Jeph and Cristi are incompetent and you have your reasons and they are enough for you, Kragit, you think they are reasonably doing their job and your reasons are enough for you. Neither of you is going to change the other's opinion, and unless Bloobeard is threatening legal action or something this argument will go nowhere.

The end! There's nothing more to talk about!

Fence-sitter!

[SmileyBandit]

Hey all, must agree with Tshirtlimbo. Everyone on here (even the staunch Jeph/Cristi fanatics) agrees that communication is the missing piece and a template email once a month would cost them all of 20 mins to put together. His other points are also very valid as I am one person who will definitely NOT be a repeat customer as I have a PayPal confirmation from July and no goods, no word, no nothing.

I'm also wondering whether anyone else LOL'ed their tits off when they read "Place orders before the end of November to get your merch before Christmas" in relation to the Cogito Ergo Nom shirts. Ahh...*wipe away tear*  a good laugh does one wonders.

[alexisdanaan]

Hey let's please just agree to disagree: Bloobeard, you think Jeph and Cristi are incompetent and you have your reasons and they are enough for you, Kragit, you think they are reasonably doing their job and your reasons are enough for you. Neither of you is going to change the other's opinion, and unless Bloobeard is threatening legal action or something this argument will go nowhere.

The end! There's nothing more to talk about!

Fence-sitter!

lol what's wrong with a fence sitter? They enjoy both views and pissing off everyone on each side!

[JellieBellie]

I ordered last year and got my merch the day after boxing day- which couldn't have been their fault as I live in what is considered a "remote" area of Canada.
Think planes, trains, AND automobiles to find me Fairbanks, Alaska gets quicker mail service.

I'll be ordering. If it's late, it's late.

If they can't afford to have more staff, then they can't afford to have more staff (has anyone else thought of this?). I'd rather have merch come late than not be able to purchase QC merch (and get dates because of it )

Hey all, must agree with Tshirtlimbo. Everyone on here (even the staunch Jeph/Cristi fanatics) agrees that communication is the missing piece and a template email once a month would cost them all of 20 mins to put together. His other points are also very valid as I am one person who will definitely NOT be a repeat customer as I have a PayPal confirmation from July and no goods, no word, no nothing.

I'm also wondering whether anyone else LOL'ed their tits off when they read "Place orders before the end of November to get your merch before Christmas" in relation to the Cogito Ergo Nom shirts. Ahh...*wipe away tear*  a good laugh does one wonders.

[Tshirtlimbo]

If they can't afford to have more staff, then they can't afford to have more staff (has anyone else thought of this?). I'd rather have merch come late than not be able to purchase QC merch (and get dates because of it )

Firstly, fixing this problem isn't about doing *more* per se, it's about doing *smarter*. For example, they could update their website to explain that they can't cope with demand.

Secondly, if your business model is such that you can't afford to operate professionally -- you've got to rethink your business model! Would you think to defend a hot-dog vendor that handed you an uncooked sausage, saying "sorry, we can't afford to heat 'em"?

I'm really surprised that the question of whether QC is doing a satisfactory job is controversial. Just pretend it was any other business for a moment. If I knew that even one of my customers was having experiences like those related in this thread I would have trouble sleeping at night!

Ben.

P.S. Thanks for the "aye" SmileyBandit.

[JustinCredible]

Sending my second email now...

I previously saw the gang when they came to Toronto back in 2007 and got one of their wonderful 'Math is Delicious' shirts. Fast forward 7 months and one ill advised laundry run by my father and my shirt is now bleached to kingdom come. SO, it just to happened I was planning to go to San Diego and lucked out when I found the QC booth at the show Although, my size wasn't available - I was offered a compromise with paying for the shirt and having it mailed out to me.

I personally hate having to deal with any type of ordering/online transactions. I like going to cons and meeting the content creators so I can hand them the money so there is no middle-person involved. I'm not saying that this is situation that confirms my fear, but rather I am left in a situation where it could end up being only my word that the transaction and terms ever occurred.

Not to say that QC would be out to screw me, but conventions are a hectic time and seeing what type of backlog they are facing - I can see myself being honestly forgotten. Outside of the paper that has my information on it, there are no PayPal or Credit Card receipt showing what occurred.

SO  I waited from July to Septembers and sent an email. Now I'm sending my second run, hoping my explanation jogs memories. If not, I guess I will hope I get lucky a third time and meet QC at a convention again, so I can buy it hand-to-hand.

[peeps1331]

I ordered a "Math is Delicious" T-shirt in late August and I've e-mailed [email protected] three times in the past two months with no reply and I'm beginning to grow concerned. I intended the shirt to be a gift for my boyfriend three months ago (he's going into math education) and now I'd just like to know where it is and when (hopefully if) I'll get it. I'm leaving the country in a few months and my address is changing in one month, so if I don't get the package before then, I'm kind of in trouble.

I wish that there were a phone number or something to contact QCmerch at since reading these posts I've seen that I'm not the only one who hasn't gotten any e-mail replies.

Does anyone from qc respond to you if you post on this forum?

[alexisdanaan]

I haven't seen Jeph or Cristi respond to this thread yet but you could try AIM, apparently some people have had some success with that.

[misslynz]

My one experience with trying QCMerch on AIM was pretty prompt, although I still have not received any sort of notification about whether the shirt will be shipped out soon. At the time I was told that it may be shipped out the next week. It's been several weeks since that interaction.

I don't know what to think of this, really. I want to try to wait patiently for it since I do really want my Bearmonster shirt, but I have this fear that like the people on this thread, I might experience similar problems with my order. 

[peeps1331]

I have my AIM set to notify me if QCmerch signs on, I haven't gotten a notification since I added the screen name more than a week ago. Any tips?

[misslynz]

I've only seen QCMerch on periodically, so it could be that you just have to wait until after the holiday, maybe? I'm not sure the last time I saw that name on my list, but I'm pretty sure it might have been at least a week ago. They DO come on, though. It was at least a few days or more after I added the SN that I saw them log on.

[PinothyJ]

I ordered a shirt way back in November of 2007. A shirt arrived in March 2008 and I said holy crap, this isn't my shirt, so they told me to send it back and wait for the replacement. Despite asking again and again, over and over, it's nearly December 2008 and I'm still shirtless. I've asked and they've said it's coming, or I've asked and they'll say they're sending it, I've asked and they said they think they've sent it (it's a different story each time).

I was offered a refund but seriously, screw you. I've been putting up with the biggest collection of disorganisation I have ever seen in an internet business for over a year, they think I'm going to put up with all of that for a year only to be back where I started. No likely!


Send me my goddamn shirt QC…

[GenericName]

but seriously, screw you.

Have any of you thought that maybe the reason Jeph and Cristi no longer read this thread is because of things like this? There are a few examples on here of how to deal with this situation, and several examples of how not to.

TO ALL: No matter what XKCD says, you generally catch more flies with honey than vinegar, and even if you don't, please don't just drive all the flies away by throwing your vinegar at them.

TO JEPH AND CRISTI: SORRY FOR METAPHORING YOU GUYS AS FLIES

[PinothyJ]

but seriously, screw you.

Have any of you thought that maybe the reason Jeph and Cristi no longer read this thread is because of things like this? There are a few examples on here of how to deal with this situation, and several examples of how not to.

TO ALL: No matter what XKCD says, you generally catch more flies with honey than vinegar, and even if you don't, please don't just drive all the flies away by throwing your vinegar at them.

TO JEPH AND CRISTI: SORRY FOR METAPHORING YOU GUYS AS FLIES

I'm only posting here because they refuse to respond to me in email where I have been kind, understanding and patient. But after a year of this I've gotten to the point where I'm thoroughly fed up! I'm sick of getting a new story every time I enquire, I'm sick of being told complete and utter crap every single time and then being ignored. I paid for a service and I expect that service! I've given them grace but it's been a year and now I'm after blood.


Give me my goddamn shirt…

[Phil500]

but seriously, screw you.

Have any of you thought that maybe the reason Jeph and Cristi no longer read this thread is because of things like this? There are a few examples on here of how to deal with this situation, and several examples of how not to.

Indeed.

It was suggested in this thread that all these delays (months, years...) are completely normal, and to be accepted by everybody, for reasons completely outside our control. Do you think that is the right way to deal with this situation?

It was suggested in this thread that QC is doing "everything they can" to get merch out. Still, the web site states the same old information about delivery times; mails regulary get NOT answered, and on this thread, people are not being replied to from QC. Do you think that is the right way to deal with this situation?

It was suggested in this thread that statements like "won't order again" are childish. After you've sent a few mails, not receiving any answer, waiting for several months to up to a year, seriously, would you order again? The only options you have (if you don't want to sue) as a consumer is not ordering again. It would be really childish to order again now would it?

It was suggested in this thread that being annoyed after a year (!!!) of not receiving an order is the wrong thing to do. Jesus! Are you really serious? Even if you know these guys, and like them personally, you must admit that this is just incredible behaviour!

[misslynz]

I'm just gonna be straight up honest here and say that if I don't get my shirt within four months of the date that I placed it, I'm doing the REASONABLE thing and calling up Visa to reverse the damn charge. THAT is a reasonable thing to do. I've done it before with another company where I waited LESS time for a shirt. I am not afraid to do it again if it is absolutely necessary.

If for any reason my credit card company cannot reverse the charge I guess I'll just end up eating the cost.

In any case, I haven't been waiting nearly as long as some of the people on here and I'm not THAT fed up yet. If/when it gets to that point I will do exactly what I stated that I would do.

There are just not that many legitimate reasons that paying customers should ever wait for such an extensive period of time for a product.

Love the comic(and I suspect I always will), not a fan of the waiting period for a piece of merch.

[GenericName]

Phil maybe we just have different upbringings but I am of the mindset that unless anyone has insulted me first, or is trying to assault me or something, it is not prudent to insult or demean them at all, especially somewhere where you hope they will see it. Did Jeph and Cristi send you an email saying "screw you, we're not giving you your damn shirt"? No? Then why would anyone be justified in saying "screw you" to them? If you're feeling spiteful and you want some way to make yourself feel better, do what misslynz is talking about and reverse the charge instead of just clogging up a useful thread with useless insults.

[mishy]

I'm just going to add my name to the list.
I ordered only 6 weeks ago, sent an email to qcmerch yesterday (before reading this thread) with, I hope, all the information he needs.
I'm still patient. It's not a gift (unless you count it as a gift for myself) so I will 2nd the "wait 4 months and then reverse the charge" plan.
If I have any good news, I will post it.

What I would like to know is has anyone received ANY qcmerch since September? Are they actually doing a print run for Christmas? Do people actually get email responses or is AIM the only way? (I so despise AOL that me contacting them that way is unlikely.)

Thanks. I kind of wish I'd read this thread before I purchased, but a bearmonster hoodie is just so awesome and can't be found anywhere else, so I probably would've purchased it anyway.

[MightyMouse]

Phil maybe we just have different upbringings but I am of the mindset that unless anyone has insulted me first, or is trying to assault me or something, it is not prudent to insult or demean them at all, especially somewhere where you hope they will see it. Did Jeph and Cristi send you an email saying "screw you, we're not giving you your damn shirt"? No? Then why would anyone be justified in saying "screw you" to them? If you're feeling spiteful and you want some way to make yourself feel better, do what misslynz is talking about and reverse the charge instead of just clogging up a useful thread with useless insults.

I agree to a certain extent, but let me point out that being ignored actually feels rather insulting. Being ignored when you have a reasonable complaint feels worse. We get frustrated and we're powerless. When the QC page still states things like "merch usually ships within 2-4 weeks", "questions about merch should be sent to [email protected]", and "christmas orders should be placed before nov 30th in order to arrive by christmas", while we're still waiting for our replies (months on end), we feel insulted.
I'm not saying I agree with Phil's choise of words, but I want to point out that many of us are feeling ignored, fooled and ridiculed. With right, I'd say.
Regarding the usefulness of this thread I'm not that sure. It spreads the word to other potential customers or to those who have just started getting worried about their order. But it unfortunatley doesn't seem to be solving anything, at the most it lets us let out some steam (or maybe build some, since we find that we're not the only ones who are being disregarded). I have been wondering about the purpose of this thread (besides avoiding loads of new threads about "where's my order") since it does not seem to be read by those "in charge".

[misslynz]

I'm just going to add my name to the list.
I ordered only 6 weeks ago, sent an email to qcmerch yesterday (before reading this thread) with, I hope, all the information he needs.
I'm still patient. It's not a gift (unless you count it as a gift for myself) so I will 2nd the "wait 4 months and then reverse the charge" plan.
If I have any good news, I will post it.

What I would like to know is has anyone received ANY qcmerch since September? Are they actually doing a print run for Christmas? Do people actually get email responses or is AIM the only way? (I so despise AOL that me contacting them that way is unlikely.)
Thanks. I kind of wish I'd read this thread before I purchased, but a bearmonster hoodie is just so awesome and can't be found anywhere else, so I probably would've purchased it anyway.

AIM is probably your best bet. After reading the responses on here, I'm afraid to send an email because I feel it will either get lost in the shuffle or I just won't get an answer.

*sigh* In the grand scheme of things something like this isn't really that big of a deal. It's just kind of upsetting. I'll be ecstatic if I do actually receive my shirt. Until then, I'll have to be content with flipping back to strip number 950 to see the Bearmonster shirt.

[GenericName]

MightyMouse if you look on previous pages, this thread used to be read frequently by Jeph and I think Cristi too. They don't frequent it anymore. Interestingly, I don't think I saw a single "screw you" in posts to which they replied, but I could be wrong.

[MightyMouse]

MightyMouse if you look on previous pages, this thread used to be read frequently by Jeph and I think Cristi too. They don't frequent it anymore. Interestingly, I don't think I saw a single "screw you" in posts to which they replied, but I could be wrong.

Looking back only tells me they've answered here one time each, and that's on the first page; last in the end of June. Their reading of this thread does not strike me as obvious, especially since they haven't done any of the obvious things that have been suggested, i.e. updating the merch page to state something about "be patient, don't make a fuss if you haven't heard from us. We're a two person project and it could easily take us two months before we ship your things - and three months before we reply to your mail."
However, if they have stopped reading it because they didn't like the criticism, then that is not very constructive. Ignoring a problem will not solve it.
It is my impression that most posters here have valid questions, and a majority of us are not using name calling when describing our difficulties, neither here nor in our emails - and still we don't get any help or answers. What should we do?

[Tshirtlimbo]

... maybe we just have different upbringings but I am of the mindset that unless anyone has insulted me first, or is trying to assault me or something, it is not prudent to insult or demean them at all...

I'll second MightyMouse's take on this: being ignored despite repeated, polite inquiries is definitely insulting. Plus we've already given them our money!

Imagine handing a guy in a store $20 for a t-shirt. He says "Cool! Glad you like my product. I'll go into the back of the store and fetch your size. If I'm not back in 5 minutes, ring this bell. If that doesn't work, there's that gong in the corner too." The guy disappears. Ten minutes later you go ahead and ring the bell. Fifteen minutes later, you ring it again. After waiting 30 minutes you meekly hit the gong. Nothing. Thoroughly puzzled, but still magnanimous, you poke your head into the back of the shop, wander down a corridor, and discover a room full of people with the same damn story to tell. Walking by the shop the next day, you see the t-shirt guy cheerfully putting "ORDER NOW FOR CHRISTMAS" signs in his window. He ignores you.

Three words: screw that guy.

Ben.






 

[jparenti]

Long time lurker, first time poster.  I'm here with a vote of confidence:
I just ordered a hoodie.  If it takes until 2010 to get it, so be it. 
These guys are doing what they can, through a small operation, to provide us, the faithful readers, with tangible evidence of our fan status. 
I read this thread and it is my understanding that it may take a while to receive said merchandise.  That said, there is no other realistic way to receive said merchandise except by ordering it and awaiting its arrival.
If you want instant gratification, you go to Wal-Mart.  If you want some product that is only available through, for example, Cambodian horse traders, you go to Cambodia and speak with the gentleman riding the equine.
I am here, I have ordered, and I am waiting.  And I have no problem with that.  I know my money is supporting my beloved comic, and I know that the QC merchandise is a labor of love that requires time.

You guys are certainly entitled to your opinion, though.  But remember your manners.  And try not to be douchebags, okay?

Cheers.   

[MolecularBear]

But remember your manners.  And try not to be douchebags, okay?

An ironic couplet 

I don't think that the waiting time is the reason people are upset. The reason people are angry is because they were lied to about the waiting time, they are ignored when they try to find out what the waiting time actually is, and they are left feeling like someone just stole their money. At least, that's how I feel.

I've ordered from QC three times in the past with no problems, but this fourth time has me waiting three months with no sign that I'll ever receive my purchase. Even if you want to argue that QC isn't a real business, this is no way to treat a fan of your web comic - especially a fan that has been providing monetary support over the years.

Given the relatively low posting volume on this thread, I have to assume that the vast majority of readers are getting their merch on time. Probably QC is focusing on pushing out as many new orders as they can, but not taking the time to deal with the small number of orders that get lost in the shuffle. It's not right, but that seems to be the reality of the situation.

UPDATE: almost as soon as I posted this, I received an email from QC stating that my order has shipped!

[Tshirtlimbo]

You guys are certainly entitled to your opinion, though.  But remember your manners.  And try not to be douchebags, okay?

If I try to be nicer, will you try to be smarter?

Answer me these questions three:

1. Do you consider it to be "good manners" to not show up for an appointment with an acquaintance, and then ignore said acquaintance if they try to find out what happened?
2. By "instant gratification", do you mean any period of time less than 3 months?
3. Do you know how much time and effort it takes to update text on a website?

You are aware of the fact that your shirt (or at least *a* shirt) may arrive in 2010 -- and you are fine with that. Bully for you. Can you see why people that took the text on the merchandise page at face value, and expected a shirt within 2 to 4 weeks, may be disappointed? Can you imagine how disappointment could turn into "WTF MERCH!" after repeated, polite attempts to follow the website's customer service instructions proved futile?

This comes down to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I would not do as QC has done. If I ever *did* I certainly wouldn't admonish anyone on their manners if they showed up to tell me that they were pissed off.

Ben.

[Kragit]

This comes down to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I would not do as QC has done. If I ever *did* I certainly wouldn't admonish anyone on their manners if they showed up to tell me that they were pissed off.

Jeph recently stated that it took them 6 hours to send out $800 (in postage) worth of shirts for one days orders.

I don't know about you, but that's an ass-load of shirts, for only one day's worth of orders.

Would it be nice to get our shirts quicker? Yes! If we did, I would actually have my shirts instead of possibly never seeing them again. All we're saying is to lay off the insults. Your welcome to complain, just don't be insulting to Jeph and Cristi.

Some of us think they're doing the best job they can with the manpower they have. Other's don't which is fine and you can say that (in a polite manner, "I don't think they're doing all they can, but that's my opinion, or similar".), but when you start saying things like "they're irresponsible, don't know what they're doing, etc", that's when it starts getting rude.

 If you were working on something, putting your all into it, and someone came up to you and told you you sucked, I'm sure that wouldn't feel very good. From your standpoint, your doing everything you can do, but maybe from they're standpoint, they think you can do better. It's all opinion. We just need to be polite about it.

Again, Myself and most others aren't saying that the wait is normal, or that we should be 100% ok with it. All we're saying is that WE think they're doing the best job they can, and to not be rude about it.

[MightyMouse]

(...) WE think they're doing the best job they can (...)

But "doing the best one can" is not the same as "working as quickly/much as one possibly can", it's also a matter of working smart, about being efficient, about priorities. It is my clear opinion that incorporating at least Tshirtlimbos second suggestion (see below) ought to be included (as a minimum) in the "doing the best one can".

If you have too much business (a good problem to have) -- you need to scale up your operations. If that's hard to manage, here are two quick and acceptable stop-gap solutions:

1. E-mail everyone with an outstanding order.

If the QC team can't manage this, they can grab a geek who can (does QC even have a customer database? Are they copying and pasting orders from e-mail?) In the mass e-mail, say: "Wowee gee! We've overwhelmed Please be patient and if you don't have a shipping notice within 3 months let us know at [email protected]. SORRY!!!!!"

2. Set up an auto-reply at QCmerch.

THIS IS SO FREAKING EASY IT MAKES ME WANT TO CRY. Say "Wowee gee! Etc." Cut and paste the text from the opening post in this thread. There is no reason why a confused/dissatisfied customer should have to dig around a forum to get some answers. Seriously, don't even try.

[Pengraffe]

Hi guys (and gals,)
    Sorry I haven't responded before, I don't have much time for the forums because I am working on your tshirts. I just sent out a bunch of backorders, so hopefully I have solved some of the problems discussed here. That being said, if your order is more than 3 months old, something has gone horribly, horribly wrong and I should be informed (again). In order to expedite this process, please email me your full name, what you ordered, the date that you ordered and the email address used to order (I do not need your transaction ID, your receipt ID or your credit card information, nor will I ever ask for your credit card info.) Because of the high volume of notifications I am getting at [email protected] right now, please email me at this address: [email protected]. I will get back to you within 24 hours.

Someone asked earlier in the thread if ANYONE gets their merchandise. I would certainly hope so! As of the end of October, we've processed over 5000 orders this year. I haven't counted the last week of November yet, but I am sure there will be quite a few more before the end of the year.

I hope that helps!

[mishy]

i'd just like to say thank you for the forum reply! and thank you for the description of "$800 shipping on one day's orders" because that gives us an idea of HOW MUCH merch is being ordered. obvious the few dozen or so who are reading this thread are far from the only ones ordering merch.
and right before i read your post, i was going to suggest that maybe you guys are busy with doing what we want you to be doing, and not reading they VERY LENGTHY posts about what's right and wrong (or reasonable vs insulting) in the merch business. i think this thread has deviated from usefulness in that it has become more of a debate about business customer relations than a place to voice a new complaint. i still like the sticky that starts this thread, though. it gives hope to people waiting beyond the 2-4 weeks. but by this, page 4, it's not giving hope to anyone, and it's a lot to read through. (including this post!)

i agree with all those people who've been screwed by unexpected delays and emails/orders that fall through the cracks. my fingers are crossed for you that your items are in their latest backorder shipment.

i agree with all those people not yet frustrated who are arguing in defense of QC. good service is sometimes hard to come by.

i support QC and anything it takes them to get things done. and i think they paid attention, they posted on what they've been going through with the current orders, and they've recognized our worries and posted a blue response here. yay!

[Tshirtlimbo]

Thanks, Pengraffe, for the update. As one of the "horribly wrong" cases, it's good to hear from someone in charge! With that said, I do hope you'll consider some of what has been said with respect to putting in some work on your business infrastructure vs. cranking out piles of back-orders.

I've done stints stuffing seemingly endless stacks of mail myself, and I feel your pain.

Cheers,

Ben.

[Tshirtlimbo]

Jeph recently stated that it took them 6 hours to send out $800 (in postage) worth of shirts for one days orders...

As MightyMouse has pointed out, I've never suggested that they weren't doing a lot of work. I have suggested that the way they are working betrays inexperience and/or incompetence. The distinction is captured nicely in the saying "more speed, less haste!"

All we're saying is to lay off the insults. Your welcome to complain, just don't be insulting to Jeph and Cristi.

You may read "incompetent" and "inexperienced" and hear insults. That's on you. I've made several attempts to underscore the fact that I consider Jeph and the QC team to be good people, while simultaneously being pretty harsh in my criticism of their business practices. Look, there's no personal shame in being inadequate to an enormous task (such as tracking, packing, and shipping thousands of t-shirts). By definition, however, if you can't accomplish what you've said you'll do -- you're incompetent. Similarly, if you react to a breakdown in your system by trying to work faster instead of fixing your system (e.g. bailing your boat instead of plugging the hole), that betrays inexperience in business.

Probably the harshest thing I've said with respect to the QC team is that "they are acting like they don't care about their customers". In that sentence "acting like" is the key modifier -- and I used the strong language in the hopes of demonstrating that no matter what a person's intentions are (the QC team being presumed to be essentially good-hearted), they will be judged by their actions and choices.

Actually, the harshest thing I may have said was "screw that guy" after describing a slightly-altered version of QC's customer service. Mea culpa, but for the record most of that sentiment was meant for the people in this thread telling people like me not to be critical of the QC team nor to express anger. To be clear: "screw you guys." Also: "grow a pair."

With (all) that said, I think I'm done here. I've made my points as clearly as I ever will and the issue of improving the QC merch system is now in QC's hands. Now to go give that new e-mail address a try.

Ben.

[misslynz]

I just tried sending a reasonably polite email(as polite as I can be) to the email address listed a few messages ago on this thread. I am hoping I can get some kind of an update on my order even if it says I won't get it before ___ date. I really just want to know what the status is on it so that I don't end up pulling my hair out over a t-shirt that I ordered.

I know I haven't been waiting nearly as long as anyone that regularly posts here, but I do feel that the shipping times that are currently listed on the merch page really need to be altered to reflect a more realistic waiting period.

[cyniccyanide]

Can someone give me a reasonable, estimated time for how long orders take, er, international orders in particular. I don't wanna know about all the delayed orders, I mean on average. Thanks.

[peeps1331]

Has anyone heard back from the gmail account? I've been waiting since the day that we were given that address and I've received no response. Maybe snail mail will work?

[MightyMouse]

Has anyone heard back from the gmail account? I've been waiting since the day that we were given that address and I've received no response. Maybe snail mail will work?

I got my reply from the gmailaccount after a couple of hours. Maybe it (too) has been flooded with mails? I sent my email shortly after the address was announced here.

[SmileyBandit]

Can someone give me a reasonable, estimated time for how long orders take, er, international orders in particular. I don't wanna know about all the delayed orders, I mean on average. Thanks.

Update on my order: I placed an order on July 17 and received most of my goods last week (Dec 3, still waiting on a bearmonster hoodie). I'm in Australia, so that was my experience and I'm not certain how reasonable that is as an estimate. As I've said before, not unhappy about the wait (though I'm thoroughly delighted now that they're here!) but would have appreciated some communication regarding the expected delay. I ordered about 12 items, for which I received three shipping notifications, so it was just the one parcel not arriving thus far, though it is listed on the shipping notice and I expect that it should arrive shortly.

[Tshirtlimbo]

I had a helpful reply from the Gmail account within an hour or so of contacting QC on the day the account was mentioned. So far so good, we'll see how things progress.

[lucyt]

Here's a message from a very pleased customer: I ordered two tote bags on Aug. 22, 2008. One of them is the "She blinded me with library science" one, a gift for my nifty choir director who is also a librarian. It didn't arrive before we started our autumn season (and I knew it wouldn't), but it DID arrive with perfect timing for me to congratulate her on her library book cart drill team competition (yes, really  ).

Also, my giant isopod ("I feel pretty") bag is very high quality. Not only is the image well-designed, but also the straps are a great length so I don't have to be a contortionist while putting it on my shoulder and it doesn't slide off my shoulder (not even a little bit) even when I'm wearing my jacket made of slippery fabric AND the bag is holding my music binders for four separate groups with which I sing. As we approach Christmas Cantata season, I'd say my QC tote bag "has it together" more than I do! (Hmmm ... it doesn't write run-on sentences, either!)

I'm posting this message here because I find that gratitude is better when it's shared. 

[SmileyBandit]

...an update for the merchless and weary.

My final piece of merch arrived yesterday and everything is perfect. The quality is great, the designs are wicked and I'm confusing the hell out of my elderly relatives with my "teh" t-shirt, them claiming that "it's just not that funny!"

All-in-all, with a three to four month lead time on delivery, the only concern I have is that there was no communication during the process (blah, blah, blah, recurring theme) but if asked whether I would order again, my answer would be a resounding, "if Jeph comes out with a wicked new design!"

[kizzle]

I just wanted to thank QC for the prompt reply once I sent an email to the gmail account that they set up for us.    I guess they HAD shipped my order over the summer, but I never got a shipment notice, and the merchandise never arrived.  As soon as they have the shirts that I ordered in stock again, they're going to ship them out ... and they haven't even received back my order that was lost (which they said happens sometimes with shipments to Canada).  Thanks!!  I can't wait!!

[CrazyProphetHobo]

Sent an e-mail to the new address on the fourth, got a response promptly on the fifth, and my order has been shipped today (couple of follow up questions in between, no less). The process works. Even got a substitution for a shirt that I would have had to wait for (which is awesome, because the Cogito Ergo Nom shirt popped up about a week after I placed my order and I was dissapointed. Happy to be getting it )

So yeah, maybe overall it wasn't the best ordering experience, but Cristi pulled out some late game great customer service for us. Good on ya.

[lillythepink57]

Hooray my order came today
ordered it months ago for an evolution professor of mine about a month before semester ended, which was about 3 months ago now.
Oh well - get to keep it for me now ;p
I'm happy!

[CrazyProphetHobo]

Shirts have arrived, much rejoicement was had.

[peeps1331]

Finally got in touch using AIM. Apparently, there was some e-mail issue where I'm not receiving messages from qc or any of their addresses. My shirt (ordered in august) was apparently shipped in September and proceeded to fall of the face of the planet. Replacement due Friday? I guess we'll see...

...but I'm hopeful.

[erica5877]

Transaction ID: 9PC59920A51280609

I ordered three tee's to be sent to London on 18th May 2008.  The money was taken from my account.  I have since chased via mail account [email protected] lots of times and received no reply.  I tried to query the order through paypal but recived no reply either.  The tee's were for a birthday present in June!

So... where is my stuff please?  Or can I get my $104 back?

Erica

[MarshyTheKid]

Wow, I sure wish I saw this thread before I ordered. I got my shirt 1 month after ordering. Unfortunately it was an XL in womans and in black, whereas I ordered XL in Mens and chocolate. I've sent a few emails and yet nothing back.

Why don't they go through cafepress or a site like that that will actually do proper business?

[MarshyTheKid]

Maybe I'll just sell this shirt to someone that could use it then order a new one... Might be faster than trying to get a hold of one of them..
Next time I will think a few dozen times about ordering from them again. My friend was about to order a hoodie. I'm warning him now.

[melliechick]

@Marshy: I think it's been mentioned before, but cafepress shirts are far inferior in quality to the current QC shirts...plus, shirts from cafepress are pricier and the shirt designers get less of a profit.  If they were to go through any other website, topatoco would be a much better choice than cafepress.  I can't speak for everyone, but I personally would probably not buy as much QC merch if it was from cafepress.

However, I'm quite happy with the service QC offers.  I've ordered twice this year, and have received both orders in about two months, which I find acceptable (after all the site does say 2-4 weeks for shipping, plus printing time, which is like 2-4 weeks).  Both ordering experiences were quite pleasant, and I will definitely order again (I'm planning on ordering a kittymonster shirt and a cogito ergo nom shirt once I have the cash).  Both times I was easily able to contact Cristi on AIM, and she was very helpful (and both times it turned out my order was already shipped before I even contacted her! ).  And would I recommend that others purchase merchandise from QC?  Of course.  I see no reason not to.  As mentioned before, for the most part, the people who have had good shopping experiences are probably not going to post in the "WTF MERCH" thread.