[Homy]

I hope this is the right forum since MGS doesn't have a discussion forum. I just wanted to say that I'm a bit disappointed in Macgamestore's handling of (international) shipping costs. Last week I wanted to order two games but calculated that it would be cheaper if I ordered an IMG Pro subscription with a free game and just payed for the shipping of the free game. I noticed that when you order an IMG Pro subscription you can't put other items in your cart. So I had to order the other game separately (at the same time). The shipping charge to Sweden is $15 for one game and $5 for each additional game so I figured I had to pay $20 for both games.

Before I made the order I e-mailed MGS and asked if I had to pay two separate shipping charges (15+15) since I had to make two different orders. The MGS staff wrote that it would cost $20 for the two games. So I ordered the games and even wrote a comment in both order pages asking MGS to send the games in the same package for lower shipping cost. I noticed then on my credit card bill that MGS had charged me with $30 instead of $20 so I e-mailed MGS again and told them that there must have been a mistake and they still had charged me for two separat shippings. First I didn't get any answer so after a couple of days I had to e-mail again. Then I got an answer that said "Unfortunately both of these items have already shipped so we can't apply any refunds to orders once they have shipped. Our apologies but IMG Pro subscriptions have set shipping and does not affect other orders that you make in the system".

The shipping time was short and after a few days I got the package but to my surprise the games were in the same package and if I'm not mistaking the stamp on the package showed a shipping fee of $11. So I think it's very strange that I have to pay $30 for two separate shipping fees but the games come as one package with a shipping fee of $11.

So see this as a suggestion for improvement. Let the customers order everything in the same cart and don't charge for two packages when you send the items in one package. I understand the "set shipping" for IMG Pro and I am prepared to pay $15 for that but when you ship the other game together with IMG Pro you should charge $5 as you normally do not $15. Otherwise I'm happy with MGS service.

[Blackshawk]

IMG Pro is a strange animal that I've never really understood. Most of us just use it to help sponsor the community or run a blog on the site..........

[the Battle Cat]

There are a number of forum perks with an IMG Pro account.

[Blackshawk]

True – different color to your name, option for a custom title (see my own), and access to the heavily-posted in IMG Pro Forum.


I know, I know, I'm griping.

[the Battle Cat]

In addition to the deluxe IMG Booth Babes and unlimited hot tub access in the IMG Pro Forums, IMG Pro members have these swell forum relevant perks:

• personal photo can be up to 150px square as opposed to 80
  
• attachments to threads in the IMG Pro forums
  
• attachments to PM's
  
• avatar uploads
  
• search flood control is halved
  
• send 3 times the emails in a 24hr period
  
• mass PM up to 10 members
  
• 4 times the amount of PM storage
  
• Unrestricted post editing
  
• edit own topic title & description
  
• start new polls
  
• plus a couple technical advantages.

For a full list of benefits afforded you by becoming an IMG Pro member check out this page.

[teflon]

the Battle Cat, on September 19th 2007, 02:40 PM, said:

plus a couple technical advantages.

yeah, technically theyre advantages, but they just dont seem like it... for example, you get to be "friends" with mr Battle Cat here...

is it an advantage?? well... technically...

[the Battle Cat]

teflon, on September 19th 2007, 07:16 AM, said:

yeah, technically theyre advantages, but they just dont seem like it... for example, you get to be "friends" with mr Battle Cat here...

is it an advantage?? well... technically...

::tBC straps teflon's head into the Chinese live monkey-brain eating table::

Last chance to rephrase that!

[teflon]

ggggnnnnnuh!!!!

::runs around the corner and hides behind one of the many many piles of tyres with palm trees growing out of them in a very sideshow bob way::

i cant help but feeling that weve gone off topic...

id personally be tempted to take this to the top, Tuncer. youve no doubt got the email saying that you would only be charged $20, and did everything in your power to ensure that there was notice placed on all of your payments, so it does seem like youre paying for other people's mistakes... literally.

the least that you can hope for is that Tuncer will change things so that its made clear that this will happen, and that the people answering the emails know that this is the case.

[Homy]

teflon, on September 20th 2007, 12:57 AM, said:

ggggnnnnnuh!!!!

::runs around the corner and hides behind one of the many many piles of tyres with palm trees growing out of them in a very sideshow bob way::

i cant help but feeling that weve gone off topic...

id personally be tempted to take this to the top, Tuncer. youve no doubt got the email saying that you would only be charged $20, and did everything in your power to ensure that there was notice placed on all of your payments, so it does seem like youre paying for other people's mistakes... literally.

the least that you can hope for is that Tuncer will change things so that its made clear that this will happen, and that the people answering the emails know that this is the case.

Thanks for your replay! Finally someone that is not OT. Yes, I have the e-mail in case anyone wants to see it and I wrote a comment in both orders asking MGS to send the games in the same package, but next to where you write your comment it says "Please do not include package delivery instructions". So maybe they don't care about any comment and don't check if someone has ordered several items so they could send everything together (wait.. they did sent everything in one package so they must have read my comment) . I have read the help section and can't find any special shipping terms regarding IMG Pro subscription together with other orders. The thing is that as it is right now you have to order IMG Pro and other items separately and you'll be charged for two shippings but they do send you everything in one package and pay one shipping fee themselves. So I can't help feeling a bit cheated.

[teflon]

keep on pestering/spamming the email address until you get some kind of helpful response that actually acknowledges the issue.

[Tuncer (IMG)]

IMG Pro shipping costs are independent of other shipping products through the store, so they cannot be changed. The costs of shipping cover handling, boxing, costs of the free games, etc. This is the only scenario where this applies.

[teflon]

i think the only problem that really happened is that the email response to Homy's query said that he could get $20 shipping instead of $30, which obviously led him off down the garden path.
i realise that this would be quite an isolated incident, but its definitely an eventuality which should be catered for if not on the website then by the team responding to all the emails.

[Homy]

teflon, on September 21st 2007, 10:00 AM, said:

i think the only problem that really happened is that the email response to Homy's query said that he could get $20 shipping instead of $30, which obviously led him off down the garden path.
i realise that this would be quite an isolated incident, but its definitely an eventuality which should be catered for if not on the website then by the team responding to all the emails.

Yes, I don't think it is my fault that I was misinformed. If you are informed correctly from the begining then you just accept the terms and there is no risk of misunderstanding and mistakes. A customer never likes to be told one thing and then treated in other way. Here is my question to MGS and the answer I got.:

Hi!If I buy a IMG Pro subscription with a free game the shipping cost
to Sweden is $15. If I order another game at the same time, do I have
to pay another $15 for shipping or will the cost be $20 for those two
games? The reason I ask is because the IMG Pro subscription doesn't
appear in my cart with the rest of the order.

The cost for shipping two games would be $20.

Thanks,

The MGS Staff

I think I'm pretty clear in my question.

Tuncer (IMG), on September 21st 2007, 03:14 AM, said:

The costs of shipping cover handling, boxing, costs of the free games, etc. This is the only scenario where this applies.

Thank you for your reply! As I explained before I find this strange and bothering in my case. Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems pretty simple to me how it works. As you say the shipping cost of $15 to international customers covers handling, boxing and cost of the free game. You also say that IMG Pro shipping costs are independent of other shipping products through the store. It means that when I order an IMG Pro subscription I should receive a single free game in its own separat package because that is what I pay for. I ordered IMG Pro with a free game and another game and was charged $30. Then I should receive two separat packages with one game in each, because that was what I payed for. Well, that was not what happened in my case. I received both games in the same envelope, which seems only logical to me. When you put two games in the same package you charge only an additional $5 for the second game. So in my case I shold pay $20 instead of $30 since both games came in the same package. My question is then why I didn't get what I payed for, that is to say two packages? or why was I charged for two packages when you delivered everything in the same package?

When I asked for a correction the MGS staff also wrote that "unfortunately both of these items have already shipped so we can't apply any refunds to orders once they have shipped". I find this strange too. I mean I'm not asking MGS to pay me back in cash or something. How hard can it be to just send the customer a $10 gift certificate like the ones you already sell. I will be using it to buy more games at MGS anyway. I understand that you wouldn't pay any refund if you already had spent my $30 on shipping but since you have sent the games in the same package it means that you didn't have to spend $30 on the handling, boxing and cost of the free game and my other game but only $20. So MGS would not be losing any money but in fact paying me back my own money.

[Tuncer (IMG)]

The cost of IMG Pro and costs for shipping products are independent of each other, no matter if they are shipped in the same box or not.

I understand your point but that's how it is set up. Sorry, that's just how it is.

[Homy]

Hmm...OK. Then we know how it works. Not that it sounds logical to me. As it is now MGS is saying to the customers "we charge you $15 to go and get a free game off the shelf, put it in an envelope, write your address on it and stamp it. We put your second game in the same package so WE don't have to pay for another envelope/box ourselves or use some more scotch tapes or stamp the box and write your address on it again, but we charge YOU another $10 to go and pick up your second game off the shelf... oh and we'll tell You that we Won't charge that $10 but we are going to do it anyway. Hmm....It sounds very logical. You really need to look into this issue. Oh well, at least I know now how it works at MGS .

P.S. I think I'll be avoiding IMG Pro subscription in the future.

[Homy]

the Battle Cat, on September 19th 2007, 03:40 PM, said:

[*]4 times the amount of PM storage

Well, I don't think that's correct. I'm a Pro subscriber and I still have "50 maximum storable messages".

[Blackshawk]

I don't think you've linked your pro subscription to your forum account yet. Do that, and then you should start seeing the benefits.

[the Battle Cat]

Homy, on September 22nd 2007, 04:38 AM, said:

Well, I don't think that's correct. I'm a Pro subscriber and I still have "50 maximum storable messages".

You won't see it until you link your pro subscription to your forum account. As soon as you see the ads disappear from the forum, you'll know you got it right (I think no-ads is default, not positive). Regardless, look under where your avatar should be. See where it says "Group: Members"? If your forum account were linked to your IMG Pro account it would read "Group: IMG Pro Users". Look at Blackshawk's group as an example.

To link your IMG Pro subscription to your forum account log into IMG Pro and go to the preferences page. You will see forum link check box near the top. Click that, save, then come back to the forums.

[Homy]

the Battle Cat, on September 22nd 2007, 05:12 PM, said:

You won't see it until you link your pro subscription to your forum account. As soon as you see the ads disappear from the forum, you'll know you got it right (I think no-ads is default, not positive). Regardless, look under where your avatar should be. See where it says "Group: Members"? If your forum account were linked to your IMG Pro account it would read "Group: IMG Pro Users". Look at Blackshawk's group as an example.

To link your IMG Pro subscription to your forum account log into IMG Pro and go to the preferences page. You will see forum link check box near the top. Click that, save, then come back to the forums.

Ok, thanks!

[Blackshawk]

Ladies and gentlemen give him a big hand, he got it to work!



Seriously though, welcome to the elite.