whitekong Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 We are very sorry for those who had issues with their orders in the past few weeks. We have been selling for many years, and normally have excellent stock levels. However we had some major problems with restocks from our distributors, just in the past few weeks on the Malifaux line. Apparently our distributors have had problems with supply from the manufacturer, because of the recent spike in volume. I guess, in the long run, that is a good thing! Anyways, we are doing our best to keep everyone informed of delays and the recent issues. Thank you for your patience. We have been assured that supply will be returning to normal very soon, so please check back with us soon! Best to everyone, The FRP Games Team www.frpgames.com Well it's good to see that they are aware of the problem, but to say well we didn't get them so it's not our fault is crap. Everyone understands that if it's not in stock then it's not in stock. But to advertise that it's in stock when you know it's not in stock is just bad business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hannibal Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Actually lots of online retailers, even ones with Ebay stores, will list things as being in stock when they don't have them. The thing is retailers get shipments daily. Often they order something when its getting low and at most they're out of it for a couple days before they get a restock (sometimes within a day). So in that case while it may be actually out of stock when it gets ordered, the restock comes so quickly that you don't realize it and think its just part of the shipping delay. To go in and list things as being out of stock in that case is a waste of time that could spent on things like processing the restock. I know a lot of companies do this. If you think of it that way, then frpgames' post makes sense: they expected to get a restock that never materialized and so there's this delay between charging and shipping. Now, I'm not saying that they shouldn't refund the money if you ask. I'm just saying that this process is not unique to FRP games and we should keep that in mind before we start grabbing pitchforks and torches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WombatCowboy Posted September 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Actually lots of online retailers, even ones with Ebay stores, will list things as being in stock when they don't have them. The thing is retailers get shipments daily. Often they order something when its getting low and at most they're out of it for a couple days before they get a restock (sometimes within a day). So in that case while it may be actually out of stock when it gets ordered, the restock comes so quickly that you don't realize it and think its just part of the shipping delay. To go in and list things as being out of stock in that case is a waste of time that could spent on things like processing the restock. I know a lot of companies do this. If you think of it that way, then frpgames' post makes sense: they expected to get a restock that never materialized and so there's this delay between charging and shipping. Now, I'm not saying that they shouldn't refund the money if you ask. I'm just saying that this process is not unique to FRP games and we should keep that in mind before we start grabbing pitchforks and torches. I agree with you Hannibal and am aware that some stores count incoming merchandise as in stock. However I specifically asked them in two different forms if it was really in stock or whether they were awaiting shipment before sending things out. Both times they responded as "Yes we have them in our possession and they can ship within 3 days of you ordering." That along with the horrible lag time in getting any information from them is what irks me the most. Regards, Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haight Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 (edited) Actually lots of online retailers, even ones with Ebay stores, will list things as being in stock when they don't have them. The thing is retailers get shipments daily. Often they order something when its getting low and at most they're out of it for a couple days before they get a restock (sometimes within a day). So in that case while it may be actually out of stock when it gets ordered, the restock comes so quickly that you don't realize it and think its just part of the shipping delay. To go in and list things as being out of stock in that case is a waste of time that could spent on things like processing the restock. I know a lot of companies do this. If you think of it that way, then frpgames' post makes sense: they expected to get a restock that never materialized and so there's this delay between charging and shipping. Now, I'm not saying that they shouldn't refund the money if you ask. I'm just saying that this process is not unique to FRP games and we should keep that in mind before we start grabbing pitchforks and torches. The fact that many retailers do it neither makes it a good business practice, nor changes the fact that it's disingenuous. As an estimator for one of the company's I have worked for, I ran our stock warehouse of HVAC goods for over five years, including all shipping and receiving including nationwide and local shipments. We never counted ordered stock from the manufacturer as "in stock", as it would lead to problems on construction jobs if there factory delays, recieved goods were damaged, shipping delays, inclement weather that delayed a shipment, etc - a whole host of reasons. By counting these items as on hand when they weren't, if an issue occurred, it could stymie the contractor's schedule, possibly incur delay fines against him, and sour the business relationship. While possibly slightly less consequential, this situation is no different. Unforeseen circumstances can happen, and while you had every intention that X stock would be in on Y day, when something happens, and you do not have X stock in on Y day, your customer can draw no other conclusion than you are disorganized and disingenuous (which may or may not be the case, but its the only logical conclusion your customer can draw from his frame of reference) - particularly if you don't pre-empt the issue. If this behavior becomes a pattern, then there is a problem with your customer relations. I'm not telling FRP how to run its business - they've been in business for years and so must have figured out a model that works. However on the service end of things it's not a model that I (and others in this thread, and other gamers i know) have any desire to do business with. Customer relations is a tricky thing - it takes years to build, and moments to destroy. Edited September 18, 2009 by Haight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invader Larb Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 FRP has always taken good care of me and I've been ordering with them for years. I agree that if something is seriously out of stock its status needs to be changed. They apparently dropped the ball on this when the Malifaux product did not come in time from the distributer. No question, this was a problem. The other tricky thing is processing a cash refund versus a credit or change in product takes a lot of time. Making a change to your order for a different product or holding a credit for you is simple. Having the accounting staff proccess a cash return back to you card is much more difficult. And again, it is not done by the customer service staff but rather by the accounting department. Plus, when accounting does the credit it can still take a week to ten busniness days for your own credit card company to process the credit on their end. If FRP did the credit today it could still take two weeks to show up on your statement. This is pretty much true accross most businesses (including my own). This situation is unfortunate, but I reccomend FRP. They have communicated with me well in the past and have an extremely diverse product range. I also highly reccomend the Warstore. Neal is great too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmp_mydog Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 That's to bad. I'm of the firm belief that you shouldn't sell something you don't have it's just bad business. (and is partially at fault for the "Oil Crisis") Pre-orders are one thing but telling people you have something in-stock and then ordering it is not cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hannibal Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 That's to bad. I'm of the firm belief that you shouldn't sell something you don't have it's just bad business. (and is partially at fault for the "Oil Crisis") Pre-orders are one thing but telling people you have something in-stock and then ordering it is not cool. Yeeeeeah, much of the world operates by just-in-time stocking like that. Your local grocery store does it, and if you have a Costco nearby they're the kings of that. I still say that FRP games just got hit with a supply shortage that exposed the weakness of that model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmsetzer Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 (edited) Yes, but they still show on eBay that they will ship the items (which I know they don't have yet) three days after payment, which we know is false. BTW, no word from them. They told me on Monday that the shipment is on the way and will arrive this week... so I;ve sent an email inquiring about my order. We'll see what happens. Edited September 18, 2009 by jmsetzer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breten Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 Yeeeeeah, much of the world operates by just-in-time stocking like that. Your local grocery store does it, and if you have a Costco nearby they're the kings of that. I still say that FRP games just got hit with a supply shortage that exposed the weakness of that model. It's not just on the Wyrd minis, as in my case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyBones Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 Yeeeeeah, much of the world operates by just-in-time stocking like that. Your local grocery store does it, and if you have a Costco nearby they're the kings of that. I still say that FRP games just got hit with a supply shortage that exposed the weakness of that model. True, but your grocery store isnt advertising they have corn on their sign and when you walk in they are out and have been for a few days or even longer. I've had the same issue with FRP when I ordered my Uncharted Seas stuff. Right or wrong is a matter of opinion but no one can argue that they have hurt their business by it. I think the number of posts complaining of the same thing makes that a fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Repeter Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 By no means am I discounting the negative experiences reported here, but I've ordered from FRP a number of times (10-15) and never had an issue. I think they want to actually sell you what you've ordered, in a timely fashion. Wyrd is the shit right now and in this little world of mini-gaming, that is a rare and unexpected thing; a good thing. I can't say I agree with active ebay auctions for items not in stock, but I also can't say I understand how hard it would be for a business to just pull all it's auctions. It is probably a big part of their business model to have these auctions going all the time. I also think FRP could do more to report the status of orders--both actively on their site and through email. Again, I've never had a problem with them, but if they took heed of what is being reported here and are a little interested in 'damage control', they might want to at least make some mass contact with their customers soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entiago Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 I never had issues with FRP Games either...but shipping did take a bit long compared to most. And I too almost succumbed to their ebay store - but my FLGS warned me of the current ebay Malifaux "mishaps". Lately tho I have found myself using the Warstore, CMON store, or MLGS for my other orders. AND I just placed my first order with WYRD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandu Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 The warstore is without a doupt one of the best online gaming stores I've seen. Brandu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gru6y Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 (edited) Just to throw my 3 cents in... I can't say I agree with active ebay auctions for items not in stock, but I also can't say I understand how hard it would be for a business to just pull all it's auctions. It is probably a big part of their business model to have these auctions going all the time. There are ways to overcome that. Maelstrom Games, for instance, keeps a seperate stock for ebay. Thanks to that, I could get my Malifaux rulebook even though it was out of stock on thier official website. Edited September 21, 2009 by gru6y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightdrake Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 The warstore is without a doupt one of the best online gaming stores I've seen. Brandu Neil is the shiznit, would recommend The Warstore from my past experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borthcollective Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 I think the issue is not that Neal at the Warstore isn't super awesome to deal with. It's that he was courteous enough to mark his stock as out when it, well, actually was. People were ordering from FRP because they were claiming, via having a live auction on eBay, that they had stock in hand. I can understand where they are coming from since I did the same thing. I am going to stick it out and hope that all of FRP's back orders don't leave me hanging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sushicaddy Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 I have NEVER had a problem with the Warstore, in fact my Mx rulebook comes from them tomorrow! W00t! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blkdymnd Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 Warstore has had its share of problems as well, but not even close to as numerous. I've been a Warstore-er since about '01 and have had a few times where Neal made me scratch my head, but his service and percentage of that actually happening is extremely low. Neal did tell me last week that my Malifaux backorders should ship out last Monday because the stock had come in, and then when Friday rolled around and he told me they hadn't received it yet. That part aggravated me a bit, but at least he didn't give me a "check's in the mail" line or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FryeC Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 E-Figures Distribution's restock leaves Wyrd shortly. It should arrive in our NY warehouse late this week, early next week. Your FLGS should have stock back on their shelves between 29th - 2nd depending on State. I also wanted to remind players that although it's nice to be able to save a few dollars online it does little to help your Local Game Store. The FLGS near you has more then likely posted a order for you with their distributor. On top of that most retailers are investing their time, money and resources into making sure players can enjoy these games in a gaming area. Where you buy your products is up to you but remember that in a store you get exactly what you paid for. Just my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdelemental Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 Thanks, Chris! Now....ship to Pam at RIW in Livonia and I'll be supporting both her and you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WombatCowboy Posted September 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 No store to the best of my knowledge in Colorado stocks Mali at this time or I would certainly support local. The people I play with have talked to the owner of Enchanted Grounds about carrying it and while interested he said he wasn't able to get them. FRP refunded me today and offered me free shipping if I was to re-order when they restocked. James appears to be their customer service manager and their handling of the refund seemed to go well with me checking in just yesterday and it getting processed today. I do appreciate James's effort. Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derkus Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Add my name to the pile of unhappy ex-customers of FRP. They did manage to get me my rulebook, but here I am a couple of weeks later with no miniatures. For those of you who ordered off Ebay, I recommend negative (or at least neutral) feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frpgames Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 Hello all, I am happy to announce that we have received Wyrd restocks and we once again have the full product line in stock! If anyone has active backorders, they are now shipping. We apologize for the recent issues, normally we always have excellent stock on hand. Also, we are getting special Wyrd promos! We were given these to send out to our customers who have been affected by the recent supply problems. Please email us your info and we will be sure to get you a special promo! Email to: james@frpgames.com Thank you all for your patience and business, -James FRP Games Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaintVagrant Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 Im sure that will help after 5 pages of people complaining about your store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derkus Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 James, Why exactly do you need our info? We placed orders that included all relevant info. You should have it on hand. If you want to give us a special promo bonus that is great, but I wont be emailing to ask for any favors from you. -Derk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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