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****EDIT APRIL 12th: ISSUE RESOLVED***
privateer press clerical error lost my order, i didnt check my visa and it appeared i was never charged even though i was told the product was allegedly shipped out ... twice so I assumed I was charged for the order... Two negatives make a positive? Final result: Everybody is happy/fine
********************************

Has anybody ordered from Privateer Press and noticed a long shipping time?

A few vendors in Canada have been commenting how they cant keep privateer press in stock because they simply just don't get many shipments from them. Months back they offered that deal to get a starter set with the rules book etc, so I jumped on that.

I placed my order on May 23rd 2011
June 29th rolled around, a few of my friends who ordered a week after me received their products, so I emailed them - no answer
July 8th - emailed them again - no answer.
August 5th - emailed AGAIN - no answer.
I posted on their facebook wall on August 22nd about whats been going on and why am I not getting an answer... I was quickly answered by a guy named Simon to email him directly - to which I did and I got a fast response back explaining due to the Canada Post strike we had this year, it appears it was lost in the mail and he will have it re-sent.
Sept 19th - no package arrived yet, so I emailed Simon and their frontdesk email address(their customer service email address) - and I havent received a response from those yet.

We're past 4 months from my initial purchase and coming up 6 weeks from when I got a response from Simon promising it was shipped. I even selected the faster shipping method on May 23rd, the initial order date, so I would get the product quickly.

**Updated events (updated March 16th 2012):

October 23rd - Posted on their main Forums asking for an update, was replied to by PPS_Alex for my Name and order number which was provided to him on October 25th.
October 25th - received an email from Adam confirming my address and that they would re-send the order - advised they would use a higher method to "track the order" - no tracking number was ever provided to me
December 2nd - I email them - advise them no correspondence back from them along with no order received. I request a refund, obviously frustrated with waiting for this order to "arrive"
December 5th - received email reply from Privateer Press advising they would refund my order.
December 13th - I email PP to advise I see no refund on my credit card. No reply.
December 19th - I email PP again, no refund done.
December 20th - I was away for holidays and received a voicemail from Adam requesting a call back to confirm some credit card info.

In January (didn't record the day, my bad) I tried calling and was told Adam isnt in and they would relay my message to tell him to call me back. I never received a call.

February 14th - I call again, Advised Adam is done at 3:30 PST and to call before then. I then email Adam advising I missed his call back in December and to call me back.

February 23th - I call again, I speak to Adam, I provide him the credit card information he required and he advised he would call me back to confirm its been done.

March 8th - I post on their forums - advised no reply from Adam, 2 weeks since I last spoke to him and no refund has been done on my credit card. No reply on the forums
March 16th (today) - I post on their facebook page since i'm tired of dealing with this behind the scenes and if its brought up in front of their 11,000 followers, maybe they'll actually do something - advised them I've been waiting since DECEMBER to get a simple refund done and it's not yet.
March 16th - I get a reply from my message on the forum from PPS_Adam(convenient...) asking for my name so he can look into my order and find out the status of the refund.

*LONG SIGH*


I have to say, GW has really kicked us on the gonads this year with the finecast miscasts, but when I contacted Games Workshop in regards to asking if i can buy the shoulder mount on a necron heavy destroy cause mine fell off somewhere between my hobby store and home - and they mailed me a full brand new heavy destroyer... I'll take GW's customer service over whats happening with privateer press :(

It saddens me because I just want to give war machine an honest shot.

Anybody have any thoughts on what to do with Privateer Press at this point?

I think they are really struggling to keep up with demand at the moment. They really underestimated just how popular their special offers would be in the light of recent GW buffoonery.

It's no consolation to the customer however and certainly no excuse. I am still waiting on a Cygnar starter set and faction book from Gifts for Geeks - I assume the delay is at source rather than distributor.

Still, I'm sure PP are more than aware of the issues and are working hard to make good. Have patience!

According to my distributor contacts, they were also (again) unfortunate enough to have a container of products held up by customs. This is the reason for the 2p battle box delays.

While I'd blame the initial wait on the postal strike you guys had, the later delay does seem more than a little off. I know one or two of the PPS staffers are on this site, so hopefully they catch this and can give you an explanation.

When in doubt, you can also try giving their Front Desk a call. I don't know what the number is, but it should be listed on the website somewhere.

I've never had problems getting replacement parts from them, but from reading the forums I get the feeling that PP has a really zealous email filter in place, and that requests often get eaten by the system.

Sorry you're having such trouble getting what you ordered, it sucks to have to wait that long on anything.

PP is months behind filling distributor orders to all distributors, and it's hit or miss as to whether you can get replacements for bad models. Some people get them in two weeks, others go 3 months and multiple calls. Hope they get it together at some point.

Demand is outstripping supply, and PP has a policy of not wanting to hire temporary workers, so they won't hire extra people for short term production spikes unless they intend to keep those people indefinitely.

Yeah PPs customer service sucks. From what I gather, any issues with purchases can be resolved via placing a comment in their Online Store Thread in the Privateer Press Forums (Privateer Press Discussion). Emailing, phone calls and social network sites aren’t the best way to resolve issues and it’s been proven to be ineffective in the past (they don’t read or answer emails but respond quickly to forum posts which is weird).

That being said, I’ve experienced 0 issues with ordering PP products. I’ve ordered twice now from their official store (once for the starter bundle and another time for Cygnar battlebox plus pHaley alternate sculpt). I’ve also ordered and pre-orderd Warmachine stuff through Wayland and Defiant Gaming and received no issues in terms of item quality, delivery times or price. Either I’m very lucky or the OP is incredibly unlucky.

mikhaila wrote:PP is months behind filling distributor orders to all distributors, and it's hit or miss as to whether you can get replacements for bad models. Some people get them in two weeks, others go 3 months and multiple calls. Hope they get it together at some point.

This, and knowing that this comes from a game store owner, I can say this is reliable. These delays across the board no matter where you order from, but the best thting you can do if you are a fan of their product is to be patient and let the kinks come out on their own. So far I have only had one mispack and the issue was rectified rather quickly, and websites that I purchase from have been forthcoming enough to make a statement on their pages about the shortages.

To the OP:
I have found if you pick up the phone and call them you get a faster answer. I've never had a major issue with them, other then occassionally things running a week or so late. When i've called them, they have given honest responses. They will often say "i'll get it in the mail."

Its easy for them to blow off emails, I don't know why you'd expect them to reply on facebook. However, calling them, you'll at least get a human being and an answer

Sadly I really don't have much time throughout the day to call them, and I can't use my cell phone at work, and I can't use my work phone for a long distance call so it puts me in a crappy position :(

The power of social media isn't to be underestimated, I got a response immediately on facebook when my first 4 emails didnt work. I've also gotten out of a ridiculous $600 cancellation fee with my last cell phone provider because I posted how stupid it was on Twitter

I'll give it another week and see if anything turns up then I'll see if I can sneak out a phone call sometime if nothing comes.

Aduro wrote:Demand is outstripping supply, and PP has a policy of not wanting to hire temporary workers, so they won't hire extra people for short term production spikes unless they intend to keep those people indefinitely.

The sad thing is that we've had this supply problem now for over a year, and it's not getting any better. Every Gencon is a hit to production, and the amount of models grows each year. I really wish they would have hired and trained a few more casters a year and a half ago. And they don't print their own books. Why the hell can I not get the basic Warmachine book in stock anywhere?

It's sad when I want to spend several thousand dollars on a product that no one has in stock, and I use 4 distributors with 11 different warehouses.(

To be honest this is one of the things that puts me off PP games.

When I was living in the UK and gaming regularly there I had terrible trouble getting hold of the stuff, sometimes taking up to 6 month to get stuff.

Plus playing PP games meant playing with people who play PP games, all of whom that I met when trying to start were really unpleasant to play with.

I like the game rules, I like the concept, but frankly the service from the company leaves a lot to be desired.

And a tip for people demoing the game (outriders I think is the term), when playing a demo game, unleashing your favourite power combo on a first time player in turn one and crushing him before he gets a chance to do anything is not a good way to encourage sales.

marv335 wrote:To be honest this is one of the things that puts me off PP games.

When I was living in the UK and gaming regularly there I had terrible trouble getting hold of the stuff, sometimes taking up to 6 month to get stuff.

Plus playing PP games meant playing with people who play PP games, all of whom that I met when trying to start were really unpleasant to play with.

I like the game rules, I like the concept, but frankly the service from the company leaves a lot to be desired.

And a tip for people demoing the game (outriders I think is the term), when playing a demo game, unleashing your favourite power combo on a first time player in turn one and crushing him before he gets a chance to do anything is not a good way to encourage sales.

Good, please keep away then. I'm having allot of trouble in getting models as it is without even more people coming into the game. And I'm frankly getting tired of all the "this is overpowered", "that is overpowered" whines that apparently come from all the ex-GW players (see, I can make blank derogatory statements too).

PhantomViper wrote:

marv335 wrote:To be honest this is one of the things that puts me off PP games.

When I was living in the UK and gaming regularly there I had terrible trouble getting hold of the stuff, sometimes taking up to 6 month to get stuff.

Plus playing PP games meant playing with people who play PP games, all of whom that I met when trying to start were really unpleasant to play with.

I like the game rules, I like the concept, but frankly the service from the company leaves a lot to be desired.

And a tip for people demoing the game (outriders I think is the term), when playing a demo game, unleashing your favourite power combo on a first time player in turn one and crushing him before he gets a chance to do anything is not a good way to encourage sales.

Good, please keep away then. I'm having allot of trouble in getting models as it is without even more people coming into the game. And I'm frankly getting tired of all the "this is overpowered", "that is overpowered" whines that apparently come from all the ex-GW players (see, I can make blank derogatory statements too).

Right, because I'm sure that you can't have a negative opinion about Warmachine unless you're a complete GW fanboy.

A guy gives an honest opinion based on his experiences that match very well with what others have also stated and you tell him to stay away from the game, bash another games player base and Admit that you are being a jerk for no reason. This is why people get reported to moderators and removed from forums.

That being said I have to agree that I have had alot of trouble locally with WarmaHorde players as well. Alot of them took page 5 way to seriously.

augustus5 wrote:

Right, because I'm sure that you can't have a negative opinion about Warmachine unless you're a complete GW fanboy.

Please point exactly on my post where I've said that.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Shepherd23 wrote:A guy gives an honest opinion based on his experiences that match very well with what others have also stated and you tell him to stay away from the game, bash another games player base and Admit that you are being a jerk for no reason. This is why people get reported to moderators and removed from forums.

See that report button, feel free to use it then, that is what its there for.

And last I saw, he was the one that said, and I quote:

Plus playing PP games meant playing with people who play PP games, all of whom that I met when trying to start were really unpleasant to play with.

And I said that if you don't like the game, don't like the company and don't like the people who play the game, then don't play it... I'll even thank you for it.

PhantomViper wrote:

augustus5 wrote:

Right, because I'm sure that you can't have a negative opinion about Warmachine unless you're a complete GW fanboy.

Please point exactly on my post where I've said that.

PhantonViper wrote:...whines that apparently come from all the ex-GW players (see, I can make blank derogatory statements too).

You imply that people who have an issue with the game must be ex-GW players.

mikhaila wrote:

Aduro wrote:Demand is outstripping supply, and PP has a policy of not wanting to hire temporary workers, so they won't hire extra people for short term production spikes unless they intend to keep those people indefinitely.

The sad thing is that we've had this supply problem now for over a year, and it's not getting any better. Every Gencon is a hit to production, and the amount of models grows each year. I really wish they would have hired and trained a few more casters a year and a half ago. And they don't print their own books. Why the hell can I not get the basic Warmachine book in stock anywhere?

It's sad when I want to spend several thousand dollars on a product that no one has in stock, and I use 4 distributors with 11 different warehouses.(

You know this really makes me wonder if it was a case of not hiring enough casters and people to handle and speed up the production or if it was a case of really extraordinary crazy growth... I mean any small company grows depending on the demand but if in a short time the demand grows to huge levels I bet thats a nightmare to handle. For all we know they could have doubled the casters and a few months later the demand tripled or quadrupled yet again and keeps on rising... I believe the new 2 player box is going to stupid big in the industry... ( hope they do one for hordes).

NAVARRO wrote:

mikhaila wrote:

Aduro wrote:Demand is outstripping supply, and PP has a policy of not wanting to hire temporary workers, so they won't hire extra people for short term production spikes unless they intend to keep those people indefinitely.

The sad thing is that we've had this supply problem now for over a year, and it's not getting any better. Every Gencon is a hit to production, and the amount of models grows each year. I really wish they would have hired and trained a few more casters a year and a half ago. And they don't print their own books. Why the hell can I not get the basic Warmachine book in stock anywhere?

It's sad when I want to spend several thousand dollars on a product that no one has in stock, and I use 4 distributors with 11 different warehouses.(

You know this really makes me wonder if it was a case of not hiring enough casters and people to handle and speed up the production or if it was a case of really extraordinary crazy growth... I mean any small company grows depending on the demand but if in a short time the demand grows to huge levels I bet thats a nightmare to handle. For all we know they could have doubled the casters and a few months later the demand tripled or quadrupled yet again and keeps on rising... I believe the new 2 player box is going to stupid big in the industry... ( hope they do one for hordes).

Definitely both. The game is growing, and as usual they have trouble handling it. Been that way forever. The sad thing is right now is that every distributor is waiting for months for restocks. The orders get sent and stack up, and I'm really wondering on how I'm going to get product for my store for the holidays.

Someone came in today looking for a rulebook that I'm still out of stock on. They were a bit indignant about it, and said something like "but PP said more would be out in September." I wish it were that easy. Then he asked me to for the two player box that I have a stack of behind the counter, and I had to tell him that even though I have them, and have been charged for them by my distributor, PP changed the onsale date until the 5th. Customer is frustrated, I'm frustrated.

I see, the game is growing but its out of control and frustrating some potential clients and stores in the process... its going to be very interesting to see how they will handle this because with the new super cheap box almost hitting the stores I think the demand is going to skyrocket.

As a customer of PP stuff I'm used to be patient but I can understand people not inclined to endure with the waiting. Hopefully things will get back in track in a near future.

Despite the suggested demand for PP's products allot of the symptoms being listed are also very similar to those that I have experienced before a company goes into Administration.

Now I don't know that this is the case but not expanding production to meet demand can suggest a lack of cashflow/credit to actually do so.

I don't see employing extra personnel now to meet demand and then reducing resources in 12 months if the bubble burst as a big problem to a business.

They have been behind since long before the supposed GW abandonment, delays can only get worse the longer they leave it. Why are they not expanding?

And some say GW can't run a business?

notprop wrote:Despite the suggested demand for PP's products allot of the symptoms being listed are also very similar to those that I have experienced before a company goes into Administration.

Now I don't know that this is the case but not expanding production to meet demand can suggest a lack of cashflow/credit to actually do so.

Can suggest many things, like holding back and check how things evolve before investing to much... some companies want to climb the ladder one step at the time and in harsh economic times it pays to be careful.

notprop wrote:
I don't see employing extra personnel now to meet demand and then reducing resources in 12 months if the bubble burst as a big problem to a business.

Neither do I but they have stated clearly in the past that its their company policy not to fire people, so its a clear strategy and way of building the company.

notprop wrote:
They have been behind since long before the supposed GW abandonment, delays can only get worse the longer they leave it. Why are they not expanding?

I think before the finecast and embargo fiasco there have been consistent abandonment so I think its not entirely accurate to think its a total new recent thing... besides we do not know if they expanded or not, at this point we only know the demand its still not fulfilled and that can be due to other factors like we talked a couple posts before...

notprop wrote:
And some say GW can't run a business?

Here we go again... the chat was so good why ruin it?

candy.man wrote:Yeah PPs customer service sucks. From what I gather, any issues with purchases can be resolved via placing a comment in their Online Store Thread in the Privateer Press Forums (Privateer Press Discussion). Emailing, phone calls and social network sites aren’t the best way to resolve issues and it’s been proven to be ineffective in the past (they don’t read or answer emails but respond quickly to forum posts which is weird).

That being said, I’ve experienced 0 issues with ordering PP products. I’ve ordered twice now from their official store (once for the starter bundle and another time for Cygnar battlebox plus pHaley alternate sculpt). I’ve also ordered and pre-orderd Warmachine stuff through Wayland and Defiant Gaming and received no issues in terms of item quality, delivery times or price. Either I’m very lucky or the OP is incredibly unlucky.

My experience has been the opposite. Every single large order I've placed has had at least one blister/box with;

A missing item
Two of the same item (Two right legs instead of a right/left leg)
Inappropriate card for the item



On the other hand, each time I've phoned and/or filled out a missing part form on their site---I've received excellent customer service and support. Their packing crew however--I've not been impressed with so far. Which, if I were running PP (For what that's worth!), I would reexamine my entire production process---from estimating growth/sales--to packing/QA. I would give the customer service guys a raise.

NAVARRO wrote:

mikhaila wrote:

Aduro wrote:Demand is outstripping supply, and PP has a policy of not wanting to hire temporary workers, so they won't hire extra people for short term production spikes unless they intend to keep those people indefinitely.

The sad thing is that we've had this supply problem now for over a year, and it's not getting any better. Every Gencon is a hit to production, and the amount of models grows each year. I really wish they would have hired and trained a few more casters a year and a half ago. And they don't print their own books. Why the hell can I not get the basic Warmachine book in stock anywhere?

It's sad when I want to spend several thousand dollars on a product that no one has in stock, and I use 4 distributors with 11 different warehouses.(

You know this really makes me wonder if it was a case of not hiring enough casters and people to handle and speed up the production or if it was a case of really extraordinary crazy growth... I mean any small company grows depending on the demand but if in a short time the demand grows to huge levels I bet thats a nightmare to handle. For all we know they could have doubled the casters and a few months later the demand tripled or quadrupled yet again and keeps on rising... I believe the new 2 player box is going to stupid big in the industry... ( hope they do one for hordes).

A perfect example of this is DICE. When they made Bad Company (1 or 2, don't remember), they were not prepared for its popularity. So the DLC's they had were not ready because they thought that BF:BC would become as popular as it did.

Yup. Those Overlords I ordered back in May still haven't shown up.

marv335 wrote:

And a tip for people demoing the game (outriders I think is the term), when playing a demo game, unleashing your favourite power combo on a first time player in turn one and crushing him before he gets a chance to do anything is not a good way to encourage sales.

We're called Press Gangers. Outriders are GW's defunct volunteer group.

And that's stupid. I only unleash power combos for people itching for a "real"
fight. Otherwise demos are about teaching those combos to others.

NAVARRO wrote:Neither do I but they have stated clearly in the past that its their company policy not to fire people, so its a clear strategy and way of building the company.

That's not the case.)

They may not like to bring on seasonal help, only to let them go. But they certainly fire people. Right after Gencon seems to be a big season for it. Every company fires people.

mikhaila wrote:
That's not the case.)

They may not like to bring on seasonal help, only to let them go. But they certainly fire people. Right after Gencon seems to be a big season for it. Every company fires people.

If you're talking about Jen, I believe she just switched positions in the company, she didn't get fired.

As far as production/supply issues go, I believe in this case it's a matter of popularity EXPLODING beyond what anyone expected. Someone from PP mentioned a few weeks ago that they were hiring/training new production staff, which I take to mean that they foresee the popularity of Warmachine to continue. I'm poor as dirt right now, so the supply problem doesn't really affect me since I can't afford models anyways. But I trust in PP, and I think they know what they're doing. As outsiders, we have no idea what's happening internally in the company, so we can't really form reliable opinions on the matter.

Ive always had a fast response and delivery.


I suggest making a post of the PP forums with what you did here.

You can usually get a response there again.