THIS. Hosed many of us. Only reason I was able to get EVA Convoy was because I set up an alert on the BBTS page for it and snagged it when it came back in stock (and thankfully before the price hike).

I would email regularly about this figure and if I did receive a response - which was rare - it would take several days and be some half baked "your item is still on pre-order" response that gave no indication of what was really going on.




Well, just received this email from TFSource... Boo to that.


TFSource Customers,

We’re reaching out to you with an update on the MP-10 EVA and our most recent information is, most unfortunately, not positive. We had been informed that the shipment was stuck in customs and considering the ongoing port issues, this is not atypical. A number of shipments en route to our warehouse have been delayed due to port congestion, and consequently delaying the customs clearance process.

We did find this particular situation to be a bit odd and have just learned that the goods have been stuck in customs for so long that the shipment was actually being held for an investigation due to extensive damage sustained in shipping. Businesses importing goods are not immune to their freight sustaining loss and damage. We are grateful that during the many shipments, only a very small percentage has sustained damage or loss. This is the first time in all these years and thousands of shipments that seriously damage occurred.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that this particular product is a Limited Edition and not available on the open market. Takara Tomy has no more stock. We’ve heard that additional stock may be released later this year and we have been reaching out to many suppliers to secure some of this stock when it becomes available.

We realize that many customers may not want to wait for us to secure additional stock, and so we are now moving the preordered MP-10 EVA to order stacking if you have this feature enabled on your account. Or, if you have not activated the stacking feature, and your MP-10 EVA is on a preorder with other merchandise, the MP-10 EVA be moved off that preorder to a separate, new preorder. We will refund all pre-payments allowing customers to decide if they want to consider purchasing this piece elsewhere. If you wish to have this new preorder canceled entirely, please contact us by replying to this email.

We sincerely apologize for the extended delay. Please be reassured that we were only informed of this development until today and had a very difficult time getting any response regarding what was ongoing with our shipment.



Thanks and Best Regards,

Curt & the TFSource Team

 

So TFS purposely damaged product they wanted to sell then? Oh wait no an accident happened out of their control and now they are completely to blame. This isnt like Best Buy over selling a collector's edition, it was a freak shipping issue. I think people sometimes expect a bit much from these retailers. Sometimes places really dont know exactly what is going on at all times. It sucks, but damn no one is perfect.

 

THIS.

It's the same reason I don't understand why people are so quick to blame the retailer for QC problems when it is clearly the manufacturer to blame in those cases. Take it from me. I work for an airline, and when we have delayed or cancelled flights, we often do not find out anything until the last minute, so we are just as in the dark as our customers. That said, if a customer comes to me calm and collected while asking for information, I am much more likely to want to help them versus a customer who comes up screaming and throwing a fit because I somehow am directly responsible for their flight being cancelled. Yeah right.

Both times I had issues with TFS, I wrote them very professional messages and received the same courtesy in return. Understand that they're people too and they do not always know exactly what is going on.

 

No, not because of an accident - things happen and I totally understand that. But their nearly total lack of response after multiple inquiries is what was frustrating. Not the fact that the shipment was damaged - that sort of thing happens. But when you send an email inquiring about it and don't get a response for 4 days (sent on a Monday, response on a Friday) and the response you do get is "Your item is still on Pre-Order" with no additional detail and several follow up emails going unanswered.

I am probably a bad spokesperson for TFS as this was my first significant order with them - going on the same line of thinking as many of you - why pay BBTS for shipping for the same products? Just got burned here and it stung. Only got lucky that BBTS got some back in stock and even luckier that I got in for the 45 minutes they were available at the regular price of $315 (versus $349, now $400+).

So yeah, accidents happen, but had I gotten prompt responses I wouldn't feel as negative here and would chalk it up as just one of those things. But an accident coupled with poor customer support = not getting my business.

 

Your response about lack of communication is fair. Unless it was a weekend/holiday, or a huge natural disaster, an inquiry should be responded to 2 business days max. Not so much fixing the problem, but at least a "Sorry, we are looking into it and respond shortly".

No response for 4 business days is inexcusable, esp since most other shops (Toy Dojo, BBTS, Captured Prey, etc) get back in a day or so.

I sent TFS an e-mail about a Legends Jetfire missing from my order, which is now sold out there, over two days ago. No response. No excuse for that. I should have at least gotten a "Sorry, looking into it" by now. I mean they're updating their Facebook page so it's not like they're doing nothing.