50% off all damaged books in Online Store

[Ben Seeman]

HERO GAMES is running out of shelf space!

Due to our breakneck pace of publishing, the shelves at Hero West are beginning to become a little crowded! To alleviate this problem, Hero Games is selling our slightly damaged books at HALF the regular cover price! That's right… 50% off of the regular price of EVERY DAMAGED Hero System 5th Edition book in stock!

Although damaged, these books are still perfectly usable. They have bent corners, scuffed spines and other such cosmetic aberrations that caused the distributors to send them back to us. All of the pages are in the books and they are all completely legible.

So if you don't already have every book for the Hero System 5th Edition, now is the time to complete your collection!

[RavensPath]

One question. Is this ongoing or for a limited time?

.oO (Okay, what books will I get at full price, which at half.)

[Darren Watts]

Limited time, but we haven't decided how long exactly. Till we've cleared some space in the back room for the incoming books. And remember, we don't get damaged copies of every book, so planning to wait isn't entirely safe. dw

[Blue]

Even with the 5e Redux on the horizon I couldn't pass up a half-price copy of the Hero System. I always wanted a copy for at work.

Now you just need to sell book covers that make it look like an MS Office manual!

[sbarron]

I just bought $90 worth of Hero goodness for $45! That's not bad, not bad at all!

Of course, the only reason I did it was to help Hero clear shelf space. :)

[Mightybec]

Sounds like a good time to get into Fantasy Hero.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Well, I've just done my part to help clear the shelf space! Geeze...the shipping and handling alone was more than the regular price of some HERO books! :jawdrop: Maybe I shouldn't have ordered so much?

...but what a bargain!!! :D

[BlackSword]

Hmm, this could break the bank. Time to go check my bank account.

[Greatwyrm]

I just hope some of the stuff on my wish list is still there by the time I get paid tomorrow.

[Dan Brown]

I tried ordering some books but it won't let me log in when I leave the store..I punch in my user nme and PW and it sends me to different page where it wants my user name and pw again and it still won't work...it keeps giving me the same pages again...WTF!?

[Ben Seeman]

I tried ordering some books but it won't let me log in when I leave the store..I punch in my user nme and PW and it sends me to different page where it wants my user name and pw again and it still won't work...it keeps giving me the same pages again...WTF!?
What browser are you using?
Are cookies enabled?
Are you behind a firewall?
What is your username?

[Dan Brown]

What browser are you using? safari(Mac)
Are cookies enabled? yes
Are you behind a firewall? no
What is your username? Dan Brown

[Ben Seeman]

Please go through the process again and note which pages it is sending you too each time so that I can trace your progress and track down why you're being directed to the wrong pages.

[Dan Brown]

https://secure.compnetco.com/herogames/checkoutLogin.jsp

it goes here when i check out. i fill in the info then it sends me to another log in page( black background which doesn't allow me to log in)

https://secure.compnetco.com/herogames/doLogin.jsp

Dan

it does let me log in to the discussion boards though and I bought HD a couple of weeks ago no probs

[Ben Seeman]

Okay, this is being investigated. If you want, you can instead send us a check or money order by following the instructions in the Online Store FAQ.

http://www.herogames.com/SupportFAQs/OnlineStoreFAQ.htm

[Beetle]

Great news about the half-price books! :thumbup:

(I just hope I don't find myself in desperate need of that $100 any time soon...)

[Lord Kilsco]

Cool, I bought several books I wouldn't have bought without this 50% reduction, like The Ultimate Vehicle or Alien Wars.

[Turin]

Well I picked up Vehicle guide, rounding out my collection of all things DOJ and got back up copies of my most used books.

[Ben Seeman]

Hi Dan... Please try clearing out your cookies and trying again. It sounds like the cookie you have for the Online Store might be messed up.


https://secure.compnetco.com/herogames/checkoutLogin.jsp

it goes here when i check out. i fill in the info then it sends me to another log in page( black background which doesn't allow me to log in)

https://secure.compnetco.com/herogames/doLogin.jsp

Dan

it does let me log in to the discussion boards though and I bought HD a couple of weeks ago no probs

[Trebuchet]

Excellent! I just ordered damaged copies of Galactic Champions and The Ultimate Brick. My players will never know what hit them. :eg: :eek:

[Dan Brown]

Hi Dan... Please try clearing out your cookies and trying again. It sounds like the cookie you have for the Online Store might be messed up.

Not happening...I nuked the cookies...changed my password...still no good. I'll keep trying with different browsers

[Ben Seeman]

:( okay. Let me know if any other browsers work. We've had this problem crop up a few times and we've unfortunately been unable to isolate what the issue is.

[tabascojunkie]

Just ordered HSVS, G&G, the Bestiary, and FH Battlegrounds. I'm not anal retentive about books like I used to be, but hopefully they're not too beat up. Good deals. For people trying to get others into the game, you can't beat Sidekick for five bucks.

[arcady]

How damaged is damaged anyway?

Are we talking binding issues that will shorten a book's lifespan, or scratches on the covers or bent corners that are only cosmetic?

[SuperBlue]

Okay, the store is not very friendly for those of use how have to use Check/Money Order. It refused to properly print the invoice, and I had to do a screen capture and MSPaint to print my invoice so I could mail a money order.

Anyway, I'm mailing my money order out today. I just hope there are half-off copies of Champions and CKC left (two books I really need for this fall).

[Ben Seeman]

How damaged is damaged anyway?

Are we talking binding issues that will shorten a book's lifespan, or scratches on the covers or bent corners that are only cosmetic?
It is explained inthe Online Store FAQ.

http://www.herogames.com/SupportFAQs/OnlineStoreFAQ.htm

[Darren Watts]

The most common types of damage that get a book sent back to us are bent corners, scuffs or cuts from improperly packed or opened boxes, and "spots" (areas where the ink wasn't fully dry when the book started getting tossed around, leaving small white dots, usually on the spine somewhere but also occasionally on the covers.) If a book has actual binding damage and is likely to fall apart we don't put it up for sale- this program is only for "cosmetic" damage. dw

[arcady]

Thanks.

It was the binding question that made me wonder.

A lot of stores will sell otherwise scuffed up books by shrink wrapping them so you can't tell until you get it home and they can claim you did it...

Well, that's roughly what happened with my new Fantasy Hero book (bent corners, a scratch across the spine, and signs that it was thumbed through - those little semi-cricle dents rough people make when they push a page back between fingers... all this even though it was shrink wrapped), and it's happened before to me with other books from assorted publishers - though not often. More often, I manage to catch if before I get to the register.

Amazon's shipped me damaged goods once as well, but only once that I can recall.

I've only ever bought one book with bad binding (my copy of Silver Age Sentinels), visible if the book was opened but not before. No idea if anyone in the shipping or retail chain could have reasonably seen the type of issue it had.

I think I'll go ahead on the two books I planned to order - after a trip to the local store to check on what's in them, a few others, and pick something up. :p

[Dan Brown]

:( okay. Let me know if any other browsers work. We've had this problem crop up a few times and we've unfortunately been unable to isolate what the issue is.

Hey Ben, Thanks for all the help but none of the browsers I tried worked-maybe I can e-mail you an order and my specifics and you could place it for me?

Dan

[JmOz]

When I get birthday money I will see what is left and decide if any of it intrests me.

[arcady]

Got some of these suppossedly damaged books today. :)

This is a real good deal - what they consider damaged is what most publishers consider mint, and well above what you're average FLGS will sell as new.

[Greatwyrm]

Okay, I've done my part to clean the shelves. Just out of curiosity, how fast does stuff usually ship from the online store? The only other thing I've ever gotten from it is DH credits.

[BlackSword]

Order has been placed and I have my tracking number, hope it helped lighten the shelves.

[SuperBlue]

Order has been placed and I have my tracking number, hope it helped lighten the shelves.

Well I got my mom to let me use her Credit Card.... what Tracking Number? How do I find that out?

[Steve Long]

Just out of curiosity, how fast does stuff usually ship from the online store?

It depends on how busy Tina and Ben are. Usually the same business day they get the order; if not usually the next business day.

[Lord Kilsco]

And what about international ships ? To France, for instance.
I didn't find the answer in the Online Store FAQ.

[Kirby]

Due to our breakneck pace of publishing, the shelves at Hero West are beginning to become a little crowded! To alleviate this problem, Hero Games is selling our slightly damaged books at HALF the regular cover price! That's right… 50% off of the regular price of EVERY DAMAGED Hero System 5th Edition book in stock!
Five days after my purchase I this happens. <Sigh>

As for the "slightly damaged," the one I received had a minor bend in on the cover, a scratch on the spine and a tad bit warp of the cover. None of which I noticed until I looked very closely at it. :thumbup:

[Ben Seeman]

Well I got my mom to let me use her Credit Card.... what Tracking Number? How do I find that out?
You will get the tracking number when we actually ship it.

[Ben Seeman]

And what about international ships ? To France, for instance.
I didn't find the answer in the Online Store FAQ.
I will update the FAQ next week.

Due to the high cost of international shipping via USPS, we have to ship international orders at the lowest possible rate and that takes 4-6 weeks.

[Ben Seeman]

Okay, I've done my part to clean the shelves. Just out of curiosity, how fast does stuff usually ship from the online store? The only other thing I've ever gotten from it is DH credits.
Domestic orders usualyl take 4-7 days to arrive from the day you receive your tracking number. We usually ship orders same day or the following business day.

[Beetle]

It depends on how busy Tina and Ben are. Usually the same business day they get the order; if not usually the next business day.I got the shipping e-mail and tracking number the next day. Have I mentioned recently that you guys rock? :rockon:

[RavensPath]

My car my car! Dang my car! I had to have some work done on my car today! The plan was to spend whatever was left of the budget on Hero books. Do you think there was anything left after my budget? Do you think I had to spend more than my budget on the blasted thing?

The answers are no and yes!.

Oh the humanity!

[JmOz]

Out of curiosity:

Is the Damaged Bundles 1/2 off as well (only one I see is FH & MM&M

[JmOz]

I just spent about $100 after shipping & handling including one 4th edition book (Target: Invasions)

[tabascojunkie]

Damn! I was gonna go back and get TUV and it's gone. Oh well, just have to get it full price later.

[Greatwyrm]

I just got my first order of damaged books. If anybody is worried about how damaged is damaged, don't be. Here's what I got.

Alien Wars - Worst shape of the three. The clear plastic laminate that give the cover that smooth finish didn't set quite right. Theres a 1/4 inch ripple that runs all the way around the cover. Also, about an 1/8 inch nick at the bottom of the spine. Damaged, yes. Bad deal, hardly.

HERO Vehicle Sourcebook - Small crease at the bottom right corner. I've done worse carefully putting books in my own bookcase.

Ultimate Brick - I honestly can't figure out why the copy they sent me is considered damaged.

I almost feel bad about only paying half price for this stuff. Almost. :winkgrin:

Gotta go find me a "damaged" copy of Champions now.

[Darren Watts]

As we say, the damaged copies we make available in the store have "cosmetic" damage only- a nick or fold, white spots or laminate-peel. If they're worse than that, we just chuck 'em. That's why normally we only discount them $5- they're perfectly usable books. It happens that the rate we've been getting damaged product has exceeded the rate we've been selling them, so eventually we were overflowing the shelves in the back room. Once we've finished clearing out the excess, we'll go back to offering them at $5 off (which is still a pretty darn good deal), at least til our next sale. dw

[Plex]

Just received the books I ordered last week and I am impressed! I had to order more before the books I wanted at 50% off went out. Thanks for the savings!!!! Now I just have to wait for the 5th edition revised book to come out and I can start running a campaign using the new rules instead of the 4th edition!!

[Beetle]

My books came in yesterday and I couldn't be happier. I ordered 4 damaged and one undamaged, and I wouldn't be able to say which were "damaged" and which wasn't if I didn't already know. I've bought plenty of new books at stores that were in far worse shape than these.

[Blackjack]

Quick question to the Powers That Be...

Are there any damaged Ultimate Martial Artist books left, or am I too late?

Thanks.

[Lord Liaden]

Afraid I'm not seeing any damaged UMAs listed in the Online Store. :( The selection is actually getting pretty thin. Bad news for any would-be buyers, but congratulations to Hero for a successful sale! :thumbup:

[HeroTina]

Quick question to the Powers That Be...

Are there any damaged Ultimate Martial Artist books left, or am I too late?

Thanks.
There are a few BUT, I don't know how to add them to the online store. I'll have Ben do it on Monday when he gets back from vacation.

T.

[JorrJorr]

Got my books today :yes:, but only 2 of the 4 books showed up :cry:. Sent Ben an email about my order to see if the order got split up.

The books are in good shape. Millenium City has a bent corner, but most of my books have that. The UNTIL Superpowers Database is in good shape too and it's always good to have an extra copy.

The two that didn't make it in the shipment are MM&M and Hero System Vehicle Sourcebook.

Thanks for having the sale! I'm nearly caught up on books now.

JorrJorr

[HeroTina]

Got my books today :yes:, but only 2 of the 4 books showed up :cry:. Sent Ben an email about my order to see if the order got split up.

The books are in good shape. Millenium City has a bent corner, but most of my books have that. The UNTIL Superpowers Database is in good shape too and it's always good to have an extra copy.

The two that didn't make it in the shipment are MM&M and Hero System Vehicle Sourcebook.

Thanks for having the sale! I'm nearly caught up on books now.

JorrJorr
Email me your details, real name, date you ordered and I will check it out.
(Ben's on vacation)

[Blackjack]

There are a few BUT, I don't know how to add them to the online store. I'll have Ben do it on Monday when he gets back from vacation.

T.

Thanks, Tina! I'll check back late Monday/early Tuesday.

[JorrJorr]

Hey Tina, I sent a PM as the link for sending an Email kept saying I had insuffiecient privalages (I'm probably doing something wrong). I pasted the message that I sent to Ben in the PM.

Thanks for your help!
JorrJorr

[Kirby]

The books are in good shape. Millenium City has a bent corner, but most of my books have that. The UNTIL Superpowers Database is in good shape too and it's always good to have an extra copy.
Hey, those are two of the three I've ordered, which should arrive tomorrow, hopefully right when I get back from the first day of tax-free three-day-weekend shopping at the clothing store!

[Blackjack]

There are a few BUT, I don't know how to add them to the online store. I'll have Ben do it on Monday when he gets back from vacation.

T.

My thanks to both Tina and Ben for posting the damaged UMAs to the Online store. I just put in my order.

You guys are the best!

[Beetle]

When I got home last night, I was shocked to see that UPS had actually delivered my second order of "damaged" books to my house, only 36 days after I ordered it. Unfortunately, my books didn't buy me any gifts from Illinois and the other exotic locations they were sent to as part of the "UPS mimics the Amazing Race" tour.

The books arrived in excellent condition, meaning I can again play my new favorite game: figuring out why the book was listed as damaged.

Many, many thanks to HeroTina for all her help in resolving this situation (and putting up with my carping). You rock! :rockon:

[lazarus]

My copy of FH had cover damage - the cover was slightly misprinted (white spots), and dented in some places.

It was still better than the copy in the FLGS...

Laz

[Ben Seeman]

My copy of FH had cover damage - the cover was slightly misprinted (white spots), and dented in some places.

It was still better than the copy in the FLGS...

Laz
Those white spots happen when the printer boxes the books before the covers are completely dry. FH suffered from that a lot, but the printers have been better about waiting until the covers are not longer wet to box them up.

[lazarus]

I wasn't expecting anything in perfect condition. What really surprised me, though, is it still struck me as being in better condition than the FLGS. And that I can make it seem like it's got more use than it has :p

Great read so far.

Laz

[Kirby]

When I got home last night, I was shocked to see that UPS had actually delivered my second order of "damaged" books to my house, only 36 days after I ordered it.
Thirty-six days? :jawdrop: Wow!

Heh, when I used to work for Radio Shack's catalog order center, we had an overnight or two-day package that went from the wharehouse to Georgia, to California and to its final destination in New York, but that only took about a week or two. Thirty-six days is a new record.

Though I have a nagging memory about a year-long delivery, but that may have involved a back-order....

[HeroTina]

First UPS said they delivered it THEN it took them a month to find it THEN they sent it back to CA. and THEN wanted to charge us to redeliver it. WHATEVER!!!!!


Thirty-six days? :jawdrop: Wow!

Heh, when I used to work for Radio Shack's catalog order center, we had an overnight or two-day package that went from the wharehouse to Georgia, to California and to its final destination in New York, but that only took about a week or two. Thirty-six days is a new record.

Though I have a nagging memory about a year-long delivery, but that may have involved a back-order....

[arcady]

So in the end did they make you pay for the second deliver, or did you managed to get them to do the right thing?

Of course, corporations are incapable of acting morally, so if you did convince them I'd be surprised...

[Kirby]

First UPS said they delivered it THEN it took them a month to find it THEN they sent it back to CA. and THEN wanted to charge us to redeliver it. WHATEVER!!!!!
:angst: Calm, Tina! Calm!

Good girl. Put down the stapel gun. All is calm... all is better. Package delivered. Good Hero. Good Hero.

[HeroTina]

They refunded the original delivery charge after 20 minutes on the phone, I think 15 of those minutes I was on hold, while the woman tried to find someone to help, and when no one would take the time to help, she got the access codes to do it herself.


So in the end did they make you pay for the second deliver, or did you managed to get them to do the right thing?

Of course, corporations are incapable of acting morally, so if you did convince them I'd be surprised...

[HeroTina]

Boy o boy did then tick me off yesterday

:angst: Calm, Tina! Calm!

Good girl. Put down the stapel gun. All is calm... all is better. Package delivered. Good Hero. Good Hero.

[Kirby]

They refunded the original delivery charge after 20 minutes on the phone, I think 15 of those minutes I was on hold, while the woman tried to find someone to help, and when no one would take the time to help, she got the access codes to do it herself.
Geez, that is a long time. I guess I/we was/were fortunate when working with Radio Shack. We did so much business daily that if UPS made the error, they refunded us the shipping that day while we were on the phone. It probably helped that since we shipped from hundreds to a few thousand packages a day through them, one mess-up a day (or even an hour) wasn't going to cost them in the long run with us. Well, we shipped our ground by UPS and our 2-day and overnight by FedEx, so they probably didn't want us going completely to FedEx either.

Just glad it was able to be taken care of, even if it wasn't for me. Way to go Tina! :thumbup:

[Kirby]

First UPS said ... and THEN wanted to charge us to redeliver it. WHATEVER!!!!!
Heh, just thinking about this. Maybe next time they say that, you can tell them, "Sure, after you refund our original shipping cost and the price of the items in the package, then you can recharge us and then send it overnight." Or, the "Once you refund us our shipping charge for each 5 business days 'missing,' then you can charge us for redelivery. Let's see, one month has four weeks, so you us four refunds, but the additional week, but that's cancelled out by the redelivery charge." Of course, the latter one is a bit unreasonable (which I really hated from customers when I was with RS) but they'll usually be more than willing to "drop" the redelivery charge.

Okay, I'm done rambling on. :)

[KA.]

Boy o boy did then tick me off yesterday

Tina,
This just reminded me of an experience I had with UPS a while back.
I originally posted this on another thread, but I thought I would just paste it here for your convenience.

My wife bought an extremely fragile porcelain doll on eBay, and the seller insisted on using UPS despite our begging them not to.
The seller accidentally left off our apartment number, which was indeed his fault.
However, we only live a half-mile away from the UPS center that this came through.
And they had delivered a package to us only a week before.

So, what was UPS' reaction to a package with the same name, the same address, the same everything except the apartment number?

They decided that we must have moved!

And they decided that we must have moved back to an address where I lived 6 years ago!

As soon as I saw on the tracking site that there was a problem with the address, I began sending email to UPS Customer Service, I also called them twice during this process, all to no effect.

I know that you don't know the dates, but the first two emails arrived while the package was still at the local office.

Before it was sent to Louisville, KY (right across the river), to Lexington, KY (80 miles away). According to the tracking site it also made a round trip to Indianapolis, IN another 100 miles or so, each way.

As part of untangling this mess, here is what I found out.

UPS keeps a file of the last address it had for you.
It could be an old work address.
It could be the address of the ex-girlfriend you used to live with.
It could be the address of someone with the same name as you if they lived in the same neighborhood.

If they have a problem delivering a package due to any problem with the address (misspelled, illegible, whatever) their standard policy is to ship it to the last address they have on file for you.

Even the Customer Service Rep said this was stupid and she did not know why they did it. She also said that the address information should expire after a certain amount of time so at least they weren't sending things to places you used to work, but they don't. They last forever unless you go to the local office and ask them to change it.

Just for laughs, I am going to post the correspondence I had with UPS Customer Service. I have changed all my personal information, not because I distrust anyone here, but because this is totally public and I already get enough junk mail.

Oh, one more thing.
Guess what happens if UPS tries to deliver a package and you are not in your apartment?
In our complex, they take it to the office and have the Apartment Complex Staff sign for it, then you can pick it up there at your convenience.
So, since they had the address, which tells them what building it goes to, and there are only four apartments per building, why the heck couldn't they have just gone to the office and asked which of the four apartments belonged to Kent Allard? Or, just dropped it off and let the office staff let me know it was there? They drop things off there all the time, it's not like they don't know where it is!



KA.

[Kirby]

So, since they had the address, which tells them what building it goes to, and there are only four apartments per building, why the heck couldn't they have just gone to the office and asked which of the four apartments belonged to Kent Allard?
Slightly cynically and a bit seriously: I bet this was an officer or higher-up's decision from years ago and no one has thought to change 'company policy.' This is one of the times where you don't want a manager to make the decision, but the 'field worker' to tell you what's best.

[KA.]

Slightly cynically and a bit seriously: I bet this was an officer or higher-up's decision from years ago and no one has thought to change 'company policy.' This is one of the times where you don't want a manager to make the decision, but the 'field worker' to tell you what's best.

I think you are right, Kirby.
I am even a bit more cynical, I bet this has to do with meeting some sort of goal about "Delivery Times".
There is probably some sort of rule about not letting packages "sit".
So, rather than have a package sitting anywhere, they would rather see it moving somewhere, even to the wrong place.

Whenever we ship anything, we use Fedex Ground, it is usually cheaper, and they seem to take better care of the packages.

KA.

[Kirby]

I think you are right, Kirby.
Woohoo! Sing it with me: "I'm right! :bounce: I'm right! :bounce: You know it, you know it! :bounce:"

-Ahem- Sorry about that. :o

[Kirby]

Hey, look! Post count palindrome: 696! Whoohoo!







Did that distract them from the singing?