Interesting, very interesting!
The other half and I ordered some of the Model Railroader's Realistic Layouts series magazines based on a special email ad I received allowing for a holiday special sale price of "30% off" with a "bubble" on the top of the ad that says "Free Shipping Included".
Then after the order is finalized and gone through I see that they CHARGED us $5.50 for SHIPPING!!
I found the phone number on here so I can call to complain. The woman on the other end was unaware of the e-mail ad and asked if it did indeed say "free shipping". I had the ad up in front of me and told her it did have a "bubble" at the top that said "Free shipping included" . She said she would remove the shipping charge from my Credit card before the order is entered. I asked for an email confirmation of what my Credit Card was actually charged, and she said "just know that I am removing it now before your order is processed". HMM
I will be very interested to see what charge appears on my credit card statement.
Just thought others of you who might have ordered or who will order from that ad to watch out for the shipping charge!
LATER EDIT: Here is a copy of the email ad:
It does say while supplies last and to US residents only....they obviously "lasted" as they shipped them to me same day...and I Are One of them thar "US residents" have been all my life....
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
Update here:
EDIT: I just received an email from Laurie S. that says: "Thank you for contacting us regarding your recent order. As requested, we have removed the shipping and handling charges as requested. Your order will be processed shortly. Please allow 7-1o days for arrival."
I still should not have had to call to have the shipping charge removed on a "Free Shipping Included" email ad.
Mistakes happen. You caught it early enough so no real harm was done.
Eric97123 Mistakes happen. You caught it early enough so no real harm was done.
I understand that, But I should NOT have had to jump throuhg some hoops to have it corrected should have been automatic no charge for shipping and just thought anybody who ordered from that ad/will order from that ad should be aware....
Well, that's the world today, somebody else makes a mistake and you are left to fix it on your own time and expense, it happens everywhere in every industry and doubly so for any government entity. I simply accept this as a truth of the world and consider myself lucky if the "customer service" rep speaks English.
The Dixie D Short Line "Lux Lucet In Tenebris Nihil Igitur Mors Est Ad Nos 2001"
MRR's Customer Service is quite responsive.
A couple month's ago, I ordered some PDF-downloads on sale, and inadvertantly duplicate-ordered a one PDF I previously paid for -- And, MRR's Customer Service was very responsive. I also asked to substitute the most recent "How to Build" Special Issue, and; the credit card debits/credits were quickly balanced all within 24 hours.
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
As mentioned prior, all companies make mistakes. The good ones are quick to correct it. I have no doubt that Kalmbach processes tens of thousands of transactions without incident, but you seldom hear about those.
Customer service issues have been going on for centuries, the only difference is that today you have the internet, so we all get to share in the drama.
San Dimas Southern slideshow
The following copy of the SHIPPING Invoice came to me this evening,
NOTE: the SHIPPING charge is still shown!
I can STILL try to call to find out if they charged me shipping.
I will STILL have to wait to see what they actually charge my Credit Card!
See below:
Thank you for shopping with Kalmbach Publishing.If you have any questions, please feel free to visit us athttp://www.kalmbach.com/faq The following items have been shipped to:XXXXX
using Standard ShippingThe shipper's tracking number is XXXXYou can always find out the current status of your order by going tohttps://order XXXXXName Code Qty Each Options----------------------------------------------------------------How To Build Realistic mr1060501 1 5.55Layouts(Shipped)How To Build Realistic mr4080401 1 5.55Layouts: Trackside townand city scenery(Shipped)102 Realistic Track Plans mr5081101 1 5.55(Shipped)How To Build Realistic mr6090801 1 5.55Reliable Track(Shipped) Subtotal 22.20 Shipping 5.50 Tax 2.22 Total 29.92This completes your order. Thank you for shopping with us.
Margaritaman...so we all get to share in the drama.
Like I was saying
galaxy ...I should NOT have had to jump throuhg some hoops to have it corrected should have been automatic no charge for shipping...
...I should NOT have had to jump throuhg some hoops to have it corrected should have been automatic no charge for shipping...
Correct me if I missed it, but are you sure that the shipping charge was the mistake? Or was the email the mistake? if the email was incorrect, of course you had to "jump through some hoops" to bring it to their attention. Otherwise, how would they know?
But as I said, you may have mentioned that and I missed it. I'd hate to think it was actually a scam.
Sean
HO Scale CSX Modeler
galaxy The following copy of the SHIPPING Invoice came to me this evening, NOTE: the SHIPPING charge is still shown! I can STILL try to call to find out if they charged me shipping. I will STILL have to wait to see what they actually charge my Credit Card! See below: Thank you for shopping with Kalmbach Publishing.If you have any questions, please feel free to visit us athttp://www.kalmbach.com/faq The following items have been shipped to:XXXXX using Standard ShippingThe shipper's tracking number is XXXXYou can always find out the current status of your order by going tohttps://order XXXXXName Code Qty Each Options----------------------------------------------------------------How To Build Realistic mr1060501 1 5.55Layouts(Shipped)How To Build Realistic mr4080401 1 5.55Layouts: Trackside townand city scenery(Shipped)102 Realistic Track Plans mr5081101 1 5.55(Shipped)How To Build Realistic mr6090801 1 5.55Reliable Track(Shipped) Subtotal 22.20 Shipping 5.50 Tax 2.22 Total 29.92This completes your order. Thank you for shopping with us.
It looks to me like you got the electronic acknowledgement that goes out immediately upon completing an order. IOW, this would have gone out to you BEFORE you talked to Customer Service. If the CS rep said the shipping charge will be removed, you'll find out when the charges hit your account. Even then, it's possible that the shipping charges would show up and later be reversed in a second transaction.
For some reason, I didn't get my copy November, 2010 MR. A quick email to Customer Service rectified that situation and I got my issue within 5 business days of sending the email. Now I suppose I could have posted "WARNING, Kalmbach Not Shipping Subscribed Magazines", but it seemed to be a bit over the top and not worth the drama.
Andre
PS: The December issue showed up just fine
What worries me most is the complete disappearance of trust. Even at the slightest HINT of a problem you immediately smell some conspiracy to maliciously rob you of your five bucks and you're all fired up and sound like you're ready to burn down the place instantly.
Sheesh. What happened to good old 'trust'? Over-litigated society, anyone?
If people want their 'good old days' back, they could start by trusting someone they don't know even when he DOES make a mistake.
Relax, smile and have a nice day. That's all there is to it.
Quoting Colorado Mac: " Correct me if I missed it, but are you sure that the shipping charge was the mistake? Or was the email the mistake? if the email was incorrect, of course you had to "jump through some hoops" to bring it to their attention. Otherwise, how would they know?"
Here is the e-mail ad I recieved: it should be "correct":
It clearly says " FREE SHIPPING INCLUDED" in a bubble right on the top:
It does have an asterisk in the text to which says "for US residents only"...and I Are One of them thar "US residents" have been all my life...
Any more questions?
yeah u sure sound like 'one of hem thar US residents' - of the modern kind, that is. A compete lack of trust, a willingness to scream, to show your muscles at the slightest perceived sleight of hand.
Whatever happened to good-natured, reasonable, calm American values?
FreightTrainBlues yeah u sure sound like 'one of hem thar US residents' - of the modern kind, that is. A compete lack of trust, a willingness to scream, to show your muscles at the slightest perceived sleight of hand. Whatever happened to good-natured, reasonable, calm American values?
YOU are the only one that seems to be disturbed. He is simply trying to warn others to check for the incorrect charge. I didn't see him condemning Kalmbach or calling it a conspiracy. Maybe YOU need to get out of the drama business.
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
trying to warn others - yeah right. By sounding as if a plane just crashed into his house?
FreightTrainBlues trying to warn others - yeah right. By sounding as if a plane just crashed into his house?
You need to troll elsewhere.
o.k. you're right, sorry for the rant.
People need to lighten up a bit and I get all worked up when they don't!
wetidlerjr ... He is simply trying to warn others to check for the incorrect charge. I didn't see him condemning Kalmbach or calling it a conspiracy.
... He is simply trying to warn others to check for the incorrect charge. I didn't see him condemning Kalmbach or calling it a conspiracy.
andrechapelon It looks to me like you got the electronic acknowledgement that goes out immediately upon completing an order. IOW, this would have gone out to you BEFORE you talked to Customer Service. If the CS rep said the shipping charge will be removed, you'll find out when the charges hit your account. Even then, it's possible that the shipping charges would show up and later be reversed in a second transaction.
I called immediately in the Early AM to correct the error when I placed the order. The "automatic order fulfilment notice" did not come until late evening at the end of business day, so I highly doubt it went out BEFORE I talked to customer service.
That could be true, I will find out when I get to my statement. A second reverse charge should not have been necessary on a "free shipping offer".
I just Thought people who got this email should review their orders, or be alert to this if they order thinking there will be no shipping charges! besides, MR does not add shipping charges to their regular magazine subscriptions, it is included in the price!
I ordered one of the issues from this offer, and after seeing this topic first, I was careful to look out for the shipping charge. At the "Review Cart" step in the ordering process, there is a note stating "Coupon (fshipmrr) cannot be applied until you have selected a shipping method." I continued on to the Shipping & Billing section, and there is a space there for a coupon code. I entered the fshipmrr code, and thereby successfully avoided the shipping charges.
I know for certain that Kalmbach is not out to rob any of us, and I'm sure this is an honest mistake. Yes, they should've mentioned the need for a coupon code more prominently in their advertising, but the information was right there as part of the ordering process. In this case, a little extra attention on the part of the buyer is all that is needed to assure the promised free shipping. I also agree that customer service should be more responsive - of course, if the OP was the first to notice the problem, it can take some time for them to become aware of and begin resolving it. I'll bet if you were to call now with the same problem, they would know what was happening and get it fixed with less difficulty than the OP experienced.
Tom
potlatcher I ordered one of the issues from this offer, and after seeing this topic first, I was careful to look out for the shipping charge. At the "Review Cart" step in the ordering process, there is a note stating "Coupon (fshipmrr) cannot be applied until you have selected a shipping method." I continued on to the Shipping & Billing section, and there is a space there for a coupon code. I entered the fshipmrr code, and thereby successfully avoided the shipping charges. I know for certain that Kalmbach is not out to rob any of us, and I'm sure this is an honest mistake. Yes, they should've mentioned the need for a coupon code more prominently in their advertising, but the information was right there as part of the ordering process. In this case, a little extra attention on the part of the buyer is all that is needed to assure the promised free shipping. I also agree that customer service should be more responsive - of course, if the OP was the first to notice the problem, it can take some time for them to become aware of and begin resolving it. I'll bet if you were to call now with the same problem, they would know what was happening and get it fixed with less difficulty than the OP experienced. Tom
I went back to the original email ad {yes i saved it} and there is no mention of need for a "code" or "coupon" to get the free shipping, either by the ad, or clicking on the ad or by clicking on the on sale books {mags}. In fact it DOES have an offer to "estimate shipping" with a chart that has the shipping rates on it. But nothing that I could find to tell me I needed a free coupon/code. It could be in there somewhere obscured, but I could find no mention of such a need.
The top of the ad clearly says" Free shipping INCLUDED" therefore there should be no reason to have a code or coupon it should be INCLUDED in the sale price automatically.
I never felt that Kalmbach was trying to rip me or anyone off- but an ad that clearly says "Free Shipping Included" should not at the last minute be adding a shipping charge. That is the reason I went back and included the ad here for all to see.
Again I just thought others should know to watch out for rogue shipping charges on FREE SHIPPING offers.
I will still have to see what appears on my Credit Card statement.
Thanks for the heads up
I ordered two of the issues that Kalmbach offered and my order went just like you would think it should. No charge for shipping ,no coupons , just the advertised price. Must be karma.
Philip
By now it has all pretty much been said. Galaxy, if you have need of recourse once you know what the charges actually are, please notify customer service.
Crandell
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