Issues with Amazon promotions re: LEGO PotC pre-order

[vynsane]

Just FYI for anyone who pre-ordered via Amazon.com - the 'credit' of $2.99 towards the pre-order promo Jack Sparrow Minifigure is for the figure only, and is a separate transaction from the purchase of the game. If you don't plan on making any other purchase at that time, you will incur shipping fees! I contacted Amazon customer service regarding this, saying

Frankly, had I known that was the case, I would not have pre-ordered with Amazon.com as there were other outlets that were also offering the pre-order minifigure. It would have made a lot more sense to me if the minifigure were just included in the packaging of the game, to be honest, and it seems that this round-about way of offering the promotion is, in fact, a dishonest ploy to get people to buy more stuff.

They responded

I understand you'd like to avail Super Saver shipping for the item "Jack Sparrow' LEGO minifigure". As per terms, order qualifies for Super Saver shipping only when the order total is $25 or more.

However, as one time exception, I'd suggest you to place a new order for the item with Standard shipping and write back to us with the order number, so we'll issue refund for the shipping charges.

Pretty annoying way to run a promotion. They seriously couldn't modify their shipping/packing procedures enough to just throw it in the box with the game? I don't know if I'll spring for any more pre-order offers from Amazon, with the hoops you have to jump through.

[ncbarrett]

..
They responded

I understand you'd like to avail Super Saver shipping for the item "Jack Sparrow' LEGO minifigure". As per terms, order qualifies for Super Saver shipping only when the order total is $25 or more.

However, as one time exception, I'd suggest you to place a new order for the item with Standard shipping and write back to us with the order number, so we'll issue refund for the shipping charges.

...

so basically they are saying "we are lazy and we want you to be inconvenienced"
never held much respect for Amazon CS.

[koromo]

I have the same encounter as well. I preordered the day it was mentioned on the boards. I got emails at the beginning of the week that the item shipped, I have a $10 credit, a $2 refund for price drop, and $2.99 for the figurine. However my credit balance was $12.00. I could get the figurine's credit if I ordered it by itself. Live chat helped and I got my full $12.99 applied though after I clicked order. Having read the above stories I felt it better to approach it real time. I also got confirmation of the $2.00 refund to my card.

Before the complete resolution I thought I had to choose either credit $2.99(regular shipping) or $12.00(freeshipping) which just didn't add up.

[vynsane]

Yeah, my $10 credit was actually $11 and change or something - I think it has to do with state sales tax. It's probably $10 if you live in a state that doesn't have taxes.

The problem is, the $2.99 credit for the figure doesn't include tax. Even after they refund the shipping I'll still incur $0.40 tax! For an item that was supposed to be a FREE GIVEAWAY! There should be no taxes on a free promotional item. Ever. I emailed them again to say ho disappointed I was in the handling of this promotion and demanded that they simply mail me the figure without me having to pay for shipping and tax, and have the shipping refunded.

[vynsane]

I got a 'bounce-back' email to my latest inquiry regarding the tax issue, so I called this morning. I explained that I was perplexed that I would be charged shipping and tax on an item that was supposed to be a free promotional Item. When asked what the total charge for shipping and tax was, I informed the representative that it was $5.38. She said she would add another credit for that amount to my account. When I received the email that it had been applied, it said that a credit of $5 had been applied, not $5.38.

I tried to order the figure again, but the only credit that applied was still the $2.99. Apparently the credit is only good on MERCHANDISE, not TOTAL COST. After putting something of a greater value into my cart, it applied a full $17.55 credit - which was ostensibly the $2.99, $10 and $5 credits - but it didn't add up correctly. Upon further inspection, the credit of $2.99 had morphed into a credit for $2.46! I tried again with a different set of items in the cart, and the credit was $2.05! I called again, very irate, requesting that the $5 and $2.99 credits be removed and the figure simply mailed out to me. I was told yet again to process the order, paying for shipping and tax, and I would be refunded the cost. I said if that's the way it had to be I would do it that way, but asked them to make a note in their post-call log that I was very unhappy with the way they handled this promotion and that I wouldn't be springing for any pre-order promos of this kind ever again through Amazon, citing that other venues had simply handed this item over to people at TRU scott-free when they picked up the game, etc.

After placing the order, I noticed that the 'shipping date' was reading as "June 9 - June 21"!!! I sent another email in response to the follow-up I got from the phone call asking if this could possibly be accurate.

In short, I would not recommend utilizing Amazon for any pre-order give-aways in the future under any circumstances until they change the way they facilitate them.

[atmail35]

That is crazy, I've always found Amazon CS to be difficult to deal with.

I tried searching, but didn't find it, can I just buy that minifig from Amazon for $2.99 w/ out having bought the game? Can you provide a link? Maybe I could get Super Saver free shipping if I order 9 jacks or add something else?

[vynsane]

No, I doubt you could order the minifigure. I tried putting two in my cart, and it said I already had the product in my cart. I would rather not add the link to the product here, as I don't know if it's a special product code that's tied to my account.

[vynsane]

So, to wrap up this tale of ridiculousness... After I purchased the minifigure using what I thought to be my $2.99 credit, I placed some items in my cart to view the remaining promo balance, and it showed up as $12.00. I then proceeded through to the penultimate page of the order, where you get your tall of promotional credits which were $5 (the credit that was applied to my account in order to try to assuage the shipping/tax issue to no avail) and a credit for $7.01!!!!

I sent yet another email to Amazon CS (6th? 7th now? IDK) asking why this happened. They said the Jack Sparrow figure discount had been taken from my $10 credit!!!!!! Where the $2.99 credit disappeared to, I'll never know. They reinstated the full $10 and in fact left the $5 credit in my account (even after I told them to remove it, as it no longer applied since I was getting the shipping/tax refunded) as compensation for the entire debacle, which is nice. Maybe I'll use that to bring the price down to nearly 45% off for either "Creator Off-Road Power" or "World Racers Desert of Destruction" since they're both currently ~$67.

[vynsane]

So I got the confirmation that the figure was shipped on May 20th, and just got an email about the refund... a refund of $2.98. I sent the following reply:

I hope you meant $5.38, because that was the ACTUAL total amount for shipping and tax.

Seriously. What is so hard about this? I feel like I'm being Punk'd.

EDIT: My response bounced back because it was somehow "sent to an address that cannot receive emails", so I called. The representative said she would apply a $10 credit to my account as consolation for my troubles, then asked if "there was anything else [she] could do for me today" which is the customer service way to say "I'm going to hang up now". I asked if that $10 credit was in addition to or in lieu of refunding me the outstanding balance of the shipping/tax cost and she said that it was, and that she could either give me the $10 credit or refund me the outstanding $3. I took the credit, but I'm still not really satisfied. This entire experience has soured me to Amazon.

[koromo]

I think I will stick to real-time human exchange promotions as well.

My poly came in today. Any other success stories yet?

[vynsane]

I actually got mine yesterday, thankfully. I like the figure a lot, it's very unique - even amongst all the other Jack Sparrows. The head, torso and legs are all unique to this figure alone, which is cool.