2000 AD - The Ultimate Collection

[IndigoPrime]

Be mindful the collection is fortnightly, not monthly. On that basis, there's been no movement since the original screw-up. Issues have gone out every four weeks, like clockwork.

[Arkady]

Be mindful the collection is fortnightly, not monthly. On that basis, there's been no movement since the original screw-up. Issues have gone out every four weeks, like clockwork.

Good point, well made.

Issues 21-22 just arrived. Hooray.

My god, Dante Vol 3 was superb. I might have enjoyed it more than anything else in the collection so far.

[Jade Falcon]

Dante 1 was decent, 2 was good, but agreed that volume 3 was head and shoulders above the previous ones. It's a lot darker as well as retaining some of the humour.

[IndigoPrime]

My books arrived today too, although Ace Trucking for some reason looked like someone had thrown it down the stairs. Sigh.

[sintec]

I had a red slip of disappointment waiting when I got back from walking the hound this morning - guess I know where we're going walkies tomorrow.

[Tomwe]

I've been waiting for people to start getting this delivery before putting this out there, but this month I finally made them send me a double order, effectively catching me up. Issues 23 & 24 arrived at the weekend and issues 21 & 22 today.

It was when they put out that statement that somehow it was our fault for the delay that pushed me over the edge (having chosen not to get the covers book). So I emailed them right after the last shipment and said "either skip me to issues 23 & 24 or send me all four", to which they replied relatively quickly "23 and 24 are not in stock yet". Of course they weren't, that wasn't what I was asking was it. So I sent the same request again on the Monday prior to allocation, and AGAIN on the Wednesday since there had been no reply. They chose to reply on Friday, which conveniently was after the next allocation had happened. "Issues 21 & 22 are already in transit" they said. But... this email suggested I call and arrange payment for 23 & 24. A breakthrough I thought! So I called, and lo and behold was told by the useless telephone staff that those issues were not in stock. So I hung up and gave up once more. Then... out of the blue another reply, apparently to the Wednesday email, saying they had sent out 23 & 24 and I should expect two payments and two packages. Hallelujah!

It's worth noting this reply was from an email address hachetted400cancellations at jacklinservice.com. I had threatened to cancel in my email so I suspect this somehow made it through to a more able customer services bod, apparently called Alice but I always doubt the names on these emails.

So now I have all the issues to date, but the subscription page still only shows 21 & 22 having been sent. My only worry at this point is I end up with 23 & 24 again next month. I wrote to ask they clarify this but am yet to get a response to that message.

It's all quite a hassle and for some will be unnecessary, but since I knew there were at least two subscribers who had not suffered the March skip month I was willing to try. I should also say I asked exactly the same thing a month or so back via the Facebook page and was told it would be impossible.

Good luck to anyone choosing to attempt the same!

[IndigoPrime]

Interesting. But I also suspect that's an outlier. I've repeatedly asked for similar treatment, citing that they did the same for me with the Dredd books, and was told no. Worth people trying anyway, I guess. (And the stock thing is of course bollocks, given that these items are in transit to sellers.)

By contrast, I think I'm done. I just asked for confirmation of the cancellation procedure. This mostly comes from looking at the upcoming list and realising that if I was cherry-picking, I'd only buy three of the books from 21–30 anyway. I might have a sanity check with my existing paperbacks (to see what condition the relevant books are in) first, though. (And, again, this isn't so much down to anything beyond me mulling this over and wondering if I really need yet another copy of all of this material when I already have it in two formats and could be buying something else instead.)

[IndigoPrime]

Wow. I asked Hachette for the correct procedure to cancel a subscription and noted I was *considering* doing so. They wrote back and said my subscription and direct debit have both been cancelled.

Just wow.

[Fungus]

Wow. I asked Hachette for the correct procedure to cancel a subscription and noted I was *considering* doing so. They wrote back and said my subscription and direct debit have both been cancelled.

Just wow.

Classy!

[Tomwe]

Wow. I asked Hachette for the correct procedure to cancel a subscription and noted I was *considering* doing so. They wrote back and said my subscription and direct debit have both been cancelled.

Just wow.

the prospect of this series extending anywhere past 80-90 suddenly seems less positive

[sintec]

Oh nice - superb level of customer service there.  If only there were as quick to sort out other problems they might find less people trying to cancel on them.

[IndigoPrime]

I'm dumbfounded by this. I've never had anything like this happen with a publisher before. It's quite astonishing. Always, always ask for confirmation when actioning anything like this, and, hell, even try to convince the customer to stay. Not that I'd actually asked to cancel.

[Mattofthespurs]

My books arrived today too, although Ace Trucking for some reason looked like someone had thrown it down the stairs. Sigh.

As did I, except I was sitting in the garden reading the paper grrr.

Too lazy to walk into town and have arranged re-delivery for tomorrow.

[IndigoPrime]

And now they've changed their minds, saying that my subscription is still active. Apparently, telling me they'd cancelled it was a "misunderstanding". I don't even.

[moldovangerbil]

I despair whenever I have to contact Hachette.  Their customer service has to be some of the most abject and inept I've ever encountered.  Except it seems when it comes to cancellation where they're so keen they actually jump the gun!!  Such a shame, because the product (on the whole) is great.