ComplaintsforDiscount Comic Book Service, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  06/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had ordered a large amount of comic books from the website and paid immediately. I am based outside the US but I paid for international shipping, express shipping. A whole week goes by and the status of my order doesn't change. I send an email regarding the matter and I'm told that certain items are out of stock and they are waiting for a restock. I ask why they would sell items that are not in stock and they give me frankly a pretty bullshit response. They also mention that they "reach out" to customers when items are out of stock, but I was the one who asked the status of my orders. They did not reach out to me. I might not have known about the fact that the item I bought was out of stock, if I didnt email. I then asked for a refund, was ignored.

  Business response

  06/17/2024

  We are truly sorry for the problem. As of right now, we do not have “live” inventory on our website, but we are looking into adding this to our site in the future due to customer feedback. It is impossible for us to know the exact quantity of each title that we have available currently, especially since we carry over 18,000 titles. We could have 5 copies of a certain title in stock physically but have 6 pending orders for that book. We don’t inactivate books or notify customers if an item is temporarily out of stock because we receive daily shipments from our distributors. But if we are notified that an item has gone on backorder or is no longer available for reorder, then we inactivate the item right away and notify any customers that are waiting for that book. Also, for orders shipping internationally, we must hold the orders until they can ship complete. Depending on the stock status in the order there could be an additional delay. Sorry for the lack of details provided by our customer service team. This issue has been addressed. Our system shows your order has been canceled and refunded on June 6 to your credit card for the amount of $286.66. 

• Initial Complaint

  05/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I accidentally ordered two copies of a very expensive book and they refuse the return. Their customer ********************** doesnt seem to be listening to what happened at all.

  Business response

  05/07/2024

  We have no email history regarding this supposed complaint at Discount Comic Book Service. The last contact from this email address to us was back in 2017.

   

• Initial Complaint

  02/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I placed a preorder with them last summer and they never sent it to me, so I didn't pay for it. This month, I gave the company another chance to see if I could have better luck recieving an order through them. I placed the order and paid for it. The next day, my account was locked and after 5 days of emailing them I finally heard back. They said if I didn't pay for the previous order that I never received, they would cancel my order. So I agreed to just cancel the order because I wasn't going to pay for $1,000+ order that I never received. They then only sent me a partial refund (without telling me ahead of time) and kept the rest for a "restocking fee" which doesn't make sense as there's nothing to restock as this was a preorder that won't even be ordered for several months. And based on other feedback, this happens often with this company

  Business response

  02/06/2024

  This complaint is invalid as the customer states they placed an order that they never paid for so of course we did not send it. Rather than asking us about it which they never did they created a new account and placed new orders. When we discovered that they created a new account yet had not paid for their previous orders we were holding on to we merged the accounts together and inactivated it. When they emailed asking why it was inactivated they were explained that we could not accept new orders from them until the previous ones were paid and they were given the choice to pay for and have sent their old items in order to keep the account current. When they were given this option they were also informed that the other option which is not the option we prefer would be to cancel everything at a 25% restock fee associated with any unshipped items. The customer then demanded that they be canceled so we did so with that 25% restock fee on all unshipped items except for the newest order we canceled without assessing that restock fee. They were then refunded the remaining amount they paid in. Not only was customer personally informed of this 25% restock fee and the fact that it would be assessed but this is disclaimed on the website FAQ itself that we do not accept order cancelations and any orders we do authorize a cancellation for are assessed a 25% restock fee for any items canceled after the initial order cut off date which had already happened for all orders in their account.

  Customer response

  02/06/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I placed preorders for the 2023 months March, *****, ***, June. I paid for March and recieved my order. I paid for ***** and did not recieve my order. I preordered *** and June while waiting for my ***** order and never received it. I contacted the company many times, and as usual, I never received a response, so I did not pay for *** and June as I still hadn't recieved *****'s order and no one would respond. Why would I continue paying if I did not recieve my previous order?

  I decided to try them again, from the same login, not a new account, which I'm not sure why they keep saying as if it's trying to make me out to hide from them. I paid for two months of preorders. They decided to cancel my orders and charge me for a restocking fee for somehting they haven't ordered yet. And even if they were to have purchased these items, they're just going to sell them. 

  I paid $1024 for the 2 orders. They refunded me $694.77 which is 33%, not 25%, which only further exemplifies who dirty they are.

  I have talked to countless people since this happened and this is a common occurance of this companies scamming. They're a shady organization with countless shady practices, as their BBB "F" gradee profile further highlights. There will be legal action taken against them if not resolved and press releases will be sent to every piece of media accross the country if they do not resolve this like adults. 

  Business response

  02/07/2024

  This customer is incorrect in their statement that they used the same account as the two accounts were merged together. Even if they had they were given the option to pay for and be sent the items that had not been sent and chose the option to have them canceled. They never reached out about any unshipped items and we continued to try to receive payment. They did not pay for items they did not receive and then since they continued to refuse to pay for them we closed their account(s) and restocked them 25% of ALL unshipped items less the newest order which we did not restock and then refunded any amount paid above those restock fees. There account is closed and will remain closed and they are no longer eligible to place orders with us as we cannot be expected to send anyone stuff they did not pay for.

  Customer response

  02/07/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Again, Im not sure what a separate account has to do with anything other than a to try to make me look shady as they have behaved. 
  
  The seller still refuses to acknowledge the fact that they never sent me my March order, which is why I did not pay for future orders. I have attached proof of payment for this. I will also be uploading proof of unanswered messages sent regarding this order, from the same email I used for the current account as well as the alleged former account, which somehow have the same email address assigned to them. 
  
  They also refuse to acknowledge that they only refunded me 66% of what I paid, not 75%. Furthermore, that restocking fee also takes from the shipping and handling along with bags and boards I paid for that do not require to be restocked. 
  
  If they worried about restocking these products, they could simply mail me what I paid for, instead they are going to sell them for a profit. This is how they continue to scam people. 
  

  Business response

  02/07/2024

  I will include the *** section of the site that clearly states that pre-orders which is what these are are due to be paid before they are sent. The customer did pay for the ***** order but also placed april and May orders which became due to be paid prior to the  march order coming in. If they had a problem with their orders they could have also reached out to us and chose not to ever contact us back even though they were receiving decline notices for their payments. We will not refund anything further nor will we re-open the account to allow them to order for us. The percentages they are using are a percentage of what they paid not a percentage of what we were due which is what the restock fees were for. Since there were orders that were not paid at all that were also restocked that is where the additional percentage they think they are missing comes from. I am including the email chain below as well where we clearly informed the customer of their options and they chose to not pay for the items and have all orders canceled that means all orders are restocked at 25% and any credits left after what was paid in were refunded.

   

   

  What happens to my orders when my payment is late?
  Payments made after the deadline by check and money order, or a credit card that is declined during the normal charge cycle, will delay shipment of your order, but your items will be held for a short time. If payment is not made by the time of the scheduled shipment, we reserve the right to remove items that are sold out from the unpaid order to fill other late paid orders. Also, if payment is made after the scheduled shipment, the order may be held to be combined with the next scheduled shipment. Shipping costs will not be refunded if orders are combined due to delayed payment. If there are paid items in the invoice with unpaid items they could also be held until the unpaid filled items have been paid. Because the shipment will be larger and weigh more, a shipping refund will not be made. If there are 2 or more unpaid orders in your account, your account can be locked to prevent further ordering before getting your account up to date. When your account is locked, we will always be happy to set up payment options should you need to do so. If payment is not received, restock fees will be assessed and payment for unshipped items will be applied towards the restock fees.
  If an order is unpaid, and subsequent payments are made to different orders, we reserve the right to apply payments to the oldest order balance. 

   

  When will my order be charged?
  If you place an order only containing collectibles (statue, busts, or action figures), your order will be charged once all items have arrived and are being readied for shipment.
  If you place an order containing collectibles and books or books only, your order will be charged in the middle of the month following the order placement. The exception to this is if you place a late pre-order. In that case, you will be charged within the normal charge cycle for that month's pre-order. Generally the charge cycle is the 14th-16th, but can be delayed if it falls during a weekend. Items that have been allocated to a customer's open invoice, that were placed in an order that has not been charged, will be charged at the time of shipment processing. This includes any order late additions, items from the trade paperback link, and early releasing product.
  DCBS reserves the right to charge large orders before the Diamond due date or if there have been payment issues in the past.
  If you need to delay a charge, any request to delay must be received 4 business days before the charge cycle begins on the 14th of the month. We can delay a charge up to 14 business days, but any additional extension will need to be authorized by the management.

   

  When can I expect my order?
  Pre-order items are typically offered two-months in advance. Each item on the site is tagged with the scheduled ship date for that item. With each order placed, the customer schedules a corresponding shipment. So placing an order in February schedules a shipment for the last week of ****** ***** schedules a shipment for the last week of May and so forth. If you skip a month, it's not a problem, there just won't be a corresponding shipment. Once your next order is placed a new shipment is scheduled and any late arriving items are held and sent with the first available shipment. 
  We reserve the right to hold orders when the majority of the books have not released from the order. If your order contains no pre-order items and only contains already released product, your order will be held until complete.
  If you discontinue your orders or if you are a one time customer, any late arriving books will be sent in one final shipment after all items have arrived. This includes advance-solicited books that ship after the regular monthly schedule. One flat rate charge pays for one shipment per order. There is no additional cost for this final shipment for domestic customers within the continental US. Final shipments to customers outside the ** will be assessed the actual shipping cost for the final shipment.
  If you do not place regular monthly orders, and your orders contain items with multiple release dates outside the normal 2 month pre-order period, each order may be held until it is complete before being shipped.
  If you are a collectible only customer or the majority of your order contains collectibles and there are not regular monthly orders placed, your order will be sent once all items from your order have been received. If you would prefer to receive your items as they arrive, the additional cost is $9.50 per additional shipment. Please email us after your order placement if you would like to have that option added. This option is only available to orders shipping in the Continental *************.

   

  Can I cancel an order or some items in my order? 
  Unfortunately, we do not accept order cancellations. In the event that an order cancellation is authorized, we will charge a 25% cancellation/restock fee. In order for us to offer the prices we do, it is important to maintain a minimum amount of inventory. If the order has been charged and/or items have filled for that order, a cancellation will not be authorized.
  We are also unable to cancel individual items from an order after the deadline has passed. Once the deadline has passed, the order is placed with the distributor and we are unable to cancel items once it is accepted. We have a function on the site that allows customers to edit their current months order, for pre-order items, up until the deadline. You may do this by logging into your account and clicking into your current months order. The system prompts you through the edit process and all additions are saved immediately. Items that have already released, including all items on the trade paperback link and clearance items, are not able to be edited.

   

  ***********************, Feb 6, 10:44?AM (1 day ago)
  
  
  to me
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Explain how 25% of $1024 is $694.77. You're just adding to case of shady scammers.  
  
  
  
  Sent from Outlook
  
  
  From: Customer ********************** <*************************************************************************************************************************>
  Sent: Monday, February 5, **** 12:55 PM
  To: ******************* <******************************************>
  Subject: Re: Account Support
  
  Hi ****,
  
  
  You were given two options and those two options were pay for the unpaid unshipped items that were unshipped due to being unpaid (which would then cause those items to be shipped to you) or your account would be closed for a 25% restock fee which was disclosed prior to ever placing any orders as it is part of the *** and was informed directly to you prior to you requesting all orders canceled.. You requested to have your orders canceled which we have done and your account has been closed and restocked and you are no longer eligible to place any future orders. 
  
  
  Please let me know if you have any questions.
  
  
  Thank you for your business!
   
  Thanks,
  ******
  *****************************************************
  
  Discount Comic Book Service
  www.dcbservice.com
   
  InStockTrades
  www.instocktrades.com
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  On Mon, Feb 5, **** at 3:52?PM ******************* <******************************************> wrote:
  No, I will receive a full refund. You're not taking 25% when you're the one who won't accept my order. If I have to, I will get the government and legal involved in this.
  
  
  Sent from Outlook
  
  
  From: Customer ********************** <*************************************************************************************************************************>
  Sent: Monday, February 5, **** 12:49 PM
  To: ******************* <******************************************>
  Subject: Re: Account Support
  
  Hi ****,
  
  
  There is only one account now but there were two they have been merged together and there are two orders you never paid for previously which is why they were not sent out each time we attempted to receive payment a decline notice was sent out since the payments declined. You did not receive items that were not paid for because they were not paid for not because we did not have them to send to you.
  
  
  However as you have requested to have your orders canceled instead I have assessed a 25% restock fee for all items ordered previous to the January **** order that have not been sent. I have also canceled all items in the January **** order without the restock fee since it was not yet due and closed your account there is a total refund of $694.77 that has been issued back to your card today. Please allow 2-3 business days for the banks to fully process it.
  
  
  Please let me know if you have any questions.
  
  
  
  
  Thanks,
  ******
  *****************************************************
  
  Discount Comic Book Service
  www.dcbservice.com
   
  InStockTrades
  www.instocktrades.com
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  On Mon, Feb 5, **** at 3:17?PM ******************* <******************************************> wrote:
  Just cancel my active orders and refund me then. I'm not paying for books I never received. And I don't know what you're talking about with a separate account as I've used the exact account each time. Nobody ever contacted me that my payment didn't go through. I waited for my orders and never received them which is why I left to begin with. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sent from Outlook
  
  
  From: Customer ********************** <*************************************************************************************************************************>
  Sent: Monday, February 5, **** 12:13 PM
  To: ******************* <******************************************>
  Subject: Re: Account Support
  
  Hi ****,
  
  
  Your new orders should have never been accepted as the previous account was not paid in full as we had not yet shut the account down since we were still trying to obtain the payment in order to ship those items at the time the orders were placed there was not an alert that there was a separate account. However when the updated payment came through for them the alert was triggered so the accounts were merged at this point if we do not obtain payment for that order no further items will be sent and your account will be assessed restock fees for all unshipped items before any refund is issued and then no future orders will be accepted. If the unpaid order is paid we will then ship the pending shipment of those items and your account will be made current and continue to be useable.
  
  
  Please let me know if you have any questions.
  
  
  Thank you for your business!
   
  Thanks,
  ******
  *****************************************************
  
  Discount Comic Book Service
  www.dcbservice.com
   
  InStockTrades
  www.instocktrades.com
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  On Mon, Feb 5, **** at 3:01?PM ******************* <******************************************> wrote:
  I'm confused, why was it shut down the day after I made two months' worth of payments because of a balance from a year ago? And I don't understand what I'm paying a past due balance for an order I never received. 
  
  
  From: Customer ********************** <*************************************************************************************************************************>
  Sent: Monday, February 5, **** 11:55 AM
  To: ******************* <******************************************>
  Subject: Re: Account Support
  
  Hi ****,
  
  
  Your account was inactivated as you were not eligible for a new account since your original account was past due and inactivated. The accounts have been merged and inactivated since we still do not have payment for the June 2023 pre-order that has consistently had the payment decline. I have temporarily reactivated your account so that you can update the payment information and make arrangements to pay the past due balance so that your account can remain active.
  
  
  Please let me know if you have any questions.
  
  
  Thank you for your business!
   
  Thanks,
  ******
  *****************************************************
  
  Discount Comic Book Service
  www.dcbservice.com
   
  InStockTrades
  www.instocktrades.com
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  On Fri, Feb 2, **** at 11:13?AM ******************* <******************************************> wrote:
  Hi, my account just logged me out and then won't let me log in saying "user account is inactive". I'm not sure why as it was just active yesterday when I made my last payment.
  
  
  *******************
  
  
  Sent from Outlook

• Initial Complaint

  07/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I placed an order and paid it in full ( April order for **** released items. They told me it'd be shipped first week of July. It didn't and they have added May order items (July release) to it an now won't ship because those items have not been paid. These are 2 separate orders with both having shipping payments separately. Not my fault they didn't keep them separate. I want my items that were paid and should have been paid. Here was their reply "We actually did not ship because there is $99.24 worth of unpaid items in your shipment currently as the May order is past due." Two separate orders with both having shipping charges.

  Business response

  07/13/2023

  Customer is not receiving shipments due to the fact that their payments are late. Our initial due dates would have made May ordered items due to be paid June 15th. We pushed this due date out to July 1 instead of June 15. Customer's shipment is being held because those items are not paid for and has been told this is why they are not being sent. We do not ship based on order but based on what has come in at the time the shipment is due as we are a mostly pre-order company. Customer was informed that if the past due order payment was made we would process the shipment.

• Initial Complaint

  04/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have been emailing InStockTrades since January 2022 about damages in several orders. Over the years, IST has honored my requests for returns, replacements, and (partial) refunds, sometimes after a delay of some time, but never this long. At this point, some of the orders fall outside the last 12 months, but some of them do not. I had no reason to complain earlier because I really thought they were just delayed due to COVID and warehouse relocation. But now I believe IST is ignoring these emails because I have even referenced them in other email exchanges we've had about out of stock books. I know that my communication has gotten through. I want IST to respond to my emails, the latest of which I sent today and which also references the previous emails they have ignored. I also want IST to continue a prompt exchange over email until all of the damage inquiries are resolved. I do expect to be refunded for damaged items and for IST to arrange for returns/replacements as I have requested. They have simply ghosted me instead. I have continued to be a loyal customer, even placing a new order today, despite their sometimes poor packaging--I've always felt comfortable because they took care of me when damages occurred. But now? I feel like I am taking a risk of being stuck with a damaged book every time I place an order. They've had plenty of time to resolve my requests; instead, they have ignored them (I even grouped my requests to save processing time and return shipping rates for them). Meanwhile, they have put my hard-earned money to good use over the time period of ignoring my emails. It should now be no big deal for them to take care of my minor financial requests (big to me, but small for them). My desire is for them to do the decent thing here. I am aware that they might disagree with some of my damage inquiries, but they should at least be in dialogue with me about them. There have been NO responses to my inquiries about damaged items since January 2022.

  Business response

  04/19/2023

  Hi,

  We have reached out to the customer through our customer ********************** email and have resolved the issue. We are truly sorry for the problem and have dealt with the issue internally. 

  Thanks,
  ***********************
  Warehouse Manager
  
  InStockTrades
  *********************

   

  Customer response

  04/19/2023

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  
  

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  08/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  InStockTrades is a company that sells graphic novels online. On 07/21/2022, I received an email from InStockTrades that a book from my order was no longer available and they asked if I wanted a refund. I responded to the email the same day, confirming I'd take the refund. Right after, I purchased the same out of stock book from another vendor. I received no response, and I received no refund from InStockTrades. On 08/01/2022 InStockTrades emailed me, stating they actually had a copy of the book they originally told me they didn't. They didn't honor my refund, and they sent out the book. Now, I will have two copies of the same book. Also, I emailed them shortly after because I had a concern with another order I made. When that order was delivered, there were four books missing from the order. I asked InStockTrades (via email) if those four books were shipped, and I have not received any response in over a week. InStockTrades are not replying to my emails, and they don't have a phone number for customers to reach them. I just need InStockTrades to be more involved with their customer **********************. I would love for them to give me a call so we can resolve this issue.

  Business response

  08/16/2022

  Hi,

  Response emails were sent to the customer on August 2nd and August 3rd in regard to the customer's order inquiries. These issues have been resolved through our customer ********************** email ********************** and no further assistance is needed. 

  Customer response

  08/17/2022

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  
  

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  07/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I am having lots of issues with three orders placed at ******* ****** which is a company that is also part of Discount Comic Service, Orders#******, Order#******, Order#******. All were ordered on July 6, 2022. As of July 15, 2022 only 4 items out of 17 have been shipped. The website is called ******* ****** which means items are instock and at the time I ordered the items were instock and available to be shipped, why only 4 items after a week have been shipped instead of all 17 is why I am frustrated. I have sent several emails inquiring about the status of my orders and they have gone unanswered. I sent an email on July 13th and July 14th and a previous email on July 9th inquiring about canceling items I ordered by mistake which also went unaswered. I did receive one email that one item was not instock so that means that out of the 17 items that were ordered 12 more items should have been shipped by now if only one item was out of stock.The website mentions that orders are shipped within 48 hours and in cases were some items may not be instock it will take a few additional days to order from a distributor. It has been more than a week and only 4 items out of 17 were shipped. Orders should not be taken if you don't have all the items instock and ready to be shipped out in time. Yes, COVID has caused many delays at many businesses but if I would have ordered these items at other websites I would have received them all by now, businesses even smaller than Discount Comic Book Service and ******* ******.I am frustrated because emails sent are not answered and 12 of my remaning items should have been shipped out by now. If the other 12 items can't be sent right now then the orders should be canceled and fully refunded. I should not be charged a 25% restocking fee if items are not sent in a timely manner as per their own website information, emails are not answered at all and horrible customer ********************** is provided. I hope that this matter can be resolved!

• Initial Complaint

  07/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On March 28th 2022 I asked for a refund for approximately $**** for a personal matter. I had already paid the money to them. My bank verified multiple times that the refund was not received and DCBS refuses to investigate the matter and resolve it properly. Ive written them 20 or more times via email but they wont call, receive calls, or check with processor for verification.

  Business response

  07/06/2022

  All of customer's emails have been responded to. Customer is aware that we are not set up for the phone calls so there is no way for us to call them or receive calls. We have provided all information from our processor that is available regarding the refund which was done without restock fees as a courtesy due to the circumstances back in March. This is an issue on the customer's bank not ours as the transaction for the refund was accepted and the funds have been sent. This matter is closed as far as we are concerned. 

  Refund was issued on March 28 and there is nothing further we are able to do. The constant contact and filing a complaint with BBB regarding an issue that has already been resolved on our end is tantamount to harassment.

  The information from the bank regarding the refund is also pasted below.

   

  Transaction Status **** Accepted
  Card *********
  Card Number XXXXXXXXXXXX**** Card Verification #
  Amount ********
  Order ID # ******
  ******
  
  ****
  *****
  ****** ****
  ***** ***********
  **** **********
  
  Health Benefit Card Indicator   N
  Qualified Total Health Purchase Amount
  Qualified Rx Amount
  Qualified Clinic Amount
  Qualified Dental Amount
  Qualified Vision Amount
  
  
  Transaction Date 2022-03-28 11:50:20
  *********** ********* ****** ********** ****************************************
  *********** ********* ***** ********** *
  *********** ******** **** ** *********   
  *********** **** ************ **** ** *********

   

  
  Approval Code ******
  Response Code 00 - Approved
  *** Response Code *** is not applicable
  Card Verification Number Response Code
  Payment Brand Response Code 00 - Approval
  Payment Brand Response Category Code A - Approved
  
  Card ********* Expiration Date 2024/11
  Card Number XXXXXXXXXXXX**** Card Verification #
  Amount ********
  Order ID # ******
  ******
  
  ****
  *****
  ****** ****
  ***** ***********
  **** **********
  
  Transaction Date 2022-03-28 11:50:20
  *********** ********* ****** ********** ****************************************
  Aggregator Reference Number
  
  

  Customer response

  07/07/2022

  I am aware of this information.  My bank has already confirmed that the transaction was likely rejected before hitting them.  You need to call your payment processor and ask if the refund was rejected at settlement time.  You have refused to do this and have only made a cursory glance through on system with the payment processor and refuse to ask them further questions to determine if the refund was rejected in a different system.

  My bank has NOT received the funds therefore the only possible explanation is that the payment processor has rejected the refund (likely due to **** rules on refunds).

  This is not resolved simply because you say it is. Contacting customer ********************** is harassment? Who am I supposed to contact? 
  

  Business response

  07/08/2022

  We will no longer continue to respond to this issue we have provided all information we have available and we no longer have the funds. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I wish to make you aware of a company called Discount Comic Book Services and their practices.Last few months I left DCBS buying from them because service was so bad. They still owed me about Dozen Books that I paid for including already paying out the premium of weekly shipments. Since December of 2021 they held shipping books I paid for with weekly shipping requirements. As of right now they are setting on nearly dozen books that were all released and have been available since around December. I paid in December of 2021 $23.00 for weekly shipping for books of that month as $23.00 for previous months to get my books weekly. Their Monthly shipping fee for Once a month is $7.50.To date Not a single book released from December to March 2022 has shipped but all are in nearly 4 months delay and I had paid $23 for weekly shipping and now DCBS wants another $7.50 for these books they never shipped. That does not seem an ethical practice to me to ask a customer any customer to pay more money to ship books they already an excessive shipping premium for.As noted even though I paid for weekly shipping they now want me to pay an additional $7.50 for shipping books beyond the weekly shipping fee I already paid them regular of $23.00 per month .I sent two emails to their Customer ********************** first on January 15 ***** and second on January 19, 2022 since no responses to first and they just responded ignoring the first email. They said cause I left their service they will not ship all books till all are in even though I paid for weekly shipping when I dealt with them. This is now going on 4 MONTHS which is unacceptable in my opinion. No matter what I feel very uncomfortable with DCBS practice and services because I paid for their premium weekly shipment service to get my books quickly/sooner. I expect my books to ship at no additional shipping fee as I paid for weekly shipping for over a year with them. As of now it may be 6 or more months till I get my book

  Business response

  03/23/2022

  This customer already received all weekly shipments that they paid for prior to this complaint. By purchasing through us they agreed to our terms. Yes they did pay for weekly shipments in their orders and each month of weekly shipments paid for received a month worth of weekly shipments. Once all shipments have been sent any remaining items are then held until they complete. Customer was previously offered to pay an additional flat rate fee to get books that are in sent prior to the remaining items coming in. All inquiries to the company were answered and this complaint is invalid.

  When can I expect my order?
  Pre-order items are typically offered two-months in advance. Each item on the site is tagged with the scheduled ship date for that item. With each order placed, the customer schedules a corresponding shipment. So placing an order in February schedules a shipment for the last week of ****** ***** schedules a shipment for the last week of May and so forth. If you skip a month, it's not a problem, there just won't be a corresponding shipment. Once your next order is placed a new shipment is scheduled and any late arriving items are held and sent with the first available shipment. 
  We reserve the right to hold orders when the majority of the books have not released from the order. If your order contains no pre-order items and only contains already released product, your order will be held until complete.
  If you discontinue your orders or if you are a one time customer, any late arriving books will be sent in one final shipment after all items have arrived. This includes advance-solicited books that ship after the regular monthly schedule. One flat rate charge pays for one shipment per order. There is no additional cost for this final shipment for domestic customers within the continental **. Final shipments to customers outside the ** will be assessed the actual shipping cost for the final shipment.
  If you do not place regular monthly orders, and your orders contain items with multiple release dates outside the normal 2 month pre-order period, each order may be held until it is complete before being shipped.
  If you are a collectible only customer or the majority of your order contains collectibles and there are not regular monthly orders placed, your order will be sent once all items from your order have been received. If you would prefer to receive your items as they arrive, the additional cost is $7.50 per additional shipment. Please email us after your order placement if you would like to have that option added. This option is only available to orders shipping in the Continental *************.

  Customer response

  03/23/2022

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Because of their bad shipping practices. I experienced delays on shipments in August and September twice by their company.  It took emails to get books several weeks to get my weekly shipment. Yes they gave me partial credit for shipment but the shipments continued to have problem in getting my weekly shipment so left and went back to *** **** Comics where these problems did not occur. As a master of fact ******* had some shipments that were several months late several time and shipped books immediately even if 1 book at no extra charge as I paid for weekly premium shipment with them as well.

  I find DCBS policy unacceptable on holding books for 4-6 months as they have to date for ANY customer and then expecting them to pay a extra shipping fee when you already paid for weekly shipments. 

  Business response

  03/23/2022

  Customer agreed to terms and conditions of the site including shipping practices by purchasing through the site. Customers account has been restocked and closed due to frivolous complaint.

  Customer response

  03/25/2022

   Better Business Bureau:
  

  
  

  I will accept  their response to be done with this company but find their handling of this response as unprofessional. As far as the complaint being frivolous obviously from the current list of similar complaints on BBB website far from the truth. DCBS has some issues on how they treat customers.  First their response was submitting a refund I did not ask for but wanted the books I ordered and paid for over 6 months ago and came out over last 4 months. I appreciate the refund but find DCBS response and refund unbelievable because I never requested refund as they did that themselves without my request and the amount was improper as they excluded the Book Suicide Squad gets Joker #3 which I paid $4.19 to them. To further their unprofessionalism they also deactivated my account due to the complaint in hope I would not be able to copy the final invoice online but was able to to get it and note it did not include Suicide Squad Get Joker 3 see attached.  The fact this company took money nearly 6 months and delayed shipment as they have with other customers shows they care more about the dollar instead of their customer.  My preference was I wanted them to ship the books they owed me as all but one was available that being Suicide Squad #3 which I paid $4.19 to them around 7/19/2021.   If they would follow timely shipping and good practice in the future they would maintain customers and not lose them to other companies like Mid-Town Comics or My Comic shops where I could obtain the books DCBS would not ship.  Luckily all of the books I was able to buy as they came out as I knew I could not rely on getting this books from DCBS.  If they claim the books are not available as all were release weeks ago except for Suicide Squad gets Joker #3 which still may be months away.  To hold books all books for "customers" for months & months that paid for shipping including weekly makes their business practice questionable.  So I find this matter closed!!!!
  
  
  

   

• Initial Complaint

  03/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Made a purchase for multiple items on website via ******. Immediately received 15 of $34 refund stating none of the items were available. I have contacted this company as well as it's thirds party that obviously supplies the items. This company States it can do nothing I need to contact the third party. Third-party has refused to answer emails or contact me via phone number which was left. This company claims it can do nothing. This company is the company which withdrew the money.

  Business response

  04/06/2022

  Hi,

  The customer's order was cancelled and refunded on March 24th due to the unavailability of the items in the order. The partial ****** refund that was initially sent to the customer was done so in error but because the whole order was cancelled, we left the refund be and sent a second refund for the remaining order balance. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
  
  Thank you for your business! We appreciate it!
  
  Thanks,
  *****
  
  DCBS
  www.DCBService.com
  
  InStockTrades
  www.InStockTrades.com
  
  Tales Of Wonder
  www.TalesofWonder.com

  Customer response

  04/07/2022

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  
  

  Thank you.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩