ComplaintsforTabletop Tycoon, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  01/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Company shipped damaged merchandise to customers; refuses to provide replacements. Only remediation options given (after months without contact) were discounts on future purchases or returning the item at customer's expense, pending "verification". Item arrived damaged, with inner shipping box heavily torn, punctured, and crushed. Outer shipping box had no/minimal visible damage, confirming the item was damaged prior to shipment. After months without contact, company refused to acknowledge crush damage to box as anything more than "minor dents and dings"; referred me to policy on their website with a link outlining such (no such policy regarding damaged goods was available on page provided). Desired resolution of a replacement box lid (ignoring other incidental damage to inner trays as actually minor) was not possible because company "could not guarantee replacement wouldn't be damaged". No other reasoning provided; no further response to my follow-up inquiries after two weeks. Numerous other customers on product-related forums report similar damages to products with identical (word-for-word) responses.

  Business response

  01/30/2023

  Thank you for your message.  

  I am sorry to hear you are unhappy with our product.  We will extend our refund policy beyond thirty days to allow you to return this product to us.   
  

  Here is our refund policy: ****************
  

  Once we receive the product back, we will issue a refund for the product through PayPal or through a Paper Check to you.  We will need your paypal email address; and if you do not use Paypal, we will issue you a refund check.  
  
  Please return the product to:

  Tabletop Tycoon
  *** ******** ****** ***** *** **** ****** *********** ** *****
  
  Thank you,

  Mike B******* 

  Customer response

  01/30/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because: 

  As mentioned in the initial complaint (and countless times in my ignored attempts at email correspondence), the policy linked in your response states regarding damaged goods:

  "Damages and issues
  Please inspect your order upon reception and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right."

  This is exactly what I did, back in October. I'm still waiting for this to be 'made right'.

  Furthermore, and also mentioned in this complaint, the option of a refund does not cover initial shipping, nor does it cover shipping to return the product (or so I assume, because company has refused to respond to my questions); since the product weights nearly 20 pounds, this is a not insignificant sum that I'm being left to burden as a result of the company's negligence in quality control (again, I raised this issue multiple times in my attempts to make email contact).

  Sincerely,

  **** ******

  Business response

  01/31/2023

  Good Morning ****,

  While you may not accept our answer, we have not ignored your complaint.  We have responded in a timely manner to this complaint, and offered a solution.  We have extended our timeline for you to receive a refund on your purchase, beyond our policy, to resolve this complaint.  

  You have stated you are unhappy with the product, and we are offering a refund.  

  Once we receive the product back, we will issue a refund for the product through PayPal or through a Paper Check to you.  We will need your paypal email address; and if you do not use Paypal, we will issue you a refund check.  
  
  Please return the product to:
  Tabletop Tycoon
  *** ******** ****** ***** *** **** ****** *********** ** *****
  
  Thank you,

  Mike B******* 

  Customer response

  01/31/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because:

  I contacted customer service immediately when I first received the product back in early November (I previously said it was October, which I realized was inaccurate). Presenting this as "extending the deadline in our policy" is disingenuous at best, especially when this is not mentioned in the 'damages' section of said policy (as mentioned previously) and I was told at the time that replacements would be handled waiting for initial fulfillment to conclude.

  Tabletop Tycoon still has yet to answer either of my questions regarding refunds for initial shipping and a return label for sending the product back, as failing to provide these leaves me with an expense of $60-80 out-of-pocket on an item that was willingly shipped in a damaged state that I would no longer own under the proposed solution.

  At the risk of repeating myself (yet again), the issue is demonstrably the company's fault, and with this proposed solution I'm left footing the bill as a result.

  Can you provide either a FULL (initial & return shipping included) or a new box lid to replaced the already-damaged product you sent? These are acceptable solutions, and I don't think either is too much to ask.

  
  Sincerely,

  **** ******

  Business response

  02/01/2023

  Hello ****,

  You are referring to our policy on our website here: ****************

  For BBB, here is the text:

  "SECTION 19 - RESHIPMENTS, REFUNDS, REPLACEMENTS, & RETURNS
  We are happy to refund any order that has not yet shipped. If you would like a refund, please contact us through www.TabletopTycoon.com/support.
  
  Occasionally a parcel will require reshipment due to being lost in transit. If you believe your parcel may be lost in transit, we request you contact us through www.TabletopTycoon.com/support 6-8 weeks after your parcel was shipped. If possible, we will follow up with the carrier delivering your package to determine if there is a delay in delivery or if your package is indeed lost. If you do not contact us within 8 weeks of  your shipping date, you will be responsible for paying the postage for a reshipment.
  
  We are happy to replace defective or damaged components. We provide replacement pieces while titles are active in our catalog, which is typically at least a year after their initial printing. Replacement requests must be made within 30 days of the date the item was delivered to you. If you require replacement pieces, please contact us through www.TabletopTycoon.com/replacements, and we will ship a replacement at no additional cost to you. We may also request photos of the damage or defect before shipping. If your item needs to be returned due to damage, we will cover the cost of the return shipping. 
  
  If there is something wrong with your item, we appreciate the opportunity to replace or exchange it. If you would like to return your item for any other reason, you will be responsible for shipping the item back to us. Upon receipt of the returned item, you will be issued a full refund. Return requests must be made within 30 days of the date the item was delivered to you. To return an item and receive a refund, please contact us through www.TabletopTycoon.com/support."

  In this complaint, we have extended the timeline for a refund.  That offer continues to stand for **** unless he declines it at this point.  The policy also describes who will bear the burden of shipping in these cases.  The company retains the decision to replace any pieces, and we have let you know multiple times that we do not deem the minor creases to meet our level to replace the box.  All of the photos attached with the white box is the outside packing material.  The White box is what the product was shipped in, not the actual product.  The small crease shown on the photo do not rise to the level we deem to be a damaged product, and does not qualify for a replacement.  

  ****, our offer still stands to give you a refund if you are unhappy with your purchase.  You will need to ship the item back to us, and once we receive the item, we will offer you a refund in the form of a check to your return address, or Paypal if you have access to it.  

  Thank you,

  Mike B******* 

  Customer response

  02/03/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because:

  This is a different policy than the one I was referred to on multiple occasions while attempting to find a resolution (including earlier in this exchange via BBB). Even so, this new policy states that the company is happy to replace damaged components if contacted immediately upon receipt for products still in catalog (both of which are the case).

  The white box shown was not the outer shipping box; it arrived packed inside another box, and had no mailing/shipping labels (or evidence thereof) on it that would suggest it had been originally used as an outer box and then repackaged after receiving damage. The photos of the inner box are there to serve as evidence that the item was damaged prior to shipment. The creases on the product box are not minor either - as stated in previous communications, they all range from 4 to 6 inches in length. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ******

  Business response

  02/08/2023

  Hello ****,

  The company reserves the right to decide if damage warrants a replacement.  The white outer box is not part of the game, and not something we would replace.  It is a shipping box.  The game box itself has minor creases and does not qualify for a replacement.  Tabletop Tycoon has offered to extend the timeframe for refunds, and we have offered this to you multiple times.  There is no further action or response from Tabletop Tycoon on this complaint. 

  We have provided you with the necessary information in which you can send back the product for a refund through a check, or through Paypal.  

  If we do not receive the item back by February 28th 2023, I will consider that you have decided to keep it and not seek a refund.  We have extended the timeline for you, but we cannot do it indefinitely.  

  Thank you,

  Mike B******* 

  Customer response

  02/09/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because:

  I feel confident in stating that multiple damage marks stretching half a foot in length are not minor, in the vast majority of consumers' opinions. I'm quite obviously not looking to replace the white shipping box, and feel insulted that you think that's what I'm taking issue with here after some dozen points of correspondence clearly spelling out what the problem is.

  I'm pointing out using photographs of the internal white box that it was damaged prior to shipment, and that is why the actual product I received was damaged. I've made this statement numerous times at this point, only to receive the same parroted response back about an 'extended timeline'. Since the white box (and product contained therein) were damaged and the outer shipping box (which was necessary ship the game and the deluxe resources pack add-on in the same parcel) was not, the shipping company is demonstrably not at fault here.

  Instead of answering (or even reading, it seems) the details of my complaint, they're ignoring my legitimate concerns of negligence and/or poor quality control (not to mention failure to honor the sections of the now-multiple policy documents they've quoted back at me) and are instead presenting it as a 'gracious benefit' that they're still willing to engage after so many months of delays which have been entirely on their end in the first place.

  Furthermore, Tabletop Tycoon has yet to provide the return shipping label for actually sending the damaged merchandise back, and at this point I'm not sure I can trust them to provide the refund upon merchandise return, either.

  Sincerely,

  **** ******

• Initial Complaint

  01/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 03/21/2021 I paid 163.63 to Tabletop Tycoon (Order# *********************) to preorder the "Everdell Big Ol' Box of Storage", 2 expansions and a set of deluxe resource vessels. The estimated delivery date was 03/2022. After several delays, I finally received the items via UPS (******************) on 10/19/2022. There was no visual external damage to the shipping box, but items inside were not packaged appropriately and showed damage. I immediately notified Tabletop Tycoon via their support form and they responded to me on 10/25/22 saying they would reach out to me regarding a replacement "in the next few weeks." I did not get a reply from them until 12/19/2022, and in contrast to their earlier email, they now stated my damage was only "minor dings and dents" and the only compensation offered was a $20 coupon for a future purchase from their website that expired in 3 months. Numerous other folks in an online board game forum in the same situation as myself received identical "canned" responses to their complaints with Tabletop Tycoon. I responded the same day and let them know my damage was more significant than "minor dings and dents" and that their offer of a coupon for another purchase was a "slap in the face." They responded again ~1 month later on 01/16/23 indicating that they stand by their assessment, a replacement shipment was not possible because it would also arrive damaged and that my only recourse would be to ship the package back to them and that "once they confirm the contents" they would issue a refund. I paid a lot of money ($40 of it for the sub-par shipping that they will not guarantee.) All I want is a replacement for the damaged "Everdell Big Ol' Box of Storage." I fully believe the delays in response were intentional to bypass consumer protections (such as dispute recourses via credit card companies.) The company is being disingenuous and dismissive because they know we have no recourse.

  Business response

  01/17/2023

  Thank you for your message Jason.  

  As previously stated in our communications with you, we have extended our refund timeline for you.  We did this so that you may receive a refund for the product you are unhappy with.  

  Here is our refund policy: ****************

  Once we receive the product back, we will issue a refund for the product through PayPal or through a check to you.  

   

  Please return the product to:

  Tabletop Tycoon

  *** ******** ****** ***** *** **** ****** *********** ** ***** 

  Thank you,

  Mike B******* 

   

   

*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. ↩