the journal of a fangirly insect

I'm sorry, but this is going to be a rant. Maybe a rant of epic proportions. But definitely a rant.

So, I signed up for Amazon Prime in April, mainly because I am a huge book nerd. I also lack a great deal of patience, so I like to have what I want NOW. So, I figured that it'd be a good investment. Since signing up for Amazon Prime, though, I've been getting a hell of a lot of books that look like this:



That, my friends, is a "new" book shipped from Amazon. Oh yes, it arrived in two days. But...the condition! The front cover has two large diagonal creases (the "classic" you see in the bottom corner is actually from the first page and not the cover), and the top corner is literally peeling apart (the inside pages aren't white - that's the "guts" of the cover) and smushed.

Now, I know that this could happen to any order. What I dislike, however, is that this is happening at a very high rate. Out of the nine books I've ordered in the past two months, five have been damaged so much that I have had to return them. That's over 50%, and I don't like those odds.

The problem is that Amazon throws books into boxes that are far too large for them without any packing materials at all. So, in the end, I get a book that looks like it has been brought here by the Pony Express from California, not UPS from Kentucky.

I'm pissed. I'm tired of having to return books all of the time because Amazon can't get this right. I've emailed customer service three times, and all I get is a "oh I'm sorry, we'll send you a replacement" canned response. The kicker? The "replacement" is often in just as bad of shape, if not worse, than the original.

Take, for example, the Clay Enos Watchmen book I bought for $35. The first copy I received had a three inch tear in the dust jacket. Now, I pay $35 for a book, I expect it to be in very good condition. I do not expect a three inch tear in the jacket. I returned it. Amazon sent me a replacement. I was happy until I opened the box. The replacement had three tears in them, one of them being four inches long. Yes, I measured these tears. Back it went to Amazon, this time for a refund, and I bought the book on eBay from someone for $18 including shipping. It arrived in pristine condition.

ARGH. I am definitely not renewing my Prime membership once it expires. :P It's nice to get books quickly, but you know what's even nicer? Getting them in good condition. :P

I think being forced to deal with the unhelpful and downright rude employees at the Phantom Box Office in the Venetian has sapped me of much of my Phantom love, although I'm not sure how that exactly happened. I've been fighting with them tooth and nail for over a month, trying to find someone who works there who isn't an incompetent jerk (I'm still looking), and it just infuriates me. Today I got a form letter from the assistant manager (some dude named Florante Mark V. Gagarin), who honestly expects me to fly back out to Vegas to see Phantom "free" on the house. Except it isn't "free" because they already have $150+ of my money that they refuse to return (and no one is willing to explain why, even though I was assured by a few different people out there that I WOULD receive it back) and it'd cost me at least double that to fly out there! Oh yes, I'm going to jump at that. *rolls eyes*

I have absolutely no desire to return to Vegas, "free" tickets or not, and my continued dealings with these idiots are only reinforcing my belief that Vegas equals HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM THE FLAMING PITS OF HELL.

Ironically, before all of this happened, I was already planning to return in 2009 to see the production again. Umm, so not happening now. I don't know what I'm going to do instead. Maybe I'll just stay at home. At least I know that I won't treat myself like I'm an idiot because I've seen Phantom multiple times (I can't say the same about the people who work for the Phantom Box Office).

It's sad. I used to really love the Vegas production of Phantom. I recommended it all of the time! And now, just thinking about it makes me want to become ill. [words that I cannot type in a public entry go here] I honestly do not want to see it ever again, and I never thought that I would say that. :(

ETA: I just filed a complaint with the Southern Nevada Better Business Bureau (the Venetian has an F grade, so I am not hopeful that will do anything XD) and a dispute with my credit card. I don't think that either of these will pan out, but just complaining made me a little happier. XD Thanks for the advice, lamath!