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20 May, 2009
2009-5-20 9:44:27 AM UTC
I think a "Sigh" is in order :)

Stu
20 May, 2009
2009-5-20 6:23:11 PM UTC
I am told that this was an error, and will be fixed in the overnight (UK time) update of their territory database for the website. Try again this evening (USA time) and it should work! (Fingers crossed here and at HC as well).
21 May, 2009
2009-5-21 1:34:49 AM UTC
Thanks for the info, Jeremy. The website was still rejecting me about an hour ago, but I just gave it one last shot before bedtime, and it worked! Too bad I will not get a nice low number, but I guess that is not terribly important.
21 May, 2009
2009-5-21 1:52:01 AM UTC
Too bad I will not get a nice low number, but I guess that is not terribly important.

I wouldn't be too sure - It really depends on how popular it has been. I'm not certain that they even sent out the emails to those who pre-registered interest stating the book was actually available (I know I didn't get one). If they didn't, there may not have been that many purchases so far, anyway.

Of course, they may have started taking phone orders the day before when they definitely did send out an email stating it was just a day away (and provided a phone number), in which case a few might have been sold before the official release and that would push the numbers up a bit.

I'd actually quite like to be wrong, but I can't imagine there has been a great stampede of buyers. Even CoH took a couple of days to get into triple figures and I would have thought that this would be less popular (although it is a more sensible price, and content-wise is IMHO a (surprisingly) more interesting book, so who knows..?).

Stu
21 May, 2009
2009-5-21 2:02:43 AM UTC
Stu, I agree with your assessment. I don't think that it will be too high. I am guessing anywhere from 30 to 50.

What I would love to happen, is for all the avid collectors to get their copies, and then HC announce that they decided to cut production to 250, instead of 500 copies.
21 May, 2009
2009-5-21 4:49:07 AM UTC
>What I would love to happen, is for all the avid collectors to get their copies, and then HC announce that they decided to cut production to 250, instead of 500 copies.

The idea of printing 500 copies still seems a bit bizarre for this title. I would have thought 150 would have been plenty given the economic climate and the non-ME nature of the material. I guess they must be able to make a good enough margin selling a proportion of them , even if they have to sell the remainder in bulk a few years down the line. I'd love to know the real cost of production; The page block obviously costs next to nothing, but I haven't a clue about the rest of the cost. The quality is higher (and no there is the traycase to consider), but the Easton Press seem to be able to mass produce quite reasonable leather bindings at a remarkably low retail price, so I suspect the cost is lower than one might suspect.
21 May, 2009
2009-5-21 12:25:05 PM UTC
I received an email from HC on 19-May, as I am sure many of you also did, stating:

"We are just one day away from the release of the world exclusive signed and limited editiom of The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, at the special introductory price of £250.

Our customer services team will be contacting you on 20th May to complete your purchase
."

However, 20-May has come and passed, and I've still yet to hear from any customer "service" team. What's even more peculiar, is that in the past, my wife and I have used two separate email accounts for entering contests, etc., so we each receive all of the HC spam. I 'pre-ordered' two copies of the Super Deluxe Sigurd through my account, which is where I received the abovementioned message (on the 19th), and since have not been contacted regarding my pre-order. This morning, though, my wife has received an email from HC saying that the new limited edition book is available for purchase. Why would she get an alert in her email advertising the release and inviting her to purchase, when I actually pre-ordered two copies and haven't been given the green llight? I enjoy HC's books, but they sure run the business strangely.
21 May, 2009
2009-5-21 2:15:11 PM UTC
I rang the Glasgow office yesterday to ask why I had not been contacted about my 'preorder'. The lady said I was on a phone list for them to ring people.

With growing doubts about the value of 'preordering', the only benefit really for me was that I could get a low 'number' as I preordered as soon as it was announced, I asked the question.

It will come as no surprise to anyone on this board as to the answer, 'Oh we don't do that, you get a number when you place an order and you pay for it, none are reserved'.

I ordered over the phone, but have no email receipt or any confirmation that I have ordered anything.

I am starting to get really fed up with this terrible service from HC.
21 May, 2009
2009-5-21 7:57:08 PM UTC
To be honest I can't see what the problem is. You register then get an email on the 19th saying you can order on the 20th. On the 20th you order. Job done in 2 minutes.

This is similar to the system used for CoH, except that then they emailed on the day of release. I don't remember any complaints then. If anything, I prefer them to email the day before because then I can order at work. With CoH I didn't see the email until I got home in the evening.

Pre-order may not have been the best term to use, but as you haven't given any payment details (as you would for an Amazon pre-order) its not really an order as you haven't actually commited to buying, just expressed an interest. They probably got hundreds if not 1000s of people registering, so could hardly reserve copies for everybody.

I got a message on my answerphone a week or two ago asking me to ring them about the book, but I forgot about it at the time. Not sure if it was the superdeluxe or normal deluxe edition they were calling about.

I ordered at about 10am yesterday.
21 May, 2009
2009-5-21 8:12:10 PM UTC

Deagol wrote:
To be honest I can't see what the problem is.

Deagol, you are right in stating that it is really not that difficult to just get up and order the book on the 20'th. That is not my complaint. I just wonder why they would send me a message saying, "Our customer services team will be contacting you on 20th May to complete your purchase," and then nobody ever contacted me.

And, considering Trotter's point, I also thought it was totally plausible (though not probable), that they might send me a code that would correspond to my place in line, or at least my reservation of the book. I disagree that they may have taken "1000's" of registrations. If there were that many people lined up to buy, this book would not take the five years, or more, that it is going to take to sell 500 copies.
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