How would you handle this situation, khv? Yesterday I was out buying stuff at my comic shop and when I got home I noticed one of the things I had bought had a hideous defect. As in, it destroyed the experience for me, which was really depressing because I had been waiting for it since July. So, do I go back and buy a new one, or do I settle for this one? There's blue ink printed over some of the pages. I guess because of a faulty printer or something. I've had this problem once before with something but it wasn't this major so I just let it slide, but this is awful. I really don't like the idea of buying the same thing twice, but since it's only $4.20 I could be swayed into buying it again. But I don't like the idea of having two copies it, I would have to get rid of the old one somehow. Ugh I'm bad at making decisions
If there's a defect, shouldn't you be able to get a refund for it (don't really know how the refud/trade-back system of comic shops works, though). If not, it might be better to buy it again just to have the better, full experience with the ink staining everywhere. As for the second one blaze it.
Yeah I don't know either. I kinda doubt that but No I don't want to be "that guy." And given how small the store is, the owner gets to know the customers. I've only been going there regularly for a few months and he already knows my name. I don't want to put him in that situation. And besides, he could say that I could have flipped through it to see if it had any problems. If this was a regular retail store then yeah sure this wouldn't be an issue, but I don't want to be all demanding with the guy. I'm probably just going to buy a new one unless I can get over it. It's not like the ink ruins the book, It's translucent so I can see through it but it still takes away from the experience. aughgsfh whatever
to ask if i should buy another one or let it go walk in and be demanding wasn't an option i had in mind
That's not demanding, that's just being direct. You can say it however you want, but the goal is the same.
Go in, tell and show them and ask if you can swap it for one that isn't ruined. You can do all that with being polite.
You could just ask and not be a dick about it, those aren' t mutually exclusive. You said it yourself, he' s a tiny resailer who gets to know his clients, he' s emphasizing service to stand in the crowd, you might as well enjoy that perk fully. Just ask him what happens in that case, he might be able to get a refund from his supplier. Worst case scenario there' s nothing he can do about it and none of you will have lost anything.
I understand being non-confrontational and all, especially if it's a small business, but I doubt the guy's going to stay up at night because a <$5 book had to be replaced because of a defect, especially since he can probably just send it back to the supplier for a refund, himself. Defective products go back to the source. Of course, I don't really expect him to really pursue that, might be just too much trouble. Unless you intend to make a big stink about it, it's not going to be an issue for him, he'll be understanding that stuff like that happens. But to answer the original question, yeah, just go buy another one if it bothers you that much.
It's not being "that guy" to ask for a new one if you got one with a defect, nor is it confrontational. If this guy's as friendly with the customers as they say, then I'm sure he'll understand. And if he doesn't, then maybe you and anyone else who's interested deserves to know. Either way there's ZERO sense buying a new one before you at least ask if you can have the old one exchanged. Be sensible, not confrontational.
52!% this. I absolutely hate to complain to the point that I used to never say a thing even when my order in a restaurant was completely wrong, so I know how it feels to not want to be confrontational. Then I realized that regardless of who is serving me, even (and perhaps especially) if he or she is a friend of mine, I deserve to get what I'm paying for. Also: That's not a hideous defect, that's a printing error. Well, it's both. Anyway, save it for a while and it might be worth more than you paid for it. Probably not, but I know for a fact that my double-covered copy of The Phantom Menace Issue 1 is worth quite a bit.
More importantly it's not you vs. the seller, you're both supposed to be working together. It benefits them to satisfy customers, and obviously customers want to be satisfied. If some dumb mook misprinted a comic, it ain't the clerk's fault, and asking for an exchange isn't accusing him of ruining it.
Since it's not the seller's fault, it's most likely he can send it back to the supplier for a credit. It's a fault that happened at the printing level, the supplier and the seller have no control over what happens there. And depending on how many issues consist of a run, it's not unheard of for something like that to happen. Just bring the fault with you when you go to get the new one and just say something along the lines of 'Hey, I got this comic the other day and there was ink all over the pages. Is it possible to get a new one?" There are ways to ask for a refund/exchange in stores without being 'that customer'. Just be casual and polite. It sounds like this guy is pretty cool.
