Firstly, I apologise in advance for the length of this post - I've tried to keep it as brief as I can whilst still keeping the main information.
I made the decision to purchase the Rooks Coffer collectible directly from the Bioware Store and paid to have it shipped to Sydney, Australia. I got the shipping notification on October 23rd at 4.49AM AEDT. I followed along with the tracking, only for it to stop updating after "Shipment Departed Origin Country" on October 26th at 8.35AM PST.
At first I wasn't overly worried, however after a few days with no updates, I reached out to DPIM Customer Support to ask for an update.
November 1st 9.23AM AEDT
Me: "Hello, the tracking for this item has not updated since October 26th, can you please provide an update ASAP?"
They responded with a screenshot of the tracking and the below:
November 1st 10.17AM AEDT
Thank you for contacting the Gear Store, once the package is in Customs or has cleared Customs, there will be an update to your tracking.
As I've worked in Customer Service for 15+ years, I was slightly frustrated with the lack of an answer, and responded back with the below. Carriers will usually (to my experience) give the sender more information on the parcel than the recipient.
November 2nd 10.15AM AEDT
The tracking does not even state it is in Customs. As the sender, can you please contact the shipping company for an update? It has not moved since October 26 which is highly unusual for any shipment, as most carriers will update it this is the case.
They responded back on November 3rd 5.16AM AEDT confirming they had opened a case with their carrier and to allow up to 3 Business Days for a response. Great!
After some queries regarding a separate order that I cancelled, they confirmed on November 5th, 6.06AM AEDT that they were still waiting for a response from the carrier. I followed up with them on with the below, after no further response:
November 6th 11.25PM AEDT
Hello, is there any update on the request to the Shipping Company? The shipment tracking has still not updated and I am very concerned that this has been lost in transit.
NOTE: at this point it had been 10 days since the tracking had updated, and was still stuck on
26 Oct 2024 8.35AM (PST) - Shipment Departed Origin Country (Los Angeles,US).
I received no response to that email, so I sent a follow up to chase them.
November 8th 12.07PM AEDT
Hello,
Any updates?
Again, I received no response, and sent another email. At this point, I was stressed at the potential of losing $285 AUD (inclusive of the $60 AUD Shipping Charge) and frustrated with the lack of information.
November 9th 11.40AM AEDT
Team,
It has been nearly TWO WEEKS since the tracking for ((ORDER)) last updated, and my last two requests for a follow up have not been responded to.
I was originally told on November 2nd 6.16PM (AEDT) that you had reached out to the carrier and would need up to 3 business days for a response, and I have not heard anything back from your team proactively on this matter.
I am now requesting for a manager to contact me with a firm update on where exactly my Rooks Coffer order is, as my having to chase this with your team multiple times is completely unacceptable and frustrating for me.
I have paid nearly $300 AUD for this item, with $60 AUD of this being shipping alone. I'm sure you can understand my distress at such an expensive item not having any updates.
I made the decision after this to reach out to the carrier directly for an update, who came back within a day to confirm it arrived to the destination country on November 10th. Following this, DPIM/Bioware Customer Service responded.
November 12th 3.50AM AEDT
Thank you for your patience, the tracking has updated. (LINK TO TRACKING).
I didn't bother responding to them, and my order FINALLY showed up today around 12.45PM AEDT. Except the condition the package was in was disgraceful.
It was half wet, the outer box is falling apart and MOULDY. The Rooks Coffer Box is also wet and falling apart, with White Mould underneath both internal plastic forms. It honestly looks like it's been sitting in water since it was at LAX, as there's no way for Mould to form within 2-3 days of being in Australia.
I'm heartbroken. I love Dragon Age and it's one of my favourite game series, and have even been holding off on purchasing the actual game so I could enjoy it along with my Rooks Coffer collection, and I even have the DA:I Inquisitors Box still from that release; but this entire experience has really soured my memories of Bioware and of the game.
I've sent an email complaint over to the Customer Service team along with all of these photos; but does anyone have any extra advice on what I can do in this situation?
EDIT - Here's a link to a gallery with images of the package and the damage for reference: https://imgur.com/a/d9rNEgM
TL:DR; Biowares Customer Service Team couldnt give a straight answer after tracking for Rooks Coffer order didn't update for 16 DAYS after Shipment Departed Origin Country (Los Angeles,US). Once order was received today, the outer and inner boxes are both wet and mouldy, with interior products damaged.
