Not Towering Over the Rest

I'm a big fan of all things Neal Stephenson. One would think after the nearly three THOUSAND pages that the three books of The Baroque Cycle consisted of, I would be sated for quite a while. But when I heard he had a new book out, I excitedly ordered online from Tower.com.

Big mistake.

Not the book--I'm sure it's going to be fascinating. But Tower.com has to be the most inept organization EVER!

I ordered the book on July 29th. It was an advance order since the book's publication date wasn't until September 9th.

Not a problem--I could wait.

And wait I did. Tower e-mailed me on September 5th to notify me that my book had shipped (Yay!):

Dear Valued Customer,

We wanted you to be the first to know!

Your item, Anathem (Hardcover) / Neal Stephenson (Author), has just shipped from our distribution center and is on its way to you RIGHT NOW!

Shipping Information for Domestic Orders:

Standard Shipments are expected to arrive within 8-15 business days upon shipment...

Sincerely,
Tower Customer Care Department

I waited and waited. Then I contacted Tower:

Dear Tower,

As excited as I was to hear that my order was arriving imminently, I am just as disappointed to report that after 15 days of waiting, my book has not arrived.

Any idea what might have happened? I was really looking forward to reading it...

Regards,

Stella

The reply:

Dear Stella,

Yes your order was shipped on 09/05/2008
Anathem (Hardcover) / Neal Stephenson (Author)
Standard US Postal Service.
It usually takes 8-15 business days.

Regards,

Kieran
Tower Customer Service

After waiting some more:

It has now been 15 BUSINESS days since my order was shipped and I still have NOT received it. Could someone please track it down for me?

Thanks,

Stella

The response:

Dear Stella,

Sometimes the USPS may take 21 business days. If you have not received your order by 10/14/2008 please contact me.

Sincerely,

Kieran
Tower.com Customer Service

Are you KIDDING me? It doesn't take 21 business days to deliver a book! And October 14th wouldn't be 21 buiness days, it would be 31 business days!

My irate comeback:

You know, the original promise was 8-15 business days. In order for an item to take over a month for me to receive it, USPS must delivering to me on foot. At a rate of only 5 miles per day.

This is ridiculous--I have sent items via USPS and it takes no longer than a week. Please trace the item or re-ship it using a more reliable carrier. I should not have to wait 6 weeks to receive a book.

Three days later Tower responds:

Dear Stella,

It has been 21 business days since Anathem (Hardcover) / Neal Stephenson (Author) has shipped out. We will now consider this item lost in the mail, would you like a full refund or replacement?

Thank you for choosing Tower.com,
Kieran
Tower Team Member

I immediately reply:

Replacement. ASAP Please.

Thanks.

That was the 6th of October. More than three weeks later I had not received my book. I e-mail customer service on the 28th:

Has this been shipped out? Because I STILL have not received it.

A day later:

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for contacting Tower.com.

Please let us know the title of the item in question.

If you have any further questions, please reply to this email or forward your inquiries to info@tower.com.

Thank you for choosing Tower.com,
Mike
Tower Team Member

Hmm--wonder what happened to Kieran?

Neal Stephenson Anathem. If you had scrolled down the email, you would have
seen that.

It was originally shipped out on 9/5. It never showed up. It was supposed
to have been re-shipped weeks ago.

This is really irritating. I doubt I'll be ordering from Tower.com again.

Mike replies:

Dear Customer,

Sorry for the frustration! I have now ordered you a replacement.

I have ordered you a replacement for Anathem (Hardcover) / Neal Stephenson (Author).
We will contact you via email once it has been shipped.
Thank you for your patience.

Sincerely,

Mike
Tower Customer Service

I love being referred to as "Customer."

A week later I'm notified that my book has been shipped out:

Dear Valued Customer,

We wanted you to be the first to know!

Your item, Anathem (Hardcover) / Neal Stephenson (Author), has just shipped from our distribution center and is on its way to you RIGHT NOW!

Shipping Information for Domestic Orders:

Standard Shipments are expected to arrive within 8-15 business days upon shipment.

We hope you enjoy your order!

Thank you for choosing Tower.com - Your site for EVERYTHING ENTERTAINMENT!

Sincerely,
Tower Customer Care Department

Yeah--I've heard this before!

Now, a little over a week later (exactly one week if you account for the Veteran's Day holiday) it has FINALLY arrived!

It only took over TWO MONTHS from when they initially notified me about the shipment.

Idiots.

P.S. And, to add insult to injury, I've just noticed the copy they sent me is DAMAGED!!!

I hate Tower.com.