Like many millions of people around the world I have been eagerly awaiting Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. Unfortunately I've been a little broke recently but that's another story and hadn't pre-ordered it. So on the 5th November I was quite happy to see an email with the subject "Play.com: Guaranteed Delivery - Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2". I was wary about ordering online because the release date was the 10th and there was a weekend in between. What the email said as the guarantee was "PLAY will dispatch your order in time to be delivered on release day. Delivery is subject to our delivery partners achieving standard delivery guarantees. PLAY take no responsibility for late delivery due to card failure, incorrect address details or failure on the part of the delivery partner". With the condition that I had to order before midnight on Sunday the 8th it seemed fair and having ordered so many things with Play.com with the only one previous mistake (wrong item - 1 out of 56 orders) I felt I'd get it on time.

Failure 1: Didn't arrive on lunch day - failed on a guarantee

I ordered Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2: Hardened Edition and on launch day I waited for it to be delivered to my work. It didn't come. I was pretty angry. Checking my email I see that at about 3:30pm that day they had dispatched it. That was NOT in time for delivery on release day. So as you do I rang them. This less than helpful operator answered and I told her my plight. She claimed the conditions were that they would "try" to dispatch in time. She hadn't a clue or any understanding of the word guarantee. I gave up on her and in my frustration went to buy it from Sainsbury's for £26 (btw... BARGIN!). Didn't really want to have two copies so I sold it to my mate.

Failure 2: The wrong edition

2 days after launch I got a parcel. It was Call of Duty Modern Warfare... STANDARD EDITION. Arghhh!

Failure 3: Not answering emails

Knowing how useless their phone support is I sent an email. It wasn't just any email. It was one of those emails where you get down in words EXACTLY what you want to say. As I type it's been 6 days with no reply.

So come Monday evening, it had been 4 days without a reply. I rang them again and once again I got a useless operator who wouldn't/claimed there was no supervisors around. After 20mins I gave up with her, hung up (politely) and rang again in hope getting a more helpful person. I didn't. For 15mins I was asking to speak to a supervisor, to be called back (she said that wasn't possible) and for her to get a supervisor out of a "meeting". I doubt there was a meeting but kinda hope there was. I did finally get someone claiming to be a supervisor who SOUNDED very helpful. We agreed that the Hardened Edition will be dispatched within 24 hours of the phone call and that he would get customercare@play.com to respond to my email.

Failure 4: Didn't dispatch in time, again & no reply to email

Surprise!!! Didn't happen. The "supervisor" had broken another promise. Again I ring then up to complain. This time all the person on the other end of the phone would do is get a supervisor to call my back in the morning. Weird how he said that and the day before I wasn't told it wasn't possible. I did really doubt that but as always all I could do was wait.

Failure 5: Didn't call back.

So this where we currently stand. I didn't get a call back from a supervisor to sort this out. I did however get 2 emails. First saying I had returned Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Hard Editions... obviously impossible as I hadn't received it. The second was a new gift voucher for the one I had used in the order. So they refunded me when I just wanted the correct item and had agreed over the phone that would happen. So tonight I made sure it was canceled and tomorrow morning I'll be ordering the Prestige Edition from HMV. I deserve those night vision goggles for all this rubbish treatment from Play.com.

This hasn't ended. I'm very pissed off with Play and I'm waiting for them to reply to my email.

Update 20th November: HMV rock! I get the prestige edition within 24 hours of ordering it. Nice job HMV!

Update 25th November: Still no word from customercare@play.com so I'm forwarding my original email and a link to this post.

Update 2nd December: On Friday, 27th November I received a call from some guy at Play. He was trying to explain what happened and how the game was send in time for delivery (still doubting that).  He admitted the service I have received was very bad. Anyway, after a long conversation he said I could keep the wrong version. He also said he'd email me his email address so that I can help him track down the previous phone conversations to help improve their servers, detail any expenses (there was none because of freecalls to 0845 number on BT but a nice offer) and so that I can email him direct if I had any other problems. I didn't get that email!

I put the spare copy of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 on Play Trade. I only used them because I had some Play Trade funds left I wanted to use up. Anyway I got about £29 for it after fees and postage. Funnily enough that's more than Sainsbury's were selling it for (£26) on release day. So £29 for all the trouble? I think that's alright really but what would have happened if I had sent it back? That's not the case so never mind. Well the problem has almost paid for two Christmas presents. I also ordered a My Name is Earl t-shirt for myself  with some of the other Play Trade funds I had previously. Let's see if they deliver.

I will keep this post updated...