Comic Store In Your Future Asks Dude, Where's My Absolute Batman?

Posted in: Batman, Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: absolute, Absolute Batman, comic store in your future

Comic Store In Your Future Asks Dude, Where's My Absolute Batman?

Comic Store In Your Future Asks Dude, Where's My Absolute Batman? No, seriously, where is it? It was meant to be here already

Published Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:02:10 -0500
by Rod Lamberti
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Article Summary

• Absolute Batman delay drama hits Rodman Comics as a missing Lunar shipment threatens Wednesday new comic day sales.
• Repeated failed delivery attempts and no-shows leave Absolute Batman stuck in Iowa while customers wait for copies.
• Phone, internet, and billing outages turn routine business into weeks of hold times, missed repairs, and lost hours.
• Poor customer service from tech, telecom, and shipping companies shows how fast bad support can cost real sales.

Dude, where's my Absolute Batman? Here at Rodman Comics, I always ask my employees to greet each customer who comes in with a friendly greeting and to let them know they can ask them any questions. It is also, of course, what I do. This year, for me, feels like hours on the phone trying to get customer service.

I bought a new computer for the store. I was going to use a different company. I called their number and, after waiting on hold for 10 minutes, it went to voicemail, so I left a voicemail. A day goes by, and I wonder what went wrong, so I call again and am on hold for 10 minutes, then I go to voicemail again. Left another message along with my phone number again. Days go by, and I hear nothing back. I am shocked that this is a major company. I decided to go with another company. The day the computer arrives, I get an email from the first company. Two days later, a phone call finally. Way too late, of course.

One of the things I have learned over the years is that time is not on a salesperson's side. The longer it takes, the more likely it is that something will happen that will cost the sale. The customer may lose interest, find something elsewhere, experience a shortfall in funds, or any number of other things. I was fully ready to buy a computer from the first company, but I was amazed it took so long for someone to get back to me.

The store lost its internet and its landline. I called the number on the bill, but it kept disconnecting. I never imagined how many hours I would spend trying to get a hold of someone. Online, it said the problem would be fixed soon. To talk to a human, I ended up calling the new customer line, which I thought was great; now they're going to transfer me to another human. Nope, I was transferred to a recorded line saying to check out their website. From June 4th to June 24th, the store had no internet or phone line through the company I pay to provide it. It was a very long process. Finally got someone to come out and waited for them at the store at 8 in the morning. The person got there, looked around, then went outside and said nothing was coming in, so someone else would need to come and look into it. The good news was that, since it was an outside issue, I would not need to meet the next repair person. A text and email followed, backing that up. That is good at least.

That Sunday night, I got an email and text telling me that Monday morning, I needed to be at my store at 8 in the morning to meet the next repair person. I was surprised that it was the complete opposite of what I was told. I went in and was at the store from 8 to 8. Texted at 2 asking where the repair person was; got a reply saying they would be there before 5. Then no one showed, and no more communication. Tuesday night, I got an email and text saying I need to be at the store at 8 in the morning again. I go in at 8 and wait, then at roughly around 1 in the afternoon, the phone rings. I am lucky no one was recording my face. I was stunned when the phone rang. The last time it rang was on the 4th; now it was the 24th. I answered it, and of course, it is a telemarketer. I then worked to disconnect the hotspot that a customer was kind enough to let us use so we could have internet access, which enabled card transactions. Roughly an hour after that, I got a text and an email stating that the service call was canceled. No notification to let me know it was back or what went wrong. I called in, managed to get a human to talk to, asked for a credit for being without service so long, and was told that it would not be a problem.

Over a week later, I get the bill online, and of course, there is no credit, just the full amount. That following morning, I call in at 11 and think even though I need to be at the store at noon, I will be fine, it's just credit. Very foolish on my part. I end up asking the person on the phone until noon whether I need to keep talking with them, and I get all my info. Yes, I am told. I reply, can't you just email or text me the new amount? No, they have to read it to me. I end up putting the phone on speaker and set it down to drive to work. Any bets that when I pay this amount, I'll later be told I owe a late fee for not paying the full amount?

In a previous Comic Store In Your Future, I wrote about how another store did not receive their Absolute Batman shipment, and people were worried they would miss out and came to mine instead. This Wednesday, the next Absolute Batman issue comes out. We still have not received ours, and it has been in central Iowa since last Thursday. On Friday, I saw online that the delivery service had four boxes out for delivery. At 4:20, it suddenly changed to 'attempted delivery'. No one was here, so I will try again on Monday. I was shocked. I told a friend/customer who was here about it, and he was just as shocked. Penguin made it in that day through UPS, so why not our Lunar shipment? Penguin arrives for us 90% of the time on Fridays. I called the delivery service and was on hold for an hour and fifteen minutes. I gave up and thought, " Guess I will get Lunar Monday. A few weeks earlier, I had to call the delivery service because it said online they had attempted delivery, though they never did, and they sent the driver here that afternoon.

Monday comes, and it says online that my Absolute Batman and everything else are due for delivery today. At 4:30, the message changes to "attempted delivery," but no one is there. I am ticked off. I have been at the store from noon until then, and another delivery service was here besides UPS. I do not understand why UPS is doing its job as usual while the other delivery service is not showing up. I call and am told the driver will show up before 8 pm and deliver. I explain that I do not understand what is going on. I looked online to see if Google had changed our hours (one time, Google had us listed as not open on Wednesdays out of the blue, and, of course, people were calling asking what happened). No, we open Mondays from noon to 8. I am not happy. I am typing this up on Monday night after this has all gone down. At 7:30, I feel like they aren't coming, so I call.

I am bounced around for a half hour. When asked who I had spoken to, I said I did not remember. I was asked how long I would be here, said until 8, and was told my shipment would finally arrive before 8. The person tells me, "No, there is no record of that." They tell me I could have come down to their hub in Grimes and picked up the shipment before 8, though now it is too late. I am not thrilled, though. Last time I drove to Grimes after being told I could pick up my shipment, I got there, sat and waited, only to be told my shipment was on the wrong truck, and they would not be able to find it until morning. I have explained multiple times now that I have been here at the store, and the driver has not been.

I explained the door is unlocked, the open sign is on, and I have been here from noon to 8, and UPS made it no problem. I also explain that even if the driver gets here before I open, I have a sign on the door that says our neighbor in the strip mall will take shipments for us if needed. Same sign that has been there for a long time. I can tell the person is not really concerned. They tell me they will write up an incident report and email it to me. I tell him I really need the shipment tomorrow because the items in it are for sale on Wednesday. They couldn't care less; they tell me my shipment will be there tomorrow. I thought they were going to hang up, then they said I am on hold again. I have a customer laughing a little at our exchange because it is so wasteful. Finally got off hold, and a woman asked if she could help me. I replied, "Was I transferred to you, or did the previous person mean to hang up?" Apparently, they hung up. I do drive through afterward to get something to eat and am surprised it is already 9:30, and think about how much time I have wasted on phone calls these last few weeks – time I could have been using to list material for sale online. I emailed Lunar to let them know about my delivery issue. I asked if I could just use UPS for future shipments. They have used UPS in the past for our shipments.

How many customers would I have left if I treated them the way I have been treated by the various companies I pay for their services? Especially when it comes to Absolute Batman? Am I perfect? No, though I sure do not make people wait long times for no reason. Trimming customer service is a way for companies to save money. However, it is also a good way to lose customers. I am looking at another phone and internet provider, want Lunar to switch to UPS, and the company I bought the computer through. I had two email contacts; one is no longer in service, and the other does not respond to my emails. After talking with other people and hearing their customer service stories, it is a wonder anything gets done.

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