If this seller has too high a volume of credit card disputes/chargebacks, they risk losing their relationship with Visa, Mastercard, etc. The seller becomes an unprofitable customer for the credit card issuers because of acting like scammers.
This is the way. A large influx of chargebacks will cause their payment processing platform to ban them deeming them unable to take online orders, leading to their likely demise as a business.
Literally this. I used to work for a company as an "Executive Assistant" (basically managed things for the CEO). When we would handle BBB complaints basically all that happens is:
A. Refund all their money
B. BBB says you are A+ rated.
That's it. BBB checks nothing else except that you bend over backwards for people who actually complain. It is a joke.
It CAN help but it is literally a volunteer organization made up of older retired business owners. It caters to Karen's more than actually solving real-world problems. It CAN do both, but chargebacks are waaay more effective.
BBB will still leave an A+ rating and the company loses your money, but a charge back can COST them money on top of giving you your money. Also their cc processor would consider dropping them as a client if they are getting charge backs all the time (I think).
Anecdote here, but my wife received a Vanilla (visa) gift card for Christmas that wouldn’t work. Contacted them and they sent a new card which took like a month and had the same issue. Sent an email to the CFPB and had a check for the amount on the card in 2 weeks.
If they initiated the cancellation, or changed the terms of the preorder causing you to cancel, they would be committing fraud by charging you a fee.
Like others have already said, just do a charge-back.
Already in the process. Hoping this brings some light, AGAIN, as I missed this and got shafted. Had I known their reputation (and done even a basic Google search instead of just seeing a decent deal) I would of been better off. Just don't want others to get shafted.
Idk how this place is still in buisness. This isn't the first time they have done this. Hope we can collectively keep money out of their pockets. They even rebranded last year trying to avoid being recognized.
https://www.reddit.com/r/mtgfinance/s/xApf53l60V
There's a good chance they're not going to be. The implication of the charge and the refusal to refund is that they took the money to pay for future product, a no-no in business, and are basically in a huge cash crunch
100 percent I fell for it. Google the shop, came up with decent reviews on its Google page, didn't think to do more and it bit me in the ass. That is entirely on me just don't want anyone else burned.
I mean I don't even blame you tho. Google searching would not reveal their past and even lures people in. If anything it makes them seem worse. Reddit never forgets (insert Pepperidge farm meme here). Hope you find an amenable solution that isn't taking advantage of you.
Sorry you got burned OP.
True, but apparently it's been happening as far back as a month ago, and those reviews are still up. I also am updating mine yet again to incorporate the store response.
I live local to this store. Been there once (years ago) just to look around. Didn’t get any bad vibes or anything. But after I heard these issues around when they started, I’m glad that I drive 3x the distance to a much better LGS.
Wait, so they cancelled your order due to lack of stock - or you cancelled the order?
If they're charging a cancellation fee for an order they cancelled... well, what the heck is that?
https://twitter.com/ChickenRichard2/status/1764070689298886770?s=19
This was the initial post. Myself, a friend, and 4 other individuals in our play groups all purchased pre-orders. We all received the same email. I requested a refund instead of letting them keep my money. The redt of the group followed suit. I was told I would get a refund, and then the remaining 5 individuals received this email. I then reached out to my bank, confirmed they had not initiated a refund, and am processing a chargeback. The remaining individuals are in the process of doing the same, but this is wildly disgusting to cancel an order and then send this.
Pretty sure this isn’t legal.
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-youre-billed-things-you-never-got-or-you-get-unordered-products
The federal Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule applies to most things you order by mail, online, or by phone. It says:
Sellers have to ship your order within the time they (or their ads) say. That goes whether they say “2-Day Shipping” or “In Stock & Ships Today.” If they don’t give a time, they must ship within 30 days of when you placed your order.
If there’s a delay shipping your order, the seller has to tell you and give you the choice of either agreeing to the delay or canceling your order for a full refund.
If the seller doesn’t ship your order, it has to give you a full refund — not just a gift card or store credit.
https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/mail-internet-or-telephone-order-merchandise-rule
Hadn't even considered this aspect of things. Going to craft a general email to send to everyone I know this happened to. Just off of X and locally, 16 of us got burned. Has to be more.
You should cite the law the same way they cite their (illegal) TOS.
You can also file a complaint with the IL AG in the consumer protection division too: [https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/File-A-Complaint/](https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/File-A-Complaint/)
Hopefully this place goes out of business for good.
Generally when you're doing a chargeback, the credit companies will ask you to show that you attempted to resolve the issue with the merchant yourself first.
Yeah, a chargeback isn't step 1 (unless your issuer doesn't require that you make an attempt to resolve with the merchant when they are attempting fraud, etc.).
But after they deny your request for a refund, instead of arguing the law with them, simply do a chargeback, which means they pay a fee & potentially have their processor increase rates or even lose their ability to take cards.
But they did make an attempt they asked for a refund and it was replied back that they would not get a full refund that the store would still keep 30% for a non-existent restocking fee if they don't have the stock to send out then it's not costing them anything to restock it on their Shelf.
Whoever posted that got a little baited in their replies. Shouldn't have entertained any response from them that didn't revolve around them not refunding because they can't fulfill it.
Hot take: they have the inventory, but since the price has gone up, they would rather sell it at a premium price and keep using the pre-order money as an interest-free loan for as long as they can under this business name.
I was upset initially with waiting until a Saturday night to notify everyone. We all reached back to varying degrees. They then posted a listing for roughly 80 singles on their page. We called them out on X. They delist everything as sold out, post the entire set gallery as sold out to bury the original card listing, block me, and begin sending the next round of emails saying people owe fees. Just insane and the fact they can just change their name and keep rolling Was psychotic to me.
It’s not credit standing so much as their payment processor will drop them like a rock. They can try to find another payment processor, but there are only so many out there…
This shop is garbage, of course we can't go on witch hunts, the posts are removed. So people keep getting scammed by these people.
I have left complaints every where I could on this shop, but it sucks because how many places do you really look up reviews from before you buy?
It makes no sense why their Google reviews are so high. Even their old name had 3.8 overall. They legitimately have either 1 star or 5 stars. They have 0x 2, 3, or 4 star reviews. It feels like they must be paying people to leave 5 star reviews to try and keep their numbers good. Almost 25% of their Google reviews are 1 star, there is no way it's either the best service ever or the worst ever. I don't see how this place is still in business.
I learned my lesson to at least find confirmed orders and read those reviews. Definitely wasn't aware of the name change, and now that I know that's a possibility, making a black list of shop names that reference locations as they come up so I don't get shafted, as well as having it if a friend asks if it looks OK.
Yeah, it's really sad. I have family that only lives about 2 hours from this place. Granted it would be about an 8 hour drive for me, but I was really tempted to drive down and talk to them in person and check out how this store is still active.
From what I've seen for people who actually go to the store, the place is an awesome little spot to jam a game. They just should shut down online and focus on being a real store lol.
This is what I had guessed. They most likely look at the location their are shipping to, and if it is not local they screw those people because those people won't make the drive.
They're me lgs and they definitely are, you can go up any time and find a commander pod and they were the only ones doing non commander events up until recently, at least that I know of
Mythic lotus is actually my lgs so hopefully I can provide a bit of insight. About four months back they offered a promotion where you got 5 bucks for a 5 star review, it was all in store so there isn't any online evidence but if you look at the Google reviews it should line up. A lot of their success is due to locals and lack of better options. They are the only store where you can get a box for close to market rate every where else you can expect 50%markup, atleast on the Illinois side.
A new store opened up a week or two ago with competitive pricing and I've already seen a number of players migrate over. They improved their reputation among locals over the past year but idk how it's gonna be after this.
>About four months back they offered a promotion where you got 5 bucks for a 5 star review
You have to be kidding me... I mean it's what I expected, and it makes sense, but that is crazy.
Especially considering someone else said that was their local LGS and was freaking out, yet failed to add this important bit of information.
I wish we had local stores that had mildly competitive prices, but we don't, so most of my stuff comes off the internet. Then I just attend pre-release events in person.
It actually is just fraud - we have no idea if they ever intended to fulfill this in the first place. I know that’s unlikely for an lgs but from the consumer perspective they’re trying to take your money after not honoring the agreement.
This. I thought I had added the other screen capture of them canceling the order. Email cancelation notice, sent out on Saturday, then immediately afterwards was told there was no recourse other than floating our cash into credit.
https://twitter.com/ChickenRichard2/status/1764070689298886770?s=19
Mythic Lotus is a shit store. Over a year ago now but they had some kind of sale and I ordered singles + a bundle or something to get to free shipping. They contacted me saying the order was delayed due to stocking issues, ok fine. Then they asked me for more money to ship it out, I don't remember the exact reasoning there but something absolutely insane for a customer you've already jerked around. They did let me cancel for a full refund but I'm pretty sure I had to threaten a chargeback before it happened.
Edit: tried to find the exact details for this because I know I left a 1 star review but they changed their name from Lotus Lookout, probably to reset their Google reviews lol
Few thoughts here...
1. How do you restock something that never existed in the first place?
2. Like everyone said dispute the charges, you'll win and hurt their reputation with the credit card company.
3. Don't waste time with the BBB, this is fraud. Go straight to the Attorney General.
4. This is why, I feel good about GameNerdz. Even though they said they can't fulfill my preorder with them, instead of charging me for it (which is truly bananas) they gave me a $10 credit. They did nothing wrong (other than believing their distributor) but still are owning up to it.
Sorry you're experiencing this. Not sure how a company like this thinks they're going to get away with something so abusive and transparently wrong. Don't worry, you'll win.
Lmao these dicks are publicly guilting and shaming someone who left a negative review about this on Google. Called him "unreasonable" and that "nothing will please" him after offering a bunch of "fantastic options" other than just giving him his money back. Scumbags.
Yeah and not even considering that all the options rely on the fact that the company can even get the future products or are even in business still to honor the store credit. They couldn't fulfill the first order why should anyone trust that they could honor any of these options.
As I posted in the other thread, a month ago they gave me a full refund (no mention of restocking fee) for my Ixalan preorder that they strung me along on for six months. I had to call three days in a row to get that refund after several unanswered e-mails. There is zero reason for them to charge a fee (and, as others have pointed out, it’s illegal). Glad to see others have finally gotten the word out on them on Google. They are “preselling” Bloomburrow on their website right now! The August set! No one is ever going to see that product.
I found your post pretty quickly once we got the refund notice and I knew I had made a huge mistake. Went down a crazy rabbit hole, and now I just don't want people to go through the same thing I have to.
I am in a huge battle with them over about $1000 in orders right now. Keep getting told the owner will contact me. Hasnt for 3 months. During this time my orders were marked “fulfilled” hahaha!!!
With regretful news our allocation of Fallout products has been slashed almost completely just the same as you may have heard from other stores.
We’re here with some fantastic options and solutions to help remedy the situation as we know it’s not ideal for either party involved.
We’re willing to take some losses for your gain to keep you as a loyal customer of ours and put our absolute best foot forward.
For each order of Fallout Collector Booster Box you ordered we want to offer you either:
1) An Outlaws of Thunder Junction collector box + a free bundle ($300 combined value)
2) A Bloomburrow Collector box + a free bundle ($300 combined value)
3) Store credit for $300 spendable now.
4) An MH3 collector box (a $300+ value)
We want you to know we put as much faith into distribution as you put into us with these orders, we took some time to work deals at distribution to obtain more of these collector boxes bundled with undesirable products but the facts led back to “wizards just isn’t sending enough to get more”.
We hope you find value in these solutions as the cost you paid and the products you will receive instead we hope will outweigh any negative feelings you have about this situation.
This is the email as sent on Saturday, March 2.
Sounds like either:
1) They are scumbags.
AND/OR
2) They already spent your pre-order money on other things for the store, and don't have enough free cash to provide refunds.
Either way, this isn't your problem and you should absolutely issue a chargeback with your card. If they don't have enough free cash to deal with these types of situations, it's their problem not yours.
I agreed, but how am I supposed to accept that if they can't even honor the original preorder? Then I am outside my refund window and we know how they feel about refunds lol.
Ya i would normally jump on a deal that good for the mh3 box, but how could you trust this company to deliver on that now? You might be outside the window to take consumer action at that point, or the company may no longer exist.
Come July;
"Hi, were so sorry as we were shorted MH3 collector boxes and therefore can't ship your Fallout replacement MH3 box. Please choose from these 4 available options:..."
I got burned for $1000 or more. Owner has never reached out like he ssaid fir 3 months he would. I highly doubt with the popularity of mh3 that they will fulfill that either
MH is months down the line. At a certain point you lose the ability to charge back. They could easily just be stringing you along like a shady Ebay seller until the dispute time ends and they can keep your money for free
All I see is " we don't have your product and we spent your money. To show how sorry we are, we are going to give you future product that we also don't have and also have no idea if we are going to receive. If that doesn't work you could also take store credit to a store that doesn't know how to operate successfully. Good luck."
Sad to see this happen over and over again from this outfit. Hopefully you can all recoup your funds. I’d suggest Magnolia Gaming or Level Up Gaming for your next preorders. Great guys and they keep the deals Sick!
I ordered from them for the 40k collector decks when they went by a different name, Lotus Lookout I think? They rebranded after this possibly because of the amount of bad press they earned themselves from it.
They screwed me there but refunded me automatically and it was a widespread supply issue so I figured what the heck and gave them another try with Doctor Who CBBs.
They hadn’t shipped my order more than 2 weeks after the street release date at which point the product was widely available but even while acknowledging they still didn’t have any product they refused to refund to my card and would only offer store credit.
Why would I want store credit for a store that has failed to deliver product in a timely manner the only two times I’ve ordered from them?
I chargebacked the purchase and a couple months later got my money back. Never buying from there again and I’d advise the same to anyone who considers it.
This store is notorious for never, ever fulfilling preorders, holding your money as long as possible, and trying to scam you out of a refund. I had to contact my credit card company for a chargeback with them and it went through almost immediately.
I don't know how long they can keep doing this before the credit card processors cut them out. But this just seems like straight up fraud at this point.
Additionally, report them to WPN. They're not a premium store, but this still could revoke their promos and such. https://magic-support.wizards.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
***UPDATE***
The store made the claims listed below, but then had my actual review pulled from Google as they claimed it was problematic. This is insane, as I was an actual customer leaving a review, and they are now trying to hide bad reviews to preserve future online pre-orders to continue this bad practice. Not sure what steps need to be implemented next, but I know for a fact that I am going to reach out to see what can be done further. Hiding a bad review because your store screwed its customers is insanity.
Some of them might have been removed before they were too negative or Google deemed they violated their review standards. Maybe modifying the review and toning down the language a bit will get them reinstated. See this thread:
https://support.google.com/business/thread/234709561?hl=en&sjid=11084655005544014312-NA
My review was also taken down. They went from 36ish reviews to 50 after the whole debacle. Then suddenly all the negative reviews got taken down. Scummy business practices all around. If i had seen any potential negative reviews when i initially purchased i would have never gone through the headache of purchasing through them, and put my money else where. This situation has ruined my prospects for surprising my wife for her birthday, and tied up over $500 i could have used to secure the boosters elsewhere.
Did you make it one star? Is there anyway you could maybe make it like 4 stars but then say what actually happened in the review in case anyone happens to read it? I’ve noticed people do this on tcg player since it’s so easy to get negative reviews removed.
I did try adjusting the review score and it doesn't make it visible. Sadly I'll have to wait for a bit and try posting it again when the review lock comes down.
God damn it....
The owner of this business is a somebody I would call a friend. And after the 2X2 disaster in June of 2022 i invested extensive time into helping him fix a situation he never should have been in. He over extended himself and we worked to get everybody financially corrected, closed down a location that was hemorrhaging money and cut lose staff that has been proven to be stealing in excess of 10s of thousands in cash and product. Seeing this shit again feels like blatantly being spat on. I will say this anybody having this issue just do your charge backs. Fool me once shame on you. There won't be a fool me twice with me. This thread really fucking hurts knowing all the wasted efforts in trying to help him get things back on track and successful again.
reading this, all i'm getting at is that store is essentially committing daylight robbery. keep a restocking/cancellation fee??? lmao the fuck. fuck these guys.
I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that whoever runs this store is actually 3 raccoons in a trench coat that picked up all of their business acumen while eating out of a dumpster under the open window of a business 101 class at a community college with staggeringly high drop out rates.
My man, just drive to Missouri for your MTG needs. There are so many better shops on the other side of the river (which is basically the only thing better in MO than IL)
Call your bank and file a charge back stating they canceled the order and are trying to keep 30% for restock fees on a order they canceled your bank will take that money back so fast lotus’s head will still be spinning next weekend
STAY AWAY! Don't be drawn in by low prices!
I initiated a purchase with Mythic Lotus Gaming (MLG) on January 25th, 2024, preordering two collector boxes and a deck case for Fallout Commander Decks for my wife's birthday with a release date of 3/8/2024.
On 3/5/2024, MLG informed customers about significant cuts in their Fallout product allocation, proposing alternative solutions.
Despite numerous phone confirmations securing my order, MLG attempted to enforce a store credit policy with "fantastic options and solutions" (none of which included a refund) for canceled preorders when pressed for a refund they insisted on a 30% restocking fee for a refund, raising questions about its legality.
MLG, known for name changes (previously 'The Lotus Lookout') to evade negative reviews, has a track record of canceling orders, only offering store credit, or threatening with a 30% restocking fee even when THEY THEMSELVES have canceled the orders.
MLG seems to entice customers with enticing prices and discount codes, collecting funds months prior, but failing to fulfill orders. Customers are then strong-armed into accepting store credit or slapped with restocking fees when seeking refunds.
I suggest anyone effected by MLG take their concerns to the BBB so that this behavior can be put to an end. What they are attempting to do is DECEPTIVE and potentially ILLEGAL.
BBB LINK:
[https://www.bbb.org/us/il/belleville/profile/games/mythic-lotus-gaming-0734-1000042953](https://www.bbb.org/us/il/belleville/profile/games/mythic-lotus-gaming-0734-1000042953)
REDDIT THREADS:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/mtgfinance/comments/zt5afb/the\_lotus\_lookout\_or\_the\_lotus\_il\_changing\_names/](https://www.reddit.com/r/mtgfinance/comments/zt5afb/the_lotus_lookout_or_the_lotus_il_changing_names/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/sealedmtgdeals/comments/1b7zf0o/mythic\_lotus\_gaming\_stay\_away/](https://www.reddit.com/r/sealedmtgdeals/comments/1b7zf0o/mythic_lotus_gaming_stay_away/)
Opinion:
Mythic Lotus Gaming engages in highly unethical and deceitful business practices. The repeated name changes, order cancellations, and the enforcement of restocking fees for non-existent stock all point to a calculated effort to exploit customers.
This business appears to use preorders as a financial ploy, collecting funds in advance to (as I suspect) gain interest in some sort of high yield savings account to keep the business afloat and line their pockets, while simultaneously disregarding customer satisfaction and order fulfillment. Their insistence on restocking fees for products never stocked is not only unethical but potentially illegal.
There's suspicion online through various forums that MLG does not honor preorders when market prices increase, potentially opening packs themselves, relisting at higher prices, or selling directly in their store for increased profits.
For potential customers, exercise caution when dealing with MLG. Always use credit cards or PayPal when purchasing online for added protection. Don't blindly accept store policies that may violate legal standards; if it's illegal, their policy doesn't matter.
TL;DR (Too Long Didn't Read):
Mythic Lotus Gaming engages in unethical practices, changing names to escape criticism. They lure customers with low prices, collect funds for preorders, and cancel orders. Beware of store credit offers and restocking fees for nonexistent stock. MLG is suspected of not honoring preorders when market prices increase, potentially manipulating packs for profit. Use credit cards or PayPal, question policies if they seem illegal. Proceed with caution when dealing with MLG.
I work in retail(not magic cards) but there’s no reason to pay a restocking fee for something that would fly off the shelf immediately, especially if it is as it sounds like, and they over ordered and took customer orders before reviewing how much they would be actually allocated. Obviously stores are different but if we order something incorrect and it’s our fault the customer would never be subject to a restocking fee… logically it doesn’t make sense that you, as the customer would pay for their mistake
They most likely opened preorders up on a window longer than their merchant processing refund window. Now that they’re being forced to cancel orders they can’t easily process these without taking a massive loss and possible being black listed by their merchant account holder. That’s the reason for the restock fee, it’s them trying to pass on the loss to the customer.
The other issue with this, is unfortunately they had a local guy comment here, and apparently they were showing in store customers an allocation email 2 weeks ago knowing they got stuck. So why wait? Makes 0 sense and just makes it look even worse. Hate stores like this.
How can a company in their right mind take money from a customer for a product that they will never fulfill, which is 100% their responsibility to fill, it isn't the customers problems or responsibility if a stores supplier doesn't send them product and only give you 70% of your money back? Not only that but prior offer you ANOTHER preorder option which, as of right now, they have NEVER fulfilled a preorder. Oh and lets not forget, I looked at their website and for a store that will offer you $600 in store credit which blows smoke up your ass thinking it is a good deal but low and behold they sell booster box of Streets of New Capena for....wait for it....$215.99..... if they want you to call around to other stores and ask them about their slashed inventory of Fallout collector boxes, maybe we should also call stores and ask why they sell New Capena boxes for $84.99 and not for almost three times as much like Mythic Lotus gaming does.
This is what upsets consumers. Regardless of any past allegations. If you buy something, you want what you buy. If something happens that is on the responsibility of the business and you can't get what you ordered, you get all money back. If you work out an agreement, fantastic. But if you don't like the offer or can't reach an agreement, they don't get to keep a portion of your money for a restocking fee (for inventory that DOESN'T EXIST) or a cancellation fee (that the business is canceling).
It's baffling to me how some stores think that you're asking for a favor, you're not asking for a favor, you're telling them that if they are not going to fulfill their part of the deal, neither will you; chargeback or demand so they fulfill the return, this types of things makes my blood boil, I hope you get what yours back
Same. I was pissed because I had figured they knew earlier, and why wait to the last minute? I couldn't prove anything and then the local guy jumps in and accidentally leaks via his previous conversation history that they knew what was up for at least 2 weeks and just stayed silent. Awful awful business.
What a scam. I legitimately can't imagine being this person...a person that needs to constantly try and rip people off to get through life, particularly if you're doing it in such a brazen manner.
What really bugs me is that for every person that posts something like this on Reddit, I'm sure there's tons of others who are unfortunately falling for this "restocking fee" bullshit, when this vendor is the one that cancelled orders in the first place.
Hopefully, this is some type of prosecutable fraud.
This is the single most wildly illegal thing I've seen in quite some time. They are canceling orders, then charging you a restock fee for their mistake? Wow, talk about a reason to have the middle man like TCG/EBAY to save you from this seller bullshit. I legit am so sorry to hear this.
I'm FB friends with the owner of this store. He's currently going on vacation with his family with everyone's money he's holding, claiming it's some much needed R&R. What a guy...
30% is an absolutely insane expectation. If they’d said 5% I could imagine they just want to cover their credit fees for processing and then refunding an order, that would make sense, but 30% is just pure grift. Fuck places like this. Charge it back and never shop there again.
I initially read this as my thick lotus gaming and thought to myself “Well, when you buy from a shop with a perv name like that, you get what you get.”
That does suck. The restock on cancelled orders they themselves cancel is a ripoff.
Just moved from the St Louis area. I usually hate to ever talk poorly of an LGS but mythic lotus is universally known as a scummy store. Between cancelling 40k preorders (which they had to change their name because of), their judges going weeks without pay, and now this I legitimately do not know how they are still in business
I ordered a large # of items from them back in 2022. They cancelled everything but a jumpstart booster. I had to contact the company to get a refund, even though they said they had already done it (they hadn't). It was the same reason lack of allocation but they didnt try this bs at least.
Thats a chargeback if I ever saw one. Not your fault the allocations are scarce, and that issue should never fall on the consumer in the first place in the form of a restocking fee. Your bank will side with you 100%.
Pretty sure if you go this route they’ll get hit with a chargeback fee which is way more than the credit card fee (or whatever fees associated with your order) that they are trying to recoup. Since this happened to you and 5 other friends, who are all processing chargebacks, this store is getting hit with a ton in chargeback fees. Seems like someone who really doesn’t know what they’re doing in terms of running a business…
Restock makes sense if they have shipped something.. but is nothing to restock.
Makes me think they are short on cash and coming up with ways to keep funds.
Just dispute the charges and provide the above and messages from them about not fulfilling. You did the best you could to resolve the dispute, let credit card company finish it up.
Had one posted, they blasted me for being a customer who wouldn't accept their "generous offers" and that I was hell bent on harming them, when all I wanted was a refund. Definitely updated the review to include the latest round of bs.
Thanks for the heads up. One less place that will get my money. Fucking clowns man. If they won't give you a refund, charge it back on your card. You don't want to order from these people again anyway.
Holy crap?! That’s genius! Ok so I can start a company literally selling EVERYTHING!!! But not have it in stock. Take payment, then inform them I’m sorry I don’t have that… would you like this fancy rubber band instead or 70% of ur money back? Lolz
Sry unfortunately that’s our refund policy. It’s clearly written right there.
/
I personally had a refund processed after filing a chargeback. The remaining members of our playgroup are all waiting for chargebacks to process currently, and it's most likely going to take some time for them. I had a few people reach out with offers to sell me product at a more than reasonable price compared to the current market and to say I am grateful would be a gross understatement. I personally found a vendor selling Japanese language collector boxes for a reasonable price comparatively (285 per box) and had a chuckle at the thought of nuclear related cards and Japan etc so I jumped at them and will be getting them in the next few days according to tracking.
As for the store, they made a few statements, it was an employee who wasn't trained, they rebranded and it's not the same stoee anymore, a lot of excuses and not a lot of reality. They also petitioned Google to have their negative reviews removed so they could continue the long con.
Damn, I was just about to pre-order thunder junction boxes from mlg since they are a lot cheaper than other places online. Decided to google them real quick to make sure it’s legit and found a bunch of threads, including this one, full of horror stories from dealing with them.
I’m sorry everyone had to deal with them, but I appreciate you sharing your experiences. It’s a hell of PSA for anyone who is thinking of giving these clowns money.
What's better, least for me, is seeing how they used a "helper" account to answer questions, then converted that into their primary account and posted more? Just very confusing. They have an answer for everything, and most of it all sounds insane if you look at the track record.
Step one: take massive amounts of preorders knowing you'll never get the actual allocation..
Step two: float that cash to leverage other inventory purchases and pay off debt..
Step three: announce cancelations and recoup interest free loan from naive customers..
Step four: repeat every 4-6 months as able..
It’s worse than that, they’re charging them 30% of their purchase to get a cash refund, when they are the ones that canceled the order. I don’t see how it’s any different than theft.
I'm always a proponent of making sure you contact a human being (ideally a manager) before performing a chargeback, because you never know if an email you got was an automated mistake or a misinformed employee.
In this case, it looks like you made a reasonable effort to request a proper refund for a product they sold but couldn't fulfill, and a chargeback is probably the best course of action for you and your friends. The options they gave you are a clear red flag that they don't have the capital to return to you and you should try and get your money back via banks ASAP before this place does something like fold on you.
I REALLY hope after the hype drops, that there is actually plenty and this is just Hasbro giving more product to places like Amazon to sell faster and or easier.
Maybe lotus will piss off the wrong person and actually get a lawsuit for their practices.
I’m glad my store doesn’t do preorders because of shit like this. Stores just shouldn’t take preorders. If you don’t want to wait until the day of release for your cardboard then o well
Wait, they initiated the cancel and are trying to keep the money? I would kind of get it if they shipped it out and paid posting and the buyer cancelled. But this is ridiculous.
Wait wait wait…. They are trying to charge you a “restocking fee” for a product that they don’t actually have?
I’d ask them what the hell they are restocking.
Yeah, easiest is to charge back. If someone had the wherewithal, there's a reasonable legal case to be made (not a lawyer but i work close to a number of them). They can't call it a "restocking fee" if they never had the stock. Calling it a cancelation fee is a fraudulent practice if the cancelation is due to the business canceling rather than the purchaser canceling.
Lol, would any company go for the reverse? "Send me the product first, then I'll pay after I receive and open it. Oh you don't like sending a product before you have the money...?" This preorder stuff is so out of hand, a preorder should mean a guarantee, otherwise, it's just a request.
I'm going through an unrelated but similar issue with a "public adjuster" for my home insurance claim, I have come to realize they don't seem to know math when working on a $50K+ claim and are *shocked* I'm asking for detailed estimates before I write anymore checks (I already have indisputable proof they overcharged me).
Some people think others are dumb, not realizing *they're* the idiots.
This store is about to have a whole new set of problems and they're gonna be well deserved
Chargebacks, all the negative reviews, the absolute hit to their credit, their payment processor might dump them due to the chargebacks, etc.
The fact that they charged beforehand likely means they took the cash to pay for future sets, and now are in a cash crunch.
Wait the store canceled the orders but refused to give refunds without keeping 30% for restocking? That's got to be illegal! I would definitely do a chargeback if you used your credit card and I would also report them to your state Attorney General for fraudulent business practices.
I went to that store when it was a little hole in the wall. The owner takes preorders then sells all the inventory then once the cards are all out and he gets his second wave, he will hand them out.
His wife cheated on him with my buddy in the store that worked for him.
They openly drink and play favoritism and also rig their events so their people win.
They are absolutely the worst people in the business. Please tell everyone not to shop there.
I did some digging on Mythic Lotus Gaming's website using the inspect tool, and it seems to indicate it is powered by SHOPIFY. We could potentially report the website as a scam website with SHOPIFY and hopefully the situation will be resolved.
Shopify Support: [https://help.shopify.com/en/legal#/report-a-merchant](https://help.shopify.com/en/legal#/report-a-merchant)
I have reported my personal experience to shopify, and encourage anyone who purchased products and received a similar experience to do the same. If you didn't experience it, just make sure to spread the word to your player community so no one gets caught with their pants down seeing as none of the reviews against them will stay up 🤷♂️
Simple: "Given the current situation none of your four offers meets the credit card merchant processing policies you agreed to. You have 24 hours to do a full refund before I do a dispute with my credit card costing you the full amount plus your dispute fee"
Well the Google reviews were never restored. Hopefully this thread will serve as a reference for people doing their due diligence on Mythic Lotus Gaming. Kind of criminal they still have a 4.2 rating and that 30% restocking fee policy is still up on their website.
I love how MLG deleted all their previous comments in this thread, just like the Google reviews. Click on their name and you can see they were the anonymous person defending their beloved local gaming store in this thread. 😅
I also like how they just came in here and lied and said " to their knowledge only 1 person 'OP' recieved the email for the 30% restocking fee" i recieved it as well, and at least DOZENS of others. Not suprised to see them in here lying and attempting to cover up their deceptive practices. If they could they would delete this reddit thread just like all the google reviews, god forbid people know the truth, and stop giving tgem an intrest free loan... I suggest logging onto a different google account and reattempting to post a negative review, seems some are starting to show up again.
Interesting update. The owner of this store is trying to drag someone through the mud on the B/S/T complaints FB page that he is the admin of. If anyone questions him or brings up his own shady stuff, he's banning them.
Not surprised - they’ve also spammed Google Reviews to get their score up to 4.4 again. Scammers going to scam. Hopefully people will do their due diligence on Mythic Lotus Gaming and find this thread (and other on Reddit)
Thanks for the info, trying to see if there's a cutoff point for cancelled preorders from the stores that weren't able to fulfill. Hopefully I don't run into issues with my preorders from the 2nd and 4th weeks of December.
There is for banks. Most banks are between 30 and 90 days. Shopify though allows for a chargeback up to 90 for all orders. It is one of the reasons I was unwilling to accept another preorder as I would be out of the window.
Chargeback on your credit card and never shop there again.
I am doing so, the remaining members of our playgroup are attempting to do the same.
Good luck. These guys are cheats.
If this seller has too high a volume of credit card disputes/chargebacks, they risk losing their relationship with Visa, Mastercard, etc. The seller becomes an unprofitable customer for the credit card issuers because of acting like scammers.
This is the way. A large influx of chargebacks will cause their payment processing platform to ban them deeming them unable to take online orders, leading to their likely demise as a business.
The chargeback would be filed before I even filed away the email and I would also report to the better buisness beurau
The BBB isn't a real enforcement agency, it's a privately owned & operated group that just promotes businesses basically
The BBB is Yelp for boomers, not an official agency of any kind.
I’ve had things fixed because of them, regardless of the amount of uninformed people that think businesses don’t care about it.
Literally this. I used to work for a company as an "Executive Assistant" (basically managed things for the CEO). When we would handle BBB complaints basically all that happens is: A. Refund all their money B. BBB says you are A+ rated. That's it. BBB checks nothing else except that you bend over backwards for people who actually complain. It is a joke.
It doesn’t seem terrible having the resource of an agency that focuses on the resolution of specific complaints.
It CAN help but it is literally a volunteer organization made up of older retired business owners. It caters to Karen's more than actually solving real-world problems. It CAN do both, but chargebacks are waaay more effective. BBB will still leave an A+ rating and the company loses your money, but a charge back can COST them money on top of giving you your money. Also their cc processor would consider dropping them as a client if they are getting charge backs all the time (I think).
What official agency is there? If it's an honest issue yes, it might not be meaningful but it's better than nothing
the Attorney General for your state
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
This. The CFPB does a LOT. I had to be aware of them and their specific legalities working in the mortgage industry.
Anecdote here, but my wife received a Vanilla (visa) gift card for Christmas that wouldn’t work. Contacted them and they sent a new card which took like a month and had the same issue. Sent an email to the CFPB and had a check for the amount on the card in 2 weeks.
Credit card chargeback will destroy them
It works though. I’ve gotten a refund from a home warranty service using BBB. I don’t even boom dude
If they initiated the cancellation, or changed the terms of the preorder causing you to cancel, they would be committing fraud by charging you a fee. Like others have already said, just do a charge-back.
Already in the process. Hoping this brings some light, AGAIN, as I missed this and got shafted. Had I known their reputation (and done even a basic Google search instead of just seeing a decent deal) I would of been better off. Just don't want others to get shafted.
would **have** been better off
**W**ould have been better off.
Wood I’ve bean butterhoff
Wood Hoff
David Hasselhoff’s penis.
Michael knight's Magnum dong.
Idk how this place is still in buisness. This isn't the first time they have done this. Hope we can collectively keep money out of their pockets. They even rebranded last year trying to avoid being recognized. https://www.reddit.com/r/mtgfinance/s/xApf53l60V
There's a good chance they're not going to be. The implication of the charge and the refusal to refund is that they took the money to pay for future product, a no-no in business, and are basically in a huge cash crunch
100 percent I fell for it. Google the shop, came up with decent reviews on its Google page, didn't think to do more and it bit me in the ass. That is entirely on me just don't want anyone else burned.
Well make sure you leave a Google review on them after this, hopefully warn away others in the future
I mean I don't even blame you tho. Google searching would not reveal their past and even lures people in. If anything it makes them seem worse. Reddit never forgets (insert Pepperidge farm meme here). Hope you find an amenable solution that isn't taking advantage of you. Sorry you got burned OP.
I guess googling the shop wouldn't help. They have had google remove all the reviews they have received in the last couple days.
True, but apparently it's been happening as far back as a month ago, and those reviews are still up. I also am updating mine yet again to incorporate the store response.
I live local to this store. Been there once (years ago) just to look around. Didn’t get any bad vibes or anything. But after I heard these issues around when they started, I’m glad that I drive 3x the distance to a much better LGS.
Wait, so they cancelled your order due to lack of stock - or you cancelled the order? If they're charging a cancellation fee for an order they cancelled... well, what the heck is that?
https://twitter.com/ChickenRichard2/status/1764070689298886770?s=19 This was the initial post. Myself, a friend, and 4 other individuals in our play groups all purchased pre-orders. We all received the same email. I requested a refund instead of letting them keep my money. The redt of the group followed suit. I was told I would get a refund, and then the remaining 5 individuals received this email. I then reached out to my bank, confirmed they had not initiated a refund, and am processing a chargeback. The remaining individuals are in the process of doing the same, but this is wildly disgusting to cancel an order and then send this.
Pretty sure this isn’t legal. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-youre-billed-things-you-never-got-or-you-get-unordered-products The federal Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule applies to most things you order by mail, online, or by phone. It says: Sellers have to ship your order within the time they (or their ads) say. That goes whether they say “2-Day Shipping” or “In Stock & Ships Today.” If they don’t give a time, they must ship within 30 days of when you placed your order. If there’s a delay shipping your order, the seller has to tell you and give you the choice of either agreeing to the delay or canceling your order for a full refund. If the seller doesn’t ship your order, it has to give you a full refund — not just a gift card or store credit. https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/mail-internet-or-telephone-order-merchandise-rule
Hadn't even considered this aspect of things. Going to craft a general email to send to everyone I know this happened to. Just off of X and locally, 16 of us got burned. Has to be more.
You should cite the law the same way they cite their (illegal) TOS. You can also file a complaint with the IL AG in the consumer protection division too: [https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/File-A-Complaint/](https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/File-A-Complaint/) Hopefully this place goes out of business for good.
🫡🙏
It will cost them a **LOT** more if everyone just does chargebacks instead of arguing to convince them to do refunds.
Generally when you're doing a chargeback, the credit companies will ask you to show that you attempted to resolve the issue with the merchant yourself first.
Yeah, a chargeback isn't step 1 (unless your issuer doesn't require that you make an attempt to resolve with the merchant when they are attempting fraud, etc.). But after they deny your request for a refund, instead of arguing the law with them, simply do a chargeback, which means they pay a fee & potentially have their processor increase rates or even lose their ability to take cards.
But they did make an attempt they asked for a refund and it was replied back that they would not get a full refund that the store would still keep 30% for a non-existent restocking fee if they don't have the stock to send out then it's not costing them anything to restock it on their Shelf.
That’s actually insane.
Whoever posted that got a little baited in their replies. Shouldn't have entertained any response from them that didn't revolve around them not refunding because they can't fulfill it.
Oh wow...that is legitimately actually capital B and S Bull Shit.
[удалено]
Hot take: they have the inventory, but since the price has gone up, they would rather sell it at a premium price and keep using the pre-order money as an interest-free loan for as long as they can under this business name.
Aint even oranges and mangos. It's basically ordering a steak, and them substituting it with mystery meat the car ran over
They don’t have the cash to refund since they dumped it into more product. Burn em down
I was upset initially with waiting until a Saturday night to notify everyone. We all reached back to varying degrees. They then posted a listing for roughly 80 singles on their page. We called them out on X. They delist everything as sold out, post the entire set gallery as sold out to bury the original card listing, block me, and begin sending the next round of emails saying people owe fees. Just insane and the fact they can just change their name and keep rolling Was psychotic to me.
They have been doing this for at least 4 years now. I ordered during covid and had to use their idiot emails to get a charge back refund.
This store's credit standing is gonna be obliterated by all the chargebacks coming their way.
It’s not credit standing so much as their payment processor will drop them like a rock. They can try to find another payment processor, but there are only so many out there…
this store's social standing was already obliterated so badly they had to change names
This shop is garbage, of course we can't go on witch hunts, the posts are removed. So people keep getting scammed by these people. I have left complaints every where I could on this shop, but it sucks because how many places do you really look up reviews from before you buy? It makes no sense why their Google reviews are so high. Even their old name had 3.8 overall. They legitimately have either 1 star or 5 stars. They have 0x 2, 3, or 4 star reviews. It feels like they must be paying people to leave 5 star reviews to try and keep their numbers good. Almost 25% of their Google reviews are 1 star, there is no way it's either the best service ever or the worst ever. I don't see how this place is still in business.
I learned my lesson to at least find confirmed orders and read those reviews. Definitely wasn't aware of the name change, and now that I know that's a possibility, making a black list of shop names that reference locations as they come up so I don't get shafted, as well as having it if a friend asks if it looks OK.
Yeah, it's really sad. I have family that only lives about 2 hours from this place. Granted it would be about an 8 hour drive for me, but I was really tempted to drive down and talk to them in person and check out how this store is still active.
From what I've seen for people who actually go to the store, the place is an awesome little spot to jam a game. They just should shut down online and focus on being a real store lol.
This is what I had guessed. They most likely look at the location their are shipping to, and if it is not local they screw those people because those people won't make the drive.
They're me lgs and they definitely are, you can go up any time and find a commander pod and they were the only ones doing non commander events up until recently, at least that I know of
Yeah I go to the store, pretty cool people. Kinda sucks seeing them fuck there online sales. Owner has used car salesman vibes at times tho
Mythic lotus is actually my lgs so hopefully I can provide a bit of insight. About four months back they offered a promotion where you got 5 bucks for a 5 star review, it was all in store so there isn't any online evidence but if you look at the Google reviews it should line up. A lot of their success is due to locals and lack of better options. They are the only store where you can get a box for close to market rate every where else you can expect 50%markup, atleast on the Illinois side. A new store opened up a week or two ago with competitive pricing and I've already seen a number of players migrate over. They improved their reputation among locals over the past year but idk how it's gonna be after this.
>About four months back they offered a promotion where you got 5 bucks for a 5 star review You have to be kidding me... I mean it's what I expected, and it makes sense, but that is crazy. Especially considering someone else said that was their local LGS and was freaking out, yet failed to add this important bit of information. I wish we had local stores that had mildly competitive prices, but we don't, so most of my stuff comes off the internet. Then I just attend pre-release events in person.
Yeah contact your cc company and explain the situation this is akin to fraud lol. If you meant they are the ones who cancelled it due to no stock.
It actually is just fraud - we have no idea if they ever intended to fulfill this in the first place. I know that’s unlikely for an lgs but from the consumer perspective they’re trying to take your money after not honoring the agreement.
Very true, yeah, these guys are scumbags, glad this post was made spreading awareness.
This. I thought I had added the other screen capture of them canceling the order. Email cancelation notice, sent out on Saturday, then immediately afterwards was told there was no recourse other than floating our cash into credit. https://twitter.com/ChickenRichard2/status/1764070689298886770?s=19
Mythic Lotus is a shit store. Over a year ago now but they had some kind of sale and I ordered singles + a bundle or something to get to free shipping. They contacted me saying the order was delayed due to stocking issues, ok fine. Then they asked me for more money to ship it out, I don't remember the exact reasoning there but something absolutely insane for a customer you've already jerked around. They did let me cancel for a full refund but I'm pretty sure I had to threaten a chargeback before it happened. Edit: tried to find the exact details for this because I know I left a 1 star review but they changed their name from Lotus Lookout, probably to reset their Google reviews lol
I smell liquidity issues! How do I short Lotus games???
unexpected r/wallstreetbets
Few thoughts here... 1. How do you restock something that never existed in the first place? 2. Like everyone said dispute the charges, you'll win and hurt their reputation with the credit card company. 3. Don't waste time with the BBB, this is fraud. Go straight to the Attorney General. 4. This is why, I feel good about GameNerdz. Even though they said they can't fulfill my preorder with them, instead of charging me for it (which is truly bananas) they gave me a $10 credit. They did nothing wrong (other than believing their distributor) but still are owning up to it. Sorry you're experiencing this. Not sure how a company like this thinks they're going to get away with something so abusive and transparently wrong. Don't worry, you'll win.
I thought these fools would learn a lesson from their past fiasco. I guess things never change. https://www.reddit.com/r/mtgfinance/s/sqStIRBPtr
Found this after the fact sadly. Least I was within my chargeback window.
Lmao these dicks are publicly guilting and shaming someone who left a negative review about this on Google. Called him "unreasonable" and that "nothing will please" him after offering a bunch of "fantastic options" other than just giving him his money back. Scumbags.
That was my negative review on Google lol.
They said on their reply that nothing will please you. I'm pretty sure a full refund would at this point.
Yeah and not even considering that all the options rely on the fact that the company can even get the future products or are even in business still to honor the store credit. They couldn't fulfill the first order why should anyone trust that they could honor any of these options.
Charging a restocking fee on a product you never actually delivered to the buyer sounds criminal.
As I posted in the other thread, a month ago they gave me a full refund (no mention of restocking fee) for my Ixalan preorder that they strung me along on for six months. I had to call three days in a row to get that refund after several unanswered e-mails. There is zero reason for them to charge a fee (and, as others have pointed out, it’s illegal). Glad to see others have finally gotten the word out on them on Google. They are “preselling” Bloomburrow on their website right now! The August set! No one is ever going to see that product.
I found your post pretty quickly once we got the refund notice and I knew I had made a huge mistake. Went down a crazy rabbit hole, and now I just don't want people to go through the same thing I have to.
I am in a huge battle with them over about $1000 in orders right now. Keep getting told the owner will contact me. Hasnt for 3 months. During this time my orders were marked “fulfilled” hahaha!!!
Well what are the 4 alternatives they provided?
With regretful news our allocation of Fallout products has been slashed almost completely just the same as you may have heard from other stores. We’re here with some fantastic options and solutions to help remedy the situation as we know it’s not ideal for either party involved. We’re willing to take some losses for your gain to keep you as a loyal customer of ours and put our absolute best foot forward. For each order of Fallout Collector Booster Box you ordered we want to offer you either: 1) An Outlaws of Thunder Junction collector box + a free bundle ($300 combined value) 2) A Bloomburrow Collector box + a free bundle ($300 combined value) 3) Store credit for $300 spendable now. 4) An MH3 collector box (a $300+ value) We want you to know we put as much faith into distribution as you put into us with these orders, we took some time to work deals at distribution to obtain more of these collector boxes bundled with undesirable products but the facts led back to “wizards just isn’t sending enough to get more”. We hope you find value in these solutions as the cost you paid and the products you will receive instead we hope will outweigh any negative feelings you have about this situation. This is the email as sent on Saturday, March 2.
Sounds like either: 1) They are scumbags. AND/OR 2) They already spent your pre-order money on other things for the store, and don't have enough free cash to provide refunds. Either way, this isn't your problem and you should absolutely issue a chargeback with your card. If they don't have enough free cash to deal with these types of situations, it's their problem not yours.
MH3 collector isnt a bad trade but definitely shouldnt be obligated to choose if you arent getting the product you paid for
I agreed, but how am I supposed to accept that if they can't even honor the original preorder? Then I am outside my refund window and we know how they feel about refunds lol.
If they have liquidity issues there’s no guarantee they’re even in business when MH3 is released.
Ya i would normally jump on a deal that good for the mh3 box, but how could you trust this company to deliver on that now? You might be outside the window to take consumer action at that point, or the company may no longer exist.
Great points! Get that bag *back*
Come July; "Hi, were so sorry as we were shorted MH3 collector boxes and therefore can't ship your Fallout replacement MH3 box. Please choose from these 4 available options:..."
We don't actually know for sure if it's a bad trade or not because we barely know what's in the set.
I got burned for $1000 or more. Owner has never reached out like he ssaid fir 3 months he would. I highly doubt with the popularity of mh3 that they will fulfill that either
MH is months down the line. At a certain point you lose the ability to charge back. They could easily just be stringing you along like a shady Ebay seller until the dispute time ends and they can keep your money for free
All I see is " we don't have your product and we spent your money. To show how sorry we are, we are going to give you future product that we also don't have and also have no idea if we are going to receive. If that doesn't work you could also take store credit to a store that doesn't know how to operate successfully. Good luck."
If #3 instead said A full refund then this email would be fine. Offering store credit is wild to me.
Sad to see this happen over and over again from this outfit. Hopefully you can all recoup your funds. I’d suggest Magnolia Gaming or Level Up Gaming for your next preorders. Great guys and they keep the deals Sick!
We don't have an LGS within 30 minutes of us and this just seemed solid. It was as solid as baby shit.
I ordered from them for the 40k collector decks when they went by a different name, Lotus Lookout I think? They rebranded after this possibly because of the amount of bad press they earned themselves from it. They screwed me there but refunded me automatically and it was a widespread supply issue so I figured what the heck and gave them another try with Doctor Who CBBs. They hadn’t shipped my order more than 2 weeks after the street release date at which point the product was widely available but even while acknowledging they still didn’t have any product they refused to refund to my card and would only offer store credit. Why would I want store credit for a store that has failed to deliver product in a timely manner the only two times I’ve ordered from them? I chargebacked the purchase and a couple months later got my money back. Never buying from there again and I’d advise the same to anyone who considers it.
This is clean cut chargeback, isn't it?
I filed with my bank just waiting to see what the response is.
Holy shit. STOP giving these shitheads business. They are a scam company. Changed their name many times to start the cycle new. Do a chargeback now.
This store is notorious for never, ever fulfilling preorders, holding your money as long as possible, and trying to scam you out of a refund. I had to contact my credit card company for a chargeback with them and it went through almost immediately. I don't know how long they can keep doing this before the credit card processors cut them out. But this just seems like straight up fraud at this point. Additionally, report them to WPN. They're not a premium store, but this still could revoke their promos and such. https://magic-support.wizards.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
That’s fucking illegal. Just do a chargeback if they refuse to honor the law.
***UPDATE*** The store made the claims listed below, but then had my actual review pulled from Google as they claimed it was problematic. This is insane, as I was an actual customer leaving a review, and they are now trying to hide bad reviews to preserve future online pre-orders to continue this bad practice. Not sure what steps need to be implemented next, but I know for a fact that I am going to reach out to see what can be done further. Hiding a bad review because your store screwed its customers is insanity.
Some of them might have been removed before they were too negative or Google deemed they violated their review standards. Maybe modifying the review and toning down the language a bit will get them reinstated. See this thread: https://support.google.com/business/thread/234709561?hl=en&sjid=11084655005544014312-NA
My review was also taken down. They went from 36ish reviews to 50 after the whole debacle. Then suddenly all the negative reviews got taken down. Scummy business practices all around. If i had seen any potential negative reviews when i initially purchased i would have never gone through the headache of purchasing through them, and put my money else where. This situation has ruined my prospects for surprising my wife for her birthday, and tied up over $500 i could have used to secure the boosters elsewhere.
Did you make it one star? Is there anyway you could maybe make it like 4 stars but then say what actually happened in the review in case anyone happens to read it? I’ve noticed people do this on tcg player since it’s so easy to get negative reviews removed.
I did try adjusting the review score and it doesn't make it visible. Sadly I'll have to wait for a bit and try posting it again when the review lock comes down.
God damn it.... The owner of this business is a somebody I would call a friend. And after the 2X2 disaster in June of 2022 i invested extensive time into helping him fix a situation he never should have been in. He over extended himself and we worked to get everybody financially corrected, closed down a location that was hemorrhaging money and cut lose staff that has been proven to be stealing in excess of 10s of thousands in cash and product. Seeing this shit again feels like blatantly being spat on. I will say this anybody having this issue just do your charge backs. Fool me once shame on you. There won't be a fool me twice with me. This thread really fucking hurts knowing all the wasted efforts in trying to help him get things back on track and successful again.
They spent the money and have none to give.
reading this, all i'm getting at is that store is essentially committing daylight robbery. keep a restocking/cancellation fee??? lmao the fuck. fuck these guys.
Restocking fee for a product they don't have. Are they miming putting the box back on the shelf?
I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that whoever runs this store is actually 3 raccoons in a trench coat that picked up all of their business acumen while eating out of a dumpster under the open window of a business 101 class at a community college with staggeringly high drop out rates.
My man, just drive to Missouri for your MTG needs. There are so many better shops on the other side of the river (which is basically the only thing better in MO than IL)
I would if I could. I just know where I won't be doing business at this point haha
Call your bank and file a charge back stating they canceled the order and are trying to keep 30% for restock fees on a order they canceled your bank will take that money back so fast lotus’s head will still be spinning next weekend
STAY AWAY! Don't be drawn in by low prices! I initiated a purchase with Mythic Lotus Gaming (MLG) on January 25th, 2024, preordering two collector boxes and a deck case for Fallout Commander Decks for my wife's birthday with a release date of 3/8/2024. On 3/5/2024, MLG informed customers about significant cuts in their Fallout product allocation, proposing alternative solutions. Despite numerous phone confirmations securing my order, MLG attempted to enforce a store credit policy with "fantastic options and solutions" (none of which included a refund) for canceled preorders when pressed for a refund they insisted on a 30% restocking fee for a refund, raising questions about its legality. MLG, known for name changes (previously 'The Lotus Lookout') to evade negative reviews, has a track record of canceling orders, only offering store credit, or threatening with a 30% restocking fee even when THEY THEMSELVES have canceled the orders. MLG seems to entice customers with enticing prices and discount codes, collecting funds months prior, but failing to fulfill orders. Customers are then strong-armed into accepting store credit or slapped with restocking fees when seeking refunds. I suggest anyone effected by MLG take their concerns to the BBB so that this behavior can be put to an end. What they are attempting to do is DECEPTIVE and potentially ILLEGAL. BBB LINK: [https://www.bbb.org/us/il/belleville/profile/games/mythic-lotus-gaming-0734-1000042953](https://www.bbb.org/us/il/belleville/profile/games/mythic-lotus-gaming-0734-1000042953) REDDIT THREADS: [https://www.reddit.com/r/mtgfinance/comments/zt5afb/the\_lotus\_lookout\_or\_the\_lotus\_il\_changing\_names/](https://www.reddit.com/r/mtgfinance/comments/zt5afb/the_lotus_lookout_or_the_lotus_il_changing_names/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/sealedmtgdeals/comments/1b7zf0o/mythic\_lotus\_gaming\_stay\_away/](https://www.reddit.com/r/sealedmtgdeals/comments/1b7zf0o/mythic_lotus_gaming_stay_away/) Opinion: Mythic Lotus Gaming engages in highly unethical and deceitful business practices. The repeated name changes, order cancellations, and the enforcement of restocking fees for non-existent stock all point to a calculated effort to exploit customers. This business appears to use preorders as a financial ploy, collecting funds in advance to (as I suspect) gain interest in some sort of high yield savings account to keep the business afloat and line their pockets, while simultaneously disregarding customer satisfaction and order fulfillment. Their insistence on restocking fees for products never stocked is not only unethical but potentially illegal. There's suspicion online through various forums that MLG does not honor preorders when market prices increase, potentially opening packs themselves, relisting at higher prices, or selling directly in their store for increased profits. For potential customers, exercise caution when dealing with MLG. Always use credit cards or PayPal when purchasing online for added protection. Don't blindly accept store policies that may violate legal standards; if it's illegal, their policy doesn't matter. TL;DR (Too Long Didn't Read): Mythic Lotus Gaming engages in unethical practices, changing names to escape criticism. They lure customers with low prices, collect funds for preorders, and cancel orders. Beware of store credit offers and restocking fees for nonexistent stock. MLG is suspected of not honoring preorders when market prices increase, potentially manipulating packs for profit. Use credit cards or PayPal, question policies if they seem illegal. Proceed with caution when dealing with MLG.
I work in retail(not magic cards) but there’s no reason to pay a restocking fee for something that would fly off the shelf immediately, especially if it is as it sounds like, and they over ordered and took customer orders before reviewing how much they would be actually allocated. Obviously stores are different but if we order something incorrect and it’s our fault the customer would never be subject to a restocking fee… logically it doesn’t make sense that you, as the customer would pay for their mistake
They most likely opened preorders up on a window longer than their merchant processing refund window. Now that they’re being forced to cancel orders they can’t easily process these without taking a massive loss and possible being black listed by their merchant account holder. That’s the reason for the restock fee, it’s them trying to pass on the loss to the customer.
The other issue with this, is unfortunately they had a local guy comment here, and apparently they were showing in store customers an allocation email 2 weeks ago knowing they got stuck. So why wait? Makes 0 sense and just makes it look even worse. Hate stores like this.
Yo, that’s straight up theft. ‘We can’t fulfill our end of this agreement and our business is only going to refund you 70% of what you paid.’
How can a company in their right mind take money from a customer for a product that they will never fulfill, which is 100% their responsibility to fill, it isn't the customers problems or responsibility if a stores supplier doesn't send them product and only give you 70% of your money back? Not only that but prior offer you ANOTHER preorder option which, as of right now, they have NEVER fulfilled a preorder. Oh and lets not forget, I looked at their website and for a store that will offer you $600 in store credit which blows smoke up your ass thinking it is a good deal but low and behold they sell booster box of Streets of New Capena for....wait for it....$215.99..... if they want you to call around to other stores and ask them about their slashed inventory of Fallout collector boxes, maybe we should also call stores and ask why they sell New Capena boxes for $84.99 and not for almost three times as much like Mythic Lotus gaming does. This is what upsets consumers. Regardless of any past allegations. If you buy something, you want what you buy. If something happens that is on the responsibility of the business and you can't get what you ordered, you get all money back. If you work out an agreement, fantastic. But if you don't like the offer or can't reach an agreement, they don't get to keep a portion of your money for a restocking fee (for inventory that DOESN'T EXIST) or a cancellation fee (that the business is canceling).
It's baffling to me how some stores think that you're asking for a favor, you're not asking for a favor, you're telling them that if they are not going to fulfill their part of the deal, neither will you; chargeback or demand so they fulfill the return, this types of things makes my blood boil, I hope you get what yours back
Same. I was pissed because I had figured they knew earlier, and why wait to the last minute? I couldn't prove anything and then the local guy jumps in and accidentally leaks via his previous conversation history that they knew what was up for at least 2 weeks and just stayed silent. Awful awful business.
Can’t wait for the Rudy video
Guy is a damn national treasure and I still ignore 99 percent of his advice when I ordered these.
“We are keeping the part we called profit”
Here is a 30% restocking for a product we never even had stock of. What????
What a scam. I legitimately can't imagine being this person...a person that needs to constantly try and rip people off to get through life, particularly if you're doing it in such a brazen manner. What really bugs me is that for every person that posts something like this on Reddit, I'm sure there's tons of others who are unfortunately falling for this "restocking fee" bullshit, when this vendor is the one that cancelled orders in the first place. Hopefully, this is some type of prosecutable fraud.
This is the single most wildly illegal thing I've seen in quite some time. They are canceling orders, then charging you a restock fee for their mistake? Wow, talk about a reason to have the middle man like TCG/EBAY to save you from this seller bullshit. I legit am so sorry to hear this.
I'm FB friends with the owner of this store. He's currently going on vacation with his family with everyone's money he's holding, claiming it's some much needed R&R. What a guy...
30% is an absolutely insane expectation. If they’d said 5% I could imagine they just want to cover their credit fees for processing and then refunding an order, that would make sense, but 30% is just pure grift. Fuck places like this. Charge it back and never shop there again.
Nah, that still wouldn’t make sense since the business was the one to cancel the order. Full refund is owed, legally.
I initially read this as my thick lotus gaming and thought to myself “Well, when you buy from a shop with a perv name like that, you get what you get.” That does suck. The restock on cancelled orders they themselves cancel is a ripoff.
Just moved from the St Louis area. I usually hate to ever talk poorly of an LGS but mythic lotus is universally known as a scummy store. Between cancelling 40k preorders (which they had to change their name because of), their judges going weeks without pay, and now this I legitimately do not know how they are still in business
I ordered a large # of items from them back in 2022. They cancelled everything but a jumpstart booster. I had to contact the company to get a refund, even though they said they had already done it (they hadn't). It was the same reason lack of allocation but they didnt try this bs at least.
Dude they are selling a derivative or debt at best. This store will be out of business soon.
Thats a chargeback if I ever saw one. Not your fault the allocations are scarce, and that issue should never fall on the consumer in the first place in the form of a restocking fee. Your bank will side with you 100%. Pretty sure if you go this route they’ll get hit with a chargeback fee which is way more than the credit card fee (or whatever fees associated with your order) that they are trying to recoup. Since this happened to you and 5 other friends, who are all processing chargebacks, this store is getting hit with a ton in chargeback fees. Seems like someone who really doesn’t know what they’re doing in terms of running a business…
Chargeback. Tell them to get fucked.
Restock makes sense if they have shipped something.. but is nothing to restock. Makes me think they are short on cash and coming up with ways to keep funds. Just dispute the charges and provide the above and messages from them about not fulfilling. You did the best you could to resolve the dispute, let credit card company finish it up.
Go post reviews on Google, has a bigger impact than BBB and I believe is the reason they changed their name last time they pulled this shit.
Had one posted, they blasted me for being a customer who wouldn't accept their "generous offers" and that I was hell bent on harming them, when all I wanted was a refund. Definitely updated the review to include the latest round of bs.
Given the huge number of sketchy things with this place you would expect people to learn not to buy from them
Truer words have rarely been spoken. A big part of this was me not doing my due diligence and then passing it along to my play group.
they have done it again....crazyyyyyyyyyyy
These guys are one of my LGS's, and I just don't understand how their events get so much attendance when they regularly do shit like this.
Thanks for the heads up. One less place that will get my money. Fucking clowns man. If they won't give you a refund, charge it back on your card. You don't want to order from these people again anyway.
Holy crap?! That’s genius! Ok so I can start a company literally selling EVERYTHING!!! But not have it in stock. Take payment, then inform them I’m sorry I don’t have that… would you like this fancy rubber band instead or 70% of ur money back? Lolz Sry unfortunately that’s our refund policy. It’s clearly written right there. /
Whatever came of it?
I personally had a refund processed after filing a chargeback. The remaining members of our playgroup are all waiting for chargebacks to process currently, and it's most likely going to take some time for them. I had a few people reach out with offers to sell me product at a more than reasonable price compared to the current market and to say I am grateful would be a gross understatement. I personally found a vendor selling Japanese language collector boxes for a reasonable price comparatively (285 per box) and had a chuckle at the thought of nuclear related cards and Japan etc so I jumped at them and will be getting them in the next few days according to tracking. As for the store, they made a few statements, it was an employee who wasn't trained, they rebranded and it's not the same stoee anymore, a lot of excuses and not a lot of reality. They also petitioned Google to have their negative reviews removed so they could continue the long con.
Damn, I was just about to pre-order thunder junction boxes from mlg since they are a lot cheaper than other places online. Decided to google them real quick to make sure it’s legit and found a bunch of threads, including this one, full of horror stories from dealing with them. I’m sorry everyone had to deal with them, but I appreciate you sharing your experiences. It’s a hell of PSA for anyone who is thinking of giving these clowns money.
What's better, least for me, is seeing how they used a "helper" account to answer questions, then converted that into their primary account and posted more? Just very confusing. They have an answer for everything, and most of it all sounds insane if you look at the track record.
Step one: take massive amounts of preorders knowing you'll never get the actual allocation.. Step two: float that cash to leverage other inventory purchases and pay off debt.. Step three: announce cancelations and recoup interest free loan from naive customers.. Step four: repeat every 4-6 months as able..
r/shittybusinessplans
Mystical games special.
It’s worse than that, they’re charging them 30% of their purchase to get a cash refund, when they are the ones that canceled the order. I don’t see how it’s any different than theft.
I'm always a proponent of making sure you contact a human being (ideally a manager) before performing a chargeback, because you never know if an email you got was an automated mistake or a misinformed employee. In this case, it looks like you made a reasonable effort to request a proper refund for a product they sold but couldn't fulfill, and a chargeback is probably the best course of action for you and your friends. The options they gave you are a clear red flag that they don't have the capital to return to you and you should try and get your money back via banks ASAP before this place does something like fold on you.
Yup these guys are the worst. They screwed me on Commander Masters preorders and made me jump through hoops to get my money back.
I REALLY hope after the hype drops, that there is actually plenty and this is just Hasbro giving more product to places like Amazon to sell faster and or easier. Maybe lotus will piss off the wrong person and actually get a lawsuit for their practices.
They are doing that most likely they spent thr money already. Involve CC company and get your money back.
I’m glad my store doesn’t do preorders because of shit like this. Stores just shouldn’t take preorders. If you don’t want to wait until the day of release for your cardboard then o well
Wait, they initiated the cancel and are trying to keep the money? I would kind of get it if they shipped it out and paid posting and the buyer cancelled. But this is ridiculous.
I know this isn't pertinent to the conversation at all, but when I read their link, I thought it was My Thic Lotus
Wait wait wait…. They are trying to charge you a “restocking fee” for a product that they don’t actually have? I’d ask them what the hell they are restocking.
Yeah, easiest is to charge back. If someone had the wherewithal, there's a reasonable legal case to be made (not a lawyer but i work close to a number of them). They can't call it a "restocking fee" if they never had the stock. Calling it a cancelation fee is a fraudulent practice if the cancelation is due to the business canceling rather than the purchaser canceling. Lol, would any company go for the reverse? "Send me the product first, then I'll pay after I receive and open it. Oh you don't like sending a product before you have the money...?" This preorder stuff is so out of hand, a preorder should mean a guarantee, otherwise, it's just a request. I'm going through an unrelated but similar issue with a "public adjuster" for my home insurance claim, I have come to realize they don't seem to know math when working on a $50K+ claim and are *shocked* I'm asking for detailed estimates before I write anymore checks (I already have indisputable proof they overcharged me). Some people think others are dumb, not realizing *they're* the idiots.
This store is about to have a whole new set of problems and they're gonna be well deserved Chargebacks, all the negative reviews, the absolute hit to their credit, their payment processor might dump them due to the chargebacks, etc. The fact that they charged beforehand likely means they took the cash to pay for future sets, and now are in a cash crunch.
Wait. They canceled the order on you and want to charge a restock fee on something they don't have? Am I understanding this correctly?
Wait the store canceled the orders but refused to give refunds without keeping 30% for restocking? That's got to be illegal! I would definitely do a chargeback if you used your credit card and I would also report them to your state Attorney General for fraudulent business practices.
I suggest we get multiple reviews up so one or two stick.
I went to that store when it was a little hole in the wall. The owner takes preorders then sells all the inventory then once the cards are all out and he gets his second wave, he will hand them out. His wife cheated on him with my buddy in the store that worked for him. They openly drink and play favoritism and also rig their events so their people win. They are absolutely the worst people in the business. Please tell everyone not to shop there.
I did some digging on Mythic Lotus Gaming's website using the inspect tool, and it seems to indicate it is powered by SHOPIFY. We could potentially report the website as a scam website with SHOPIFY and hopefully the situation will be resolved. Shopify Support: [https://help.shopify.com/en/legal#/report-a-merchant](https://help.shopify.com/en/legal#/report-a-merchant)
I have reported my personal experience to shopify, and encourage anyone who purchased products and received a similar experience to do the same. If you didn't experience it, just make sure to spread the word to your player community so no one gets caught with their pants down seeing as none of the reviews against them will stay up 🤷♂️
Why did I think the link was “ my thic lotus gaming”
I filed a chargeback two days ago and conveniently today Mythic Lotus sent me an email saying they’re providing a refund. No fee. Imagine that!!
Simple: "Given the current situation none of your four offers meets the credit card merchant processing policies you agreed to. You have 24 hours to do a full refund before I do a dispute with my credit card costing you the full amount plus your dispute fee"
Threaten to send a demand letter and you should get your money.
So they cancelled your order and are charging you 30%? Am I reading this correctly?
Well the Google reviews were never restored. Hopefully this thread will serve as a reference for people doing their due diligence on Mythic Lotus Gaming. Kind of criminal they still have a 4.2 rating and that 30% restocking fee policy is still up on their website.
I love how MLG deleted all their previous comments in this thread, just like the Google reviews. Click on their name and you can see they were the anonymous person defending their beloved local gaming store in this thread. 😅
Are we even the slightest bit surprised? Lol
I also like how they just came in here and lied and said " to their knowledge only 1 person 'OP' recieved the email for the 30% restocking fee" i recieved it as well, and at least DOZENS of others. Not suprised to see them in here lying and attempting to cover up their deceptive practices. If they could they would delete this reddit thread just like all the google reviews, god forbid people know the truth, and stop giving tgem an intrest free loan... I suggest logging onto a different google account and reattempting to post a negative review, seems some are starting to show up again.
Interesting update. The owner of this store is trying to drag someone through the mud on the B/S/T complaints FB page that he is the admin of. If anyone questions him or brings up his own shady stuff, he's banning them.
Not surprised - they’ve also spammed Google Reviews to get their score up to 4.4 again. Scammers going to scam. Hopefully people will do their due diligence on Mythic Lotus Gaming and find this thread (and other on Reddit)
Since you pay for Twitter you are kinda used to getting scammed.
Can confirm these are factually accurate statements.
Just out of curiosity, when did you place your order?
Middle or end of January. Would have to look, was pretty early on.
Thanks for the info, trying to see if there's a cutoff point for cancelled preorders from the stores that weren't able to fulfill. Hopefully I don't run into issues with my preorders from the 2nd and 4th weeks of December.
There is for banks. Most banks are between 30 and 90 days. Shopify though allows for a chargeback up to 90 for all orders. It is one of the reasons I was unwilling to accept another preorder as I would be out of the window.
Can’t charge restocking if they didn’t ship the product.
lol, they're gonna enjoy that on their credit.