Loot Crate Review: February 2015

I admit that I so strongly dislike the people at Loot Crate that it's hard not to be extra harsh when receiving their box. Of course, that's on them anyway, since if they were capable of hiring people who actually had ethics and didn't talk to customers like they were trash, I wouldn't feel this way. (By the way, Crafty has also canceled her subscription for an unrelated issue with customer service.)

With that said, Loot Crate's February box still kind of sucked. Are there a million people out there who will attack me for saying so? Yup. But as a geek and someone who wants to spend my money intelligently on companies who actually value customers, I'm not happy with anything Loot Crate does and so I'm done. Almost everyone I know who was a subscriber has now canceled for similar reasons, so hey, say what you like, but I know at least some people aren't happy.

Anyway, let's review why I think it's a fail, and I will keep my personal issues with them out of it. (By the way, my box was open when it arrived, although intact. I don't know if that's on Loot Crate or the USPS, but I'll say, boxes come damaged but never open. I just think Loot Crate stuck two really weak seals on the the edge and didn't care if it arrived in one piece. It wouldn't surprise me since quality is clearly not a concern of theirs and I've heard a number of other people had crates open upon arrival.)

February 2015: Month in Review (Hits and Misses)

As we did last month, I wanted to do a review of the hits and misses for subscription boxes for February. There were utter disasters again, as well as lots of amazing arrivals and new subscriptions.

MISSES

As I did in January, I think it's better to start with the constructive so you can end on a positive note. Some of these are seriously bad and others were just not fits for me personally, although sadly I have to say I've seen less of just meh items than outright terrible business this month. I have noticed that you can get a fairly good sense of the quality of a subscription box by the service via email or on social media. The more active and engaged the company is, the more likely your box will really be what you expected and the more the products will be higher quality. Companies who seem to be interested in just jumping on a bandwagon of where they think they money is, or those who are far more interested in being huge, tend to place customers at the bottom of their priorities and it shows not only in their interactions but also in the way they put together the boxes and select products. Some are beginning to feel like a cardboard box full of nothing but ads.

Corporate Capitalization on "Geek" Culture

This is a rant, but it's something that's been really bugging me in the last few months. To be honest, I started subscription boxes because of Loot Crate and Nerd Block, because they're the big ones. However, what I've come to realize is how little they care about customers (especially Loot Crate). They care about you if you have a massive YouTube following, but otherwise you're nothing. Your comments get ignored, your issues get resolved when they feel like it, and your boxes ship after everyone else's (their big name bloggers and celebrity endorsers who get them for free). Of course, it's important to have blog reviews and companies need them, but it's also not honest or ethical when paying customers are not treated the same way as reviewers.

I recently read a fellow blogger's rant on Loot Crate and I was saddened by her experience. She has been blocked on social media from having an opinion. What's funny is that her review wasn't really that harsh. She simply called them out because if they're promoting themselves as the leaders, why are their boxes the same quality as those from the up and comers like 1Up Box? They should have the ability to offer far more.

Loot Crate Review: January 2015 ("Rewind")

My Loot Crate was late this month, making me one of the last people I know to receive it. That made me really sad, because I saw spoilers posted all over and I had to do everything I could not to have it ruined for me. Luckily, the crate was awesome and worth the wait!

This month's theme was "Rewind," a flashback to the things most of us geeks love about the 80's (this seems be the theme right now with geek boxes, as it's coming up a lot). I love geek stuff and I love the 80's, so that's a definite plus for me!

Loot Crate December 2014 (Anniversary)

It only makes sense to start with a Loot Crate review, as they were the catalyst for my very unhealthy addiction! However, in the spirit of full disclosure, I do need to reveal that the images used in this post were from Little Miss Crafty's husband's box - as mine has been, well, looted!

The theme for this month was "Anniversary," and the box celebrated the anniversaries of several franchises that have really driven geek culture for some time now. We start with Batman, which is featured in both the exclusive comic book issue and the Funko Pop! figure (another exclusive). My husband was extremely excited to see these, because he's a huge comic book fan and Batman is obviously a favorite. I love any Funko Pop! figure, because they're just adorable. This Joker-Batman went very well with my husband's gift of Arya for Christmas.