Sci-Fi Genre

I can honestly say that this is the probably the worst customer service experience I’ve ever had. I finally found an RPG book i’ve been looking for on their site and placed an order for it.
According to the order confirmation, it was estimated to be shipped by yesterday at the latest and the order is still sitting there in my account page on their site as «Waiting».
I didn’t read any reviews of the place before ordering and I should have. The google reviews for this place are horrible and now I know why. I’ve tried calling the 800 number listed on their site for 6 days now and have never received a response. I emailed four times and never received a response. I was never charged for the order and it’s just sitting there waiting.
I finally got through to someone at their brick and mortar store on Sunday but she couldn’t help me since someone else deals with their online ordering. She did take my info down but I have yet to hear from anyone. Attempts to reach anyone at the physical store now go unanswered.
What kind of place doesn’t have a voicemail system for customer service?
Several google reviews all mentioned their horrible customer service and how long it takes for them to fulfill online orders, even when the item is said to be available, they apparently order straight from a distributor. I can do that myself.
Look elsewhere if you want to order anything, anywhere else would be better.

Ok, this place is pretty awesome. I am a not so closeted nerd and my wife and I play board games at least 3 times a week (i.e. Agricola, Race For the Galaxy, Dominion, Le Havre, etc). We realized that actually shopping here would put any doubt about how nerdy we are completely to rest. We sighed deeply, admitted our addiction, and drove out to the store.
Ok, let me say that the people who were there were suuuupppppppppper nerdy. Like… super nerdy. And I was a computer science major in college. I know nerdy. They were nerdy.
That being said they were lovable nerds and very friendly and nice. The game selection was impressive and the prices were actually better than Amazon.
We bought a membership card.
This makes our nerdiness complete. However, the nerdy items we buy will be cheaper now I guess, which is good.
If you love board games (I can’t speak to comics or the other things they sell) they really do have an impressive selection.
Bite the bullet, admit you are a nerd, and shop there.

I am an online customer, and recently called them to check on the availability of a product for shipping. What I was looking for has been hard to find, and Sci-​Fi offered to look for me rather than giving a standard apathetic answer. They left me on hold for a moment, where I was greeted by The Dark Night theme, while they checked their inventory. He returned promptly and helped me come to a decision, without pressuring me. I am glad I called, and will start my gaming searches on their website.
The customer service was great, and the employee was very helpful. Not all comic/​game shops are this helpful. It’s good to find one that has hired some people with some etiquette.
–Sci-​Fi rolls for save…
–Success!, +5 to PR/​social skill
–The customer leaves surprised and satisfied.
–Sci-​fi receives Return Business, +$$ to moneys, and the Grand Scepter of Good Business (highly effective against Chaotic-​Evil Businesses)
*end battle music plays*
Baa-​dutdutdutDaadaa daa-​dutdutdaa
da da da daDa-​dada-​dada…

I’m a mail order customer, who gets my comics delivered weekly. Every order has come exactly as I have on my subscription list, is boxed with bubble wrap and comes bagged and boarded. Never had a single problem with them, and would recommend them to anyone wanting to get a mail order service equivalent to what you get at a brick and mortar pull-​box service.

Tucked out of the way on a mostly residential street, SciFi Genre is well worth tracking down if you are a fan of table-​top gaming, comics, or collectible toys; or if you have someone in your life who is. They have the best selection of games and gaming supplies in town (possibly anywhere in the Triangle) – board games, card games, RPG source books, miniatures, dice… you name it, they probably have it (or can order it for you). The store has a number of large back rooms for gaming, and they host lots of gaming events and tournaments. Also, as far as I can tell, they are always open. Of course, if you don’t feel like making the trek into the wilds of South Durham, or if you fear that you will be coerced by staff-​wielding nerds into rolling up a half-​elf paladin, you can always check out their excellent online store.
In addition to games, SciFi Genre has tons of toys, models, statues, and miscellaneous geeky collectibles, but be warned; you’ll be paying collectible prices for most of them. They also have a thorough selection of current comics and a sizable library of graphic novel compilations. Personally, I prefer to do my comic book shopping at Chapel Hill Comics, but I use SciFi Genre as my primary backup… you know, in case of a comic book emergency. (Incidentally, I have a few issues with Ultimate Comics, but that is a topic for another review.)
Customer service here can be a little hit-​or-​miss, but I’ve generally found the staff to be friendly and helpful.

Lots and lots of great games (card, board, miniatures), comics, and accessories, with lots of new stock coming in continuously. I’ve found the staff here to always be nice and friendly. My 11-​year-​old and I come here regularly to browse.
I don’t know much about comics so can’t say much, but their stock is at least as big as either of the two larger comic stores in Chapel Hill.
SciFi is a great source for Magic cards and D&D minis, playing tiles, etc. There is a nice gaming area set up in the back — you can bring your own games, or there are open games for you to play; almost always a few groups of folks back there playing and typically a friendly crowd. They host Magic tournaments (and lots of other themed-​game nights) continuously and are very welcoming to newcomers. Great store!

There are great things about Sci-​Fi Genre:
Their online ordering system is good and the ability to arrange pickup in the store, even better! They even give you a discount for ordering online.
Their prices on back issues are pretty cheap. I even hit upon a sale once where most of them were 50% off. Dollar bins are good too (though I do miss the days of the quarter bin ;)
So why are they getting 2 stars? The person behind the counter. I have been in there 3 times and my wife twice and each time the person behind the counter was unhelpful almost to the point of surly. Maybe it’s because gaming is their big thing and we were going for comics. I don’t know. I do know with Ultimate Comics and Chapel Hill Comics so close and with so much better customer service, I see no reason to return back to Sci-​Fi Genre.

Sci-​Fi Genre is likely the best gaming store in the area, stocking large amounts of board games, comic books, collectible card games such as Magic: The Gathering to tabletop war games such as Warhammer and Warmachine. They are open pretty long hours and have an active play schedule for all games, including board games and also host tournaments and pre-​release events.
Since their primary revenues likely come from their large on-​line store that sells to customers nationwide, their inventory list is pretty amazing and can order nearly anything you could want with ease. The best way to get deals at Sci-​Fi is to actually order it on-​line in advance and pick it up at the store, saving up to 25% off normal retail at times. They encourage this, especially for the more obscure items, as it keeps them from having to have a huge in-​store inventory.
They have a pretty large selection of hobby supplies as well, from paints to brushes and modeling tools.
My only criticism was that their inventory of Privateer paints was a bit sparse when I went in, so I had to order a few things on-​line. However, i did save a bit of money, so if you can wait a few days it’s more than worth it.