I think I'm going to blame Lou. LOL! He put me on to the Attica set from Staunton Castle. Had he not done so, I would have been blissfully ignorant and sitting on the sidelines.
HAHA, I think I will also blame the other members of this forum for "making me" buy a Staunton Castle set. 👍
@tskeldon I like your idea of blaming Lou. It'll be like the blaming Canada thing. 
I blame Canada too! I'm a big fan of the US and its people, and am constantly taking Canadians to task for their unsubstantiated and often absent subscription to whatever anti-American narrative is floating about. It seems like so much jealousy.
I protest in my writing that the Canadian identity, as it stands and manifests, amounts to little more than positing that they are 'not' American. Without realizing or intending it, in a formal existential sense (de Beauvoir), that makes Canada simply 'the other' of the US; which makes it a 'Garfunkel'*: it can't exist independent of the thing which it claims it is not).
*A 'Garfunkel' is a popular term of reference (not mine) to the myth that Art Garfunkel was subordinate or insignificant in terms of his contribution to the group that also bore his name. In truth, it was Art Garfunkel's unique byzantine celtic harmonies that elevated Paul Simon's otherwise great songs above those of his contemporaries.
Lots of people wrote great songs, but Garfunkel's haunting harmonies, which so much flattered Simon's songs, caused what I will venture should by rights be called 'their' songs, to root more deeply and indelibly in our musical consciousness.
tskeldon,
Paul Simon contributed the brick and mortar (the melody and lyrics), but Art provided the harmony. And what's great music without harmony? It's like Bach without counterpoint!
Sorry guys, guilty as charged!
I'd say music without harmony is like Bach without harmony, but ok, I get your point.
Carl, I am not going to argue with you on this point since you're in the chess industry. You know better than all of us what this recent increase has caused. I can only speak for myself and what covid has done to me. When I got slammed in 2020 and have to pick between working and sleeping, it really feels like I was drowning. It also feels like it won't stop and it literally doesn't until I tell customers I have no time to help you for a week. Can you wait a week? The answer is always no. We need it right now. I didn't even have time to do a basic thing like write a quote a lot of times. You might think I am making a lot and at times yes. However, a week later when things slow down I have no work and thus no income. A lot of times the customers really don't come back. There is a lost of future revenue there. And like I said if you have never been through this, you just can't understand how difficult it is.
I guess I will just have to disagree with all of you guys and gals. I think the chess suppliers were slammed. Their systems and procedures broke down and they are doing their best while most of you think the suppliers don't care about you because they're making all of this money and that simple things like answering emails despite the increase should be an easy thing to do.
@MCH818 You make a good case. Maybe we are being too hard on the sellers. These are extremely difficult times. @tskeldon Canada is a beautiful country. She's young. She'll find her identity. I lived there for several decades. I miss the Sunshine Coast terribly.
@MCH818 You make a good case. Maybe we are being too hard on the sellers. These are extremely difficult times. @tskeldon Canada is a beautiful country. She's young. She'll find her identity. I lived there for several decades. I miss the Sunshine Coast terribly.
Thank you. We all have our perspectives. I don't have anything stuck in this loop like some of you do. If I did I would not be so understanding. I think I would be complaining a lot. It might even be more than all of you. I am not a patient person sometimes. Anyhow, I know it stinks to be the customer. None of this is the customers' fault. At the same time, I know the other side as well. It is no fun either.
Update: I have still not received any courtesy of response from anyone at Staunton Castle (despite protests registered here that the web-sight is up and running again) be it live chat, phone, email, text, etc to my cordial pursuits this morning, yesterday, the day before, the week before, or even those I registered with those same services attached to that business weeks ago that must still congest its inbox.
That's a shame too, because above and beyond my want of a new set to excite my personal use of it, I use chess as a means of teaching abundant awareness (constantly picking the scab off sensory complacency) to my philosophy students en route to encouraging them to develop a Holmesian style intellect. I had thought to buy a multiplicity of materials from Staunton Castle to get my students on to boards and off of devices.
I have noticed that I myself have grown too much accustomed to screens, and have as a reusult become much less proficient at reading an 'actual' board (playing on occasion as much as 200 points below my ability). Do any of you suffer condition of this phenomenon? With all due respect to The Matrix, Hilary Putnum (Reason, Truth, and History), and Nick Bostrom (The Simulation Game), life is not yet lived in a computer and on a screen.
As Descartes himself figuratively undertook to do, it's time for me too to get my head out of my hard-drive, and that is in fact what sparked my pursuit of a new material set-up, (including chairs, tables, lamps, etc.) and what ultimately led me to all of you and chess.com. That being the case, I am going to attempt to dismantle my affection for Staunton Castle products, and start my search anew.
Time matters in every game (those who discount or trade against it are pawns in someone else's game), and I have given a generosity of time, consideration, and effort to this matter. It appears that I can't give my money away...though currently some of you have been allowed to do just that. I hope that those of you missing more than just response soon find yourself with materials in hand and quiet returned to your temperament.
FWIW, I have also not received a response and I've just now sent another email. Next week I'll file the chargeback. 
I've sent 2 queries re: a set - no response.
ORIGINAL POST UPDATE!
Last Sunday, Staunton Castle agreed to replace the boxwood pieces from my BCC 1900-1901 set within the week. Today I received an email from Mandeep informing me that the pieces are ready to ship and wanted to confirm my ship-to address.
I take this as a positive sign. Perhaps the issues that have been causing all the problems are (hopefully) beginning to clear up and things can return to some post "Queen's Gambit," quasi-normal, pandemic-riddled state!
I will post another update once the replacements have arrived.
Good news.
That being the case, I am quieted as long as he is first attending to obligations of material indebtedness, because ethics dictates that the enemy of my friend cannot be my friend; and conversely that the friend of my friend 'must' also be my friend. Good luck and first service to all those waiting on product! And lest we forget, it all Lou's fault anyway! LOL!
And lest we forget, it all Lou's fault anyway! LOL!
Good news @Loubalch!
Good news @Loubalch!
So far, so good. "Better" news when acceptable replacements arrive.
I'd just like to say, I'm not trying to bust SC's balls here. On the contrary, I'm rooting for them and for all the other companies supplying us with quality chess equipment. But I do feel an obligation to other forum members to keep them informed about issues that could affect them directly, both positively and negatively.
I try and communicate the facts with a minimum of editorial comment, though I may not always succeed. I also use this forum to provide feedback (constructive criticism) when I'm unable to communicate directly with the supplier. In fact, 90%+ of all the issues I've had with chess equipment suppliers in the past were handled directly and never even mentioned in this forum.
I think it's only fair to give everyone an opportunity to respond and resolve the issue at hand in a way that benefits both parties.
Here's hoping things work out for all of us!
I think I'm going to blame Lou. LOL! He put me on to the Attica set from Staunton Castle. Had he not done so, I would have been blissfully ignorant and sitting on the sidelines. All I have now to entertain me is an ethical obligation to material austerity (when what I really want is what I want: new pieces to play); which, if you've read my previous posts, flies in the face of the tenets of my general philosophy to celebrate life. Thanks a lot Lou! LOL! No really, respect to you, and Brynmr too. You both add value to this forum.