I recently ordered some supplies from Brushy Mountain through their website. Everything I ordered was listed as "in stock."
A day or two later I got an e-mail saying one or more items was out of stock. I undersand that computerised inventories and real-world inventories will often not be perfectly synchronized, and this is the busy time of year, so I wasn't bothered by that.
I called to get more information before deciding what to do, and was told the only item that was out was the one-pound of foundation wire. The lady I spoke to said they still had half-pound rolls, so I asked if they could substitute two half pound rolls. She put me on hold for a while, then came back and said they couldn't do it, I would have to pay the regular price for half-pound rolls. It only came out to about $2 difference, so I agreed.
Then she said that my order wouldn't go out for another two weeks, unless I paid an extra $10 for expedited processing, which I reluctantly agreed to.
I've received the items, and they are all satisfactory. However, I am still bothered by a couple of things. I don't currently run a business, but I have before, and a few times I had to take a loss to meet a customer's needs. I've found that talking to the customer, explaining that you don't have exactly what they need, but working out something that satisfies them pays back large dividends in repeat business. I'm surprised that when I called Brushy Mountain I wasn't asked "Will two half-pound rolls work? We'll lose a bit of money on it, but if that will suit your need, we'll make that substitution."
The other thing that bothers me is I wasn't told it would be two weeks to process until I had already agreed to a more expensive order. What if my order had just sat in the pipeline for two weeks? Maybe they would have had the one-pound wire back in stock by then. If not, get in touch with me then and we'll work things out. If they had waited to see what was in inventory when they actually got to my order, I would have ignored the two-week delay as being just part of the busy season.
Yeah, it's only $12, but between not being willing to make a substitution, and charging me for a substitution that may not actually have even been necessary...
Well, I hope they enjoy the $12 because they will not be my first choice of supplier in the future. I'm not saying I'll never do business with them, but I will be strongly inclined to try other suppliers first.
A day or two later I got an e-mail saying one or more items was out of stock. I undersand that computerised inventories and real-world inventories will often not be perfectly synchronized, and this is the busy time of year, so I wasn't bothered by that.
I called to get more information before deciding what to do, and was told the only item that was out was the one-pound of foundation wire. The lady I spoke to said they still had half-pound rolls, so I asked if they could substitute two half pound rolls. She put me on hold for a while, then came back and said they couldn't do it, I would have to pay the regular price for half-pound rolls. It only came out to about $2 difference, so I agreed.
Then she said that my order wouldn't go out for another two weeks, unless I paid an extra $10 for expedited processing, which I reluctantly agreed to.
I've received the items, and they are all satisfactory. However, I am still bothered by a couple of things. I don't currently run a business, but I have before, and a few times I had to take a loss to meet a customer's needs. I've found that talking to the customer, explaining that you don't have exactly what they need, but working out something that satisfies them pays back large dividends in repeat business. I'm surprised that when I called Brushy Mountain I wasn't asked "Will two half-pound rolls work? We'll lose a bit of money on it, but if that will suit your need, we'll make that substitution."
The other thing that bothers me is I wasn't told it would be two weeks to process until I had already agreed to a more expensive order. What if my order had just sat in the pipeline for two weeks? Maybe they would have had the one-pound wire back in stock by then. If not, get in touch with me then and we'll work things out. If they had waited to see what was in inventory when they actually got to my order, I would have ignored the two-week delay as being just part of the busy season.
Yeah, it's only $12, but between not being willing to make a substitution, and charging me for a substitution that may not actually have even been necessary...
Well, I hope they enjoy the $12 because they will not be my first choice of supplier in the future. I'm not saying I'll never do business with them, but I will be strongly inclined to try other suppliers first.
