Service in 2018

My small order online yesterday morning, prompted a confirmation of order email from RDG TOOLS, @ 11.31am. Postie delivered it @11.25am on 4 May! Well done this regular advertiser and Post Office.

Not the same with another regular advertiser who has obfuscated for umpteen weeks and still no DVD which is still shown on his website today.

I reported non receipt of goods to the Cr Card issuer which resulted in the eventual receipt of a DVD with no sound! A further exchange of emails in which I was offered "for speed" a replacement with an altered label as the excuse this time was that two different subject DVDs had all of the labels switched. I was also given the choice of waiting (for how long?) to get a perfect DVD with the correct label. I opted for the fist choice which he promised to put in the post same day.

"In post" Tuesday, postie been and gone Friday.

Well, where is it?

Edited By DMB on 04/05/2018 12:39:15

I always find RDG quick and responsive.

Just a thought, I don't think it helps companies or members if one criticises them here but doesn't name them - need to name and shame! If the criticism is fair they can have no come back.

With me, I ordered from Chester tools on Tuesday, received a despatch e-mail Wednesday, only to find it had arrived half an hour before the e-mail when I got home from work. Quite amazed at the time machine technology available these days.

Regards

Richard.

I made an order from Chronos a few weeks ago (from Canada) for a wood-turning rest for an ML7. Their site has rather a lot of items shown as "out of stock and no shipping date" ... acting as place-holders in the catalogue I assume ...but this one was OK. I also added another item simply to amortise the flat-rate shipping.

Paid my money by PayPal invoice and received an email saying they had "received and processed" the order.

3 days later I received another email saying "unfortunately we are out of stock of the Woodturning Rest For Myford ML7 Lathe (Ref: MFWT) and there is no shipping date for it." They wanted to remove it from the order and refund that part. Since I had only ordered the other part to soak up some shipping I requested that they simply cancel the whole order and refund.

They did this but I lost a few dollars on the deal because the exchange rate (at least the Paypal version) had changed unfavourably in the meantime. Not really Chronos's fault and it's a risk we take under such circumstances but I had (I thought) made all the necessary checks before ordering - given the likelihood of OOS on the Chronos website.

Someone's stock control needs a hard look.

Edited By Bandersnatch on 04/05/2018 17:21:09

Bandersnatch,

Maybe you should have phoned the order if you had any doubts about Chronos' stocks.

John

Reading advice on a woes page in a computer mag sometime ago, someone had a difficulty with a supplier and tried to get satisfaction through his Cr Card. However, he had got stuck with PayPal between the card issuer and supplier, so Cr Card issuer didn't want to know. Said his problem was between PayPal and supplier. Needless to say I avoid PayPal like the plague.

Update on the dodgy DVD referred to above. Having previously filled in a reject form and returned it to the card issuer, Marks & Sparks, they told me to ring the trader and give him a chance to replace it. Not keen on that, no proof of whats said/not said, so emailed him. His response was he had 2 batches of DVDs on 2 separate subjects but with all the labels switched. Blamed his supplier and was going to return them for replacements. He offered me the choice of waiting how long? for a perfect replacement, correctly labelled or, "for speed" ( his words ) I could have a 'good' DVD with the incorrect label altered by hand. I chose the latter. Said it would go in post on Wednesday, today. Friday, still not arrived. Ordered small parts from RDG TOOLS late Thursday morning, arrived today. Point is, if one can do it.......

M&S had requested me to call them back to advise them of the trader's response, which I did this morning, after no show of goods "in post" Wednesday. They tried to wriggle out of responsibility by saying they needed proof that DVD is faulty and I need to take it somewhere to get it independently tested and a report to that effect. I'm afraid I lost it then, told them they are effectively calling me a liar. Told them further use of my card and my wife's are now suspended until this business is properly and finally resolved and I am also referring the matter to the traders local consuer protection people, in which M&S' bad handling of the case would also be reported. Pointed out that in the first few months, it is card issuers problem to get proof, not the customer. Told the silly woman that there is a principle at stake and this is going to stick like the proverbial to a blanket. I plan to write to their Head Office soon. G.O.B. = Grumpy Ol' Bugger! Some people make me like it.

Edited By DMB on 04/05/2018 22:16:15

I think I heard that a major online retailer was arranging that their vans had certain extra popular items on board along with planned deliveries. Then when an order came through the van driver slapped an address label on the package and effectively could get orders delivered in less than an hour. Hey it's almost a fast as going down to the shops.

Well .... I didn't have any doubts since the website maintained they were in stock (and should have reserved one when the order was placed). You're probably right though (even though it's kinda blaming the victim) but it took them 3 days to find they actually didn't have it even after reporting that they had processed the order.

I'm also still a bit stuck in the mindset that transatlantic phone calls are pricey even though the actual cost for me is only 4¢ (~ 2.3p) a minute (not so in the other direction .... my sister pays 57p a minute to call me .... and she likes to talk for an hour). The necessity to phone does kind of make a mockery of having an internet ordering site in the first place though, doesn't it?

Edited By Bandersnatch on 04/05/2018 23:10:41

Used Chronos a few years ago for a couple of items, was disappointed with their service, they took over a week both times to send out the order haven’t used them since so don’t know how they perform now. If I need anything and it’s available on Arc’s website I order from them, their response times have always been brilliant, even when I ordered the large table and leadscrew for my X1 mill it arrived next day, can’t get better service than that. No connection with Arc just a very satisfied customer.

Dave W

...'I'm also still a bit stuck in the mindset that transatlantic phone calls are pricey even though the actual cost for me is only 4¢ (~ 2.3p) a minute (not so in the other direction .... my sister pays 57p a minute to call me .... and she likes to talk for an hour...'

Skype or Messenger video call, free, ... I use both to call family in Oz...

George.

Seems to be a case of "Some good,some bad",but a supplier should know what he has in stock these days.

As regards phone call costs !!!! dont even mention it,buttons one way,an arm and a leg the other !

The same with delivery charges,perhaps the water is deeper between England and Ireland than between Ireland and England,because there,s a hell of a difference between the rates. Some suppliers are happy to use 2nd class Royal Mail,others seem to favour Brinks,to judge by their charges.