Dealer rant

I e-mailed a movie theater in 2007 to ask if they would honor a coupon from the local paper. Still haven't heard back from them. LOL

briansol said:

Sent emails to 3 area dealers yesterday asking about oak options, quotes, etc etc.

not a single one has returned my email yet, or called me.

Sure, I could call them... but it's just easier to email these days during the day for me.

Doesn't anyone want my money? Is it unreasonable to expect a reply within 24 hours? Why do they even have a contact form on their website if no one monitors it?

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I would suggest a phone works better when you want answers right away.

not offering up excuses here, buuuuut, this is the absolute BUSIEST time of the season for the stove shops. The brick-and-mortar places tend to put more emphasis on folks coming thru the door than inquiries over the ole email at this time of year......possibly if you had inquired earlier (in the year), you might hear/have heard quicker?

I agree with the dealers being flat out busy. I wouldn't necessarily look at it as a reflection of their general quality of service.

Yer best bet is to call or even better, stop in if it's not too far a drive.

P38X2 said:

I agree with the dealers being flat out busy. I wouldn't necessarily look at it as a reflection of their general quality of service.

Yer best bet is to call or even better, stop in if it's not too far a drive.

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Sorry, I disagree.

If they are dumb enough to provide an email addy for contact they should treat those just like a phone call or in person visit or get the hell out of the business because they don't understand the very first thing about customer service.

SmokeyTheBear said:

Sorry, I disagree.

If they are dumb enough to provide an email addy for contact they should treat those just like a phone call or in person visit or get the hell out of the business because they don't understand the very first thing about customer service.

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Well in theory under normal circumstances that is how it should be, I agree.

In reality, many places get backed up at busy times and they just have to do the best they can. A lot of businesses, particularly the small guys, don't have the luxury of having extra employees they can simply call in. I'd be willing to bet all their employees are on the clock at any given dealer. We're not talking Walmart here where at any time there are 20 employees twiddling their thumbs waiting for something to do.

I want my stuff when I want it, and that time is always right now, but when it comes to a situation like this, and especially if I know and trust the dealer, I understand. It sux but it's a fact in small business.

Then in this case they should not have given an email address out or they should have informed people that at this time they wouldn't be able to get back to them within x odd hours or days or weeks.

Email systems allow for such responses to be setup and so do telephone systems.

There is no excuse to leave a customer or potential customer hanging that is how you get your company's name on the interwebby poopy list and word of mouth can do all kinds of damage.

briansol said:

Sent emails to 3 area dealers yesterday asking about oak options, quotes, etc etc.

not a single one has returned my email yet, or called me.

Sure, I could call them... but it's just easier to email these days during the day for me.

Doesn't anyone want my money? Is it unreasonable to expect a reply within 24 hours? Why do they even have a contact form on their website if no one monitors it?

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Briansol did you send one to us? I looked at our emails and did not see any of that kind. If you did I will find out why you did not get a responce from us. It is ture that it is very busy thats why we put on more drivers and another truck is do in next Friday

briansol said:

Sent emails to 3 area dealers yesterday asking about oak options, quotes, etc etc.

not a single one has returned my email yet, or called me.

Sure, I could call them... but it's just easier to email these days during the day for me.

Doesn't anyone want my money? Is it unreasonable to expect a reply within 24 hours? Why do they even have a contact form on their website if no one monitors it?

Click to expand...

I called a Harman dealer and asked him for a price quote on two stoves installed....a P-43 and an Accentra Insert. They never called me back so I went with the other Harman dealer.

I'd suspect if you had called you would've gotten an answering machine saying they were with another customer, leave message, bla bla bla. Would they have called back that day?...probably not but who knows. Could they have set up an automated email response? Yep. Could they have specified emails may take up to 48 hours to respond to? Yep. I recently emailed Zippo and Delta Faucets and both indicated a possible 48 hour response time.

The fact is were talking about small companies here. I hardly think they're saying "screw those customers who try and contact us through email". From the customers perspective it may seem like they don't care but that very likely isn't the case. Their customer volume is simply too high at these times and I think its our job as the customer to realize and accept this.

If it was say an oil company and I needed oil or service ASAP and there wasn't a 24 hour emergency service THEN I'd be pissed but we're talking a stove dealers that at this moment are at 100% capacity.

Where I work, if we were so busy customers couldn't even get in the building to make an order would they walk away saying, "Incompetent idiots!..can't even do their job!"? No, that's ridiculous. What they're gonna say is "Holy chit, they're busy!....oh well, were gonna have to go to the next guy". Do I as a business owner want to lose the sale and make a prospective customer go elsewhere? Of course not, but in some cases that happens, there's nothing I can do about it.

In this situation it just isn't right to have that attitude. Ya, it's irritating, frustrating, BS, etc but I ain't gonna have resentment towards them because as a consumer, I know exactly why it's happening.

Believe me, they want your money.

As a former small business owner, I would never let a phone message or a EMAIL go unanswered. Even if I was to busy to do the job, I wouldn't let future business or refferals go without an answer. You can never have to much work. Those people you answer even if you can't do the work may call later.

TLHinCanada said:

As a former small business owner, I would never let a phone message or a EMAIL go unanswered. Even if I was to busy to do the job, I wouldn't let future business or refferals go without an answer. You can never have to much work. Those people you answer even if you can't do the work may call later.

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I think the OP was wondering if over 24 hours is unreasonable......

Smoky is cranky because he cant take his Zumba classes anymore......

The fact is, in most places, this time of year (Im talking stove shops here), they are often too busy to reply right away (I will take money walking thru the door every time over a vague email query). There usually wont be someone who is sitting at a terminal with the express job of answering emails as they come in. I will offer up our place as an example. Cold just hit.....we are currently dealing with folks, as you can imagine, who havent cleaned their stoves and are wondering why they didnt start when they wanted them to, folks who didnt order pellets and wonder why they cant get them delivered today, and stoves that are actually broken, both under warrantee and not under warrantee, and the walk in business as well. Now, there are two folks here who deal with emails. I am one of them....BUT one of my pellet drivers got sick this week, so, I found myself driving our delivery truck, from 7am to 5 pm all week (we cant, with this cold, push pellet customers off who ordered and paid ahead of time due to a driver being ill). I find it somewhat difficult to quote things via phone or email when I am driving a 62000 lb truck on the roads, but I guess that isnt an excuse. The other person that does the email stuff does it as well, but understand that he cannot sit at the machine all day either.....he's got customers, etc. I have to think that most mom and pops are the same...as well as stove shops.....I know you are gonna say answer them on my own time, after hours, buuuuut, well, when ya work weekdays AND weekends both doing this, after hours one of the last things you wanna do is work some more.....you want to spend time home with your family....maybe eat a meal, maybe even sleep.....and yes, its da truth that we are literally only closed 8 days per year. It might be difficult to understand if you dont work weekends and weekdays, but you cherish your time off when you can get it........

Flame on!

Lousyweather said:

I think the OP was wondering if over 24 hours is unreasonable......

Smoky is cranky because he cant take his Zumba classes anymore......

The fact is, in most places, this time of year (Im talking stove shops here), they are often too busy to reply right away (I will take money walking thru the door every time over a vague email query). There usually wont be someone who is sitting at a terminal with the express job of answering emails as they come in. I will offer up our place as an example. Cold just hit.....we are currently dealing with folks, as you can imagine, who havent cleaned their stoves and are wondering why they didnt start when they wanted them to, folks who didnt order pellets and wonder why they cant get them delivered today, and stoves that are actually broken, both under warrantee and not under warrantee, and the walk in business as well. Now, there are two folks here who deal with emails. I am one of them....BUT one of my pellet drivers got sick this week, so, I found myself driving our delivery truck, from 7am to 5 pm all week (we cant, with this cold, push pellet customers off who ordered and paid ahead of time due to a driver being ill). I find it somewhat difficult to quote things via phone or email when I am driving a 62000 lb truck on the roads, but I guess that isnt an excuse. The other person that does the email stuff does it as well, but understand that he cannot sit at the machine all day either.....he's got customers, etc. I have to think that most mom and pops are the same...as well as stove shops.....I know you are gonna say answer them on my own time, after hours, buuuuut, well, when ya work weekdays AND weekends both doing this, after hours one of the last things you wanna do is work some more.....you want to spend time home with your family....maybe eat a meal, maybe even sleep.....and yes, its da truth that we are literally only closed 8 days per year. It might be difficult to understand if you dont work weekends and weekdays, but you cherish your time off when you can get it........

Flame on!

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Hey LW,

They published more names yesterday I was looking for yours so far no go, however they still have quite a few to get the judge to sign the subpoenas for, the court system grinds very slowly but it certainly can grind.

Zumba classes eh?

Hopefully, Briansol will have a happy ending to his ordeal down in CT.

SmokeyTheBear said:

Hey LW,

They published more names yesterday I was looking for yours so far no go, however they still have quite a few to get the judge to sign the subpoenas for, the court system grinds very slowly but it certainly can grind.

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it sure does grind slowly.... I am guessing alot of folks are sitting there going over those tapes in the most minute detail trying to identify the transgressors! Dont worry, Smokey- I'll come visit you in the Big House, but frankly, I dont see the harm in what originaly happened, 2 consenting adults and all, and I wonder about wiretap laws.....Im betting these guys had no idea they were being taped doint "the Zumba"......

Lousyweather said:

it sure does grind slowly.... I am guessing alot of folks are sitting there going over those tapes in the most minute detail trying to identify the transgressors! Dont worry, Smokey- I'll come visit you in the Big House, but frankly, I dont see the harm in what originaly happened, 2 consenting adults and all, and I wonder about wiretap laws.....Im betting these guys had no idea they were being taped doint "the Zumba"......

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He he, ya think, the big hold up is getting the paperwork together for the Judge, as for the Big House no way, no pellet stoves in the Big House to keep an old bear warm during the winter. But if you want to visit some of the folks in the Big House come on up I'm sure something can be arranged. I'm fairly certain the Johns didn't have a clue about being taped, but then I'm sure that some of them likely don't have any clues anyway.

P38X2,

What can one say, things just seem to happen and of course everyone involved is innocent just ask them.

SmokeyTheBear said:

He he, ya think, the big hold up is getting the paperwork together for the Judge, as for the Big House no way, no pellet stoves in the Big House to keep an old bear warm during the winter. But if you want to visit some of the folks in the Big House come on up I'm sure something can be arranged. I'm fairly certain the Johns didn't have a clue about being taped, but then I'm sure that some of them likely don't have any clues anyway.

P38X2,

What can one say, things just seem to happen and of course everyone involved is innocent just ask them.

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and what happens to the alleged Zumba madam?

Lousyweather said:

and what happens to the alleged Zumba madam?

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I think she has a court date with possibly multiple sentences in her future (like over 100).

briansol said:

Sent emails to 3 area dealers yesterday asking about oak options, quotes, etc etc.

not a single one has returned my email yet, or called me.

Sure, I could call them... but it's just easier to email these days during the day for me.

Doesn't anyone want my money? Is it unreasonable to expect a reply within 24 hours? Why do they even have a contact form on their website if no one monitors it?

Click to expand...

I had a sweep here 2 months ago. Had him inspect chimneys, my stove I was installiing, and had a custom cap made and installed for $450. My Insurance company would like a copy of my bill, since I called to tell them about the new wood stove. I decided to drive to his new location about 20 miles from here to get a copy and look at the display stoves, since I would like one in a 150 year old fireplace. Locked up! Apparently you need an appointment, although his website doesn't say so. So I sent an email a week ago saying I need a copy of the bill and that I stopped by to look at the stoves but no one was around...no response. I need the paperwork....said to send via email of usps...However, I will not be buying a stove there!

alfalfa said:

I had a sweep here 2 months ago. Had him inspect chimneys, my stove I was installiing, and had a custom cap made and installed for $450. My Insurance company would like a copy of my bill, since I called to tell them about the new wood stove. I decided to drive to his new location about 20 miles from here to get a copy and look at the display stoves, since I would like one in a 150 year old fireplace. Locked up! Apparently you need an appointment, although his website doesn't say so. So I sent an email a week ago saying I need a copy of the bill and that I stopped by to look at the stoves but no one was around...no response. I need the paperwork....said to send via email of usps...However, I will not be buying a stove there!

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wow- didnt get a receipt when you paid him/her?

Lousyweather said:

wow- didnt get a receipt when you paid him/her?

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I did, but it only mentioned the cap purchase/install.

I heard she sells pellet stoves besides zumba instruction

roflmao

I been self employed 21 years. You answer every email and every phone message.

If you email my company or call and the voice mail....my system creates a work ticket. Amazing to me that dealers do not have some type of crm software to manage consumer volume...better still, it amazes me that hht or some other large manufacturer wouldnt have something like salesforce in place to manage crm for dealers...crazy.