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I just wish I had more patience :(
or that they were more consistent.
Never fails when I put an order in for something I REALLY want (even if it isn't release week) it takes a week or more to ship. When I know I'm busy and won't have time to play with it for a while so I'm in no rush it ships and is at my door within 4 days :(
Put an order in last Thursday hoping to have it in time for this weekend (superbowl) 'cause this gal will be doing lots-o-craftin'! Got the shipping order last Friday...YIPEEE!!!! but
no tracking activity
no tracking activity
no tracking activity
til last night...
If it takes the normal route to my house as the many many others have I will probably get it Monday :(
They are killing me!
I am one of those that is most productive in my papercrafting if I don't have a lot of mish mashy stuff. I typically stick with one company so cardstock matches pattern paper, and all embellishments and stamps kind of go in line design wise. I went from CTMH for years and years to PTI but with their growth and troubles (ie customer service and shipping) the latter part of last year I've lost some faith in them (although I do love their products). I'm trying to switch over to SU now. My orders with them are so very consistent and that keeps my heart steady (LOL). I just need to quit following those darn PTI release weeks and wean myself altogether! LOL
Even though I really like PTI images I stopped ordering from them awhile ago because of slow shipping times and what I consider poor communication. I figure that I'd rather give my money to companies that give the impression that they care about their customers. Every now and then I'll get a newsletter but for the life of me I can't figure out the schedule. It's a shame since they could have a great company.
I received my largest order yet from PTI this last weekend. I knew it would take a little while and I can't tell you how delighted I was to come home Saturday and hubby said "You have a package." PTI correctly set my expectations so I have nothing to complain about. *** and I have new stamps!
Well I'll update on my status. I had complained because Bellegirl had ordered after me (by 2 days) and had received the shipping notice, which of course means her label was printed, and I still hadn't received mine.
I received my email Sunday night.
UPS scanned my package Tuesday night. Which means my order from Jan 25th took 5 business days to pack and get to the shipper.
So what does PTI define as "release time"? I ordered 10 days after release. It certainly didn't ship within 2 business days.
Rather than actually try to get better customer service to their paying customers, they would rather change shipping policies and alter people's expectations.
Really PTI, how many employees do you have? Would it be asking too much for you to hire more help???
Well I'll update on my status. I had complained because Bellegirl had ordered after me (by 2 days) and had received the shipping notice, which of course means her label was printed, and I still hadn't received mine.
I received my email Sunday night.
UPS scanned my package Tuesday night. Which means my order from Jan 25th took 5 business days to pack and get to the shipper.
So what does PTI define as "release time"? I ordered 10 days after release. It certainly didn't ship within 2 business days.
Rather than actually try to get better customer service to their paying customers, they would rather change shipping policies and alter people's expectations.
Really PTI, how many employees do you have? Would it be asking too much for you to hire more help???
Geeez.
And...even though I received a shipping notice (which after reading this thread doesn't mean a order is shipped, at least not that particular day) I still have NOT received my order! :(
And...even though I received a shipping notice (which after reading this thread doesn't mean a order is shipped, at least not that particular day) I still have NOT received my order! :(
Mine shipped Tuesday night and has been rescheduled to a Monday Feb 6th delivery estimate via UPS. I was a bit bummed about the UPS shipping, normally I can avoid it if I don't order cardstock (so I save my cardstock orders for one large order every couple of months), but this time despite only ordering stamps and dies, it was still shipped UPS.
As a PTI customer from the beginning, I have to say there are a few recurring themes in the multitude of conversations here and elsewhere about their practices that bother me the most and I'm finally going to get some of it off my chest.
1. The "growing pains" excuse. PTI has had customer service issues for YEARS. There are some really unfathomable stories in their own forum. I find this astonishing. Someone suggested that they be directed to this thread -- no worries. They know. What's puzzling is why this is so hard to fix. I am beginning to think that the owners have decided this is the best that they can do, and have settled for that.
2. I read back a bit and someone else mentioned printing her own labels and then not being able to send it and getting yelled at by the p.o. clerk. We had a "postal nazi" in our town too ;). How does PTI do it? They print out the labels and I'd be shocked if they actually know what day it's going into the postal system - it can be days later. If they do give the p.o. the correct date they are shipping it - then why can't they give it to us?! A Muse, Ellen Hutson, many others - if you get a notification that a shipping label has been printed - it goes out the next day. Period. With PTI, a printed shipping label is meaningless. It's an illusion. crs16, I completely agree that the shipping policy itself is absurd.
3. The packaging. The plastic box, the paper band, the clear film cover sheet, the rubber band/instruction scroll, the tissue paper.... even the CD case is more than they need to send. Have you seen all of the discussions about other ways their customers store their stamps? Personally, I use the CD cases and I would not care one little bit if they didn't send them.
All of these issues and all of the complaints about ridiculously long purchased-to-received times used to bother me a lot more. Because I used to use PTI cardstock exclusively and I have to say I used to love their stamp offerings more. Now, if there's something I do love, I only order from them if I don't care how long it takes to get here. Otherwise... no order.
And I just read someone's idea about part-time help during release time. Someone on their forum mentioned quite awhile ago that they live in the area and approached them about that. They were told basically (and I'm not quoting but this was the gist of it) they didn't think an outsider would fit in. Really.
Generally my own policy for how to deal with things like this is that until I have problems myself, I'll stick with them but be wary - and no second chances. The "history" may not be personal yet but caveat emptor. I guess it's good that I don't order from them that often anymore. And I know some people refuse to shop there because of these issues, but I'm not quite there yet... I kind of have one foot in and one foot out. I'm hopeful . . . but I'm no fool.
I just wanted to update on my order and give a big "Way to Go" to PTI.
I placed my order on Thursday 1/26 and my package arrived today...Along with the Thank you set!! I am beyond pleased. I also placed an order the very next day when I received a notice saying that a stamp set was back in stock. I haven't gotten it yet, but I'm not worried.
I have been a customer of PTI for several years now. For the past 12 months I have placed a order on release night. I get my orders on time...and have always had great service. I have gotten 2 thank you stamp sets...which I passed on one set to a dear friend of mine. I usually place at least a $60.00 order to get the free shipping. I am very pleased with my stamps and I absolutely love their dies. The PTI team do a great job at providing me with new ideas...new stamps...new dies...and new paper too. I use exclusively the white, cream and kraft paper from PTI. All of the design team members have great blogs too. They are the reason I am so hooked and addicted to PTI's product. On thing I have noticed is that the USPS is slower. Routing has changed for my area here in Virginia. I love this company and I am a very satisfied customer! Great job PTI Team.
I just wanted to update on my order and give a big "Way to Go" to PTI.
I placed my order on Thursday 1/26 and my package arrived today...Along with the Thank you set!! I am beyond pleased. I also placed an order the very next day when I received a notice saying that a stamp set was back in stock. I haven't gotten it yet, but I'm not worried.
littlebirchtree, did you receive your order? I have an order I want to place, but now I don't know... How do I know if there is a release going on? Will it say on their home page?
At the bottom of the home page you'll find "Nicole's blog." Click on that and it will take you to all the information about the release and the release schedule. I believe it's on the 5th of the month that this information is posted every month and stays there ... just scroll down for each day's new post.
They are also talking about changing the website -- I would hope they'd do that at least 10 days after the release, but who knows. They tried it once before at release time and it was a disaster so I wish them luck this time around.
AND.... the big announcement for the day is totally redesigned packaging!!! It seems very well thought out and I was really happy to see the change .
At the bottom of the home page you'll find "Nicole's blog." Click on that and it will take you to all the information about the release and the release schedule. I believe it's on the 5th of the month that this information is posted every month and stays there ... just scroll down for each day's new post.
They are also talking about changing the website -- I would hope they'd do that at least 10 days after the release, but who knows. They tried it once before at release time and it was a disaster so I wish them luck this time around.
AND.... the big announcement for the day is totally redesigned packaging!!! It seems very well thought out and I was really happy to see the change .
Me too!! I think I will like their new packaging a lot more. I never liked the CD cases, and would always (with much groaning) transfer the stickers to the clear sheet that already had the stamps. Then I'd throw away the flimsy plastic-wrap cover and cut another piece of clear cardstock to replace it. Soooooooooo much easier for me to use this way than a CD!!
I just wanted to come back and say I was pleased with the speed of my last order. I needed more white cardstock so I ordered it with a couple of smaller items. I ordered Feb 3rd and my package arrived yesterday (Feb 8th). Not too shabby!!
I received my order.. finally... but all that waiting took out all the excitement of the receiving new stamps. All I could think of was these things took forever.... why why why? Then I asked myself if all that waiting and annoyance was worth it... The answer is still no. I doubt I'll order again.
I did receive the thank you stamp, but as I said the long wait took all the enthusiasm out of it for me. I had placed two orders on the same day, but received the orders on two different days. I didn't receive an email for the second tracking number, emailed their customer service dept twice and got the generic "we're sorry" message when I replied to their email and more than anything else that annoyed me. I would email them about the experience but I can't stand the idea that I'll receive another "we're sorry" message. I couldn't figure out how they're processing their orders. Shouldn't it be first come, first served?
In any case... usually I'm giddy opening things up, planning projects, etc. This time I just opened up the box and threw my order in the corner. Every time I see those stamps I just remember how frustrated I got with PTI. It'll take a while until I get the joy back for the stamp sets I got, if I ever do.
I too ordered on the 15th...I just got my order TODAY March 1st! Very frustrating! I Placed a HUGE (over $600) order with SU this morning (around 10am) I got a shipping confirmation by 3pm w/a tracking number and confirmed that it had already been picked up! WOW!!! OVER $600 with Sale-A-Bration freebies plus Free and half price hostess gifts...and still Shipped out in less than 5 HOURS not DAYS!!!
I think that after 4yeras of monthly faithful orders of over $100, the order I received today will be my last.
SU, being a big established company is probably better prepared, thank goodness!
Is it really fair to compare the two companies?
Actually, I think it is fair. One can also argue that PTI, being smaller, also has lower overhead expenses. I compare the two in price all the time, and always get my paper from PTI. I'm not an SU! demo (so would not have the demo discount on the paper) so the PTI paper is cheaper for me. Also, I love that I get free shipping and no tax. Also, I think PTI has been around long enough to be considered established. I've bought a lot more from PTI than from SU! in the last couple of years. Thankfully, I've never had a customer service complaint in regards to either company. I'm thinking that I'd much prefer to wait two or three weeks for delivery straight to my home rather than drive to my demo's house to pick up my order, especially when I've paid for shipping and handling, and also tax ON the shipping and handling.
I don't think it should be too hard for PTI to improve their customer service. I wonder why they don't.
I agree with you in that they should probably re-think how they do customer service, but I still think comparing the two is like apples and oranges. JMHO and I also respect yours as well as the frustrated gals out there!
I've had very few issues with PTI over the years, especially for the amount of orders and products I have. However, I will be taking a break from ordering after this last month. I had numerous issues with my release night order, and immediately sent an email to PTI. 6 days later I got a generic "we're checking it out" email from Dave. I sent back a response asking for specific answers and got another "please be patient-give it 2 more weeks" response from Jennifer 10 days after that.
I did get my order within 10 days of ordering, not bad but certainly doesn't compare to other online companies shipping such as Gina K and MFT. BUT, they charged the full amount to my credit card, without the discount and without the gift certificates I used. AND I am supposed to be patient for 4 full weeks to receive my refund. I think there are many other companies who truly appreciate my business. They will be getting my business and I'll be taking a break from PTI. If and when they finally get their act straightened out, I might come back. I do have some reward points to use up and supposedly they never expire.
Of course, in comparison to my SU club, I usually wait 3-4 weeks from stamp club to get these orders. Very often I forget what I actually ordered by the time it finally arrives. That, however, is not a problem with SU, just my demo.
I just checked on my PTI account and I actually have a tracking # !! I tracked it but not getting much info right now as it is in transisi with the USPS..LOL But I am hopeful it will here maybe on Monday..that would be great!
I have only ordered from their site one time and I didn't need my stamp set right then, so I don't remember if it was a while before I received it or not, but I did get it and love the set as well as others.
This is just my opinion about businesses, long but relevant:
1. A business is to sell a product and/or services and to make money. To that end, obviously, they need customers to purchase said products/services.
2. The clich� "the customer is always right" is correct and should be up most in any business/company that wishes to sell a product/service to people, so that they can continue to make money. While there are a small number of customers that may not be truthful as to their motives for returns, condition of items purchased/received etc. and wish to "scam" the business owner of their product/money, the vast majority of customers are sincere and truthful.
3. In keeping with "the customer is always right" attitude, a business will do their up most to please said customers, at no extra cost to the customer. Even at times, no cost as in refunding their money on an order while they keep the product if the customer was treated badly by owner or employee (in reality or in perception), not in a timely manner, product was defective, wrongly advertised, mistakes in shipping/packing etc. This will foster rave reviews for "customer service" and increase business in general because of the good will of said customers and their word of mouth, written reviews etc.
The flip side of this is that if the business does not take care of it's customers in the manner above and takes the attitude that they (the customers) are trying to scam them with returns or problems with their orders and that they (the business) rarely makes any mistakes, or wishes to not to acknowledge said mistakes/bad judgment in dealing with customers complaints/rude employees etc., will foster ill will and anger from their customers who will then be very vocal about that resentment and anger resulting in lost sales from that customer and others who read about the problems.
4. If the company is more concerned about losing money on returned items, orders not processed correctly, defective products and their return, proof of said purchase/problem, return shipping costs and wants the customer to bear the burden of that, they will again be telling the customers that "I do not want to loose money by backing my products and you may be trying to "get one over" on me so I will take these stand to "protect" MY interests, not yours." It tells the customer that their satisfaction and loyalty mean less than their bottom line. The customers will be vocal about their anger towards this also, resulting again in lost customers/revenue. Perception is reality to customers as well as actual circumstances.
That being said, sorry to say that there are some customers who you can do everything to make them happy, give them all that they ask for and more and they still are not satisfied. A business just has to take the hit and move on knowing that you did all you could do and more. And there are the ones that are dishonest, scammers etc. a vast minority.
5. Problems in shipping times come from several areas: Lack of sufficient product availability on hand - from mismanagement of inventory ordering, cost cutting on inventory, production of stock only when ordered, problems up line from wholesale distributors backordering stock ordered etc.
Lack of sufficient employees to fill orders in a timely manner. What is timely is what a reasonable customer expects, and should be stated on the businesses site. A family/friends only business will not hire "outsiders" for reasons such as, "not fitting in", owners/family too controlling of the business and caring more about that issue than customers, not having sufficient resources for payroll of extra employees (if business is good and warrants extra help then resources should be there if not mismanaged and allocated properly, or not put back into business).
Owners/family/employees have other more time consuming business, jobs, family etc. and not giving full attention to business at the customers expense. I am not saying that anyone would sacrifice their family for a business. But if you are going to have a business where you expect people to give you their hard earned money for a product/service then you have a responsibility to see that the business is given your full undivided attention during business hours. Or, put people in place that can do so when you have matters that need your attention elsewhere.
6. Response to customers questions/complaints/problems: Lack of response, canned emails saying "we are looking into it", don't make satisfied happy customers. They are, again, spending their hard earned money to purchase something from YOU and expect that you will care about them more than you care about taking their money.
Prompt personalized, honest responses say to a customer that "you are our business and are valued". Canned email responses, no responses, days before you receive any response says, "I'm too busy, you are not important, I am possibly hiding something, there is a problem I don't want to address etc." When there is little or no personal communication customers will think all of the above and more and get angry. This is easily solved but not by people who do not give it their full attention, prompt consideration, and believe that the "customer is always right" and are willing to do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer.
Forum response are not the best way. Not everyone goes to a forum to look for their response to a problem from a business. That is best handled personally. There needs to be dedicated people to answer the phone (if you don't have one, or one listed, that says a lot about what you think about your customers) and handle problems/questions etc. People who are sending you money want and expect personalized attention. They do not feel comfortable with the anonymous website even though there is a forum and a "presence" on a blog.
7. Back your products/services or you are seen as two faced promoting what you will not back. Defective products are not the customers responsibility or fault, nor should they have to "prove" they are, nor should the customer have to prove that they purchased their product (you have computer invoices for that). If the product is not as advertised in make up or function then it should be able to be returned to the company at the company's expense.
A product that is missing components should be able to be returned or the missing pieces shipped to the customer at no expense to them, on their word (the vast majority are honest).
An order that was filled wrong should be admitted and shipped correctly, immediately, and not have to be "put in line" for pulling and shipment (they already waited for the first one). Either ask for the wrong products to be shipped back at the company's expense or let the customer keep it for the trouble you caused them. If the business is more concerned about losing money in these areas, you are not backing your product and are saying that they are not quality, your company is not quality. Back your product no matter what. Mistakes will be made by employees, make it right, quickly. Products will be defective from the manufacturer at times, admit it, back your products!
Customer service should be available during stated business hours by phone and email, be sincerely friendly, be sincerely concerned about their issue, should take the time necessary and energy to research out the issue, never be adversarial, rude, suggest that the customer is dishonest, tell the customer that they will call them back (in a timely manner, and do it or give them an update to when) that they may need to check on the solution to their problem/concern, get the issue solved to the customers satisfaction even if it means losing money but creates good will, be honest about delays - people can better deal with issues in a company when there is honesty.
A business that has been established is no different than any other business whether they are larger or smaller. All have a customer base and need to see to that base with the same amount of care, diligence and attention. They will still have to take orders, fill them, and ship them, take care of issues. They will have to have the proper amount of employees to handle the above in relation to the business generated. In other words a business will be managed to handle the product/service being sold, no matter the size of the business.
A business that does not do this will loose customers and fail. A business that is based on egos and control will not address the problems and will loose customers and fail. A business has to have the "customer service is our top priority" sincere attitude along with quality products stocked and shipped quickly to thrive.
Owners can be offended by the customers complaints, suggestions on how to “run” their business, but the customers are the ones their business is in business! They can either let go of egos and controlling attitudes and change their business model to one that will be beneficial to the customer and bring them the growth that they desire, or they can continue to do things with the same attitude, stagnate and possibly fail. It is their choice, and the customers choice to do business with them either way.
A girl after my own heart! That is exactly how I try to run my own business. Maybe they should hire you on
Quote:
Originally Posted by sea777
I have only ordered from their site one time and I didn't need my stamp set right then, so I don't remember if it was a while before I received it or not, but I did get it and love the set as well as others.
This is just my opinion about businesses, long but relevant:
1. A business is to sell a product and/or services and to make money. To that end, obviously, they need customers to purchase said products/services.
2. The clich� "the customer is always right" is correct and should be up most in any business/company that wishes to sell a product/service to people, so that they can continue to make money. While there are a small number of customers that may not be truthful as to their motives for returns, condition of items purchased/received etc. and wish to "scam" the business owner of their product/money, the vast majority of customers are sincere and truthful.
3. In keeping with "the customer is always right" attitude, a business will do their up most to please said customers, at no extra cost to the customer. Even at times, no cost as in refunding their money on an order while they keep the product if the customer was treated badly by owner or employee (in reality or in perception), not in a timely manner, product was defective, wrongly advertised, mistakes in shipping/packing etc. This will foster rave reviews for "customer service" and increase business in general because of the good will of said customers and their word of mouth, written reviews etc.
The flip side of this is that if the business does not take care of it's customers in the manner above and takes the attitude that they (the customers) are trying to scam them with returns or problems with their orders and that they (the business) rarely makes any mistakes, or wishes to not to acknowledge said mistakes/bad judgment in dealing with customers complaints/rude employees etc., will foster ill will and anger from their customers who will then be very vocal about that resentment and anger resulting in lost sales from that customer and others who read about the problems.
4. If the company is more concerned about losing money on returned items, orders not processed correctly, defective products and their return, proof of said purchase/problem, return shipping costs and wants the customer to bear the burden of that, they will again be telling the customers that "I do not want to loose money by backing my products and you may be trying to "get one over" on me so I will take these stand to "protect" MY interests, not yours." It tells the customer that their satisfaction and loyalty mean less than their bottom line. The customers will be vocal about their anger towards this also, resulting again in lost customers/revenue. Perception is reality to customers as well as actual circumstances.
That being said, sorry to say that there are some customers who you can do everything to make them happy, give them all that they ask for and more and they still are not satisfied. A business just has to take the hit and move on knowing that you did all you could do and more. And there are the ones that are dishonest, scammers etc. a vast minority.
5. Problems in shipping times come from several areas: Lack of sufficient product availability on hand - from mismanagement of inventory ordering, cost cutting on inventory, production of stock only when ordered, problems up line from wholesale distributors backordering stock ordered etc.
Lack of sufficient employees to fill orders in a timely manner. What is timely is what a reasonable customer expects, and should be stated on the businesses site. A family/friends only business will not hire "outsiders" for reasons such as, "not fitting in", owners/family too controlling of the business and caring more about that issue than customers, not having sufficient resources for payroll of extra employees (if business is good and warrants extra help then resources should be there if not mismanaged and allocated properly, or not put back into business).
Owners/family/employees have other more time consuming business, jobs, family etc. and not giving full attention to business at the customers expense. I am not saying that anyone would sacrifice their family for a business. But if you are going to have a business where you expect people to give you their hard earned money for a product/service then you have a responsibility to see that the business is given your full undivided attention during business hours. Or, put people in place that can do so when you have matters that need your attention elsewhere.
6. Response to customers questions/complaints/problems: Lack of response, canned emails saying "we are looking into it", don't make satisfied happy customers. They are, again, spending their hard earned money to purchase something from YOU and expect that you will care about them more than you care about taking their money.
Prompt personalized, honest responses say to a customer that "you are our business and are valued". Canned email responses, no responses, days before you receive any response says, "I'm too busy, you are not important, I am possibly hiding something, there is a problem I don't want to address etc." When there is little or no personal communication customers will think all of the above and more and get angry. This is easily solved but not by people who do not give it their full attention, prompt consideration, and believe that the "customer is always right" and are willing to do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer.
Forum response are not the best way. Not everyone goes to a forum to look for their response to a problem from a business. That is best handled personally. There needs to be dedicated people to answer the phone (if you don't have one, or one listed, that says a lot about what you think about your customers) and handle problems/questions etc. People who are sending you money want and expect personalized attention. They do not feel comfortable with the anonymous website even though there is a forum and a "presence" on a blog.
7. Back your products/services or you are seen as two faced promoting what you will not back. Defective products are not the customers responsibility or fault, nor should they have to "prove" they are, nor should the customer have to prove that they purchased their product (you have computer invoices for that). If the product is not as advertised in make up or function then it should be able to be returned to the company at the company's expense.
A product that is missing components should be able to be returned or the missing pieces shipped to the customer at no expense to them, on their word (the vast majority are honest).
An order that was filled wrong should be admitted and shipped correctly, immediately, and not have to be "put in line" for pulling and shipment (they already waited for the first one). Either ask for the wrong products to be shipped back at the company's expense or let the customer keep it for the trouble you caused them. If the business is more concerned about losing money in these areas, you are not backing your product and are saying that they are not quality, your company is not quality. Back your product no matter what. Mistakes will be made by employees, make it right, quickly. Products will be defective from the manufacturer at times, admit it, back your products!
Customer service should be available during stated business hours by phone and email, be sincerely friendly, be sincerely concerned about their issue, should take the time necessary and energy to research out the issue, never be adversarial, rude, suggest that the customer is dishonest, tell the customer that they will call them back (in a timely manner, and do it or give them an update to when) that they may need to check on the solution to their problem/concern, get the issue solved to the customers satisfaction even if it means losing money but creates good will, be honest about delays - people can better deal with issues in a company when there is honesty.
A business that has been established is no different than any other business whether they are larger or smaller. All have a customer base and need to see to that base with the same amount of care, diligence and attention. They will still have to take orders, fill them, and ship them, take care of issues. They will have to have the proper amount of employees to handle the above in relation to the business generated. In other words a business will be managed to handle the product/service being sold, no matter the size of the business.
A business that does not do this will loose customers and fail. A business that is based on egos and control will not address the problems and will loose customers and fail. A business has to have the "customer service is our top priority" sincere attitude along with quality products stocked and shipped quickly to thrive.
Owners can be offended by the customers complaints, suggestions on how to �run� their business, but the customers are the ones their business is in business! They can either let go of egos and controlling attitudes and change their business model to one that will be beneficial to the customer and bring them the growth that they desire, or they can continue to do things with the same attitude, stagnate and possibly fail. It is their choice, and the customers choice to do business with them either way.
Thanks Samantha. I learned a lot being the Admin of a chain of dental offices and the office manager for a manufacturing company that did almost a million $ a year (with only the owner, me and 3 other employees). I don't know how many times calls were routed to my office (dental) with no warning of who was on the other end and it was a very angry patient that didn't get the care or treatment by the staff (were not doing their job or only did the least that they could) that they needed or expected. I would then have to get them to calm down because they had been given the run around, so I could get the problem solved. Which usually was very easy to do, had it been done in the first place.
At the manufacturing company, I "ran" the business, shipping, inventory, AR/AP, billing, customer service and some smaller manufacturing with a really cool laser cutter and Corel CAD. Learned a lot from those plus other similar jobs as well as being a customer!
What surprises me is that inspite of all the customer service issues, it appears to me, that PTI is one of the most flourishing stamp companies. So what motivation would they've to fix their customer service?
It may not always be that way, and why wouldn't you want to make your business the best it could be with the best reputation. There are others just here on SCS that have that reputation. And, it is an easy fix, if you want to that is.
I don't think anyone can make assumptions about any company's bottom line unless you are privy to actual facts regarding their financial picture.
I also don't know that it's wrong to try to compare apples and oranges but more importantly I'm not sure it's even necessary to make any comparisons at all. A company does well or does poorly based on its own merits. I just don't think there is any excuse any more about why these issues can't be handled.
It is probably impossible to run any business of any size and not having something go wrong at some point. The critical distinction is how it's handled.
I don't think anyone can make assumptions about any company's bottom line unless you are privy to actual facts regarding their financial picture.
I also don't know that it's wrong to try to compare apples and oranges but more importantly I'm not sure it's even necessary to make any comparisons at all. A company does well or does poorly based on its own merits. I just don't think there is any excuse any more about why these issues can't be handled.
It is probably impossible to run any business of any size and not having something go wrong at some point. The critical distinction is how it's handled.
Truth!
__________________ Denise
"If a person who indulges in gluttony is a glutton, and a person who commits a felony is a felon, then God is an iron.�
― Spider Robinson
Sonya, well written and it is obvious you have a very good understanding of how a business should be run. Do all of us PTI fans a favor and send them your resume, lol!
I put in an order on the 25th of Feb. and according to my tracking info, I should receive it today. I don't think 5 business days is too bad considering I am in Washington State!
No problem with PAPERTREY INK?? Consider yourself extremely fortunate ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by horseygal
I'm just not getting it. I recieved my order today. No problems. No hassles. I am so sorry that others are having problems, I just haven't had any.
......that you have never had an issue with PTI. Many, many have not been so fortunate. If you do have a problem, be warned their customer service is backed up ELEVEN DAYS right now. That should tell prospective customers A LOT about PTI. The worst part is that they are going ahead with the release of new items on the 15th. They need to get their house in order. They will only get further and further behind.
__________________ Always stampin' with my feline helpers!
Even if I have to wait, their products are worth it!
I've been playing with my goodies today and I LOVE their stuff!
So you say now, but wait until you do have a problem. And you will have a problem with them at sometime in the future. I have ordered from them for almost all of their 5 years, and even persuaded friends to order from them. Only a couple of minor problems over those years, UNTIL last month. Just about everyting about my order was wrong, and I am still waiting 3 weeks later for resolution, with 2 customer service emails that tell me to be paitient and the problems will be resolved sometime in the next 2 weeks. Funny they take their money immediately for the order, but can't be bothered for 3-5 weeks to resolve an issue I have with them.
So you say now, but wait until you do have a problem. And you will have a problem with them at sometime in the future. I have ordered from them for almost all of their 5 years, and even persuaded friends to order from them. Only a couple of minor problems over those years, UNTIL last month. Just about everyting about my order was wrong, and I am still waiting 3 weeks later for resolution, with 2 customer service emails that tell me to be paitient and the problems will be resolved sometime in the next 2 weeks. Funny they take their money immediately for the order, but can't be bothered for 3-5 weeks to resolve an issue I have with them.
Deb
It is problems like yours that keep me from ordering from PTI. The only customer service issue I had was trouble getting my 2011 anniversary set. At least I finally received mine, some people are still waiting, even though the new 2012 set has been released. PTI's customer service is a train wreck.
I just think it is unethical to support a company while they are treating customers so poorly. Spending money with PTI is like supporting their lack of customer service and incompetence. I have been spending my stamping dollars with companies who deserve it.