update expectations from online suppliers

[Megatran]

Great thread. It's like a sacrificial thread. People can dump their 'I want it now!' or 'why haven't I got notification yet' grievances in this thread and leave the 'Retailer's new items' & 'Retailer's feedback' threads for what they were originally set up for.

[Raider]

That's a really good point. It is impossible to find any posts easily that PC make given the numerous posts of whinging/whining/complaining. I am not saying that it is unfounded, but if stores could have a dedicated page where only they are allowed to post and then a separate feedback thread that would be great.

[5FDP]

I say, good things come to those that wait.

[Smint]

Would be nice if they updated their website but it's true social media is now often used for things like this.

[DaptoDog]

Well said Trent. There is incessant complaining / questioning which is not cool. And there is calmly seeking an update for an order past its ETA by a reasonable amount of time. If something is posted on the website to land in December and it gets to mid January I'm going to ask the retailer for an update. I think that is reasonable. If the website is updated with a new ETA and / or I receive an email notification with a new ETA on my order (NY do this) then it would eliminate most of the unnecessary back and forth that takes place.

I also believe what feeds some of the angst is the fact that these pre orders are being prepaid up to 5 months in advance. It's only natural for people to get anxious.

[Megatran]

I say, good things come to those that wait.

Back in my younger days I waited & waited. No happy ending.

[Jetfire in the sky]

Back in my younger days I waited & waited. No happy ending.

I hope your end is a long way away Megs

Or are talking about a different kind of non-PG type of ending, hmmm

[UltraMarginal]

However, it is not unreasonable to enquire after the status of your order, when 3 weeks after purchasing an "in stock" item it has still not been posted. By now most people have caught on to the fact that when TFI say something is "in stock" it is really in stock with his supplier and may not get to him for several weeks. But it's highly annoying when you don't know this and he won't answer your emails. (And just to be clear, TFI is not the only Australian seller I have experienced this with. It's quite misleading)

This isn't really what I was talking about. I was more talking about the need for constant updates on a pre-ordered item that was pre-ordered a number of months prior, and has only just started to come out globally. what you've described above is retail misrepresentation which is an entirely different thing.

I'm talking about:
Where a local seller is packing and sending probably every day and some people are receiving items before others have been sent/notified that theirs is in the mail. when the expected date on the sellers website is a month long period as it was when the item was first listed for sale. When the delivery window has not been specified as anything more than that month, expecting updates telling you when your item will be shipped within that month is a bit much. a person has already waited for at least a month or more for an item after pre-order, another week or two knowing that it is due in a 3 to 4 week period doesn't warrant hassling a retailer for updates. I don't think. All it's going to do is slow them down sending parcels.

If a retailer sends out an email saying they are shipping item x over the following 2 weeks, it's not informative, that's already clear from the fact that people are starting to receive item x from them.
If the retailer sits down and figures out when they will be sending item x to each person who ordered it and sends every single person a personalised email, it's a huge waste of time. Especially when they would have to do this for their entire inventory if they did it for just one item.

It's unfortunate that some people seem to not be receiving notification until their package arrives, that may be an issue with an email server somewhere. or an actual lack of communication, either from the supplier or the courier company. It doesn't seem particularly common from what I've been reading. Even if a notification isn't received, it's a bit silly to have something sent to a location you may or may not be at to receive a parcel.

anyway, I didn't really intend to start a thread full of cranky, I just had to get that off my chest, maybe this is a good place for that. or I should have just made a vent in the vents thread.

[Soviet Fox]

I'm talking about:

If a retailer sends out an email saying they are shipping item x over the following 2 weeks, it's not informative, that's already clear from the fact that people are starting to receive item x from them.
If the retailer sits down and figures out when they will be sending item x to each person who ordered it and sends every single person a personalised email, it's a huge waste of time. Especially when they would have to do this for their entire inventory if they did it for just one item.

I totally agree that an email in that situation is not informative. I have worked in parts order/distribution before and there is nothing worse than chasing your tail sending off notifications.
However when I was in that job we overhauled our service delivery charter to a very simple "tell them before they ask" premise.

For an example: If I was waiting for an item and only had a vague time frame. It's getting towards or past that time frame, I'm getting angry.

Now here is where we diverge,
Scenario 1) I make the phone call, they tell me they just started shipping today and I will see my item soon. I think "Bull#$@#, they only shipped it because I rang them"

Scenario 2) just as I am picking up my phone I see a new email "Just a quick group email to let you know we have received the item and will be shipping all orders over the next week starting today. Due to the high demand for this product we will be flat out, please allow 2 weeks for your item to arrive.


Just the fact that you are contacted by the supplier first will (in general) completely change the attitude of the customer.
Like it or not business/client relationships are symbiotic, both need each other to survive.

I always hated the entitled customer, and they will always exist, but it's just good business sense to eliminate as much potential conflict from your end.

In summary:

1/ Yes, people should calm down and let the business get on with their job

2/ Yes, the business should do everything in it's power to make the customer comfortable with their purchase. They are buying a product unseen from the screen of their computer and you can not calculate how much that customer is worth to you.

In terms of social media, the world is run today on social media and it can be the making or breaking of a small (Sometimes big) company.
Negative feedback campaigns have brought many big companies to the negotiating table after refusing any wrongdoing via personal email.

It's a positive thing for companies to employ social media as long as it incorporates a simple, record-able medium of private business to client communication.


................Or I'm completely wrong