LE quandry
 

I was wondering if any of you might have some suggestions for me.

I ordered a rather large, hot, expensive piece of equipment from someone that was highly recommended to me on LE. I read lots of glowing feedback in the forums about them some saying they got their's in a week. I paid for it in full on Feb 12. It still hasn't arrived. I've sent emails and been told that it hasn't even been shipped yet. It's been almost a month since they accepted my payment.

I can't decide whether to post about it here and risk the wrath of their loyal friends or just give up and hope it arrives before the end of this month.

It's a touchy situation. Any ideas?

Lori

I have said this before. I don't understand why vendors take full payments when the product is not ready to ship. A deposit would be appropriate. That just irks me. Bad business practice.

As far as if to say anything, I don't know. Depends on how pissed off you are:-& At least they emailed you back. What was their reason for the delay? Maybe you should tell them to refund your money, and when it's ready to ship, they can call you for payment.

Did they tell you WHY it hasn't shipped?

I would find out the reason for the delay. Depending on how you feel about that reason they give, I would then search for another vendor who might have the same product you are wanting and see if they can deliver the goods any faster.

I had a similar problem with some shoes I ordered. I ordered 2 pr of clogs for work on Feb 16th from an online store. They sent an email that said they would ship in 2-3 weeks. I was a little disappointed, but hey, I can wait. So, this week, which would be the 3 week time frame, I emailed them to ask the status of my order. They said it would ship 3/26!! I asked the reason for the delay and they said they were getting it from their distributor.

So I thought about it for a while. And the more I thought about it, the more ticked off I got. Waiting 3 weeks was irritating, but waiting another 3 weeks is just ridiculous. So I found another merchant with the same thing for about the same price, asked them how fast I could get it. They told me it was in stock and shipped in 1-2 business days. I placed my order with them, and cancelled it from the original company. I placed the order Thursday night and got notification Friday that they had shipped.

Even if waiting to get it from their distributor is a good excuse, it wasn't good enough for me. I have had things arrive from Japan faster than this order was going to get to me. And in this day and age of overnight and express shipping, there's not really any excuse to wait weeks for anything. Just MHO there...

The good news is, they're communicating with you. But if it's something you are really needing or even really wanting, I would try to find another vendor who could get you the goods faster.

-Amy

No, they did not state the reason. Only that it isn't scheduled to ship yet. I really should ask for a refund and say I'm not scheduled to pay them yet.

I know they have to make these things but I wasn't told ahead of time if they didn't have any in stock. Their website says allow 2 weeks for delivery. I've since seen threads about fun things they've been doing in real life with other LE members. Perhaps assembling my item isn't a high priority on their to do list. And to beat it all they've had another sale since the sale where I ordered mine. If they don't have them in stock why are they having more sales?

Lori

Wow.
I would want a reason for the delay. Especially since they have run a sale since you ordered yours.
If it's who I'm thinking of, I had to wait a while to get mine, too. It worked out well to put off shipping because I was going to be moving to a new assignment and wanted it shipped to my new assignment address.
But I'm absolutely thrilled with the product!!

-Amy

Now I see they've changed the wait time to 3-4 weeks on their website.

I wish I had known that before.

Lori

Hmm - if it's who I'm thinking I've been quite disappointed too. I can't even get an answer to an e-mail. Have tried four times since August and I've sung their praises MANY times here. Many.

Just as a follow up you wouldn't believe how many PMs I've gotten about this thread and how many people have accurately figured out what I bought and who I got it from.

Seems there are quite a lot of people that like the product and hate the customer service. A couple people have told me they had to wait 3 months to get their orders. I think that is outrageous.

I hope the owner sees this thread and recognizes what it's in reference to. I would like to see what his answer to all this is.

Lori

Lori, I am sorry you are disappointed with the wait time. I understand your frustration and desire to get your kiln. I did not realize there was a misunderstanding about the shipping time. We have been in constant communication, with no indication of problems. All exchanges between us have been positive about the shipping date until today. Your kiln is actually scheduled to ship tomorrow, as you are the next in the build order. I have PM'd you as well.

The website was revamped in the last two months, but the information has remained the same. At the Glass Hive our kilns are always built for each customer as they order it. We are a small company with one builder, Mike, which keeps our quality high bar and consistent. It does mean there is a wait to receive your kiln, but most find it worth it. The wait time is always 3-4 weeks due to the high demand we have for the products. There are the occasional orders that have been able to go out in a weeks time, as we do try to address emergencies customers may be experiencing when we can. If we are unaware of the issues on the other end, we can not expedite. There have also been the rare occasion for a 3 month wait, when Mike had heart surgery, and once when we had a parts issue. Most people were understanding of the delay. Neither 1 week nor 3 months are standard practice.

We take payment in full, as that is the order that kilns are shipped out, by payment date. If it is not paid in full it does not go out. We are a small company that keeps it's prices low by reducing overhead where ever possible. There is only one builder, and recently an office person and programmer, Pam, has been added to the crew to make it possible for Mike to stay on the build floor full time.

We do try to run sales regularly to allow customers to get a better price when we can. There are times people make a purchase and a sale begins after that date, we can't keep them running all of the time. Our layaway plan makes it possible for you to see a sale price and send $20 to hold the sale price until you can afford the kiln. There is no time limit or payment dates. We do have the customer in mind.

We are sorry there has been a misunderstanding. We pride ourselves on our customer service and communication with each customer. There are always three ways to get a hold of us 7 days a week, phone, email, or PM. All are listed on the website below. We do not search threads daily, but do try to get to Customer Service Kiosk and the Sales threads several times a week.

Thanks
Mike and Pam

shoot, I did not pay for mine till march 2 and was told 3 weeks. I was counting on it being delivered in time. I too ordered because of the recommendations here on LE

And it will be on time. :)

Mike

So the customer pays for the kiln in full and then waits indefinitely (1 week to 3 months, possibly longer), depending on whether or not there are any unforeseen problems that will cause a delay? I'm sure the kilns are worth the wait, but the "pay now and we ship when we get around to it policy" is asking for trouble IMO. At least you are honest and upfront about how it is going to work so people can make an informed decision about the purchase.

The current kiln in question is shipping before it's deadline, and the customer was informed of the time line. I was even told "Thank You". We do not have a pay now and we'll ship when we feel like it policy. We give the real shipping expectations up front.


This is a quote from our website, where are kilns are sold, you can view it in its true formatting on the website
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:

----------------------------

How To Make a Purchase



We accept PayPal, personal checks and money orders.

To pay by PayPal use the address
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or the links above.

To pay by check, make your check out to The Glass Hive and send to:

The Glass Hive

PO Box 738

South Beach, OR 97366



Our current wait list to receive your kiln is 3-4 weeks. We would rather surprise you when it is early than disappoint you when it is late. We promise the high standards with which we construct them will make up for the wait.



Email us at
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Call us at 541 270 6792



Thank you!

------------------------------


Pam

Hi Kimberly,

You were correct, that you had been using the wrong email address. We got your email at the beginning of last week and are working up the quote you requested with our suppliers.

Mike

I do believe the website says that all kilns are made to order.
Speaking from someone who takes custom orders my wait time is also 3-4 weeks on them.
I would hate for my customers to be questioning what I was doing in my free time during that period. Everyone deserves a life.
Oh and my customers also pay ahead of time for the custom orders.

Yes, I own a glasshive kiln. I couldn't be more pleased with it. Mike has given me the best ever customer service ever, as I have had to call many times and ask stupid questions about reprogramming my kiln. I don't know another place you can buy a kiln from and when you have questions they get answers so quickly. Ship time my be 3-4 weeks but I appreciate the time and quality it goes into building this beautiful piece of equipment.

I got my kiln was Jen Ken and it was made to order - pay up front and ship in 4 to 6 weeks.

Hear, hear!

I need to make up a big cut and paste to PM people that don't know the whole story.

Lori

BTW if some of you vendors would prefer I never buy from you send me a PM and let me know and I will gladly not send you any of my money.

Lori

Good thing you didn't buy a kiln from Dennis Brady, LOL

I know when I ordered my kiln from glasshive it said 3-4 weeks on the website and thats about the time it took. I am really happy with my kiln its great.

I am using my PM to try to talk to your PM. The main characters in the story should be dealing with each other, not the audience.

You pointed out your frustration, and dissatisfaction, which is fine. Now the remedy for the situation must come from us sharing dialog with each other.


Mike and Pam

Okay, I didn't see that.

I have to agree that the vendors should only ask for a deposit at the time of order. However, employees building the product, do have to be paid. Which brings me to ask "why vendors don't set monies aside to pay the help, or themselves"?

Anyway, Lori, you will get the very best customer service from Mike. I envy you!

Lori, perhaps you misread the website? I ordered two kilns from Mike in the past three and a half years and the lead time was 3-4 weeks. I got lucky with the first one coz Mike happened to have one in the shop. The glasshive annealers are awesome kilns and Mike does provide the best customer service. I hope this won't put you off from getting one. It's worth the money AND worth the wait.

THANK-YOU STARR!!!!!! I had teears in my eyes from laughing so hard!
The sad part is, is that its true

Duane
PS ..but I thought DB knew EVERYTHING:-?

Lori,
I am not sure why you chose to PM me. You posted this thread publicly and I responded to it publicly, so I will continue to do so.
Although with your post above about cutting and pasting it does make me wonder a few things.
~ If you have chosen to PM everyone who has posted to this thread.
~ Might be why you have gotten so many PM's as you stated.
~ That you could take the time to PM me, yet not the vendor you are questioning and trying to contact.

I am also not sure why I would be angry with you. You posted your experience, I posted mine. What's there to be angry about?

I'd like to leave positive feedback. I have received excellent service and communication from Mike years ago, and the timeframe was then about th e same : 3-4 weeks. I ordered a Mailbox kiln and I got it within 3 weeks. I paid up front and it didn't bother me, it's an expensive, made-to-order thing, it takes time. As a business owner myself I do expect completed payment before I ship the goods. :)
That's all the experience I have with Mike though. My kiln is now 9 years old and never required maintenance so I dunno about after sales service :)

:badgrin: