Problem with Holbren! (RESOLVED)

[Matt Day]

This reminds me of Veneer Supplies. They are closing up shop because people like this have no patience, threaten, and likely send hate mail.

We don’t need to loose Holbren. Brian’s a great resource and a I’d rather support him than a big box store.

[John Sincerbeaux]

This reminds me of Veneer Supplies. They are closing up shop because people like this have no patience, threaten, and likely send hate mail.

We don’t need to loose Holbren. Brian’s a great resource and a I’d rather support him than a big box store.

I am actually surprised at some of the replies here. I think the OP has every right to be frustrated and even angry. I don’t care what kind of business you’re in, but if you can’t or won’t call a customer back in a two week time frame, you’re going to lose customers and your reputation in a hurry.
It takes seconds to call someone back. It takes seconds to leave an informative message on your company’s voicemail about a family emergency, blizzard, government shutdown etc.
In my world (and anyone elses I know), if a business has your money and that business can’t or won’t find a few seconds or minutes to call back in TWO WEEKS, this is business 101 FAIL.

[Tom M King]

....and Tools from Japan. Looks like the one man operations are doomed. I can't say that I blame them.

[Bill Space]

This reminds me of Veneer Supplies. They are closing up shop because people like this have no patience, threaten, and likely send hate mail.

We don’t need to loose Holbren. Brian’s a great resource and a I’d rather support him than a big box store.

+10

Frankly I was thinking the same thing.

Seems like in the day of Amazon, with instant purchases, fast delivery and returns that can be done without a human being involved (I think), we often lose our patience if we don't get instant gratification when dealing with smaller sellers.

Not saying I am not this way also, but perhaps we should slow down a bit and give a little empathy to the small guy trying to provide a service to guys like us ...

Bill

[Tom M King]

Quote: "we often lose our patience if we don't get instant gratification when dealing with smaller sellers."

I don't.

[Mark Bolton]

I Called today and told the lady I would post on woodworking forum and call credit card if I didn't hear from him today. No call.

There is a great video on YouTube from a show called the Newsroom. It could be adapted to "you are a member of the worst period, consumer generation period, ever period". Every time I watch shark tank and others and hear the return rates and customer rates and customer acquisition costs.... I wonder how fast we are swirling around the toilet bowl. Companies have to maintain obscene margins to deal with anyone now. No fault returns. Immediate gratification false short resulting in a whiny baby internet post is not acceptable. The margins speak clearly to how these places absorb ridiculous but my gosh.

Maybe the dude is on vacation?

[John Sincerbeaux]

“Immediate gratification false short resulting in a whiny baby internet post is not acceptable“

I guess not calling back your customers who are trying in good faith to contact you for two weeks is acceptable?

[Tom M King]

When it's a one man operation, sometimes yes.

[Bradley Gray]

Impatience has reached epidemic levels.

I have made my living as a custom furniture maker for over 40 years and have seen the shift. In the early years I got a lot of orders BY MAIL!

These days, for a lot of customers, if I can't ship it today they go elsewhere

[Larry Frank]

I think not replying to a customer in a week is poor customer service and has nothing to do with impatience or instant gratification.

On the other hand, the problem was caused by the customer mistake and the company was doing a favor fixing it. They just did not fix the customer mistake fast enough so it got blasted on the internet.

[Charles Taylor]

I guess not calling back your customers who are trying in good faith to contact you for two weeks is acceptable?

As a standard practice, it's likely not in the best interest of a small business. But many of us have done business with Brian (myself not as often as others, alas), and the collective experience is that this incident is uncharacteristic. The problem got resolved, professionally we're told, and I'm willing to wager that the circumstance that prompted the OP to complain here won't become the norm.

Now let me tell you about my property manager and the monthly reports he owes me...

[Mark Bolton]

“Immediate gratification false short resulting in a whiny baby internet post is not acceptable“

I guess not calling back your customers who are trying in good faith to contact you for two weeks is acceptable?

I dont disagree that the timeliness of the customer service was a bit of an issue however the real issue for me personally is the mentality that uses a threat to anyone that they are going to use an online forum or social media or whatever as retribution unless they get satisfaction.

I have personally watched local businesses and read numerous accounts of others that have basically be run in to ruin or near ruin due to some viral internet post that in the end wound up containing only partial details, or complete inaccuracies, of the situation. I watched one local business (a hair salon) endure a week and perhaps several thousand vile posts, shares, and attacks, over a customer who went in asking for a procedure and the licensed beautician told her that she had had so many products put in her hair that one more would most guaranteed leave her bald and that she could not do that to her in good conscience. Those details never made it to the fray prior to the onslaught. After all of it, when the owners finally tried to get the truth out, and all the damage had been done, people then realized how wrong they were but it was too late.

I have no problem with being upset over poor service and poor communication but to state that you wield some almighty sword speaks to a mindset that is simply horrifying to anyone in business.

Unfortunately the big corporate retailers who have lived under the comfortable blanket of 500%, 600%, 1000% markups, and forcing their suppliers to blanketly accept no questions asked returns, have left us with a consumer base that is very very scary for anyone without that margin to operate with.

We reap what we sew. And the big box stores letting you take a saw home and use it for a month and return it no questions asked, have created the market.

[Brian Gumpper]

I appreciate the support and Paul does have a legitimate gripe. All I can say is I'm very busy and messages/emails do get backed up at times. Still need to find his return, I'm sure it's around, but sent the more expensive replacement to him at no extra charge or shipping costs to make up for lack of response.

[Mark Bolton]

I appreciate the support and Paul does have a legitimate gripe. All I can say is I'm very busy and messages/emails do get backed up at times. Still need to find his return, I'm sure it's around, but sent the more expensive replacement to him at no extra charge or shipping costs to make up for lack of response.

And there it is.