forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
Modelers Lounge => Time to relax => Topic started by: Des on August 13, 2013, 09:03:32 AM
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I am finding it to be a very common practice these days for companies not to answer emails. I wrote to Vladimir Chumak, President of Roden two weeks ago asking a very simple question, no reply. I wrote to Omega Models and placed an order for a 1:32 Mosca MB bis and a 1:32 Hansa Brandenburg W.20 two weeks ago, again no reply. Ignoring an email is very disrespectful, rude and arrogant, it just indicates to me that companies think they can treat their paying customers with contempt. I have quite a large list of unanswered emails some directed to very respected companies, companies who rely on modelers like me for their bread and butter, if it wasn't for me and modlers like me these companies would not be in business.
I think it is time that these company managers got off their pedestal and started treating us with respect, when you think about it most of these kit manufacturing company managers are only glorified Model Shop Operators, so they do not have the right to disrespect the ones who are paying their wages.
Des.
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If I had a webcam on, you'd seeme standing up and clapping. Couldn't agree more.
Lindsay
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Des,
Bravo well said my old friend. I couldn't agree more. At times it's really hard not to believe that they are more interested in only the bottom line dollar or whatever currency rather than the customers. I sincerely hope this isn't the case after all as you stated we the customers pay their salaries.
Not wanting to get too Preachy here,but would it not be a far better world if the "Golden Rule" was practiced much more often. I've no doubt that if all followed this simple rule in our dealing with each other we'd all the better for it.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
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For Omega to not acknowledge a purchase order is stupid, and given the range of WWI kits maybe you should vote with your wallet, or at least seek another source. The Roden thing is just a little weird. Didn't we have a similar situation about a year ago?
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Thanks Lindsay and Gregory for your vote of support, it is nice to know that I am not the only one feeling this way.
I will be voting with my wallet Mike, Omega will never see a cent of my money, through their ignorance they have missed out on two sales.
Des.
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It's just not in cyber space. Many times over the years I have been at the counter of a store or restaurant and been totally ignored by the person behind the counter. I always turned and walked out and gave my business to their biggest competitor. ;)
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Your ire is understandable, however It is possible that there is a benign reason for the perceived snub... just for example, your ISP could have ended up on a third party blacklist, totally unbeknownst to you or the recipient... Just sayin' ... These are are things that used to give me ulcers a few years ago...
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No Bo not the case, I have written to these people in the past and received replies, same goes with most of the companies who are not bothering to answer emails, they have responded to me in the past, it just boils down to pure ignorance. I remember a little while ago I wrote to a particular European company and they ignored me, I wrote four times and each time I was ignored, on the fifth email I accused them of being uncultured, a response came in double quick time and they were all over me with fantastic offers, guess I hit a raw nerve.
Des.
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It is high summer, and small businesses have holidays too. I'm off on Friday and I will not be opening emails for 2 weeks either!
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Rest assured fellow modellers! I always reply to my customers ;) Whether or not they can understand my ramblings is another matter ;D
You make a valid point, Des. It's time for these companies to step up or step off.
VB
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Yes of course, my only point, speaking as someone who has helped provide email services for many years to small businesses, is that sometimes the emails do not get through. It's not like this is regulated like a government run mail service or anything like that. If you knew how it worked you'd be amazed it works as well as it does. See Rube Goldberg. If your mail server ip number happens to wind up on google's (gmail) black list god help you, because google won't. This can happen through no fault of your own and you will not know about it until somebody on the other end finally calls you on the phone or something. That's just one tiny example, and one of the easiest to detect (but not easy to fix). I could go on and on with horror stories. The fact that you can send mail to a and b doesn't mean it goes through to c. And so on.
Now, maybe these people are foolish businessmen who are ignoring customers emails. But there is a chance that something else is awry.
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It is high summer, and small businesses have holidays too. I'm off on Friday and I will not be opening emails for 2 weeks either!
Automatic Reply:
Dear valued customer,
I will be away on holidays for the next two weeks and will respond to your request promptly upon my return. Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate your business.
Simple as that. That took me a total of 5 seconds to write.
LT
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E-mail was originally considered a very informal means of communication.
Unfortunately, with our current dependance on e-mail, it is still considered informal by many and often, not responded to .
Often, if responded to, all you get is a viscous cycle of meaningless, generic reply's.
FWIW..... whenever I need to address a serious matter with a company, etc in the US, I always snail mail them by registered mail/signature required. Such communication is never ignored. :)
Rest assured fellow modellers! I always reply to my customers ;) Whether or not they can understand my ramblings is another matter ;D
You make a valid point, Des. It's time for these companies to step up or step off.
VB
Yes Bob, you give about the best customer service I have ever encountered.
Never before was I actually e-mailed a photo of my order being deposited in a postal box. :)
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Rest assured fellow modellers! I always reply to my customers ;) Whether or not they can understand my ramblings is another matter ;D
You make a valid point, Des. It's time for these companies to step up or step off.
VB
Yes Bob, you give about the be customer service I have ever encountered.
Never before was I actually e-mailed a photo of my order being deposited in a postal box. :)
I do video on request! haha
Cheers,
Von Buckle ;)
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I agree that it's rude to ignore an e-mail, and from a business perspective, sheer lunacy. I vote with my wallet when a company fails to respond to an inquiry, as evidently, they don't need my business.
Cheers,
Chris
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It has been over 12 months since I started this topic and I am sad to say that the situation has not changed one bit. My emails are still being ignored and many are to very respected businesses. The thing that annoys me the most is that these companies have responded in the past, why all of a sudden are they ignoring me, and in a lot of my emails I am offering to purchase products from them, I just don't understand their attitude. In this day and age the email and computers are a way of life, many many companies depend entirely on internet sales and communication with clients via emails, the companies who are not doing this are going to be left behind big time. As a few of the replies to this topic have noted, vote with your wallet, if you get ignored spend your money elsewhere.
On a happier note, I have had responses from some companies who are more than willing to help out as much as possible, they will bend over backwards to make sure I get what I am after, this is what I call excellent service and to those companies I say thank you, they will continue to get my business.
Des.
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With close to 2000 Members and having just achieved the half million mark in Posts one would assume were a pretty attractive potential market for the average business! It's been my experience that far too many businesses take their customers for granted in the "boom" times and just don't understand why many vote with their feet and wallets as a result. The only real losers in this situation are the ones who are ignoring you. They are more then compensated for by those who are providing, in so many cases, exceptional service, unsolicited support/sponsoring, and courtesy. :)
Cheers,
Lance
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I will say that i recently had fantastic service from Roden - I emailed to purchase a sprue from one of their kits, had immediate response and the sprue was sent over to the USA in no time.
Also great response and service from Lifelike Decals in Japan via email as well as Taurus (though one email address on their site did not work for me - they have two contact emails listed)
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Roden have always responded to me very quickly in the past but for some strange reason they have chosen to ignore my recent emails. I purchased one of their 1:32 Fokker D.VI kits and it was missing the decals, so I have written to them on three occasions now requesting replacement decals but as I said, no reply, maybe they just don't have any spare decals for that particular kit.
Des.
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I did exactly the same with Roden. I sent an email asking for a price for a sprue and got a reply next day from Olga saying she was on vacation and would deal with my request on her return. I heard nothing more until the sprue arrived in the mail 3 weeks later....
Ian
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I've found that sometimes, e-mails with Des's email address get send to the spam folder automatically. I use Google apps for work, which uses GMail.
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Having been in the IT business for the best part of fifty years (yes, I said fifty), and the latter part spent with IBM from which company I retired, I have to say that the usual reasons for issues of this kind are technical, procedural (business processes and procedures going awry) and not a business person deciding to ignore a customer and correspondent.
Don't jump to conclusions on little evidence. I suggest you call or send an actual letter to an individual at the company or companies with which you are experience email issues, explain the issue and ask them for help. Make actual contact and then see if the issue remains unexplained or unresolved.
Just a suggestion from someone who has been down this road before.
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You make good points eindecker but like you I have also been done this road before. I have gone to the trouble to phone some of the people I have sent emails to and a response of - yes, I received your email but never got around to answering it - to me is not an appropriate response, it is just bone laziness or ignorance. Anyway, enough said, I know who to deal with and who to not to deal with, my not to deal with list is getting longer.
Des.
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You have just cause Des , I wouldn't do business with them and I wouldn't recommend them either . Excellent customer service goes along way on being a repeat customer . Word of month is the best way to advertise and even faster now with social media .
Terri