Placed a large order for welder/generator, tanks, a wide assortment of supplies for work that needed to be done on a 36.6 acre project -- none of which the store had; was told to check back the next week: none of the items ordered had arrived, so was told to check back the next week, and the next... and the next... This went on for several weeks, but nothing ordered came in. I stopped going into the store -- but phoned dutifully each week,, anticipating that my order would one day arrive so that I could get to work.
Left town for almost three weeks (out of state) -- and when I returned, contacted the business about the order I'd placed: the individual I spoke with said he had no record of my order, and only when I insisted that I'd been in there and placed a large order (if memory serves me correctly, for approximately $12-13,000), he finally found my name in his system -- then chewed me out, saying that it wasn't several weeks ago, but several months.
I drove down to the business, taking with me the notes I created of my initial visit to the business and the list of ordered materiel after discussion of what work I had to accomplish -- and the individual (manager?) seemed angry that I claimed thar I'd placed an order at all. I showed him my notes of the dates and times when the order was placed and when I'd stopped at the store to check on my order on subsequent visits -- including the name of the individual the order was placed with, and subsequently spoke with on those dates when the order was promised to arrive. He didn't go so far as to call me a liar, but denied having any record of my visit. After looking at my notes, he looked at his order system, found the record, then admitted that his order system dropped the record after a period of time if the order was not fulfilled. No apology for his fit of temper... or his attitude.
I had a complete list of every item I ordered -- including part numbers and price... Vern Lewis' part numbers and price. I had been there, placed the order, and had a total price for my order.
There was no discussion about why the ordered machinery and supplies never arrived, or why I was repeatedly promised that my order would be in (the next week)... the only thing that seemed to be an issue was my claim about having been there of having placed an order -- and his denials.
If I wanted to spend another hour or two, interrupted by other (regular) customers who were picking up or placing their orders, he would re-order the materials I HAD needed months before for my project, but why? Fire constraints in the project area delayed the project for months, and with inflation, it would cost even more to get the same work done... and why wold I want to receive the same treatment as I had over several months: unreliable logistics and terrible service compounded by bad manners and attitude?
Pass.
I'm not there for someone to hold my hand: I had work to do, a large project with a considerable demand for the tools and supplies needed -- with a year or two of needing the expendable supplies that would need to be replenished in a timely manner. It's bad enough that there may have been temporary shortages, but being told by an employee that your order WILL be in on such and such a date, only to be completely unfulfilled, is bad business. To embarrass someone in front of others -- stopping short of calling someone a liar -- is unforgivable... but to do so in anger is unthinkable.
Vern Lewis might be the big dog in Arizona, but the company has a great deal to learn about people -- and their broken logistics system.
This business might know welding, but customer service is in very short supply... as are good manners and courtesy. read more
