Wednesday night I placed an order with McFeely’s:
Ordered 1200 SS trimhead screws for upcoming Geodeck job
Another 200 SS 8/3″
More driver bits.
Paid, get this, $65 for overnight shipping cuz I’m starting the job on Monday and will need the stock for Tuesday AM. Did the deal online, paid with CC. In the “comments” section of the order form I explained my situtation. It’s short notice (just closed the deal and had a scheduling hole to fill…..it’s a perfect fit) but isn’t that what overnight shipping is for?
I get home from work today and their is a message on the office phone. It’s McFeely’s. They can’t process my order because the overnight shipping is $67 and not the $65 posted on the website. Also, the box of 1000 screws is now backordered (says in stock on the website), but they have the other 200 in stock! First of all, it’s too late! I only paid for the next day shipping cuz……..I needed it the next frickin’ day! So they hold up the whole order (over $200 including shipping) cuz of 2 frickin’ dollars! Also why can’t they send me 12 boxes of 100 screws instead of a box of 1000 and two boxes of 100? So much for customer service.
In the past I have gotten a really good feeling about McFeely’s as a company. Quality products and decent service. I’m willing to pay the price for those two things. But WTF?????
Anyone know of a supplier of SS trim head screws at least 2 1/4″ and preferably #7 in the Eastern MA area? I honestly haven’t been able to find one and have been looking for a good two years.
Am I crazy for being pizzed about this, or is it justified? It’s now too late for them to get the order to me for Monday afternoon. They sat on my order for a day and then hit me with this crap. Unless someone talks me out of it, I’m done with that company.
Replies
Face it as a fact of life.
As an online customer, you are not even just another face in the crowd, you are just another bunch of electrons.
Anpother good reason to have good relations with a local yard and to know the people there.
I know, that has its limitations too.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Don't know if this company has what you need, but they sold me some special plaster washers and they are in MA--they are: Charles St. Supply Co., 54-56 Charles St., Boston, MA 02114-4604. Sorry, no longer have their phone number and don't know email address. Hope it helps.
dp simular thing happened to me with them. I called in a order paid for it then I get a partial order with the rest on back order. I wish they would of told me when I ordered just for scheduling purposes.
Darkworksite4:
El americano pasado hacia fuera ase la bandera
I hate it for ya..I finally got my 6'' PC cordless saw blades AFTER I chewed up all the shingles in the valleys..BO'ed from ToolKing.com A MONTH..geeeze
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
I know your realy screw'd LOL but have you ever tried Swan Secure?
I just recieved there catolog ( no prices!) 800-966-2801 http://www.swansecure.com
It looks like they have what you need
I just found this! Construction Fasteners Supply Westfild, MA 800-374-3956 http://www.cfs152.com
I'd e-mail ask this old house but the Sox are on
Good Luck!
Stephen P.
All Things Wood
Stephen Prunier Carpentry
Two thing come to mind -
First, I've had pretty good service from McFeely's, and it sounds like you did too. In this particular case, I'd say someone just screwed up. I'd tend to cut them SOME slack. Heck, at least they tried to call ya.
Second - Let 'em know about it! I got real lousy service from 3 different places before. (Toshiba, Duluth trading, and Trend-lines) I've written a terse (but reasonably polite) letter documenting what happened, and letting them know I was unhappy. I faxed the letters with "Attn: Custoner Service" to their regular fax number.
In 2 out of 3 cases (Toshiba and Duluth trading)I've gotten phone calls from very appologetic people. (Never heard from Trend-lines again, and quit buying from them) Duluth trading sent me a nice gift certificate to boot.
He loves me, we have great sex, and he fixes my car. [Amy Fisher]
"(Never heard from Trend-lines again, and quit buying from them)"
So that is why they went bankrupt.
"(Never heard from Trend-lines again, and quit buying from them)"
So that is why they went bankrupt.
Boss,
That company by far was the WORST I have ever dealt with. Talk about a bunch of idiots with nobody steering the ship.
Last order (ever) I placed with them:
Among other things I ordered an 8" jointer @ $795.00. Order showed, but no machine after 2+ months. Call them up to complain that they charged me for the shipping of the jointer ($85.00), but still have yet to receive it. They say it's on back order. I tell them what they did was illegal, all they can say is I can cancel the order if I want a refund or pay the shipping, and wait.
So I wait, and wait, and wait. Two months go by, still no jointer.
So I call 'um up and they tell me there was a mix up and it will be shipped out ASAP. Fine. The base to the machine shows up a week later.
.....And I wait three weeks before I call asking abut the machine itself. I get more runaround, and talk to a "manager", I ultimately get it 3 weeks later along with a letter of apology and a $50.00 gift certificate.
OK, so it took 4 F###### months to get the jointer with no real explanation, and when I use the certificate, THEY SEND ME THE WRONG ITEM!!! along with a thank you letter and a note to let me know they are the fastest growing woodworkers (Supply) business in the world.
FWI, that's what I heard they renamed themselves after bankruptcy.
Jon
Which bankruptcy?
I quit using them because I saw the quality and selection dropping like a rock years ago.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Are you saying that Trend Lines is now Woodworker's Supply? Don't worry, we can fix that later!
I know that you are probably right,.....but......I'm not there yet!
McFeely's has given me decent service before, unfortunatly it wasn't when I needed the good service. Doesn't it just seem that as soon as you try to lean on somebody, they decide to step out of the way? I'm not usually a last minute sort of guy. The trailer is and stays well stocked, just not with 1200 SS trimheads!
Most of the time when I'm frustrated with people, places or things, I can trace it back to false expectations that I have put on them. That seems to let me digest it better. But it's a process for sure!
Thanks to you guys who offered some other options with the screws. I'm sure I'll figure something out. Just wasn't the voicemail I was hoping for after a long week!
And Piffin,
You're right.
As usual ;)
I don't think you are out of line there at all . you paid for Overnite you should get it . They could have sent the quantity in the smaller boxes for the same price as the larger box . Why offer overnight if you can't produce. Think outside the box to get the customer the quantity that is ordered. Write them a give'm hell letter .
Try GRK
Check the Retail locator to find a dealer near you and call to see if the have the SS.
http://www.grkfasteners.com/index.asp
Medway Lumber in Millis, MA.
Sounds like a good start. I'm gonna call tomorrow AM.
Much obliged!
DP,
Call me old fashioned, but I would never depend on an online order for something I absolutely need the next day. I do quite a few Next Day orders for parts in my business ... I always call and talk to someone in person, that way you can explain the situation and make sure what you need is available right there and then. I also use online ordering systems, but only for routine orders that are not time sensitive.
For every one of us who thinks that they should have sent it for the extra $2 without asking, there is some idiot that would sue them for not authorizing the extra charge first and demand free shipping or some other rediculous compensation ... sad state of affairs but very true in today's world.
The REAL sad part about it is the fact that all of these "online" and "mailorder" places are killing the local businesses that we really should be buying from. It is absolutely true in the auto parts business and it looks like it is getting the same way in the building supply world :(
Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md
Bill,
I appreciate your feedback, but I ordered on a Wednesday evening. I figured I'd get the stuff late Friday....to use the following Tuesday. I paid for Next Day shipping just to be safe. I could have used 2nd day (which would put me into Monday) and still been justified feeling safe about it.
I'd love to use my local yard.....if they stocked SS trim heads! They tell me they don't get enough call for them to justify the shelf space and I kinda agree. I ordered all the lumber for the job this morning for a Monday AM delivery, believe me when I tell you that if I could have tacked the SS on the tab right then and there, I certainly would have.
I also explained my situation clearly at the time of the order. And if they had called me on Thursday (the day after I ordered) I still wouldn't be in this jam. They sat on the order for a day before taking action even though I explained that the clock was ticking.
As a side note: when you click on an item on their website it tells you whether or not it is in stock. At least it is supposed to. If their website had been accurate regarding both their stock and their shipping charges, this whole thing could have been avoided.
All in all, it's not that big of a deal. I'll find 'em in time....somewhere. And the deck will get built. But don't throw the ball back in my court.....I did my part. I don't tell customers I can do their addition next week when I'm booked 6 months out, just as I'm sure you don't make promises you can't keep in your business.
Believe me, I'm on your side in this matter. But, like someone else pointed out, online sales are iffy, I think. I feel the need to vocalize what I want and need instead of type it on one of these machines. At least then I can be p.o.'ed at a person instead of wonder if the message got from the machine to the person. No, two bucks is not reason enough to not fill your order. A person could have let you know you needed to send two bucks more. The machine kicked you out of the system. Maybe?
>For every one of us who thinks that they should have sent it for the extra $2 without asking, there is some idiot that would sue them for
um, why couldn't McFeely's honor the pricing they had POSTED on their web site?
I have to say, I would get sh!tty with them. I might be a curmudgeon. I expect people to live up to their word and obligations, and I raise h@ll with them when they don't and it's critical to me. Especially when they know the importance, like I paid $65 to overnight the dang thing instead of UPS ground for sixteen bucks.
But I don't get mean with the person who has no control over it, i.e. the person answering the customer service line. I always try to start at the top of the chain of command and get my irritations addressed. I can usually get to a vice president's secretary if I am persistent about asking who so-and-so's boss is.
remodeler
Just want to make sure you guys understand that I am not really defending the lousy customer service. My main point is that online and mail order sales without talking to a "real" person are iffy at best. A lot of the big online sites are almost completely automated to the point of even having a robot to pull the parts off the shelf. I just can't trust them for anything important.Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md
>> Call me old fashioned, but I would never depend on an online order for something
>> I absolutely need the next day.
Call me old fashioned, but I say if you absolutely need something the next day, you're screwed. No system I've ever encountered is 100% reliable, and eventually the law of averages is going to catch up with you. Even the local businesses you depend on to stock stuff sometimes drop the ball. I had an urgent requirement one day and my usual supplier was out of stock. OK, no problem, I drive across town to their competitor, who was also out of stock. At that point I got smart and got on the phone instead of driving from all over the metro area. I eventually found another branch of my usual store that could help me out.
I posted this once before but here goes;
FYI, many suppliers play games with numbers - i.e. accumulate enough orders to place a larger order with their distributor, eecking out more profit margin with a volume purchase.
It turns out Swan Secure is a major importer as well as supplier to many of these smaller suppliers.
I ordered s.s. ringshank nailgun nails from McFeeleys and it promptly got backordered.
Cancelled it and called Swan - person was knowledgeable about nailguns, etc. and in two days I had my nails with no shipping charges.
Many internet non-stocking suppliers operate in a similar manner, juggling orders which end up in routine backorder status for customers.
Swan packaged stainless steel screws are beginning to appear on shelves in Lowes.
(I have zero finalcial interest in Swan.)
passion for material quest for project - you must be from outer space
thought I was finishing up ipe deck project and the last two eb-ty kit boxes had been pilfered - someone had taken the ss screws and ipe plugs and left the eb-tys for me
a more than two hr ( in good traffic ) roundtrip to the supplier was totally out of the question for me **8called the big boxes near me and you would have thought I was calling for orthodontia bracing ** had to go to my regular lumber supplier for penofin so stopped in home depot and lo and behold found an empty bin for ss trimhead screws ** couldn't see a box above but the "second story" ladder was close by ** moved it myself and arrived upon a big box of 2 1/2" ss trimhead screws so my extended kneework on the deck was not waylaid much afterall
bonus is my ipe supplier in Seattle Crosscut hardwoods did not challenge me at all on my claim so we'll work out credit or exchange ( I'll be opening the boxes before accepting them in the future )
Hope all works out for your project!
John
** couldn't see a box above but the "second story" ladder was close by ** moved it myself and arrived upon....
Hey those ladders are for employees only!!!!
Surely you have a Grabber branch somewhere close by? In my county of half a million I can get specialty screws like that at least 10 or 11 places and 4 are on the same street within 5 miles of my house. Look in the Yellow pages under Fasteners-Industrial and Commercial. .