[campfire]

Wow, the amount of restraint I am exercising here --- by not mentioning the screen printer I recently started working with --- is superhuman.

Seriously.

Because bad things happen all the time, and perhaps their place might have went on fire, or they accidentally drove off a cliff, or perhaps they got eaten by wolverines, or who knows what else ..... I am willing to let another day or so go by without hearing from, but ....

I have repeatedly called and e-mailed them to find out if some shirts I had sent to them arrived. NO REPLY.

I have repeatedly called and e-mailed them to find out an update on some shirts I have hired them to print. NO REPLY.

I have repeatedly called and e-mailed them to find out the tacking # of a package they claimed they shipped to one of my clients. NO REPLY.

We all know how much work we all have just concentrating on designs, marketing, distribution, etc. Why in the world a screenprinter can not find the time over the course of a WEEK to return a phone call or e-mail is beyond my comprehension.

Restraint. Breath slow. Stay calm. Relax. I keep telling myself these things, but I paid for a "membership" --- 3 months in advance!!!!! --- with the expectation that I would not only get better pricing, but great customer service, too. (After all, if someone paid me 3 months in advance, I'd be treating them like freakin' royalty!)

I know that once I post their name here that the post can not be removed, so I am giving them the benefit of the doubt. I am a very understanding person. For all I know, they are tied up and locked in a basement somewhere, being tortured by a serial killer .... or they got carried away in a hot air balloon .... or they are trapped in quicksand ........ I do not know.

But sooner or later ... I need to know what is going on. My clients are demanding that I let them know where their shirts are.

And this is my business. It is how I pay my mortgage. So I'd like to know what the heck is going on, too.

Jeez.

 

[amelingui]

Let it out, brother. Let it out.

 

[CUSTOM UK]

They may even be on vacation?? Some smaller firms shut completely when the owners are on vacation.

Could even be the latest victim of this economic slump.

Only time is going to give you the answers (or not).

You can see why I keep everything 'in house'.

 

[campfire]

i spoke to them yesterday afternoon. they gave me a tracking # that turned out to be wrong. i called to confirm that they gave me the right one. they said they would call the post office and then call me right back. that was 24 hours ago.

at least they could have called me back to say they were working on it.

 

[CUSTOM UK]

I've had suppliers like that.

They're not my suppliers anymore.

 

[biophase]

i spoke to them yesterday afternoon. they gave me a tracking # that turned out to be wrong. i called to confirm that they gave me the right one. they said they would call the post office and then call me right back. that was 24 hours ago.

at least they could have called me back to say they were working on it.

It feels like they are just stringing you along. What a coincidence that the tracking number given to you is wrong after weeks of trying to get an answer.

My experience and opinion with this is that they are either in trouble, taking money and then basically shutting down or they totally dropped the ball on your order and don't have the balls to fess up.

I say go ahead and post the company name if you have all the proof, data and correspondence to back up your claims.

 

[campfire]

I just sent them an e-mail, requesting that they return all the inventory of t-shirts, etc. that was sent to them.

They probably have about $1,000 worth of my apparel, so I hope I get it back.

I also requested that they refund the cost of my "membership."

This is unbelievable. It is close to impossible to shake me up. You could shoot apples off of my head and I don't move, but this has been terribly stressful.

If I don't get my inventory and $$$ back, rest assured I will post their name here, and stand back!

Just a LITTLE bit of proper customer service would have been nice. Believe me, I am so easy to please ..... I am a cake walk.

BUT the experience I have had lately would make anyone want to chew glass instead of dealing with all this.

 

[Jasonda]

Can you go visit their shop or is it too far away for that?

 

[campfire]

I am in Florida. They are in California.

I actually didn't want to work with them because I had trouble in the beginning getting samples, getting them to answer the phone, etc. But then I spoke to one of the owners and she assured me that things were turning around and that they do great work and would ship everything to my customers for me ..... and everything would be great.

I like to give people a chance.

Look where it got me.

 

[biophase]

I am in Florida. They are in California.

I actually didn't want to work with them because I had trouble in the beginning getting samples, getting them to answer the phone, etc. But then I spoke to one of the owners and she assured me that things were turning around and that they do great work and would ship everything to my customers for me ..... and everything would be great.

So many times it pays to go with your gut instinct.

 

[out da box]

Find somebody close to you. At least within driving distance.

 

[theflowerboxx]

I can tell you right now if I was in your shoes, I would post everything about them. You've waited more then long enough, and it sounds to me like they are nothing more then scamming you.

They need to be exposed now, so others don't fall for their scams, I don't care who they are. They could have 10,000 posts on this forum or be the biggest sponsor, I'd still expose 'em. Trust me, I've done just that on here. I wasn't well received by it, but I could care less, everyone gets one chance with me, you lie, I let the whole world know it.

 

[Jasonda]

Cardinal, you should send them a letter via registered mail advising them that if they do not return your money and products that you will be hiring a lawyer. Address it to the owner that you talked to. List the times and dates which you have tried to call them and email them and include printed copies of all the emails you have sent. Keep a clear professional tone in the letter and only state the facts.

It may be difficult to take legal action against them because simply not communicating with you may not be considered a breach of contract. However, usually this kind of letter will at least get them to call you and you can go from there.

 

[bjvariety]

i,d find another printer

 

[ashamutt]

.....maybe check the BBB to see if they have had other complaints as well......???

 

[T-BOT]

Yeah, its tough being in your situation.

I have worked for some manufacturers online and as much as I have tried to be prefect and fully satisfy every client, it just did not happen. Being a perfectionist freak, that bothered me a lot and still does.

I came to the conclusion that the pre-production phase was the most important. Sure we lost clients/jobs because we were not fast enough to get the job done and out the door as quick as they (the client) wanted, but it sure saved this type of headache with clients as you are experiencing now. If we could NOT deliver on time we would SIMPLY not take on the job.

I mean, most companies do their best out there, but I know that there are a lot of BS ones too and that hurts me when I see this type of hang up.

But, as naive as I am and the faith I continue to have in society, I hope its just a problem your manufacturer had and can inform you of it along with a *sorry*. ....soon.


hope it all works out.

 

[COEDS]

I'm sorry to hear of your issue. I hate be taken advantage of and would suggest you continue to keep the pressure up. I would most likely not be a patient person,like you have been. I would be telling all to keep others from being taken advantage of in the future. .... JB

 

[campfire]

I can tell you all that they monitor the posts and threads on this site and I believe they are an advertiser, too.

I am still waiting to hear from them, but I complained about their poor customer service on this site once before and they asked me to remove the thread. I actually considered it and asked Rodney how I would do it and he told he I could not because then it would be like my experience never existed and that would hurt others who might work with them. So my old post is up. I am sure anyone here who wants to find out who they are, can find out very quickly.

I have two friends who live right near where they are. I also have 5 lawyers in my family, so legal bills aren't ever an issue with me.

I will call and e-mail them a few more times and then I send my friends over to see if they are still in business, and then I hire a lawyer.

What kind of people think this is an OK way to do business?

 

[T-BOT]

I have repeatedly called and e-mailed them to find out if some shirts I had sent to them arrived. NO REPLY.

I have repeatedly called and e-mailed them to find out an update on some shirts I have hired them to print. NO REPLY.

I have repeatedly called and e-mailed them to find out the tacking # of a package they claimed they shipped to one of my clients. NO REPLY.


Jeez.

I think most manufacturers these days keep you informed automatically as things get done around their production room since most of it is recorded anyway, To track back errors when they happen and for other reasons.

Usually the production manager looks at these recorded records to stay informed at least once a day, to schedule jobs, production problems and so on. So they do exist, production records.

That is strange. Even a quick auto responder email saying something like: received your email and will get back to you asap would relax the client a bit. Unless the client does not realize (as it has happen to a very good company) that the email Auto responder is NOT a person and keeps replying back to the Auto Responder email Box that is NOT Monitored....creating a MAJOR LOOP Effect that was a joke and a half (a drive by spammer TF poster too) . Just trying to bring a little humour into this...

But who knows what is happening, only the actual company I would think.

Just trying to talk it out and pass some time while you're waiting for some answers *cardinal*



:

 

[Richard 5340]

Membership. Bad tracking number. Won't return calls. Your in FLA. Their in CA. Paid them 3 months in advance. My friend, it's not them in the wrong business. It's you. I hate to tell you but, your money is most likely gone. I like to look the people I do business with in the eye. If you paid by credit card you might start there. I betting you sent them a money order, Western Union, Postal Money Order, or Personal Check. Did you ask for a Bank Reference? Did they offer you a price no one local could match? . If it sounds too good to be true... Sorry