Please answer the phones, take my money

[SteveO]

this is a ridiculous thing to post really... I left VM a COUPLE DAYS AGO with custom shop about minor mod of stock pickup - I want a different cover, and buy another stock pup. no returned call. I'd place a web order but can't set order up correctly. the custom page doesn't give me the options I need, and will only take my money to place an order thats incorrect. why can't I request a quote for a pup with what I want, and some one sens me off quote / invoice with delivery estimate ? not hard. so far, really bad customer non-service.

S

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Please answer the phones, take my money

It's posted all over the site that the mudslides have affected normal operations, or at least it was a few days ago. We just need to give them time to recover and get their full staff back to work.

 

[SteveO]

Re: Please answer the phones, take my money

um, it says "order deliveries may be delayed" implying shippers like fedex / ups, not that operations are really affected.

 

[ExplorersRock]

Re: Please answer the phones, take my money

Keep in mind, bro, NAMM is next week. They are probably gearing up to head to Anaheim. Not saying you shouldn't get a call back, but I can guarantee this is playing a factor.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Please answer the phones, take my money

um, it says "order deliveries may be delayed" implying shippers like fedex / ups, not that operations are really affected.

If they needed to outline and describe every particular effect of the mudslides and fires it would be pages long. I think their cover blurb is sufficient to get the point across.

 

[PicoRiveraTele]

Re: Please answer the phones, take my money

Keep in mind, bro, NAMM is next week. They are probably gearing up to head to Anaheim. Not saying you shouldn't get a call back, but I can guarantee this is playing a factor.

In years past I've witnessed them drop off the map for the whole month surrounding NAMM. Happens like clock work. It would be nice if they communicated this fact a little better, though. Same is true if they're affected by mother nature, just put up a notice on your website, or post about it here.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Please answer the phones, take my money

um, it says "order deliveries may be delayed" implying shippers like fedex / ups, not that operations are really affected.

In case you’re unaware, Santa Barbara is fairly small, just dealt with a horrendous wildfire, and a recent storm caused mudslides (the mudslides alone have resulted in 20 dead - there’s even more damage and fatalities if you include the fires). The 101 freeway immediately south of Santa Barbara is completely shut down. Many people who work in Santa Barbara need to travel that way. That affects operations. On top of that, operations are further halted by not being able to move products south into Los Angeles county, which is probably where things start getting distributed for shipment. Patience and sensitivity would go a long way. They did send out a notice via email. I haven’t even ordered anything and I got an email, so if you ordered something, then you should definitely check if they emailed a notice.

Edit: In fact here’s the email.

Dear Friends,

As a result of the mudslides in Montecito, the highway south of Santa Barbara will be completely closed for the next several days causing disruptions in transportation and communication with many of our staff. We ask for your patience if you experience any delays in communication with anyone in our office or customer service. Please also note that order deliveries could be delayed due to the disruptions in transportation.

We are doing everything we can to keep systems running and to support our staff. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and patience during this difficult time.

Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected by this devastation and sincere gratitude to the people who are working hard to clean up the debris and rescue the people in our community.

Very best,
Sales & Customer Service
Seymour Duncan

 

[SteveO]

Re: Please answer the phones, take my money

so I never got any emailing explaining what was going on. I'm not on any mailing list from SD.

the banner message really only says deliveries are a problem. it seems some people with more knowledge of the situation are assuming that everyone knows what they know and applying that knowledge to a rather limited statement.

as for going dark during NAMM, thats just bad customer service. some of us barely know what it is, or care. what we do know as customers, or wanna be customers is that we are not being serviced at all. therefore the likelihood to find a solution to needs with another vendor is rather high if those needs can be met elsewhere.

as for not answering the phones, returning calls, no excuse. call forwarding to cell phones is standard procedure in business continuity plans. its old tech at this point. just because access to the physical location might be limited doesn't mean the world stops. there is a continuity plan, isn't there ?... cause sh!t happens.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Please answer the phones, take my money

There's this thing called expectations; in my experience, modern companies are limited to only the following ways to address customer service:

-A couple stoners in a garage
-Automation
-India/Philippines
-A really ****ty, unknowledgeable person in the first world who hates his/her life

So far you aren't getting any of that at least, but my guess is your experience will be better than (if not totally unalike to) 'A couple stoners in a garage.' Be patient.

I'd rather do business with someone who makes a good pickup, than someone who knows how to pick up the phone. My suggestion, be aware of the realities of the world around you, not limited to not-perfect customer service, brushfires/disasters, etc.

 

[justFred]

Re: Please answer the phones, take my money

so I never got any emailing explaining what was going on. I'm not on any mailing list from SD.

the banner message really only says deliveries are a problem. it seems some people with more knowledge of the situation are assuming that everyone knows what they know and applying that knowledge to a rather limited statement.

as for going dark during NAMM, thats just bad customer service. some of us barely know what it is, or care. what we do know as customers, or wanna be customers is that we are not being serviced at all. therefore the likelihood to find a solution to needs with another vendor is rather high if those needs can be met elsewhere.

as for not answering the phones, returning calls, no excuse. call forwarding to cell phones is standard procedure in business continuity plans. its old tech at this point. just because access to the physical location might be limited doesn't mean the world stops. there is a continuity plan, isn't there ?... cause sh!t happens.

Anyone one who read a little of the news would know there has been a huge tragedy. The main highway South of Santa Barbara has been and still is closed. People are working around the clock to remove debris from devastating landslides and searching for people still missing, presumed dead and buried.

The US Post Office has even been unable to move mail in that area up until late yesterday. If that does not put it in some kind of perspective then you hare hopelessly self centric.

Your pickup is a mote compared to this tragedy. Get a life or go get your pickup from one of the hundreds of other winders around.

 

[PicoRiveraTele]

Re: Please answer the phones, take my money

Oh, I see there is a notice at the bottom of https://www.seymourduncan.com/ , it's a little hidden the way they have it. Usually important info is at the top and in an eye catching color, but we can't say they haven't put up a public notice.

 

[B2D]

Re: Please answer the phones, take my money

this is a ridiculous thing to post really...

Well you were right about one thing. :13:

Take an stock off-the-shelf Duncan without a cover and install literally any aftermarket cover that will fit. This takes about 10 minutes and some painter's tape and a soldering iron. If you don't wanna do it, a proper tech could.

Duncan is NOT a big company with unlimited staff and resources. They are a small (albeit well-known) company in a smaller community that is dealing with repairing from a fire and immediately dealing with the aftereffects of a lethal mudslide where the death toll is still not known yet.

I don't know of any music company, big or small, that doesn't slow down in response time in close proximity to NAMM. It's to be expected. It's part of the business.

If you're so smart, maybe you should hire yourself out as a consultant for solutions. They're called 'contingency' plans, by the way.

Have a heart, have some patience, or just get your pickups from somewhere else. In the meantime learn some manners and try not to kick people when they're down.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Please answer the phones, take my money

SteveO's post might seem bad manners, but you should note that what's happening in Santa Barbara is not in the news everywhere. I wouldn't know anything about it, hadn't I read this thread.

The announcement on the main page had me (as well) thinking it's just that some roads are blocked or in bad condition.

I hope it's getting better for all you out there.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Please answer the phones, take my money

so I never got any emailing explaining what was going on. I'm not on any mailing list from SD.

the banner message really only says deliveries are a problem. it seems some people with more knowledge of the situation are assuming that everyone knows what they know and applying that knowledge to a rather limited statement.

as for going dark during NAMM, thats just bad customer service. some of us barely know what it is, or care. what we do know as customers, or wanna be customers is that we are not being serviced at all. therefore the likelihood to find a solution to needs with another vendor is rather high if those needs can be met elsewhere.

as for not answering the phones, returning calls, no excuse. call forwarding to cell phones is standard procedure in business continuity plans. its old tech at this point. just because access to the physical location might be limited doesn't mean the world stops. there is a continuity plan, isn't there ?... cause sh!t happens.

Now it just sounds like you want to vent and completely ignore the current circumstances that are directly affecting operations - just because you refuse to acknowledge that doesn’t make your demands any less unreasonable. No one is here to validate any petty frustrations. It’s seems you’ve hastily made up your mind that SD is 100% at fault and incompetent. Good luck.

 

[medic24]

Re: Please answer the phones, take my money

wow. YOUR needs were not met to YOUR satisfaction. **** happens man. It's already been pointed out that real people have been put in a bad spot. "You can't always get what you want..."