Lousy service from sea-screw

jfm

jfm

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I hardly ever name and shame on here but need to today. I've ordered perhaps £5k of goods in perhaps 50 orders from www.sea-screw.com over 5-6 years, and recommended them on here many times. Well, never again. I've just got off ther phone to their proprietor David Tate and have never dealt with someone quite so rude for as long as I can remember

I ordered some chandlery off their website the other day, £192. Each item was showing "in stock" on the website. I wanted them fast (I'm going to the boat tonight) so I clicked to pay extra for next day delivery and paid the £8 charge.

The parcel arrived next day. I'd ordered two of something, but only one was in the parcel. They sent a note saying they had only one in stock, other to follow. A nuisance, but no big deal. However they still charged my cr card the next day delivery charge. I rang to say that the delivery charge ought not to have been billed but Mr Tate didn't agree. Indeed he wouldn't even enter into what most of us would call a conversation because he interrupted and overspoke every sentence I utterred, then just said "Bye" and hung up. Yes, a full on rude "click" hang up!

So, if anyone wants online chandlery I suggest shop elsewhere at the many other good online chandlers. And if you want nuts n bolts go to www.a2a4.co.uk, whom I tried a few weeks ago and got excellent service from.
 
Yup. It's no big deal, there are loads of good online chandlers and stainless steel fastener suppliers. I just wanted to recommend to folks that they don't use sea-screw if they want fair treatment etc!
 
Thanks jfm. Made a note to remind me not to use them.

No excuse at all, ever, for that type of attitude from the proprietor.

Especially in these difficult times!!!
 
Lousy Service Ledger

We should start a 'Lousy Service Ledger' on this forum that contains a list of such companies so that forumites can check against before buying.

Once on the ledger those companies can only be removed through a satisfactory corrective action to the original poster or as a result of several public grovelling apologies. I doubt it would be allowed by the forum gods.

Sea-Screwed now on my Lousy Service Ledger now though.
 
Re: Lousy Service Ledger

Hadn't heard of them but shall never use them now.

He sounds like a horrible person to give money too.
 
I had a similar issue to sort out yesterday with a different company , two weeks ago, I ordered two aluminium shaft anodes that I needed for lift out, they were listed as in stock.

The company phoned me to say they were out of stock and as I had entered as a condition in my order that they must be despatched within two days they were checking if I minded they were on back order.

I thanked them for their call and we agreed to cancel the order.

They then debited my account /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

They were polite enough yesterday when I found out and they have agreed to pay me back but if I hadnt phoned would they have ever paid me back or sent the items ??

I think as times get harder and people get more desperate there will be more and more issues like this to sort out, its a bit easy to list a load of cheap gear which isnt in stock, take the cash and then hope that only half the 'marks' ask for their money back.
 
Re: Lousy Service Ledger

[ QUOTE ]
We should start a 'Lousy Service Ledger' on this forum that contains a list of such companies so that forumites can check against before buying.


[/ QUOTE ]

...perhaps there should be...but maybe a better more constructive list would be those suppliers that have offered great service, or are just really competitively priced... Also with regards to a "Lousy List" I can't help think having such a published list could be seen as a slur against these companies... even though these companies deserve all the slur they can get!!
 
Yup, though at least your firm accepted the error and refunded! Sea-screw wont refund a next day delivery charge even if only [i[some[/i] of the order is sent the next day and the rest is on back order!
 
well, if it was a TV sketch, it would probably be rather a funny phone conversation /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Didnt record it by any chance ?!
I had one with a major insurance co, recently, where basically they only chased something up every two weeks. So I'd phone them every two weeks, and they would say, ok, we will chase it in two weeks, and so it went on and on, and they never actually did anything as far as I could work out. It was such a silly conversation each time, I couldnt help laughing, to which the girl said "this isnt funny" and put the phone down!
Excellent,Gotta admire her spunk.
 
Nah Firefly, I know, but there's no way I'm going to bother with anything like that for £8. Life is too short. I'm on the train for Gatwick, doing some internet office work, and will be on the boat with G+T in 3hours45 :-)
 
You know what gigm, it would be funny. I left him a voicemail yesterday expalining the problem and asking would he please refund the next-day delivery. He emailed in reply to say the items were out of stock. Err, yes, I know that. Then in a whole freestanding paragraph he said my parcel weighed >1kg. Ise relevant? Had this suddenly become an argument about weight and I hadn't noticed?

But this afternoon's call was hilarious. He is one of those people who will only transmit, not receive. You start a sentence then EVERY TIME he interupts and talks over you at length. So I kept talking, and he kept overtalking, so neither of us could hear the other. When he stopped, after 30secs, I stopped. Big pause cos he wanted me to reply to him, but i told him it was now his turn to speak! Yup, quite a sketch!
 
It staggers me how some retailers treat customers!! And it does seam to be worse in the marine industry. For my day job I'm in the high street fashion retail game and a big chunk of my business is built on absolute perfect customer service.....and in these hard times it seams to be helping us through with a very loyal customer base. I would be mortified if any of my staff, let alone myself spoke to customers like this.

With my boat, if any company has been hard work to deal with I just walk away and take my business eleswhere. Luckily I've now got some great contacts / chandlers.

Best one so far has been www.marinestore.co.uk I've always had such good service from them, so top marks to these boys!!....errr and girls..... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Regards Paul.
 
its amazing what kind of attitudes you stil get in these challenging day's,
I just had a similar amusing /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gifcase today.

Last year I bought a Portable Bauer air compressor from the official Belgium distributor "Drager";
They didn't do a demo, nor an explanation, as I knew exactly what I wanted.
they charged me full list price, so far so good, as I didn't want a fuss.
when I collected the unit I had to pay cash, got a close box with the new unit, without any explanation I had to go. (5000 euro's) Again so far so good.

3 weeks ago I called them to go there and get a few words of explanation about replacing the air filter. (user replaceble)
To do this I had to make an appointment at least 2 weeks in advance. I made an appointment !

Today I went there with this compressor and I also took my old BIG Bauer compressor to leave there for a full maintenance.

When I came there, although I had an appointment about my "Bauer Oceanus" the specialist was not there.
So somebody with the manual in his hands had to give an explanation (exactly what I could do myself and wanted to avoid)

but now, I needed a new filter cardtridge, (list price27 euro ex vat),
When I asked if I could pay this together with the maintenance job on the old compressor which should take a few day's, the answer was no, If I take that cardtridge today I need to pay today. Even worse, as the invoice value is less the 50 euro, there was en extra charge of 10 euro administration cost, when I ask to have one extra spare cardtridge to have a bigger invoice value, the answer was "we have only one in stock according the computer".
The service guy told me there was just deliverd a new box of 12 which was not yet in the computer, and there was a box of 8 in the service truck, which he was not allowed to take.

asking if all this could be invoiced with the maintenance job was ofcause "No"

so I left, very pissed but very polite, my old compressor is there for the maintenance, not sure how many day's/ weeks / months this will take

and my new compressor has a new filter that I payed cash 44 euro's incl Vat. I guess I can buy that filter cartridge on the net for less then 25 euro's.

I am sorry this is not very boaty, but the new compressor is the one from the boat,
and I had to write my frustration somewhere,
what a relief !
/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
......... and will be on the boat with G+T in 3hours45 :-)

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh lucky you, how wonderful!!!!!!! and as for David Tate, I bet he's treating himself to a couple pints of Mild and a pickled egg with your £8 safely banked... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
had a slightly messy sarnie today, so I took another paper napkin. Oi, says the owner, they re bloody expensive !
Yea -so is your damn sarnie !!!
 
Lets hope he does not bill you another set of delivery charges when he ships the balance of your order to you
/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
May
xx
 
Since I moved to Conwy last May, I have now rejected 5 of the various local supplier.

!/ Ignored my order completly.

2/ Came five times to look at a simple upholstery repair job. Eventually said, he'd have to replace the lot. Got it done else where, 110 miles away.

3/ Arrgg!................................

4/ Mechanic. Full service. Never turned up.

5/ Webasto firm. Argue, argue. Three months, still no heater and so far £260.

I'm not sure if there are any left. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
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