Marine Megastore - bad service

mcalan said:
I agree whole heartedly, I ordered on line a total of £631.00 they took payment very quickly but then told me the item was out of production since 2007!. They did refund my payment when asked but how unprofessional to still advertise this item when it hasn't been available for almost 6 years !!
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+1 Similar to my own experience

I suspect they are mostly an on line catalogue that "back to backs" any orders with suppliers who carry the stocks.

In my case the catalogue was out of date and the product ...... according to them obsolete. But they still took payment first. Admittedly I got a refund with relatively little hassle.

* WOULD NOT RECOMMEND *
 
Any business model that doesn't hold stock and only advertises the entire range of their wholesalers/manufacturers without regard to real-world availability is going to disappoint customers regularly. Alternatively a business which holds ultra-wide and deep stock will have overheads and wastage far in excess of what is necessary to create a competitive model especially in today's hyper price sensitive market. The latter customer-centric model is further damaged by downward price spiraling forces encouraged by online price transparency and the dominance and policies of big players such as Amazon and Ebay etc aided by the insistence of manufacturers on ever 'improving' specifications such that almost any item is only in demand for a few months and thereafter is obsolete. Add to that the pressure on brand owners sales staff to find new retailers such that they accept almost anyone as an authorised retailer regardless of the sustainability or skills inherent in their business model combined with the punitive laws related to online sales versus traditional bricks and mortar sales and its clear to see that there is very significant pressure on online retailers to operate at the very fringe of acceptable stock levels. Some online retailers clearly manage this very complex balancing act better than others but the bottom line is that unless as consumers we are prepared to pay more for better customer service then this trend will show no sign of abating anytime soon in my opinion.
 
Had similar experience two weeks ago with MM store.
I wanted a new Spinlock clutch to match up with my original ones, and they had the old model on their web site. I used live chat on their site to check if they had them in stock. After a good start I was left waiting for around 50 minutes with the occasional "sorry for the delay the warehouse has not got back to me yet" Then I was asked if I would like a price on the new model, which I declined. Then after a continuance of the first part for another 20 minutes I got "the conversation was ended by Ric####" with no explanation !!!.
Still I may have escaped lightly. Just checked and it is still for sale on their site ????? :mad:
 
winsbury said:
Any business model that doesn't hold stock and only advertises the entire range of their wholesalers/manufacturers without regard to real-world availability is going to disappoint customers regularly. Alternatively a business which holds ultra-wide and deep stock will have overheads and wastage far in excess of what is necessary to create a competitive model especially in today's hyper price sensitive market. The latter customer-centric model is further damaged by downward price spiraling forces encouraged by online price transparency and the dominance and policies of big players such as Amazon and Ebay etc aided by the insistence of manufacturers on ever 'improving' specifications such that almost any item is only in demand for a few months and thereafter is obsolete. <Snip> Some online retailers clearly manage this very complex balancing act better than others but the bottom line is that unless as consumers we are prepared to pay more for better customer service then this trend will show no sign of abating anytime soon in my opinion.
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+ As many as you like, spot on!

The distinction between MM and the others, is how they react to and resolve their customer needs..in MM's case, it appears from the history on here that theirs could use some dusting up!
 
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FishyInverness said:
+ As many as you like, spot on!

The distinction between MM and the others, is how they react to and resolve their customer needs..in MM's case, it appears from the history on here that theirs could use some dusting up!
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precisely - customer service is inherently how well one deals with customer queries and complaints howsoever it arises. To give MM some credit at least they do have a chat service which I have used following being let down in the past by them. Sadly though that was a negative experiece - I too wanted to double check availability of an obsolete component, not particularly surprisingly they didn't have it. What I find most distressing is the amount of products listed as available which clearly are not - for example when Plastimo distribution was stalled earlier in the year they did not remove the products from sale even though there was at the time no chance of supplying them. I believe this practice may even be against current consumer law as it sets a false expectation and can lead to cross/up-selling.
 
Actually had quite good service from them after a sort. When shopping around 18 months or so ago for a liferaft I noticed they had a 6 man XM listed for a lot less than most current manufacturers were charging for that size. Reasoning that it was quite unlikely they could supply the XM, I ordered it and got a prompt response that it was unavailable and then through live chat negotiated over 100 quid off a 6-man Seago. It turned up a week later. Don't think I'd have got any 6 man raft at that price in a walk up to Force 4. I think the guys on their chat have limited marine knowledge, so assume the base price of what you have ordered is something like what they should end up agreeing to supply a replacement for. Alltogether a little bit sketchy and I probably wouldn't go there again, but I have to say, I did get away with it!

Edited to add: and, of course, as liferafts are mostly sent straight from the manufacturers when you but them over the net and not from the shop, that took MM out of the physical supply chain completely which in hindsight was probably a big advantage.

Cheers
 
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Wouldn't use marine megastore myself due to adverse comments here and other places.

Wouldn't use force 4 either! They charge £5.95 for UK mainland delivery on items 1-20 Kg, but £9.95 for "Highlands & Islands"
If I lived in Stornoway or Lerwick I wouldn't mind, But Aberdeenshire?? Jimmy Green is the same. Other chandlers don't charge extra, so why do force 4 & Jimmy Green?

[/rant]
 
Not really their fault, sadly. Their couriers immediately see that imaginary Toll Booth at Perth and whack on their premium!

Here's a fun one for you....

I can send a package to our Plymouth outlet - would cost £6.99 including VAT with Parcelforce
If I want to arrange for a package to be picked up from our Plymouth outlet to come to me by Parcelforce, it's about £16.00!

Same lorry, same driver, same company....go figure!
 
FishyInverness said:
Not really their fault, sadly. Their couriers immediately see that imaginary Toll Booth at Perth and whack on their premium!

Here's a fun one for you....

I can send a package to our Plymouth outlet - would cost £6.99 including VAT with Parcelforce
If I want to arrange for a package to be picked up from our Plymouth outlet to come to me by Parcelforce, it's about £16.00!

Same lorry, same driver, same company....go figure!
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But Plymouth to Inverness is uphill!!
Well, it is on the map!!

Seriously though, I agree about the courier whacking on the price, but it's not a cost I'm willing to accept when other chandlers, presumably using different carriers, accept Aberdeenshire as normal "UK Mainland" costs.
 
FishyInverness said:
Not really their fault, sadly. Their couriers immediately see that imaginary Toll Booth at Perth and whack on their premium!

Here's a fun one for you....

I can send a package to our Plymouth outlet - would cost £6.99 including VAT with Parcelforce
If I want to arrange for a package to be picked up from our Plymouth outlet to come to me by Parcelforce, it's about £16.00!

Same lorry, same driver, same company....go figure!
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When I sent out some YAPPs from the Isle of Man to UK mainland addresses it was cheaper than sending the same package from the UK mainland, even though it first went on a plane across the Irish Sea. Bizarre.
 
Are you Manx Yessir then Angus? ;) (I served 7 years, still miss the place!)

It Galls me that PF charge a small fortune to send to IOM when Royal Mail don't...haven't yet found a sensible courier for despatching, Post Office unfortunately isn't currently an option.. :(
 
Rowana said:
But Plymouth to Inverness is uphill!!
Well, it is on the map!!

Seriously though, I agree about the courier whacking on the price, but it's not a cost I'm willing to accept when other chandlers, presumably using different carriers, accept Aberdeenshire as normal "UK Mainland" costs.
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Just ordered some carpet lining trim for the WH ceiling plus a tap, lighting, water hose and a few other bits from a motorhome converter. Plastered over their website and ebay shop is " max postage no matter what you order is just £5.95". So surprise, surprise when they spot my postcode is PA29, then they tell me "our couriers charge more to your postcode area so its an extra £12". As if this is perfectly okay even though it contradicts their shop and website claims.

What really annoys me is the amount of the surcharge, many Ebay sellers offering free postage, then want the full cost of shipping north of the Central belt.

If they all had any sense then they'd add a £1 to their standard charge and use it to subsidise the remote area delivery charges and this is probably the attitude of companies that don't charge extra.

Another annoyance are the companies that charge excessive amounts for their courier delivery when Royal Mail Special Delivery is faster and cheaper. Eg £12 + vat for 3day service for a wifi adaptor,when Special Delivery would cost £8.85 and next day.

Ian
 
prv said:
Nope, cos then the vast majority of us who don't live in the back of beyond would order elsewhere :)

Pete
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You majority can afford to subsidise us yokels - we have to pay more for just about everything - fuel, food, and put up with the weather...:D
 
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