On-line chandleries: how hard can it be? (rant)

[Koeketiene]

Getting more than just a bit fed up with on-line chandleries.
Do these people stock anything they're offering for sale?

1. Ordered a replacement VHF battery from one on-line retailer. Did not come up with the goods at all, even though delivery time was specified as 5-7 days. Requested a refund after 7 weeks. Another marine electronics retailer finally came through with the battery after 2 weeks.

2. Re-doing the cabin lighting (going LED). Ordered some cabin lights from a large South Coast chandlery. After my order I was informed that they were currently out of stock, but they the expected to ship some time in March.

3. Other well known chandlery - ordered various items, ranging from webbing to fire extinguishers and blocks. Told it would take approx 3 weeks to deliver.

Yet all, and I do mean ALL, took the money from my card as soon as I placed my order.

How hard can it be to show on their website whether or not they have an item in stock? And if not, how long it will take to ship my stuff BEFORE I place my order.
And when the lead-in time is significant, at least have the common decency to take the money from my card when, and only when, you are ready to ship my order.

In a nutshell: why can't on-line chandleries be more like Amazon?

 

[Resolution]

Sympathies, but you know the answer to your question - volume!

 

[sailorman]

http://www.nationalfire.com/index.html

best price & delivery

http://www.furneauxriddall.com/acatalog/LED_Lighting.html

 

[Sandy]

In a nutshell: why can't on-line chandleries be more like Amazon?

I call them up and speak to a real human, check that they have the stock and agree timescales. I have found on-line ordering fantastic.

As to the credit card question, it is a simple of cash flow. You are the consumer you pay, nobody carries a large inventory these days. It is all about just in time and if their timesales are not the same as yours take your business elsewhere or get them to ring you when it is in and order then.

 

[Koeketiene]

Sympathies, but you know the answer to your question - volume!

Volume might explain the significant lead-in time. And, to an extent, I can live with that.

What is does not explain is why chandleries do not mention on their website whether or not they have an item in stock.
Often you're only informed an item is not in stock AFTER they have taken your money. Sometimes you hear nothing at all and you have to call them to find out why your order hasn't arrived yet.

 

[Dipper]

Often you're only informed an item is not in stock AFTER they have taken your money. Sometimes you hear nothing at all and you have to call them to find out why your order hasn't arrived yet.

When I had a small on-line chandlery (more a hobby really), one of the conditions for accepting credit and debit cards was that I wasn't allowed to take any money until the goods were ready for despatch. The written terms actually said that I couldn't take money until the goods HAD been despatched but I queried this with the bank and they said that as long as the goods were ready, I could take the money.

 

[prv]

What is does not explain is why chandleries do not mention on their website whether or not they have an item in stock.

Surely that doesn't require any explanation; it's blindingly obvious.

If they say "out of stock" then you won't order from them.

Pete

 

[Koeketiene]

Surely that doesn't require any explanation; it's blindingly obvious.

If they say "out of stock" then you won't order from them.

Pete

Of course I wouldn't buy from them - they've got nothing to sell.

 

[Zagato]

I call them up and speak to a real human, check that they have the stock and agree timescales. I have found on-line ordering fantastic.

I understand your grievance but it's like anything in life these days to ensure anything will go smoothly you have to check things out for yourself and don't leave anything to chance - not even internet orders. If there is a phone number use it, it only takes a minute and it saves a lot of hassle in the long run.

WARNING - Watch out for one well known south coast supplier, plenty of threads on this forum over recent years about one company that don't send the stuff even when they have it - people have lost thousands in some cases. Can't believe they havn't been shut down Do a search on here for your chosen supplier first!

 

[prv]

For what it's worth, I don't recognise this problem. I was pondering why that is, then I realised I don't actually order online from chandlers very much:

1. For anything that is not specifically boat-related (and a few bits that are) I tend to buy from eBay traders. Items are almost invariably despatched quickly, and they tend to have good prices, in particular cheap postage so I don't have to worry about trying to batch up a big order to justify ten quid's worth of courier fees. Also most sellers send smaller items by Royal Mail, which avoids having to drive to some god-forsaken depot or spend a day working from home hoping the driver bothers to turn up.

2. Electronics usually come from JGTech or MES/Cactus, who have always given me good service. On one occasion MES were out of stock of one item; they emailed me immediately to say so, sent the items they did have, and sent the remaining one on when it arrived, covering the extra delivery cost themselves.

3. For general chandlery, I will pop in to Force 4 in person.

Pete

 

[prv]

Of course I wouldn't buy from them - they've got nothing to sell.

Exactly. Whereas if they lie to you (or, at best, don't say) then you may well hand over your card details and they can extract your money to sit on for a while.

Pete

 

[timmygobang]

I got my LEDs from boatlamps.co.uk (fantastic service) after emailing force4 (who were not at LBS grr) and another online store with a question and no one got back to me!

 

[Seajet]

I don't often order online from chandleries either, but when I have, I found Piplers of Poole - who may have a small shop on Poole Quay but their online setup is surprisingly large - were excellent, going way above the line of duty to help out; Force 4 are always good, and happily put things aside for me to collect without taking any money - and as a matter of policy they always check stocks when I phone to enquire about something.

Zagato's point is crucial, if ordering something phone and check it's in stock.

Also knowing the track record of one chandlery I always advise people to either brutally interrogate on the phone or better still go and measure themselves, if buying things like hatches !

It takes a spare bod with the required skills time to keep a website up to date re stocks, and having worked in a chandlery and knowing the vast range of stuff I can see the average place just does not have that spare manpower.

 

[prv]

It takes a spare bod with the required skills time to keep a website up to date re stocks

It shouldn't do - when they scan an item at the till (or enter the sale manually for stuff like individual nut screws washers and bolts) the stock-control system should be updated immediately, and the website should be hooked into this. If my local branch of Force 4 doesn't have any left-handed snurble grip-thribleys, they can quickly ask the till computer whether any of their other branches have stock; if I need it in a hurry I will drive over there, if not they'll move it internally for me to pick up later.

A manual stock-check from time to time will still be necessary as reality has a habit of diverging from any model.

It's 2014, this is basic stuff for any retail business.

Pete

 

[jerrytug]

You should only deal with people who have a knowledgeable, competent person you can talk to on the phone, who has a name and location, and preferably a stake in the business. (People are much less likely to muck you about if they know you know their physical location on the surface of the planet!)
I would suggest that you are expecting the impossible firing off internet orders and giving out your card details like that, without a human being involved!

 

[Seajet]

It shouldn't do - when they scan an item at the till (or enter the sale manually for stuff like individual nut screws washers and bolts) the stock-control system should be updated immediately, and the website should be hooked into this. If my local branch of Force 4 doesn't have any left-handed snurble grip-thribleys, they can quickly ask the till computer whether any of their other branches have stock; if I need it in a hurry I will drive over there, if not they'll move it internally for me to pick up later.

A manual stock-check from time to time will still be necessary as reality has a habit of diverging from any model.

It's 2014, this is basic stuff for any retail business.

Pete

Pete,

I'm aware of that, but it still takes time, money and knowledge to set up, and as we all know is so, so fallible to Sod's Law !

Where I used to work at Dunsfold Aerodrome there was a cartoon by one of the aircraft parts stores showing a chap tearing his hair out and the storeman saying " It's no good you pointing at it, the computer says we haven't got any ! "

 

[jimi]

I got my LEDs from boatlamps.co.uk (fantastic service) after emailing force4 (who were not at LBS grr) and another online store with a question and no one got back to me!

+1

 

[Talulah]

Bought an item off eBay yesterday. Refunded today as out of stock.
Still listed on eBay as 'more than 10 available'.
Can't yet leave neg feedback.
Dam annoying.
Ordered same thing off Axminster tools. Order updated to out stock. They have at least updated their web site to show no stock.

 

[dancrane]

The decent online chandleries seem to say they'll email you if an ordered item isn't in stock...I've been lucky so far, so I don't know whether such an email is issued by a person with a conscience and a memory, or automatically by the same machine that has already debited the account concerned.

 

[Sandy]

It takes a spare bod with the required skills time to keep a website up to date re stocks, and having worked in a chandlery and knowing the vast range of stuff I can see the average place just does not have that spare manpower.

Perhaps back in 1980, but things have moved on. Stock Control should be live on the website, it might be as simple as "In-Stock" or as detailed a 99,999,999,999 in stock.