Seateach Chandlery - Your thoughts please!

Distance Selling Regs.

The distance selling directive allows you a minimum of 7 days after recipt to return goods in a good and saleable condition, from the time the vendor advises you by substantial means that the 7 days has started. This would normally be clearly stated on the delivery documentation, but may be a verbal message given when a telephone order is placed, or on an order confirmation e-mail for a www order.

Anything more than 7 days is a bonus offered by the vendor.

If the vendor does not advise you of this right, you are entitled to return the goods at any time, but they can give you 7 days notice at any time.

The vendor does not have to pay for collection (though they may), it is the customers responsibility to deliver them back in a good and saleable condition. It is acceptable for a vendor to place reasonable restrictions on returns e.g. anything that you would wear next to your body must be unopened.

None of this affects your rights if an item is faulty, these rules apply just to allow you to inspect the goods and be happy that you have got what you thought you were ordering.

They apply only in the course of consumer contracts (which includes sole traders and simple partners) and would not be enforcable if the buyer was a business.
 
Re: Distance Selling Regs.

Write to & Fax them asking them asking them to confirm that they have refunded your money. State that unless you receive written confirmation within 7 days you will take further steps. Then if you don't get a response copy everything to their local trading standards.

I hate it when companies do something as rude as hang up on you. Thanks for naming and shaming, I won't use them for my outstanding order.

Re clothing. personally I had very good customer service from aquatogs in Cowes.
 
Re: Distance Selling Regs.

I purchased a profurl system from them a couple of years ago. Some components were missing, called them up and the promised to get the bits to me. Waited a few days, called again, and they said that it wasn't really their problem (!) and I would be better off speaking to the UK importer direct, this I did and resolved the matter. I shall not be using them again.
 
I only use Sea Teach as an obsolute last resort. I am not convinced about their customer care at all.

I tend to use Peters Chandlery at Chi Marina. They seem very helpful and when ordering bits n' bobs all seems tickety boo.

However, I must admit if I am in any doubt about what I'm buying I always double check if its ok to return.
 
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I tend to use Peters Chandlery at Chi Marina. They seem very helpful and when ordering bits n' bobs all seems tickety boo.

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Must be my face then ... I always seem to get a grumpy old git ... ok - perhaps that isn't fair ... but I tend to frequent Aladdins cave in Chichester .. ok - not accessible by boat .. but they have always been helpful and ordered weird bits for me when asked.

Also had good service from Port Solent chandlery - MegaHugeChandlery.co.whatever ... unless you want a pair of shoes off their promo stand ... or anything that might be "out the back" - in which case forget it .. cos they can't find it ... the store room is probably as tidy as their bedrooms at home (all the staff seem to be teenagers!)
 
Another vote for Seateach. They are local to me and I use them both for my own purchases and for some work bits. No complaints and I've been dealing with them for many years

Always helpful to me, maybe it's just my manner of dealing with people?
 
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maybe it's just my manner of dealing with people?

[/ QUOTE ] Or your gang of minders dressed in black and wearing shades ... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
I fully understand the implications of fixing a dodgy piece of safety kit rather than replacing it. The safety line had simply been cut for some reason & the end bodged. The line itself and the other crimped end were in perfect condition (clean, shiney with no corrosion) and checked by a rigger before he crimped on a new end.

Had it been in bad condition I would understand that someone would not want to fix it and personally would have replaced it anyway. It would not have been unreasonable to crimp on a new end.

The point was actually the unreasonable service and simply wanting to sell something that wasn't needed. Perhaps I should have made it clearer about the condition. BTW, this was a stanchion to stanchion type safety line and not a jack line to clip on to.
 
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I've had mixed experience there ... When it first opened it was run by 3 blokes ... 2 were very pleasant and helpful and the 3rd was a grumpy old git ... with him you felt like you were disturbing him and answering a simple question required a massive effort and counted against you.

[/ QUOTE ] That's Seateach in a nutshell. I made 4 calls about buying a new self tacking jib. 3 of the calls were answered helpfully and in detail. The next call was dealt with by a surly old git. Took my business elsewhere.
 
I agree with Clyde Wanderer.

I ordered spares for my Plastimo RR gear, and I spoke to a very knowledgeable chap (John, I think he said) who talked me through the fitting of these, as mine is an older type, and I'll have to do a bit of modification to fit the new bits. Couldn't have been more helpful.

That's my only experience of them.
 
Re: Distance Selling Regs.

I used to have a small mail order business so had to read up the Distance Selling Regulations to make sure I did everything correctly.

In simple terms (as it applies to this case) the following parts of the Regulations apply:

If the clothing has not yet been despatched then the contract can be canceled and this cancellation also automatically cancels the credit card agreement as well. The cancellation has to be in a 'durable medium' so I suggest plastic-dart writes, faxes or emails Seateach and keeps a record that they have received the cancellation notice.

If the goods have been despatched or received then plastic-dart has 7 days from receipt to issue a notice of cancellation as above. If Seateach have not provided all the required information regarding the sale contract, including pointing out the Regulations, then he has 3 months to cancel.

Plastic-dart does not have to return the goods himself but must make them available (in as new condition) for Seateach or their agent to collect at their expense.

Some goods are not covered by these Regulations, for example if they have been specially made for the customer. Custom made rigging and sails would fall into this category. If the clothing had been specially adapted eg with a logo or extra pockets then that could not be returned.

Whatever plastic-dart does he must put the cancellation in writing.
 
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I live in Emsworth & will usually go to the Harbour Chandlery. Seateach is the place to go if Harbour don't have what I want & I need it in a hurry. Harbour are most helpful and have on a number of occasions lent me their chromate paste tube rather than sell me a tube. Or, they wouldn't accept a credit card for something small so I just took the goods and payed next time. Not sure they'd do this if they didn't know my face though

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Full marks to Harbour Chandlery, friendly, efficient and interested in their customers. [I also have been lent their tube of Zinc Chromate paste, and a big pop-rivet gun.] My experience with SeaTeach mirrors others - not bad, apart from "the miserable old git". Everytime I have been in there someone has had to come out of an office to serve me and I got a distinct impression that I had interrupted something important and the sooner I was got rid of, the sooner the assistant could get back to his no doubt fascinating work on the computer!
 
Just logged back in after a full day trying to get the boat ready to go. Seems like I must have got the 'miserable old git' when I telephoned. Just the luck of the draw! I will, as advised put my request for a full refund in writing to the company or will resort to recovering the monies via the credit card company if things get nasty. Again, this is a situation whereby I feel this forum comes into its own because I can get the whole picture about a situation - good and bad, and get sage advice to boot. A collective thank you goes out to you all. With regard to Seateach specifically, I may well have had a relatively isolated bad experience but with so many companies out there at least trying to provide some level of decent customer services I feel sorry for them that they have been stiffed with the 'customer repeller!!!!' /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 
Ah! Should of checked e-mail before above post. I have received an e-mail from one of the directors of Seateach today to apologise for their poor customer service in this matter and to inform me that they have refunded my money in full. This is at least a resolution to the matter and I am sure that this was an isolated incident that is not likely to be repeated any time soon. Felt it was only right to share this with the forum. Again, thanks to all!!
 
It is horribly difficult to get your money back by asking the CC company to do it. That is your last resort and even then, I admire your courage and determination!

You could print out a copy of this thread and fax it to them (they all sit in that office all day and it will give them something to do). Did you know that XP has its own native fax? Faxing is much better than emailing.

Or, issue a small claims summons in the County Court. I did that once when dealing with an arrogant sob. He ignored the whole thing and the judgement went against him, I then pushed the buttons and presumably on the advice of his solicitor he paid up. Quite easy and gives satisfaction.
 
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He's had his money refunded

[/ QUOTE ] Posts crossed in the ether or just a case of slow typing I expect Brendan.

I am pleased to hear everything is resolved though as, apart from the chandler in Emsworth marina, Seateach is the nearest to the boat yard and do have a much bigger range on offer than the marina one. For that reason I often go straight to Seateach rather than the marina despite passing the entrance on the way.
 
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Ah! Should of checked e-mail before above post. I have received an e-mail from one of the directors of Seateach today to apologise for their poor customer service in this matter and to inform me that they have refunded my money in full.

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Did you do anything to make the directors aware of the incident, or is it possible that someone at Seatech reads the forum?
 
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