Unresponsive Sponsors

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StaceyG
Posts: 40
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2004 8:17 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Unresponsive Sponsors

Post by StaceyG »

Just wanted to say a word about some of the sponsors on this site....they don't return phone calls or emails.

I have contacted one company three times, and another one twice. I actually spoke to one woman and she said she'd call me right back. When I talked to her she said "didn't you email me?" And when I said yes, she said "Oh, didn't I ever reply to your email?" !!!!!

Haven't heard from anyone since.

It would be nice to get sponsors on here that actually care about their customers. I will have to search for supplies elsewhere.

I am sure there have been cases where people have positive experiences with them, but I thought everyone should know my bad experience for whatever it is worth.

Thanks
Last edited by StaceyG on Mon Apr 12, 2004 3:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
charlie
Posts: 961
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 3:08 pm

Post by charlie »

since you haven't named them, are we to either guess, or shun all of them?

your warning doesn't warn, nor help, anyone, in it's present state.
StaceyG
Posts: 40
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2004 8:17 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Post by StaceyG »

Sure, I can name them...didn't want to "attack" them in public, but since you ask, it was Future Forms Molds and UgotGlass.

Stacey
Dani
Posts: 493
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 3:17 pm
Contact:

Post by Dani »

There are 17 sponsors on this site and you've mentioned problems with two. I don't think it's fair to lump them all into the same "unresponsive get new sponsors" category. I would suggest you email Brad privately and see if he can tactfully communicate to the sponsors that their advertising dollars are going nowhere if they don't follow up with service. Finally, I regularly am in touch with three of the above sponsors and have never had anything but the best service from them.
Steve Immerman
Posts: 208
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 4:55 pm
Location: Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Contact:

Post by Steve Immerman »

I agree with Dani. I've found both of those sponsors to be very responsive. I'm sorry your experience was otherwise, but I'd give them another chance.

Steve
Debinsandiego
Posts: 41
Joined: Mon May 19, 2003 6:47 pm

Post by Debinsandiego »

StaceyG,

I had the same problem with Future Forms and Molds just last week. They have a HUGE banner on their site now, some thing about computer problems and they "lost" a lot of their internet orders.
UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, PLEASE CALL IN YOUR ORDERS, 1-888-800-3901
WE ARE HAVING TROUBLE WITH OUR LINK FROM THE ORDER PAGE
IF YOU HAVE PLACED AN ORDER WITHING THE LAST FEW WEEKS, PLEASE CALL TO RECONFIRM

Once I phoned them, they were VERY responsive. Their line was busy at first, but once I got through to a live human being all was better. She told me some thing about a server crashing, some thing like that. I'd guess they are doing a lot of catch up and damage control at the moment.

I have purchased from them in the past and have been very happy with their products and their service. I'd say they are worth a second chance.

Good luck.
Deborah
Barbara Silverberg
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2003 12:17 pm
Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Post by Barbara Silverberg »

The only bump I ran in to with Future Forms was in calling, sometimes the phone rang and rang with no answering device to leave a message. Had to try a few times, but got through eventually.
vblue
Posts: 98
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 11:05 pm
Location: Texas

Post by vblue »

Nancy (UGotGlass?) handles most of the e-mails herself and most of the time answering the phone. She also teaches and does shows. Other people handle filling the orders, etc.

I've ordered from her several times during the last 2-3 years and I've only had one problem with an order and she took care of it immediately.
I hope you'll give her another chance.

Vernelle
afilloon
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 9:58 pm
Location: Racine, WI

Post by afilloon »

Dani,
Stacey didn't "lump them all" into the same group, she said some of them.

I don't agree with your premise that she should have kept this matter private. I purchase quite a bit online and have found that public messages are the first sign of trouble with a vendor and will watch my interactions with those vendors more closely for a while.

Regards,
Allen in Racine
Dani wrote:There are 17 sponsors on this site and you've mentioned problems with two. I don't think it's fair to lump them all into the same "unresponsive get new sponsors" category. I would suggest you email Brad privately and see if he can tactfully communicate to the sponsors that their advertising dollars are going nowhere if they don't follow up with service. Finally, I regularly am in touch with three of the above sponsors and have never had anything but the best service from them.
SWalsh
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2004 11:06 am
Location: Bucksport Maine

UGotGlass?

Post by SWalsh »

I just spoke to Nancy Tang at UGotGlass? to let her know concerns have been expressed. She's was very surprised and will look into it right away. In addition, let me say that Nancy was my first fused glass teacher and she's an impressive person. Her business is growing and I'd hate to have this post influence her business negatively. Sue Walsh
The past is history,
The future is a mystery
And the present is a gift
GlassOrchid
Posts: 57
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2003 9:35 pm
Location: Maine
Contact:

Unresponsive

Post by GlassOrchid »

I am very surprised by Stacey's comment since I spent quite awhile on the phone with her last week looking up in my distributor catalogs to see if I could find a soap dish mold she was looking for. Even though we don't carry this item normally I told her I would research it and see if I could find one for her. The last email I have from Stacey is from 3/29 in which she asked if I carried a soap dish mold. Honestly I did not respond to that email as I was away at a wholesale show. March and April are very busy months for us due to the only 2 wholesale shows we do per year (where I sell my jewelry). Emails which come in that ask for advice, instructions etc... are answered as fast as I can but do take a back seat to those of customers with orders or order issues etc.....

Stacey has ordered twice from us and both orders were processed quickly and correctly. Both came from eBay. Normally I would not discuss this but feel that it is alright since I am defending myself.

We at UGotGlass? are not perfect, we do make mistakes, but we care very deeply about our customers, our business and our reputation. As soon as we are made aware of a problem we fix it. My husband Greg has taken over the business management and workflow and put many business processes in place over the last 6 months. We work everyday to make our business and our customer service better.

We are not a large company. We run UGotGlass.com and GlassOrchids.com (along with a few other smaller sites). At UGotGlass we sell fusing and pmc supplies and offer free how to articles etc... at GlassOrchids we sell my own glass work. In addition I teach both fusing dichro and using PMC. We ARE extremely busy but we make every attempt to respond to emails within 24 hours. I am the email queen. However, sometimes our spam filters do delete emails which are good. This is just an unfortunate result of the disqusting spam ridden society we live in. I cannot function without spam filters as I get 1000's of emails per day. I do eyeball all the emails in the delete folder before I purge them but sometimes I miss one. I have this email issue posted on the site and ask that people email me again if I don't reply within 48 hours.

Both Greg and I take this sort of complaint very personally. We are deeply sorry if we've caused any angst to anyone. We treat everyone fairly and honestly and can only hope that others treat us with that same respect. When running a business you cannot make everyone happy; that's just a fact of life. We offer a full refund to anyone who is unhappy with the products they receive for any reason.

To Stacey - I am sorry that you found me unresponsive as that was never my intent. Please feel free to call me at 207-223-0070 to discuss any open issues you may have. I would be more than happy to help resolve whatever they may be. I have not found a source for your soap dish yet.

Respectfully,

Nancy Tang
Glass Orchids
UGotGlass
GlassOrchid
Posts: 57
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2003 9:35 pm
Location: Maine
Contact:

Unresponsive

Post by GlassOrchid »

Hello all:

I forgot one thing. I wanted to thank all of you who have greeted us with warmth and support. I've received several phone calls and emails from online friends and customers and wanted to show our heartfelt gratitude for that caring and support.


well ....Two things....

.... in Stacey's defense it was probably me who really did say "did you email me?" and "didn't I reply" ... as I said.... I get 1000's of emails a day (many offering to help me lose weight or increase the size of one body part or another...), I can't remember all of them and I assume that if you do email me, I respond right away because that is my normal practice.... so I'm surprised when I hear that I did not. Until I take the time to research a particular inquiry I can't tell what happened. When you call I am in the middle of at least 5 things BUT I'm happy to talk, share info, answer questions etc... I stop what I'm doing and bring my full attention to our conversation, I don't rush you but it might just take me a minute to place your name and bring my entire focus to bear on our conversation and any history we may have shared. Sometimes this makes me seem like a ditz .... but I'm sure a lot of you understand exactly what I'm saying because too many of us these days are dancing as fast as we can.....

I'll go now.....

Nancy
dee
Posts: 302
Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2003 5:20 pm
Location: Atlanta GA
Contact:

Re: Unresponsive

Post by dee »

GlassOrchid wrote:I am very surprised by Stacey's comment since I spent quite awhile on the phone with her last week looking up in my distributor catalogs to see if I could find a soap dish mold she was looking for. Even though we don't carry this item normally I told her I would research it and see if I could find one for her. The last email I have from Stacey is from 3/29 in which she asked if I carried a soap dish mold. Honestly I did not respond to that email as I was away at a wholesale show. March and April are very busy months for us due to the only 2 wholesale shows we do per year (where I sell my jewelry). Emails which come in that ask for advice, instructions etc... are answered as fast as I can but do take a back seat to those of customers with orders or order issues etc.....

Stacey has ordered twice from us and both orders were processed quickly and correctly. Both came from eBay. Normally I would not discuss this but feel that it is alright since I am defending myself.

We at UGotGlass? are not perfect, we do make mistakes, but we care very deeply about our customers, our business and our reputation. As soon as we are made aware of a problem we fix it. My husband Greg has taken over the business management and workflow and put many business processes in place over the last 6 months. We work everyday to make our business and our customer service better.

We are not a large company. We run UGotGlass.com and GlassOrchids.com (along with a few other smaller sites). At UGotGlass we sell fusing and pmc supplies and offer free how to articles etc... at GlassOrchids we sell my own glass work. In addition I teach both fusing dichro and using PMC. We ARE extremely busy but we make every attempt to respond to emails within 24 hours. I am the email queen. However, sometimes our spam filters do delete emails which are good. This is just an unfortunate result of the disqusting spam ridden society we live in. I cannot function without spam filters as I get 1000's of emails per day. I do eyeball all the emails in the delete folder before I purge them but sometimes I miss one. I have this email issue posted on the site and ask that people email me again if I don't reply within 48 hours.

Both Greg and I take this sort of complaint very personally. We are deeply sorry if we've caused any angst to anyone. We treat everyone fairly and honestly and can only hope that others treat us with that same respect. When running a business you cannot make everyone happy; that's just a fact of life. We offer a full refund to anyone who is unhappy with the products they receive for any reason.

To Stacey - I am sorry that you found me unresponsive as that was never my intent. Please feel free to call me at 207-223-0070 to discuss any open issues you may have. I would be more than happy to help resolve whatever they may be. I have not found a source for your soap dish yet.

Respectfully,

Nancy Tang
Glass Orchids
UGotGlass
as a fellow warm glassie supporting herself and wearing many hats as well as a periodic customer of nancy tang, i have to say for a 2 person company they do extremely well keeping up with it all and because there was a miscommunication with a recent order i placed with nancy, she even sent me a piece of glass in a color she knows i love as an apology and unexpected surprise. she's one of my favorite companies to deal with. as are several other board sponsors.
D
Dee Janssen
Unicorn's Creations Studio
http://ucjewelry.com
dee@ucjewelry.com
StaceyG
Posts: 40
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2004 8:17 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Post by StaceyG »

I want to thank Nancy for her heart felt reply, even though I still have yet to hear back from her after our talk about the mold. After contacting a vendor three times and not hearing back, you begin to wonder, though. Perhaps I just caught her and the other vendor on a bad day. That happens.

That said, I still feel it is important to keep each other apprised of these types of situations. Even though this seems to be two isolated instances, you never know. Could have been the beginning of a pattern.

I don't have any place around me where I can buy molds, so I am still moldless, and I almost have no other course of action than to give these vendors another shot! :-) I know I probably look like the bad guy to some of you for voicing my situation, but I can't do anything about that. If things turned out the other way and I forewarned you of a terrible pattern that was beginning, I'd be thanked for it.

Thanks
GlassOrchid
Posts: 57
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2003 9:35 pm
Location: Maine
Contact:

Unresponsive sponsors - To Stacey

Post by GlassOrchid »

Stacey:

In my first reply (above) to this thread I wrote:

"To Stacey - I am sorry that you found me unresponsive as that was never my intent. Please feel free to call me at 207-223-0070 to discuss any open issues you may have. I would be more than happy to help resolve whatever they may be. I have not found a source for your soap dish yet. "

I considered that a response to your post as well as to your inquiry, so, once again, am surprised to see you say I have not responded. Further, you sent me a private message on this board today and I responded today. I feel that I am being about as responsive as I can be under the circumstances.

On Friday I stopped what I was doing and looked through the catalogs of 2 of my biggest distributors for the mold you wanted. I spent at least 10 or 15 minutes on the phone with you trying to help. I told you I would research it further over the weekend and contact you early this week but you posted on the board on Monday, not even giving me the chance to get to you. I don't sell this mold, I was researching it for you as a courtesy.

As I said in my private post, you must have misunderstood or misheard me when I said I would call you back. You called me late on Friday afternoon I believe and posted here on Monday. That didn't give me much time to help you.

I too believe it is important to share information about companies that may not treat customers properly BUT we should also take care in how we go about it and we should take care to be sure we have taken every possible step to remedy the situation before posting a negative public statement. Unthinkingly and/or unjustly we may damage someone's reputation, business and livelihood. Once we hit that submit button the damage cannot be undone. The internet makes it easy to lose our sense of humanity and express ourselves with more abandon than we would if we sat face to face with the other party.

Words said in anger may fade in the memory of the hearer but words printed in a public forum live forever. With that power comes responsibility.

Respectfully,
Nancy Tang

UGotGlass?
Glass Orchids
Dani
Posts: 493
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 3:17 pm
Contact:

Post by Dani »

I don't have any place around me where I can buy molds, so I am still moldless, and I almost have no other course of action than to give these vendors another shot! :-) I know I probably look like the bad guy to some of you for voicing my situation, but I can't do anything about that. If things turned out the other way and I forewarned you of a terrible pattern that was beginning, I'd be thanked for it.

Thanks[/quote]

Can you order molds from the Bullseye Resource Center? They have a marvelous selection of excellent molds just for fusing and equally good service.
Lori Love
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Aug 16, 2003 10:26 pm
Location: Kensington, MD

Post by Lori Love »

Stacey:

The suggestion about ordering molds directly from Bullseye is a good one [but I don't reccall them having a soap dish mold], as well as checking with other Warm Glass sponsors.

Where in Maryland are you located? I ask as a number of the glass studios in the metropolitan DC area, particularly those that offer fusing classes, stock molds and other fusing supplies. If you would like names and contact information, please let me know.

lori
lori
Valerie
Posts: 42
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 7:01 pm
Location: Kentwood Michigan

Lots of options

Post by Valerie »

You have alot of options...if you choose to look for them.

Crest Molds
http://www.crestmolds.com/glassaggers.html

Alpine Glass
http://www.alpineglass.com/shop/category.php/id/457/

Delphi Glass
http://www.delphiglass.com/index.cfm?pa ... ewcat=1723
charlie
Posts: 961
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 3:08 pm

Post by charlie »

you could make your own, or buy a ceramic piece that you like in a home store, and sandblast off the glaze.
Barbara Muth
Posts: 382
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 8:10 pm
Location: Washington DC Metropolitan Area
Contact:

Post by Barbara Muth »

Lori Love wrote:Stacey:

The suggestion about ordering molds directly from Bullseye is a good one [but I don't reccall them having a soap dish mold], as well as checking with other Warm Glass sponsors.

Where in Maryland are you located? I ask as a number of the glass studios in the metropolitan DC area, particularly those that offer fusing classes, stock molds and other fusing supplies. If you would like names and contact information, please let me know.

lori
I may be creating memories here (sometimes I do that) But I think I saw a soap dish mold last time I was at Vitrum Studios in Maryland (Beltsville).

Barbara
Barbara
Check out the glass manufacturer's recommended firing schedules...
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