Ebuyer, you've got to laugh

Yes, Mark, I agree, the less new orders they take, the quicker they may
clear the backlog. Hopefully!

Sympathies regarding your order. My outstanding items were due to
arrive tomorrow, but as yet they are still only showing as "allocated",
so I'm not really expecting to see them tomorrow either. And yes, I've
had a similar response to my e-note as well.

And Tim, you may well be right in practice. What are the reasons for
cheap, good and quick not being maintainable over the long term, would
you say? I must admit I haven't given the subject much thought until
now, this being the first time that I have had a problem with this type
with a retailer.

Phil wrote:
And Tim, you may well be right in practice. What are the reasons for
cheap, good and quick not being maintainable over the long term, would
you say?

Business economics, you have to make profits, so competing on price means
your more expensive competitors can afford better customer service, more
staff for picking / packing etc.

Ebuyer have always been about price - now the performance is suffering. Dabs
also. I still use them BUT if I need something next day I'll go to trade
disties (as they are better organised but charge more handling) or people
like Misco, PC world etc.


--
re-configure the solar matrix in parallel for endothermic propulsion

Thanks for your reply, Tim, you've certainly given me food for thought!

As for if I'll ever use eBuyer again, hmmm, at the moment I'd be
inclined to say an unequivocal "no", but certainly never for anything
that I want urgently, or that is too important. Much too much stress
involved, for a few quids' savings! (I should say that this order was
the first order I've ever placed with eBuyer, and was for the
components for an entire PC.)

Tim S Kemp wrote:
Phil wrote:

And Tim, you may well be right in practice. What are the reasons for
cheap, good and quick not being maintainable over the long term, would
you say?


Business economics, you have to make profits, so competing on price means
your more expensive competitors can afford better customer service, more
staff for picking / packing etc.

Ebuyer have always been about price - now the performance is suffering. Dabs
also. I still use them BUT if I need something next day I'll go to trade
disties (as they are better organised but charge more handling) or people
like Misco, PC world etc.


Have to say that within the last month eBuyer's normal indifferent
service has become a juckin foke.

I have a £500 printer still listed as 'pick in progress' since last Weds
when it was ordered for next day delivery.

Another printer on a separate order is listed likewise but has already
been delivered.

I sent back a low-cost item (approx £11) because the main part was
missing from the box and two days later a more expensive (about £60)
replacement arrived and I thought it was eBuyer being generous, but now
I have received an RMA note raising a credit and order for another £11
replacement. I am tempted to keep the more expensive one as compensation
for the extra carriage costs we've paid over the last month for next day
deliveries that have turned up days or (in one case) weeks later and the
returns we've made for incorrect goods.

It was nice of eBuyer to reinstate their telephone-based customer
service facility but it's a pity they could not afford a working queue
management module for their system - instead, you get a front end
message ('...calls may be recorded for training purposes..') and then
cut off. Sometime you might get a message about long delays...and then
cut off. Their Web site stats showing average queue time must be faked
or based on the ONE person who managed to get through by accident one
wet Sunday afternoon when the caretaker accidentally picked up a call
while getting an outside line to phone his bookie.

Business economics also dictate that if you want to be low cost, low
margin, high volume you have to be **damn** efficient - if they don't
get a handle on their problems they are going to suffer financially both
from lost customers and the amount of stock that's shipped incorrectly,
not tracked and that never comes back.

eBuyer - if you're reading this - GET IT SORTED OR LOSE MY BUSINESS.

ebuyer have a job getting picking/packing staff most of the descent
workers have worked there at some point over the past 16 months or so
and refuse to return ther prefering to be on the dole than working for
Malcolm Healey. I heard recently that most of the staff at their
eastrington warehouse speak other languages than english, as with most
of the other businesses in the howden area