This day and age, emails are just as legitimate. Many of the dealers in Canada today exist because of online orders. If you're going to run an online service, you should respond to emails just as you would respond to a telephone call.
Thumbs down to Marstar
- Thread starter IMR4320
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This day and age, emails are just as legitimate. Many of the dealers in Canada today exist because of online orders. If you're going to run an online service, you should respond to emails just as you would respond to a telephone call.
wildernessguy
Regular
- Location
- Friendly Manitoba
Well I'm not sure which is more irritating....
I have posted a few questions on here in the past year or so that never received a reply. I suppose he didn't like the questions, as he replied to other member's questons before and after mine. Where's the love man? Lol. Perhaps I'll hear back by the end of 2012. On the other hand, it seems when John does reply it's usually rude and/or offensive so perhaps it's better I didn't receieve a reply.
Either way though, I'll never shop at MARSTAR. Many other CGN dealers still appreciate the business.
I have posted a few questions on here in the past year or so that never received a reply. I suppose he didn't like the questions, as he replied to other member's questons before and after mine. Where's the love man? Lol. Perhaps I'll hear back by the end of 2012. On the other hand, it seems when John does reply it's usually rude and/or offensive so perhaps it's better I didn't receieve a reply.
Either way though, I'll never shop at MARSTAR. Many other CGN dealers still appreciate the business.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
I agree. Dealers should prefer to answer emails as opposed to phone calls. I know from personal experience that a lot of nonsensical information and chatter is exchanged during phone calls taking up valuable time. Emails tend to focus on only important/relevant questions and can be answered when convenient.
9,5% is only for PST we have to add the GST too . That bring the total to almost 15% ( 14.975 )
Soon , we will have to deal with the HST as Ottawa and Quebec came to an agreement.
No way to evade taxes while buying from western provinces.
Sales will be going down there
Soon , we will have to deal with the HST as Ottawa and Quebec came to an agreement.
No way to evade taxes while buying from western provinces.
Sales will be going down there
- Location
- Okanagan, BC
I often wondered if the people who do not like to use email and would rather you phone them are the ones that after the deal has gone sour can then deny that they ever said things. Most people are smart enough to keep all there emails until after the deal has been completed. When you have it in writing there is no denying you said it. Just a thought.
Graydog
Graydog
Ronin0508
New member
Wow...well then maybe one of your busy 10 employees should update your website then as there sure are alot of things out of stock alot of the time based on how it looks now...after that sort of response to a pretty harmless post I will definately not be doing any business with MARSTAR... the phrase arrogant jerk springs to mind...
WATERWHEEL;
"I sure as sugar know a lot more about both business on the internet and customer service than you do"
Excellent, I would be pleased to hire you as a consultant, on the other hand we offer still stands, why not simply by me out ?
"I don't publicly flame the community I make my living from, that's for sure."
I beg to differ, I do not publicly flame anyone, I simply reply when and where the question was posted....
"What you should've done was sent a private message to the people with problems asking for specifics and assuring them you were going to deal with the issues personally. "
Perhaps you have not noticed, I have requested time and time again, people can contact me via personal e mail, however if one chooses to post their questions and/or comments on CGN I don't have a choice but to reply here....
" Is that level of perfection beyond you? It's not beyond me - I was doing it in the late 90's."
Once again, I am offering to pay you as a consultant to implement such a service here at Marstar....I am serious....
"All someone has to do is offer better service. Apparently impossible in this industry. "
It is strange that you see it that way, when we started here in Canada in 1984 not one company offered a no BS warranty policy, we started it, our customer service became part of our reputation.... There are not many companies in the trade that have been around for 28 years....
Not to say that there are not others in this business who offer excellent service, there are.
John
"I sure as sugar know a lot more about both business on the internet and customer service than you do"
Excellent, I would be pleased to hire you as a consultant, on the other hand we offer still stands, why not simply by me out ?
"I don't publicly flame the community I make my living from, that's for sure."
I beg to differ, I do not publicly flame anyone, I simply reply when and where the question was posted....
"What you should've done was sent a private message to the people with problems asking for specifics and assuring them you were going to deal with the issues personally. "
Perhaps you have not noticed, I have requested time and time again, people can contact me via personal e mail, however if one chooses to post their questions and/or comments on CGN I don't have a choice but to reply here....
" Is that level of perfection beyond you? It's not beyond me - I was doing it in the late 90's."
Once again, I am offering to pay you as a consultant to implement such a service here at Marstar....I am serious....
"All someone has to do is offer better service. Apparently impossible in this industry. "
It is strange that you see it that way, when we started here in Canada in 1984 not one company offered a no BS warranty policy, we started it, our customer service became part of our reputation.... There are not many companies in the trade that have been around for 28 years....
Not to say that there are not others in this business who offer excellent service, there are.
John
BIGFOOTER;
"If the slight overbilling had occurred on a widespread basis, it would, indeed, be a "serious overcharge" (and this happened in a department I once worked in -- skimming by an unscrupulous employee adds up if done often enough, say, with 20,000 mostly happy customers)."
First off, thank you for getting back to me, this exchange is a prime example of why I reply here when the matter starts here.... It also shows how an issue can be resolved when both parties want it resolved....
I would add that although the error was minor it could have been a hint of something bigger, however the chance of such an issue getting out of hand would be minimal indeed, we have serious controls and audits in place.... We hope that our very well compensated employees are more trustworthy than that.... In the 28 years of our operation in Canada we have NEVER experienced any fraud or theft.... At least not from employees.
Once again thank for taking the time to reply,
John
"If the slight overbilling had occurred on a widespread basis, it would, indeed, be a "serious overcharge" (and this happened in a department I once worked in -- skimming by an unscrupulous employee adds up if done often enough, say, with 20,000 mostly happy customers)."
First off, thank you for getting back to me, this exchange is a prime example of why I reply here when the matter starts here.... It also shows how an issue can be resolved when both parties want it resolved....
I would add that although the error was minor it could have been a hint of something bigger, however the chance of such an issue getting out of hand would be minimal indeed, we have serious controls and audits in place.... We hope that our very well compensated employees are more trustworthy than that.... In the 28 years of our operation in Canada we have NEVER experienced any fraud or theft.... At least not from employees.
Once again thank for taking the time to reply,
John
MARLIN444;
"What happens when you request a full quote and recieve it, including shipping. And when you recieve your item and invoice the shipping is 100$ more"
Once again, I would be pleased to research your issue, BUT I really need your name and/or order number....
John
"What happens when you request a full quote and recieve it, including shipping. And when you recieve your item and invoice the shipping is 100$ more"
Once again, I would be pleased to research your issue, BUT I really need your name and/or order number....
John
JERICHO;
As you will note, I make every effort to assist a customer with an issue, however when they refuse to provide any details, even basic ones like who they are, what is the order number....
People seem to think we have committed to memory all details of their file, who they are, where they live, what they bought, how it was shipped, and lets not forget their pen name on CGN....
When people, like yourself, ask for a reasonable reply, it is forthcoming.
John
As you will note, I make every effort to assist a customer with an issue, however when they refuse to provide any details, even basic ones like who they are, what is the order number....
People seem to think we have committed to memory all details of their file, who they are, where they live, what they bought, how it was shipped, and lets not forget their pen name on CGN....
When people, like yourself, ask for a reasonable reply, it is forthcoming.
John
Glockenshpiel
Regular
John,
When Marstar advertized those MG-34 barrels as 'New excellent condition' and I bought several of them, only to receive used barrels with pipe wrench marks all over them, pitted muzzles and reblued, I made a resolution to never deal with you again. Just saying.
When Marstar advertized those MG-34 barrels as 'New excellent condition' and I bought several of them, only to receive used barrels with pipe wrench marks all over them, pitted muzzles and reblued, I made a resolution to never deal with you again. Just saying.
Sure, but smart people realize that picking up a phone when other avenues aren't happening is a natural progression to an intelligent resolution. Something about the definition of insanity is doing the exact same thing over, and over again, and expecting a different result.
waterwheel
Regular
- Location
- Location Location
Our problem is that your industry doesn't make enough money to make it worthwhile for either of us for you to hire me. I rarely consult, and when I do it's for fortune 500 level companies, not small businesses like yourself.
However I'll give you some advice for free. Your business will be better off if you simply turn off the computer and walk away from this thread. Throw the shovel away and quit digging. There you go, that's the best advice you'll get, for any price.
waterwheel
Regular
- Location
- Location Location
No, smart people move on to another retailer for their purchases, and leave threads like this as warnings to other potential clients.
Smart businesses realize that you don't force your customers into your preferred way of doing business, That level of common sense seems to be missing in this gun industry, My clients are welcome to contact me by toll free or email, and I respond to both in detail. Some like to call me to get a direct answer. Some like to email at 10pm at night. While the service preferences differ between these two groups of clients I've found one similiarity - their money spends the same when they buy from me.
My first online business back in the late 90's was in response to crappy service from a bunch of retailers. Nothing more, nothing less. I simply provided better service and in a year I owned I figure 90%+ of the business in my niche in Canada. I kicked the large retailers back to the U.S. and the other Canadian retailers, don't know what happened to them. Then I opened a location in the U.S. and before I'd made even four figures in sales the American retailers woke up and bought me out. Products were identical, I competed on price, but mostly on service. People were sick of years of crappy service and no alternatives. I offered them an alternative, and they ran, not walked, to my website. Here's an example - timeframe was always an issue for the product. Courier closed at 8:30pm locally. When I got an order at 6pm, I packed the order, ran to the courier, and they got their package at 8am the next day. I once got an order locally first thing in the morning. I packed the order up, drove 20 minutes and rang their doorbell before noon.
Same thing with inventory. Everyone out of stock all the time. If the product existed, I had it in stock. Once I had to buy a product from my competitor in the state and have it delivered to a US address, then I drove to the U.S same day, picked it up, and sent it to my client. I moved heck and high water to make sure I had inventory, up to and including routinely importing products from the U.S. on a routine/weekly basis. In the gun industry, I dunno why but even basic stuff like 22 ammo is out of stock all over the place all the time.
There's a niche to be filled. I'm not the guy to do it since I know squat about guns and ammo - but one of these days some keener with an interest is going to see the same thing that I do, and tear this industry a new hole. They'll have inventory, strong prices and outstanding customer service, and then everyone will talk, and everyone will order from them.
I still have yet to gain a comfort level with buying from online sources. I have noticed that a lot of niche products (across all online retailers) are out of stock. I would think this is due to manufacturers, and import delays...not to mention all the paperwork required by the governing bodies. That said, the retailers still want to let us know that they 'can get it for us...' it just might require a little bit of patience from the buying community.
I believe anyone with a vision to 'tear this industry a new hole' would encounter the same challenges.
Like I said, I haven't bought much online...but I think those that provide this service don't do it entirely for the $$$...from what I gather they are also hobbyists and get excited about deals, new products etc in the same way we (the buyers do) and like to pass these along to the shooting community. Sometimes pastures aren't so green, and processes need to be refined, I say cut them some slack.
While I thank you for the non-rude reply, these aren't the issues brought forth here. It is the customer service or lack thereof. Fairly large companies tend to not give a hoot about the little guy. Eventually, it catches up to them.
waterwheel
Regular
- Location
- Location Location
Yes, "People" do seem to think that.
I handle dozens of calls every day and 'People' still call me and expect me to remember our last conversation from 5 years ago. I don't respond 'how do you expect me to recall that?'. I'd frankly be embarrassed to say that. And it's not how I treat customers that I'm looking to have send me money. So instead I paid thousands to have a database customized that tracks all our clients so that when once of them calls I 'remember' everything about their last phone call, including who they are, what they ordered and where they live. When they call, it's like old times because I'm looking at all details of our last conversation. That's what I was prepared to do. Thankfully, my competitors aren't apparently prepared to do that.
And they seem to like that better than if I mocked them about how I'm expected to remember someone's name when the only positive attribute about them is that they send me their money.
Anyway, I think I've overcontributed to this thread so I'll leave it at that.
- Location
- Okanagan, BC
Again well said waterwheel
157 posts and almost 13 thousand views,great advertiseing Marstar you have done well.
Graydog
- Location
- BC
i bought the 75 dollar sks from marstar. everything was processed and shipped in good time. only issue was paying about 125 dollars for shipping. turned out to be $ 20 more than buying the same stuff locally. no big deal i think of it as a learning experience.
id buy stuff from marstar again for sure. if that stuff couldnt be found anywhere else since shipping seems a bit expensive. it makes sense though since i live in bc which is really far away.
my experience was a good one
id buy stuff from marstar again for sure. if that stuff couldnt be found anywhere else since shipping seems a bit expensive. it makes sense though since i live in bc which is really far away.
my experience was a good one
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