M-14b

[=(M-1)=]

Update:

...we e mail all those who sent us a note....

A "note??" Well, I believe I did just that, twice. And all I've gotten in return is two unhelpfull replys.

...By establishing a clear cut pre order system you place your order we assign it a number it will be filled as soon as the goods arrive....

"Clear cut pre-order system?" its anything but that from my expirence, Clearly there is some sort of protocol that you failed to mention or I'm just soppose to understand.

I hope this is clear
John

No, actually its quite far from ”clear" obviously. I have now sent two so called Pre-orders "notes" (as notes are all you requested in your post.)And sent them to 2 separate addresses and received 2 unhelpfull remarks in return. And no helpful link to this mysterious E-mail address that you can "apparently" place pre-orders from.

You guys are Terrable! This is some of the worst servise Ive gotten in a long time. I think I'll have to take my busness else where. Ive been trying to phone, but cant get through, been trying to E-mail without result. this is takeing to much of my time and is only ending in frustration.

 

[LeeEnfieldNo.4_mk1]

"You e-mail all those who send us a note", yeah E-mail them a smart ass remark. Because I have sent you 2 "Notes" and that’s all I've gotten.


"CLEAR CUT PRE-ORDER SYSTEM??" that a guys got to go fishing for an E-mail address, and no explanation of protocol that I am clearly missing.


No, actually its quite far from ”clear" obviously. I have now sent two so called Pre-orders "notes" (as notes are all you requested in your post.)And sent them to 2 separate addresses and received 2 smart ass remarks in return. And no helpful link to this mysterious E-mail address that you can "apparently" place pre-orders, without getting smart ass remarks back.

Learn customer service. I now see why that guy who wanted to do the review of the AIA M-10 Enfield rifle got so frustrated with you and gave up on the whole project, canceling the review and his order.

You guys are terrible! this is the worst servise Ive gotten in a long time. I think I'll be taking my busness to Canada ammo, or Wolverine supplys for my M-305 rifle, and accessorys. and Nugun whole sale for my Sage interantional EBR mod "0" stock.
thats well over a grand worth of my busness that you wont be getting. and a hell of a lot more than that in future busness as well.

Um, have you tried THIS page?
http://www.marstar.ca/main/contact-info.shtm
You know, with all his contact info on it, including an order e-mail which for some reason has ORDERS in the address and is the first one listed?

 

[=(M-1)=]

Um, have you tried THIS page?
http://www.marstar.ca/main/contact-info.shtm
You know, with all his contact info on it, including an order e-mail which for some reason has ORDERS in the address and is the first one listed?

Yes I have, to that exact E-mail address. and to no avail.

it doesnt matter, I've got a pre order through Canada ammo. their stock is arriving next week.
So whatever, no big deal.

 

[nntw]

Update:
A "note??" Well, I believe I did just that, twice. And all I've gotten in return is two unhelpfull replys.


"Clear cut pre-order system?" its anything but that from my expirence, Clearly there is some sort of protocol that you failed to mention or I'm just soppose to understand.


No, actually its quite far from ”clear" obviously. I have now sent two so called Pre-orders "notes" (as notes are all you requested in your post.)And sent them to 2 separate addresses and received 2 unhelpfull remarks in return. And no helpful link to this mysterious E-mail address that you can "apparently" place pre-orders from.

You guys are Terrable! This is some of the worst servise Ive gotten in a long time. I think I'll have to take my busness else where. Ive been trying to phone, but cant get through, been trying to E-mail without result. this is takeing to much of my time and is only ending in frustration.

Y'know, I wasn't very impressed with Marstar not sending my piddly order of Breakfree until I phoned a week later to find out where it was.

Nor am I impressed that they have no idea when their suppliers are going to send them magazines. Let's be fair- it was clarified to sometime this summer- I did get a tentative date

But to give them credit, I have been able to get through on the phone, and have heard back by email... even if I haven't liked the answers I've got.

 

[johnone]

=(M1)=;
Well now lets take a moment to review the facts here....

"Got a un-helpful reply from Marstar," Would you kind enough to either post that reply here or e mail it to me.... I would like to act upon it....

"I just dont see why he could not add an informative link to the proper address, rather than a smart ass remark."
We have simply requested that folks sent in a pre order.... They can call toll free or e mail our order form to any of our addresses, OR fax it to us, they all work....
As for the smart ass reply perhaps you would be kind enough to share it with us, such conduct is NOT tolerated here....

Looking forward to your replies
John

 

[nntw]

Sorry John... I get the feeling that keeping tabs on this forum must be almost a full time job in itself!

 

[johnone]

=(M1)=;
"A "note??" Well, I believe I did just that, twice. And all I've gotten in return is two unhelpfull replys."
May we please see these two notes ??


""Clear cut pre-order system?" its anything but that from my expirence, Clearly there is some sort of protocol that you failed to mention or I'm just soppose to understand"
If you do not understand something why not contact us, we did try to keep things simple, hundreds of our customers have ordered without a problem or a question.... ASK and we will address your concerns....

"And no helpful link to this mysterious E-mail address that you can "apparently" place pre-orders from."
Sir, hundreds of folks have understood what a pre-order is, we do have an order form on our site, we also offer a toll free number that our customers can use.... What more can we do ?? I hope people understand that we cannot put firearms aside when we receive an e mail that simply says, I want a pre-order and sign their pen name from CGN that is why we asked for pre-orders....

"You guys are Terrable! This is some of the worst servise Ive gotten in a long time. "
We fully realize that we cannot satisfy all the people all the time, we do try. If you could not figure out how to fill out our form, nor could you determine how to send it, then WHY did you not simply call ??

"it doesnt matter, I've got a pre order through Canada ammo. their stock is arriving next week. "
That is the benefit of living in a free market system, YOU have the choice to shop at whatever supplier you may select.

John

 

[johnone]

NNTW;
"Nor am I impressed that they have no idea when their suppliers are going to send them magazines"
What would you prefer we say ?? Tell you a story ?? Maybe a few creative lies ??
We tell it like it is....
In many cases we order our mag requirements a year in advance so the factory will fit it into their production schedules, they don't make all models all the time..... we have to live with it....
Perhaps you can offer some alternatives ??

John

 

[nntw]

John:

Why is the onus on ME to tell you how to run your business? I'm the customer. I just want to be able to purchase product. Is that asking too much? I get frustrated when it's advertised yet not available for extended periods. Is that so hard to understand?

What would I suggest you do? Do you review customer demand and project what quantities you will need, and base your inventories and orders accordingly, to ensure that demand can be met? Do you have min quantities at which point buy orders are automatically re-sent? Do you have access to other wholesalers or manufacturers that may be able to address short-term shortages while you're waiting for your regular suppliers?

This, of course, is the part where you tell me that I don't know anything about the business, and of course, you're right. I'm not asking you for a car part that's immobilized me, or something for an air conditioner on hot summer's day. I'm asking you for a component for a toy, an indulgence, that let's face it, I can live without.

My life's not going to end because I can't buy a magazine from you today. I know that. If I want it NOW I'll shop around and buy one from someone who does have it in stock.

But gosh, I would think it would frustrate a business to have to turn customers away, and run the risk of alienating them.

 

[Undergiver]

John I hope none of the stupid comments on here will discourage any future pre-orders.

 

[johnone]

NNTW;
OK my friend, take a deep breath, relax, no need to get upset or frustrated....

In the vast majority of cases we buy directly from producers, that is how we keep the low prices our customers expect.

I think you may have overlooked one small point, in most cases there is only one producer, so if we are low and they are not due to produce an item for us until the end of the year.... they could not care less....

On the other hand if our prices were as high as most others who purchase from wholesalers who in turn buy from the importer who is the factory buyer.... In this scenario you can always find product someplace in the supply chain....
John

 

[=(M-1)=]

=(M1)=;
Well now lets take a moment to review the facts here....

"Got a un-helpful reply from Marstar," Would you kind enough to either post that reply here or e mail it to me.... I would like to act upon it....

"I just dont see why he could not add an informative link to the proper address, rather than a smart ass remark."
We have simply requested that folks sent in a pre order.... They can call toll free or e mail our order form to any of our addresses, OR fax it to us, they all work....
As for the smart ass reply perhaps you would be kind enough to share it with us, such conduct is NOT tolerated here....

Looking forward to your replies
John

The first E-mail was sent john@marstar.ca
-My name ******** and I would like to pre order a Norinco M-14. My E-mail address is: ************

the response was something like. "then do it." though those may not be the exact words as I recall, but no less unhelpful.

the second was sent to orders@marster.ca
-I would like to state my intentions to pre-order an Norinco M-14/M-304b rifle.
My E-mail address is:*******

the response was: "Then please place your preorder"

As you can probably see in my "notes" I must be missing something. and its probably no secret to anyone who views them. Which tends to make me think the unhelpful responses to them were deliberately unhelpful. If I see someone has the wrong idea, I help them get the right one. I do this in my job quite often.
When someone cannot assist because they are busy, then they can simply wait until they are not busy. Its not like they had me on hold on the phone, it was an E-mail. they could respond at their leisure. This is what I found frustrating, the fact it would have taken 30 seconds to type out a message that would have re directed me to the correct coarse of action, days ago.
As for the phone, every time I get a moment to call it was busy. I tried the local line several times and it just rang. This is clearly not a problem for me, that’s just life. but the E-mails could have shown better service.


I apologize for my negative reaction to this, but it can be a bit frustrating when I keep running into walls just trying to place a pre order. and getting no help from that end.
This mater ended up being resolved by going to Canada Ammo. I've had good dealings with them in the past. As for the staff of Marstar I hope they can take something from this, to better help redirect customers in the future. I expect I wll be placeing orders for other firearms as they becaome available through Marstar in the future.
Thanks for you concern.

 

[dharmaeye]

...

 

[lone-wolf]

The first E-mail was sent john@marstar.ca
-My name ******** and I would like to pre order a Norinco M-14. My E-mail address is: ************

How to order.
http://www.marstar.ca/main/order-form.shtm
"Our order form can also be edited using any text editor or word processor and sent to us via email or printed out and sent via fax or postal mail."

No good now, could help in the future.
I called marstar to preorder, I found that way quick and it left me without doubt that they received my order.

 

[=(M-1)=]

How to order.
http://www.marstar.ca/main/order-form.shtm
"Our order form can also be edited using any text editor or word processor and sent to us via email or printed out and sent via fax or postal mail."

No good now, could help in the future.
I called marstar to preorder, I found that way quick and it left me without doubt that they received my order.

I wish someone had told me that sooner, I had no idea an order form was needed, I thought that formallity would be worked out when they arrived.
Well now i know, and knowing is half the battle=GI*JOE=

 

[nntw]

NNTW;
OK my friend, take a deep breath, relax, no need to get upset or frustrated....

In the vast majority of cases we buy directly from producers, that is how we keep the low prices our customers expect.

I think you may have overlooked one small point, in most cases there is only one producer, so if we are low and they are not due to produce an item for us until the end of the year.... they could not care less....

On the other hand if our prices were as high as most others who purchase from wholesalers who in turn buy from the importer who is the factory buyer.... In this scenario you can always find product someplace in the supply chain....
John

John:

Don't worry- I'm not getting p*ssed off. You asked- "what should I do?" - and I was trying to offer a few constructive suggestions.

After I sent my initial email, I did a bit more thinking, regarding your inventory issue. I'm guessing small parts (including magazines) are not really a core part of your business.

Still, I'm hoping you've done some tradeoff studies when calculating your stock levels. There's certainly a cost of carrying inventory, so you don't want to have too much stock. That being said, you don't want to miss out on opportunities. You've kind of dismissed the idea of buying from other suppliers if you run out; but that would give you a way of dealing with unexpected spikes in customer demand, and satisfying their needs, without burdening yourself with too much inventory on the one hand, or disappointing potential customers on the other.

It might even avoid interchanges like this- but maybe that's part of the fun!

On a more serious note, speaking more generally I am curious how much analysis you've done on your business- parts vs ammo vs equipment etc- and if you've evaluated where your best returns are, and what your optimum product mix should be, ie, how you should focus your efforts.

If not....York University's MBA program has, as part of its 2nd year requirement, the completion of a group project, informally known as the 601 after its original course catalog #. For businesses looking for a free consultant's report, vetted by the business school's faculty, it's a godsend. The school's always looking for organizations willing to let its students analyze them. It's mutually beneficial, for the organization, which gets a fresh perspective into its operations, and for the students, who gain real life experiece. Info's available through yorku.ca, as I recall.

Or, if you're just looking for one MBA grad who's looking for a new job, send me a PM!

 

[sirren]

I wish someone had told me that sooner, I had no idea an order form was needed, I thought that formallity would be worked out when they arrived.
Well now i know, and knowing is half the battle=GI*JOE=

So you blame them because you couldn't take a few moments to either figure it out yourself or ask what you need to do to pre order one? Do you really think here is my name and email is good enough to pre order anything? Seriously it took me like 5 min using dialup to figure out what was needed. Having said that the email responses could of said fill out the form and send it to us or call us.

 

[sirren]

John:

Still, I'm hoping you've done some tradeoff studies when calculating your stock levels. There's certainly a cost of carrying inventory, so you don't want to have too much stock. That being said, you don't want to miss out on opportunities. You've kind of dismissed the idea of buying from other suppliers if you run out; but that would give you a way of dealing with unexpected spikes in customer demand, and satisfying their needs, without burdening yourself with too much inventory on the one hand, or disappointing potential customers on the other.




So what would someone say if they saw that the price last week was $X but this week was $y cause Marstar ran out and now need to pay 20% more to a middle man for the same product.

 

[=(M-1)=]

So you blame them because you couldn't take a few moments to either figure it out yourself or ask what you need to do to pre order one? Do you really think here is my name and email is good enough to pre order anything? Seriously it took me like 5 min using dialup to figure out what was needed. Having said that the email responses could of said fill out the form and send it to us or call us.

Yes it is entirly possable to do an very basic E-mail preorder set up, just because its simple doesnt mean it wouldnt work. They said that upon the arrival of the rifles that they would contact you to conferm your place in line, that is when they COULD HAVE taken proper documentation. and being as they only ask for a "Note" that is how I assumed it would work. After all It was not specified that you had to fill out a form. Read the opening post, it says nothing to that point, read the web sight, it doesn’t either. I just did as it instructed when when no other specifications were stated. technically I was the only one to follow the instructions exactly it seems.
But whatever, its sorted out now. I know for next time.

 

[nntw]

John:

Still, I'm hoping you've done some tradeoff studies when calculating your stock levels. There's certainly a cost of carrying inventory, so you don't want to have too much stock. That being said, you don't want to miss out on opportunities. You've kind of dismissed the idea of buying from other suppliers if you run out; but that would give you a way of dealing with unexpected spikes in customer demand, and satisfying their needs, without burdening yourself with too much inventory on the one hand, or disappointing potential customers on the other.




So what would someone say if they saw that the price last week was $X but this week was $y cause Marstar ran out and now need to pay 20% more to a middle man for the same product.

There are a few possibilities here. It depends on what's important to Marstar as a business and, for that matter, how loyal Marstar customers are. Does Marstar want to ensure it retains customers and market share? Then maybe it eats the wholesale increase and doesn't make as much profit on a few items, viewing it as a short term issue to meet long term objectives. Does Marstar advertise it as a different manufacturer (from supplier Y, instead of supplier Z), so that people understand WHY there's a difference?
And if Marstar's got the customer loyalty, people may well pay the 20% extra you theorize, because Marstar service, etc, is worth it to them.