Ordering something "in stock" that is backordered weeks

[aleatoric]

Its sucks. I ordered an acoustical product (I don't really want to publicly list the company's name) than was listed as "in stock". A week goes by and my order had still not shipped. I contacted the company and was told the product was on back-order. That was three weeks ago. I have now been quoted that they expect shipment to arrive to THEM late this week (which probably means early the week after next week!).

Basically I placed an order, was all geared up to receive it with 5-7 days and now I am looking at a total of a one and a half month wait time.

I advised them to list the product as on back-order looking out for the greater good of there customer base but the product is still listed as "in-stock".

I recently moved into a new room and was hoping to have all acoustical aspects square away very quickly and be able to get down to work.

It just sucks to spend $500 of hard earned money and have absolutely nothing to show for it for 50 days.

[Lute]

I empathise completely. They snag customers that way, knowing full well they won't have it in stock til somebody orders one (or more). I'm in the online retail business and it's common practice. I'm probably gonna lose my job as I tell the customer how long it will be til the item arrives. It's up to the customer if they wanna wait or not. No feckin way am I gonna tell lies for any business.
Make a mental note of the company and use someone else in future. Hope your stuff turns up soon

[T_R_S]

I find it suspect when a company charges my CC and does not ship the order. Any companies policy should be payment when item ships. Unless they are custom making and cutting panels to fit a custom installation. But if it's an off the shelf standard size item they should only charge when they ship.

[ElMosca]

Originally Posted by T_R_S

I find it suspect when a company charges my CC and does not ship the order. Any companies policy should be payment when item ships. Unless they are custom making and cutting panels to fit a custom installation. But if it's an off the shelf standard size item they should only charge when they ship.

I find it not only suspect, but downright infuriating. If a retailer states that something is "in stock," that means they have it in their warehouse and they'll fulfill your purchase from their inventory. Anything else is a lie.

However, things being what they are, most companies are short on credit in the US right now, so in order to fulfill an order that they don't have in their warehouse, they will probably have to pay cash to their suppliers up front.

Unfortunately, that means that (1) The retailer that you are ordering from is not extending you any credit, but instead, Visa/Master Card is providing the payment guarantee (on your dime), and (2) there is no difference between ordering from a retailer and finding the supplier yourself and buying direct using your CC as payment.

Bad news for music retailers, since there is very little value-add left for them, if all they do is order from the same catalog you could be ordering from.

Cheers,
++aldo

[aaeronn]

I hear ya - also ordered acoustic treatment from a company 3 months ago and I'm still waiting for part of the order to show up. None of it was listed as out of stock or backordered when the order was placed and my CC was charged immediately.

To their credit, they have been very apologetic and responsive to my emails, so I'm not really concerned. They also overnighted some hardware bits that were missing from the portion of the order I have already received without me doing anything except notifying them of the bits that I needed. It is a bit disappointing though.

Next time I'll call to confirm availability before placing the order.

[Makinithappen]

All too familiar....

Like someone else said, best to call before the order.

I've not been screwed with anything major (+100 bux) but Im a big vinyl collector and when you find a "first pressing" or something vary rare online... you have to call and make sure they actually have it or else they will charge your card and then tell you that they will ship it when they get a copy.... which pretty much means that they are online looking for it just like you are....

I have been through this same thing with B&H... as much as I like them, B&H pulls this all the time.

They also like the' xxxLE is on back order but we have the xxxPlatinum for only 350 more and we can get that out tomorrow.."

[aleatoric]

This order was in no way a custom job. The company specializes in fabric bags that go over 703 so you can make your own bass traps with out very much work.

They charged my card the day I placed the order.

Still waiting and waiting on shipment. Over three weeks and counting.

[Duardo]

there is no difference between ordering from a retailer and finding the supplier yourself and buying direct using your CC as payment.

Bad news for music retailers, since there is very little value-add left for them, if all they do is order from the same catalog you could be ordering from.

Except in most cases, you can't order from the same distributor that retailers order from...and the few manufacturers or distributors that do sell direct typically charge full retail for their products. If they didn't, why would retailers want to sell their products at all?

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by aaeronn

Next time I'll call to confirm availability before placing the order.

I always call to order things, and never buy through an online store for just this reason.

--Ethan

[ElMosca]

Originally Posted by Duardo

Except in most cases, you can't order from the same distributor that retailers order from...and the few manufacturers or distributors that do sell direct typically charge full retail for their products. If they didn't, why would retailers want to sell their products at all?

Yes, that's true for specialized product (like acoustic treatment, I hope), but increasingly less so for things like cables, music instruments and accessories. The small retailers often fulfill via Sweetwater because there's no quotas and the discounted price allows them a small markup. That's too bad, though, because in those cases, there no enticement for me to support the local retailer, except friendship. The music shop down my street simply cannot carry the Fender or Gibson brands, except for used instruments, or consignments because of (I'm told) "ridiculous quota requirements." So it looks like Fender and Gibson are already perfectly willing and happy to choke their channels if it serves to achieve their quarterly unit forecast.

In any case, do you not detect a pattern among the postings in this thread? I do, and it goes like this: (1) Retailer advertises product is "in stock". (2) Full order price is charged to a credit card, but the order is shipped incomplete, because several components are in "back order". (3) Apologies and comps, tempered by further partial shipments while the actual order is built at the factory. Does anybody else see this as a less-than-honest way of doing business? Either do away with labeling everything "in stock" or lease some warehouse space and take the risk like in the old days.

Cheers,
++aldo

[RBowlin]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

I always call to order things, and never buy through an online store for just this reason.

--Ethan

Me too. I love technology and the ability to do things across the net, but I've just found I have better luck when placing an order by phone. I usually ask enough questions to pretty much figure out what's going to happen.

I hope you recveive your order soon. What a pain.

-Rich

[aleatoric]

Just got a response email saying it could be another week or more!

Every week I get the "next week" response.

The crappiest part is that I painted my room to match a fabric swatch I received from the company. Not a ballpark color match but I took the time to get paint swatches, hold them up to a specific fabric swatch to create a nice subtle contrast and the general look/vibe I am going for in my new space.

I feel like if I cancel my order whatever other product I go for in the price range would be a sacrifice to my original intentions.

Four plus weeks is really just nuts though. Two weeks I would not even be that disappointing but four weeks to full fill shipment is bad service.

[joeydego]

I have blacklisted a few places over this very same practice. Screw that, in stock means "we have one RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW".

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by RBowlin

Me too. I love technology and the ability to do things across the net, but I've just found I have better luck when placing an order by phone. I usually ask enough questions to pretty much figure out what's going to happen.

I hope you recveive your order soon. What a pain.

-Rich

We have all kinds. Some order online then call, some call then order online, others just order. I think the trick is to just keep the customer up to date on what is going on. If there is a problem you just fess up and say. I remember some time back a guy called me and I was on the phone so had to call him back. Well I forgot. When he called back he said his name and it hit me like train. At that point I could have said "oh sorry, been busy" but instead fessed up and said "I would love to say I was busy but honestly I really forgot to call you". The guy laughed and said "No problem, thanks for the truth".

[Ali Perc]

I've had this recently and it has driven me mad.

Website said 'In stock now, delivery to you within 2-3 working days.

2 weeks later....nothing. They claim it has been shipped now and will be with me on Monday.

This has really held up something important I was working on and I'll never use the supplier again.

[RTR]

+100000 over here..I ordered a second clip for my 9mm and after I payed for it I get an e-mail saying it is on Back order...pissed me off....why cant they post that on the page before you buy it..I waited 3 weeks and canceled the order, I got a new one 1 week later!!!

[Fletcher]

You need to deal with more reputable firms... ones that will "keep you in the loop" without bullshitting you.

There are more than a few places that will compile orders until they get sufficient orders to order the appropriate materials with their customer's cash. It is not as uncommon as many people might think.

If I were you I'd get my money back and order the product from a place that actually has it in stock... or get the 'materials' from a local lumber yard and build them yourself.

Best of luck with all you do.

Peace.

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by Fletcher

There are more than a few places that will compile orders until they get sufficient orders to order the appropriate materials with their customer's cash. It is not as uncommon as many people might think.


Peace.

You may find this interesting.
Is it safe to order a Grendel Dead Room?

[Jeremy Krull]

aleatoric, check your PM's.

-Jeremy

[aleatoric]

I shall let the cat out of the bag because I have received a number of PM's from people who have gone through or are going through the same crap with this company. The company I ordered from is Ready Acoustics. The product is simply 9 Grey colored "Ready Bags" (simple fabric bags that go over 703). The messed up part is this is one of there most fundamental products, all there traps use these bags, some have frames, some do not. I ordered 4 inch which is probably the most common out of the options (2, 4 or 6 inches).

[aleatoric]

I canceled my order today and placed an order with:

Acoustic Panels, Bass Traps, acoustic treatment, sound absorption and more - Acoustic panels for the most sophisticated listeners

I placed the order via phone and was told my order will ship today!

[Ialsoeathummus]

Originally Posted by aleatoric

I canceled my order today and placed an order with:

Acoustic Panels, Bass Traps, acoustic treatment, sound absorption and more - Acoustic panels for the most sophisticated listeners

I placed the order via phone and was told my order will ship today!

Are these the same as ready bags?

How did the acoustic suede look?

[kywoman]

A word to the wise, I have had a pretty painful time working with Acoustimac - their 'tech dept' was ignorant to the questions I had, and had no interest in working to find a solution. At one point he even got condescending, then followed up with "oh I'm just joking with you." It was very off-putting. Towards the end of the conversation, with one question remaining, we kept getting disconnected, with him claiming they are having trouble with their phone service. I decided to overlook the attitude and peculiar difficulties that could quite easily be construed as some guy just not wanting to deal with a customer, and made a purchase a few days later. I was then told that items were not in stock (AFTER the order placed, just like you all experienced, but at least I was fortunate enough to get a call from them roughly a day after the sale). Anthony said that I could get all the bags at a discount price if I waited for them to come back in stock. I didn't want to go to ReadyAcoustics based on RA's reputation, told him this, and he was happy to extend the discount to keep my business (a fairly large order), and promised to put it writing via email immediately after our phone conversation, along with a statement of refund for the current order. Neither happened. I sent a follow up email sent that night, no response. A call down the road and he was very nonchalant about the whole process, just short of "whaddayawant?" I politely reminded him about our conversation, which he seemed to have very little memory of. Finally he said "oh, well my boss said I couldn't do that (give the discount), and he'd follow up with you." Convenient excuse for extremely poor customer service. Either he shouldn't have made the promise at the time if he wasn't authorized to do so, or should have taken the 30 seconds to give me a call when he conferred with his boss, if this was even truly the case...

Also, I still have yet to see the refund on my card, but maybe that will happen since our last phone conversation. If not, I have no problem initiating a fraud claim with my credit card company.

If there is any other game in town (USA or worldwide, actually) that sells pre-made bags, please let me know. I refuse to give my money to either of these businesses now.

[Jeremy Krull]

Wow, sorry to read about that.

Had awesome dealings with ATS thus far but obviously you can't buy bags, just a (huge) selection of fabric to make them.

I'm not doing any more treatment products because my next room is being done with a designer. BUT, I really did find ATS quite helpful (as well as their live chat and ability to order custom panels) and would recommend them again to anyone.

It can't be that hard to make or have those bags made. Sooner or later someone will put those schematics online.

-Jeremy

[aleatoric]

Originally Posted by kywoman

A word to the wise, I have had a pretty painful time working with Acoustimac

Not discounting your experience but I have ordered "EZ Wraps" from Acoustimac on 3 separate occasions. The first time I called to place the order, I forget who I spoke to but he was very helpful and friendly. All 3 orders were received exactly as expected and in a timely manner. No complaints here from Acoustimac. Ready Acoustics however really pulled a lot of crap on me. Also when I told them (after canceling my order with them) I was going with Acousticmac the Ready Acoustics rep got very aggressive saying something along the line of "how can you do this to me". He actually went on to call me on the phone a few random times trying to tell me Acoustimac stole his product ideas. Very weird to say the least. Anyway I am very happy that I have a total of 16 panels up now thanks to Acoustimac and ATS acoustics!

[BigKD]

I ordered some DIY materials form Ready Acoustics recently, and yup, it's been over two weeks and my order is still "processing."

They do not respond to my phone calls.

How can you run a business like this?

I payed through paypal, and they have my money. I'll give it another week or so before I revoke the payment.

[Jeremy Krull]

It's too bad...because there was a thread that was pretty much tell-all as far as this company's rep, that even resulted in police being involved, and a BBB rating etc...and it was mysteriously hidden. Was a shame.

I think the guy is still on gearslutz though...the guy who took action I mean. I forget his username though.

[BigKD]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Krull

It's too bad...because there was a thread that was pretty much tell-all as far as this company's rep, that even resulted in police being involved, and a BBB rating etc...and it was mysteriously hidden. Was a shame.

I think the guy is still on gearslutz though...the guy who took action I mean. I forget his username though.

That is interesting.

I just don't get it. Clearly they make this product and have a unique design for their frames. And they have successfully shipped it out to some people on time.

How is it so difficult?

I have bought items from similar companies [small business sound gear companies in the US] in the past, and they are super helpful, and the product shows up at my door 3 days later.

There is a decent market for these DIY kits that actually look pleasing to the eye. Do they not want to make money?

[Jeremy Krull]

Originally Posted by BigKD

That is interesting.

I just don't get it. Clearly they make this product and have a unique design for their frames. And they have successfully shipped it out to some people on time.

How is it so difficult?

I have bought items from similar companies [small business sound gear companies in the US] in the past, and they are super helpful, and the product shows up at my door 3 days later.

There is a decent market for these DIY kits that actually look pleasing to the eye. Do they not want to make money?

Just because people CAN run a business doesn't mean they SHOULD. Also you have to question the motives and the true needs behind trying to make money for some people...not trying to start a bunch of speculative nonsense but you need to ask yourself sometimes "does this person really have the best interests of the buyer in mind or do they just want money for fun stuff?"

And yea...person...it's one guy.

[BigKD]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Krull

Just because people CAN run a business doesn't mean they SHOULD. Also you have to question the motives and the true needs behind trying to make money for some people...not trying to start a bunch of speculative nonsense but you need to ask yourself sometimes "does this person really have the best interests of the buyer in mind or do they just want money for fun stuff?"

And yea...person...it's one guy.

Hmmm... Have you been burned by them?