Automated Outlet Caution
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drvnbysound
Senior Member
I have not yet ordered from either company so I cant comment on that, but I certainly think the frustration with not getting a response from an email is the fact that they are a e-commerce business. Sure, some people like the "personal" feel of a phone call, but if you are ordering a product from a website, you shouldnt be forced to make phone calls to follow up on the status of your order. Maybe im socially inept and dont want to talk to you 
I am glad to hear the comments from others on how well they do handle these situations. VERY NICE!!
I am glad to hear the comments from others on how well they do handle these situations. VERY NICE!!
AutomatedOutlet
Senior Member
Allen,
Again, sorry about that. You did open up a ticket late afternoon on the 24th and you received a response late on the 25th.
I'm sure Debby will email you the status this afternoon.
thanks,
Martin
Again, sorry about that. You did open up a ticket late afternoon on the 24th and you received a response late on the 25th.
I'm sure Debby will email you the status this afternoon.
thanks,
Martin
Thanks Martin, I'm sure it will get resolved.
Update, they say they are shipping it today!!!
As I said before, I always have had good service from Automated Outlet in the past, and I only posted this as a caution, after I was charged for a product but not informed of the delay. I'm probably a little skittish as a few years ago, myself and many others purchased $1000's of equipment from a person (to be un-named) that frequented this site and others and then disappeared, leaving many with worthless equipment. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) record for that other company is F, so that should have been a red flag. (Automated Outlet's rating in an A)
hucker
Active Member
As a customer to any commerce site I expect email and the phone to work the same. For me email is WAY easier because I don't have to worry about time zones or messages. If email doesn't work the same as the phone the vendor should put a 'if we don't get back to you on email just call' warning on the 'contact us' page... I'm surprised that ticketing software doesn't have warnings that responses haven't been sent in a timely manner.
Automated Outlet obviously has handled themselves well in this situation (way to go Martin) however e commerce providers should take note of the expectations of customers that have an implicit expectation that email contact and phone contact are the same.
Automated Outlet obviously has handled themselves well in this situation (way to go Martin) however e commerce providers should take note of the expectations of customers that have an implicit expectation that email contact and phone contact are the same.
I ordered an ABN on Monday from the Home Technology Store (the only place that sells them for Nextalarm). My card was billed also. Today when it did not show up I realized I never got a confirmation of shipment so I emailed them. So they sent me a tracking number but its not valid. SO I called them and asked why. I was told its on back order and will ship with that tracking number once they get it in. I asked when that would be and was told they do not know. Almost sounds like they order them on a as need basis.
No apology, no refund of shipping, and its still coming ground.
No company is perfect but to not even offer an apology? Come on. I would buy from AO or SETNET etc any day over Home Technology Store as both would make it right somehow but I had no choice with this product.
No apology, no refund of shipping, and its still coming ground.
No company is perfect but to not even offer an apology? Come on. I would buy from AO or SETNET etc any day over Home Technology Store as both would make it right somehow but I had no choice with this product.
I must say, I am impressed with Automated Outlets response. Most companies (that are not out to scam somebody) get the majority of orders correct an out in an expedited manner. The true measure of customer service is how they handle the orders that are not correct or that didn't get out in an expedited manner.
My only wish for Automated Outlet, show if it is in stock, and if it is, get it out yesterday ;-). However, for their good prices, I'll wait a little longer for things to ship. But tell me so I don't pay for three day shipping for something on Friday that ships the following Tuesday (a day or two before I expect to get it!).
I would say it is safe to assume for most people that if it is in stock ship it that day or at the latest, the next business day. However, most people may not think that way so feel free to disagree!
My only wish for Automated Outlet, show if it is in stock, and if it is, get it out yesterday ;-). However, for their good prices, I'll wait a little longer for things to ship. But tell me so I don't pay for three day shipping for something on Friday that ships the following Tuesday (a day or two before I expect to get it!).
I would say it is safe to assume for most people that if it is in stock ship it that day or at the latest, the next business day. However, most people may not think that way so feel free to disagree!
I dont think you are asking for anything unreasonable. I do think that it is harder and harder to maintain every item in stock nowadays as both distributors and manufacturers are being very careful with the inventory balance. I was talking to the Director of Sales and Marketing for PCS today and he said that AO is the biggest stocking distributor for them in the US (I am working on becoming an authorized dealer for PCS). I also heard AO is the biggest HAI distributor in the US (not swearing its a fact but probably is). That being said they have a ton of money invested in inventory but they can sell out certian products. Then if the mfg is out it can take a week or so to get it back in stock.
I guess in some ways I compete against AO (they are at least 10 times larger than me but I am working on that). I have to admit every time I bought anything there for myself (they have a lot more products then I can get wholesale) they are always very accomadating.
drvnbysound
Senior Member
I certainly agree that it is tough for vendors to stock all items from a manufacturer, as well as being able to keep them instock. It is convenient from a customers stand point if that e-commerce site is able to show availability so they are informed before they commit to the purchase. I understand this can be tough to manage.
I know a guy who is in the process of writing an iPhone app to assist e-commerce businesses manage inventory and orders. I have no association with this individual other than years of chatting online. For anyone who this may interest: http://www.storesyncapp.com/
I dont thin the app has been fully released yet.
I know a guy who is in the process of writing an iPhone app to assist e-commerce businesses manage inventory and orders. I have no association with this individual other than years of chatting online. For anyone who this may interest: http://www.storesyncapp.com/
I dont thin the app has been fully released yet.
There are many people on this board who have ordered from AO and gotten great service. I called them about a year ago and spoke directly with Martin as a first time customer. He was extremely helpful.
For me, there are two issues at this point:
1) I think the title of this thread is unfair, considering the fact that most will not read the thread and never see how quickly AO responded once the issue was raised, and
2) I think the OP does have a valid point that AO needs to be responsive with respect to their emails and should not rely on the phone. I have experienced the same issue with AO not returning emails, and I would like to see them revisit their handling of email communication so the issue can be addressed and so we can all go on to praising them for the good service they typically provide.
Dave
For me, there are two issues at this point:
1) I think the title of this thread is unfair, considering the fact that most will not read the thread and never see how quickly AO responded once the issue was raised, and
2) I think the OP does have a valid point that AO needs to be responsive with respect to their emails and should not rely on the phone. I have experienced the same issue with AO not returning emails, and I would like to see them revisit their handling of email communication so the issue can be addressed and so we can all go on to praising them for the good service they typically provide.
Dave
Lagerhead
Active Member
Totally agree on the unfair part.
Still, it is important to remember that email does not guarantee message delivery (even though we live in the 21st century) and the phone still works just like it always did. AO posts plenty of phone numbers.
mustangcoupe
Senior Member
I think the OP needs to post here once all is resolved AND update the first post so casual onlookers can get it in the first post and not have to real the whole thread. ASWELL as ....admins... this thread should be moved to the CTVA thread for AO not the general HA topic.
nightwalker
Active Member
I agree with most things said here, I've often dealt with AO and I've gotten very good service from them. Have they ever made a mistake, sure, who hasn't, but they've also corrected and made things right the second they were made aware of it.
As much as I wish email queries could be better, it's a common problem with a lot of companies. There is so much spam out there that email is just not 100% and it's easy find yourself inadvertently in the spam folder, on the other had a quick call fixes it everytime. :angry2:
I've dealt with companies who also list if the part is in stock and how many and that's not really 100% either. I've had times where there was one left, I click the button to order seconds or a minute after someone else did the same thing and found it really wasn't available, it happens.
As much as I wish email queries could be better, it's a common problem with a lot of companies. There is so much spam out there that email is just not 100% and it's easy find yourself inadvertently in the spam folder, on the other had a quick call fixes it everytime. :angry2:
I've dealt with companies who also list if the part is in stock and how many and that's not really 100% either. I've had times where there was one left, I click the button to order seconds or a minute after someone else did the same thing and found it really wasn't available, it happens.
jwilson56
Senior Member
I also agree... the start of this thread makes AO look bad and they are anything but that. I have yet to deal with a more supportive company in all my years at work or hobby. If it were up to me to this thread would be deleted.
I think the original poster did not try very hard to get their attention. I private PM in this forum to Martin alone would have been sufficient if you did not want to call. That or a shout out in the chat room as AO is there during many parts of the day.
Note - this is a general response to that statement, not related to Automated Outlet in particular.
Some you know me from my XTB work, and others from the help I give other X10 users. I receive a lot of email regarding X10 issues. There have been days that I spent all morning answering email and responding to on-line posts, and then again several more hours that night. It can make it tough to get anything productive done. Responding to email does have a cost associated with it. In the current economy, it may be difficult to provide the level of support people want while still keeping the doors open.
In addition to the above, there are other factors that may cause an email to go unanswered. Sometimes an email is lost in the sea of spam - either trapped by the ISP spam filter, or accidentally overlooked among a bunch of garbage messages. There have been times our broadband connection has been down. And sometimes I may actually get away for a day or two...
Don't automatically assume that if your email goes unanswered, the business is purposely ignoring you.
Jeff
