Lousy Service

[awharnessshop]

I had orderd off of a Friday special too... had always had great service with them. Didnt get the order and didnt get the order. I called, they couldnt find the order, I was on hold for 15-20 mins, they were thing going to call me back... Called a week later, same deal. the called me back about 3-four days later and have called again since about my order... I agree with the bitter taste in my mouth! I used to look forward to the friday emails!

[mleathers]

I personally called the owner an introduced myself. I was looking for a particular type of leather. I sent him samples at his request. The owner of Siegel bragged about how long he was in business and that he was an expert. In the samples I sent I also included my telephone number so he could advise me. He never called. I called the operator at the business and left message after message. He never returned any. Weeks went by and called again left messages on his cell. He never returned any call. Finally a month goes by and I call. I finally reached him. While on the phone he really seemed distracted and I could not get him to answer a question.

With someone like this who has been in the leather business since Jesus was the waiter at the Lord's supper, who cannot act professional needs to retire and let someone else takeover who is professional.

I will never do business with this guy Siegel. With the economy being terrible for all business you would think they would jump to being the best at customer service.

[King's X]

Unfortunately, I ordered from them 3 times in the past year or so. One of the three orders went fairly well and the other two were total failures! They were not moving at the time of one of these orders and they phones were not being attacked either. It seems that this is a 'one man' operation over there and that man has been unfortunately busy with personal problems as would any one in his situation. When this happens, well business will suffer, maybe not to the big guys who order tons of stuff, but certainly to the little guys. Them seems to fall into the cracks and are forgotten about, maybe not on purpose, but it happens.

I do not believe, for me, that I will order from them again just because I do not want the hassles that come from getting my order on track.

I do not know what this company will do for the future, but something has to change and quick. I know that they are an advertiser on here and we want to support our supporters, but at what cost?

Good luck

[reddevil76]

$15 for a swatch is kinda ridiculous. Springfield leather shipped 4 sides plus a handful tools & hardware from theirs to Portland for only $25 shipping.

Of the sponsors of this site, I have contacted not only Springfield but also RJF leather. RJF replied promptly, and offered to send swatches. But I informed him that I am in Singapore, and we both agreed it is too costly for him to send me swatches. It was kind of him to offer nevertheless.

In end I went with Springfield because I needed some Tandy stuff, yet I also wanted the Hermann Oak from them. So when they agreed, for the Tandy stuff, to honour the prices that I would gotten from my elite membership at Tandy's, it sealed the deal. Everything was fuss free, and Jill whom I was handed over to finalise the order was tip top on service as well.

[StevenSiegel]

Unfortunately, I ordered from them 3 times in the past year or so. One of the three orders went fairly well and the other two were total failures! They were not moving at the time of one of these orders and they phones were not being attacked either. It seems that this is a 'one man' operation over there and that man has been unfortunately busy with personal problems as would any one in his situation. When this happens, well business will suffer, maybe not to the big guys who order tons of stuff, but certainly to the little guys. Them seems to fall into the cracks and are forgotten about, maybe not on purpose, but it happens.

I do not believe, for me, that I will order from them again just because I do not want the hassles that come from getting my order on track.

I do not know what this company will do for the future, but something has to change and quick. I know that they are an advertiser on here and we want to support our supporters, but at what cost?

Good luck

Dear Sir,

This is Steven Siegel. I do not hide behind another identity.

When I am wrong I am man enough to admit it and rectify the situation. Maybe that is why you feel this is a one man shop as I have been very busy correcting errors and taking personal responsibility.

HOWEVER,

You have stated that you have purchased from us 3 times in the past year or so......

I have looked up your orders and found the following>>>>>

THESE ARE ALL OF YOUR ORDERS

1) You purchase on 5/2/09 for $145.00 of Ellis Barnes Basic Tool Set (Was this in the past year or so??) The value of this item was approximately $400. It was sold at a loss to introduce leatherworkers to GOOD STAMPING TOOLS. This was Ellis's idea. You returned the entire set AT OUR EXPENSE and we replaced it. There was nothing wrong with the product, THIS IS BAD SERVICE?

2) On 5/26/09 you won a contest from us and you were given 25 dollars credit. I guess this is just part of BAD SERVICE

3) On 5/24/10 you purchased 2 sides of drum dyed louis vuittonleather at less than 1/2 of what this Billion dollar corporation pays for the SAME leather. You did not know how to use the leather because of your skill set. You returned the leather at OUR EXENSE. Is this bad service because you do not have the skill set to use better leather?

4) On 6/29/10 you purchased a few natural double shoulders. You kept this. I guess you know how to work with natural colored leather which is basically 'crust".

Have you ever heard of Diogenes??? You won't find a company in this industry that is more straight than the one that you just slandered.

Edited January 19, 2011 by StevenSiegel

[Johanna]

What we have here is a classic case of a good company that had a bad year. Steve Siegel has been very honest about the difficulties he's had, and has taken steps to correct the problems. I can't believe that forty years of good reputation can be forgotten so quickly because of one crummy year. I admire Steven Siegel for his honesty and integrity. He has tried to come out with innovative products (like the slaughter-free leather) and has sponsored contests, giveaways, and some pretty good deals that he was able to pass on to his customers. He also regularly visits the board and offers his knowledge, despite his busy schedule. Not many CEOs would bother with "the little guys", but Steven has always had time to answer questions.

So things haven't been great at Siegel of CA last year. The boss has vowed changes and is working to resolve any remaining issues. If they have the product you want, I think they deserve a second chance. I'm not saying that because they are a sponsor here- I'm saying that because I'm impressed with Steven's candor, and his commitment to his customers. If you had a bad experience, send him a PM and he'll do what he can to make things right with you. In all the correspondence and phone calls I've had with Steven over the years, I've come to respect him as a businessman, and a friend.

Johanna

[StevenSiegel]

Dear Sir,

This is Steven Siegel. I do not hide behind another identity.

When I am wrong I am man enough to admit it and rectify the situation. Maybe that is why you feel this is a one man shop as I have been very busy correcting errors and taking personal responsibility.

HOWEVER,

You have stated that you have purchased from us 3 times in the past year or so......

I have looked up your orders and found the following>>>>>

THESE ARE ALL OF YOUR ORDERS

1) You purchase on 5/2/09 for $145.00 of Ellis Barnes Basic Tool Set (Was this in the past year or so??) The value of this item was approximately $400. It was sold at a loss to introduce leatherworkers to GOOD STAMPING TOOLS. This was Ellis's idea. You returned the entire set AT OUR EXPENSE and we replaced it. There was nothing wrong with the product, THIS IS BAD SERVICE?

2) On 5/26/09 you won a contest from us and you were given 25 dollars credit. I guess this is just part of BAD SERVICE

3) On 5/24/10 you purchased 2 sides of drum dyed louis vuittonleather at less than 1/2 of what this Billion dollar corporation pays for the SAME leather. You did not know how to use the leather because of your skill set. You returned the leather at OUR EXENSE. Is this bad service because you do not have the skill set to use better leather?

4) On 6/29/10 you purchased a few natural double shoulders. You kept this. I guess you know how to work with natural colored leather which is basically 'crust".

Have you ever heard of Diogenes??? You won't find a company in this industry that is more straight than the one that you just slandered.

This is Steven Siegel, again.

It is the AM.

I sincerely apologize to the person that I wrote to for anything which indicated, hostility or anger. This is unprofessional and unwarranted. I hope that my apology is accepted.

[TroyWest]

What we have here is a classic case of a good company that had a bad year. Steve Siegel has been very honest about the difficulties he's had, and has taken steps to correct the problems. I can't believe that forty years of good reputation can be forgotten so quickly because of one crummy year. I admire Steven Siegel for his honesty and integrity. He has tried to come out with innovative products (like the slaughter-free leather) and has sponsored contests, giveaways, and some pretty good deals that he was able to pass on to his customers. He also regularly visits the board and offers his knowledge, despite his busy schedule. Not many CEOs would bother with "the little guys", but Steven has always had time to answer questions.

So things haven't been great at Siegel of CA last year. The boss has vowed changes and is working to resolve any remaining issues. If they have the product you want, I think they deserve a second chance. I'm not saying that because they are a sponsor here- I'm saying that because I'm impressed with Steven's candor, and his commitment to his customers. If you had a bad experience, send him a PM and he'll do what he can to make things right with you. In all the correspondence and phone calls I've had with Steven over the years, I've come to respect him as a businessman, and a friend.

Johanna

I think you said this very well Johanna. My brother and I have done business with Siegel for many years. We have never had a bad experience. We will certainly continue to do business with them.

Troy West

[whinewine]

And likewise, we have never, ever been treated poorly by Mr Siegel in the years we have been dealing with his company. And we are a very small business, in relation to some of his other clients, and yet we are treated fairly, equally and consistently. If something is wrong, THEY fix it. If I make something wrong, I fix it. That's how it should be. Professional. They are one of two companies I whole-heartedly recommend for leather.

I try to mind my manners and stay out of these types of discussions, but this seems to go on and on and on...

It's so unfortunate that some people subscribe to the philosophy "ya jist gotta say somthin', no matter HOW stupid"... It's like a bunch of rabid dogs trying to tear an injured animal apart, each one trying to out-do the last with nastiness, no matter how vicious. It's just a shame. And, btw, Mr Siegel's reply was, under the circumstances, apropos.

russ

[dirtclod]

I have bought quite a bit from Siegel's over the years without any problems and all of the sales people i have talked to have answered my questions and if they didn't know they found out. In my book that's great service and i appreciate it !!

Edited January 19, 2011 by dirtclod