Members RCZWL Posted January 8, 2011 Members Report Posted January 8, 2011 Due to the increase in the UPS rates we are going to have to revisit our policies on using the post office for shipping some of our packages. One reason we have not used them is their inability to properly track a package and the fact that they will not pick up at our location. We live in a small town and unless you have a street mailbox they will not deliver or pick up. Our business lies on a paved road without a place to put in a mailbox. We have to make a trip to the post office to deliver or pick up our mail which we do once a day. In an effort to be able to supply our customers with a more economical way to ship we will begin using priority mail on smaller packages. We will have an option on our website to choose priority mail and we will do our best to ship it at the lowest cost to our customer. Our handling charges will apply to the non-flat rate boxes. If we find that there is not a difference between using USPS or UPS we will ship it by UPS. This does not apply to any Flammable liquids as they will continue to be shipped by UPS only. We will also make the effort to deliver to the post office twice a day , once in the morning and once around 3:00pm to help your orders get to you quicker. Both UPS and USPS have raised their rates on Jan. 1st. We use UPS world ship and their rates are what we go buy. We do not in any way pad our shipping costs. We hope this will help our customers in the long run as we do appreciate each and every one of them and try to do what is best for them while trying to adjust to the rising economy. Also please note that if you go online and pay with paypal or a credit card the shipping charges are just a baseline to go by, Most times the charges are just a bit lower and we DO adjust them and pass the credits back to our customers. Sometimes they might be a bit higher and we take the loss. As to the paypal trying to charge $700 to someones account. That was a fluke incident and was on the paypal end not Zack White Leather. We do have the 800 number that you can always call your order in during working hours. We are in the process of updating our website over the next couple of monthsand hopefully we will continue to improve our services as well as our communications with our customers. If you have a question or concern we will do our best to resolve it to everyones satisfaction. Rhonda Cox Mgr. Zack White Leather Co. Rhonda Cox Zack White Leather Co. [/url]
Moderator Johanna Posted January 8, 2011 Moderator Report Posted January 8, 2011 And this, Ladies and Gentlemen, is why Zack White's is a trusted supplier to so many of you. It's called "customer service", and they aren't kidding around. Barbiesdude could have called them on the phone and settled this in minutes. I'm glad this thread is here because it demonstrates how willing ZW is to please their customers and make things right. You may pay a dollar more to an independent retailer, but the personal attention is worth so much more. Tim and Rhonda will go the extra mile to make sure you get treated right. Johanna You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus. - Mark Twain
Members RCZWL Posted January 8, 2011 Members Report Posted January 8, 2011 And this, Ladies and Gentlemen, is why Zack White's is a trusted supplier to so many of you. It's called "customer service", and they aren't kidding around. Barbiesdude could have called them on the phone and settled this in minutes. I'm glad this thread is here because it demonstrates how willing ZW is to please their customers and make things right. You may pay a dollar more to an independent retailer, but the personal attention is worth so much more. Tim and Rhonda will go the extra mile to make sure you get treated right. Johanna Johanna In all fairness, this customer did call us at Zack White Leather Co. and our customer service staff handled it in the correct way that they were hired to do. The decision to go the extra mile was up to Tim and myself. Due to the hectic day we had yesterday we were not made aware of it until it was over and done with. RMC Rhonda Cox Zack White Leather Co. [/url]
Members wvcraftsman Posted January 8, 2011 Members Report Posted January 8, 2011 I"m still very new to leatherwork as well. I've never bought from Zack White, YET. I've always heard great things about them. I am close enough to them (4-5)hrs. that as soon as the snow quits falling, I'm going to make a visit this spring/summer. From all of the positive reviews, I'm expecting wonderful service. With the ever rising price of gas and shipping costs, it's a wonder anyone can afford to ship anything. It will probably be cheaper to have them ship to me, but I have family in that area anyway. Tom Leatherworking Neophyte
Members CruseVegas Posted January 9, 2011 Members Report Posted January 9, 2011 I am sorry to hear that your first purchase from Zack White was not a pleasant one. Although we have been a supplier to the leathercraft trade for over 58 years, we are still a small company who is famaliar with the struggles one has in today's economy. We almost always ship our shipments via UPS because we can track them, and their service is usually very reliable, but in some markets, UPS has increased their rates to the point that small shipments are expensive. Rural and non-business areas are expensive to ship to via UPS, but being able to track a package is a big plus. Our shipment rates are set by UPS. We use their program for shipping packages, but we do add a small handling charge to help cover our costs. Normally, we do not have a problem with the rates, but when the amount is small, the percentage of freight to merchandise cost can be quite high. I assure you that we do not make money on shipping, and the only reason we charge a restocking charge on strip returns is that they are cut to order... we cut all our strips off the hides when orders are placed. If it is our mistake, we always refund freight and give full credit.... but when a customer just decides he does not need an item, we will accept back the merchandise, but charge the restocking fee. I know this explaination does not lessen the pain of your $14+ freight charge for two strips of leather, but I hope you can understand that we do not make money on freight, and it is in our interest to keep the freight to a minimum. I don't understand the methods UPS uses to calculate their freight, but I do agree that it is extremely high for some areas of the country. I regret that you feel mis-treated on your first order... our sales dept acted correctly in how they responded to your complaint. I feel we did no wrong, but your charges were high in consideration of the small purchase. So, if you decide to ever give us another chance, we will ship to you at NO freight charge for anything you choose to order. I will also offer you a $10.00 store credit against any future purchase. It is a tough time to be in business, and we understand the need to keep costs down. Thank you for considering Zack White in your selection of suppliers. Regards, Tim Cox Pres. Zack White Leather Co Tim I'm curious as to why you don't use USPS with delivery confirmation either first class or priority mail? While it doesn't give you the same "tracking" as UPS it does verify that the item was shipped for the buyer and that delivery has been made. The biggest difference is that UPS give you a date that it should arrive and USPS does not, but most USPS is significantly faster than UPS. For small items USPS can be 80% less expensive to ship. Just my 2 cents.
Members zackwhite Posted January 9, 2011 Members Report Posted January 9, 2011 Tim I'm curious as to why you don't use USPS with delivery confirmation either first class or priority mail? While it doesn't give you the same "tracking" as UPS it does verify that the item was shipped for the buyer and that delivery has been made. The biggest difference is that UPS give you a date that it should arrive and USPS does not, but most USPS is significantly faster than UPS. For small items USPS can be 80% less expensive to ship. Just my 2 cents. Look at my above post.
Members CruseVegas Posted January 10, 2011 Members Report Posted January 10, 2011 Look at my above post. I saw that after I posted that. I think it says a lot about you and your company how you listen to your customers and the concern you have for customer service/relations. While this whole leather working thing is very new to me, recognizing companies that are good to business with isn't. Yours will be at the top of the list for me. Best to you in 2011
Members Wyvern Posted January 10, 2011 Members Report Posted January 10, 2011 I have bought from Zack White for several years now, and have always had excelent customer service. Just give them a call! They will bend over backwards to insure you are happy! Donnie Owner and Sporran maker Wyvern Leatherworks Slainte, Sonas, agus Beartus wyvernleatherworks.com
Members artificer13 Posted January 14, 2011 Members Report Posted January 14, 2011 Just FYI, but UPS did raise their rates on Jan2. Most packages look like they are averaging $12 to start and pennies per pound after that. I'm using a lot more USPS flat rate boxes these days. +1 for this. I ONLY ship USPS priority. Even worldwide. USPS helps your overseas (or even just Canadian) customers NOT get gouged by UPS/FedEx 'brokerage' fees. I've been able to track every package sent, insurance is a minimal upcharge, and in case anyone missed it, USPS handles packages with more care than the competitors HERE. artificer Pronunciation: \är-ˈti-fə-sər, ˈär-tə-fə-sər\ : noun : 14th century :a skilled or artistic worker or craftsman@artificer13
BevJones Posted January 19, 2011 Report Posted January 19, 2011 Shipping does seem to be going up with all suppliers. If you have a small order, the minimum shipping fee at Weaver is now $15.....just an fyi
Recommended Posts