Is Tandy Under New Management?

[Mike516]

Anyone know if Tandy was sold or something?

I stopped ordering anything from them because they never got an order right and their leather was pretty crappy.

Someone recently told me they were straightening up under new management so I figured I’d give them another shot..

They also use a fulfillment center now? Didn’t they used to send stuff from the closest store that had what you needed?

There’s still some stuff I could use from them like rivets and stain and things but if anything they seem even worse than before. One order was missing something and the other is a long story but they kind of aggravated me sending the stain during deep freezes when they weren’t supposed to then the woman is arguing with me about it. The website clearly said the fulfillment center was closed due to weather and they wouldn’t ship anything for 4-6 weeks. I was only going there to put the stuff in my cart fir later but when I saw it wouldn’t be shipped for at least 4 weeks I figured I’d just place to order and I wouldn’t have to think about it again. The woman I was emailing with didn’t get it.

Anyway I was just wondering if there was any kind of change there.

Edited March 3, 2021 by Mike516

[Hardrada]

The viral thing seems to have bollixed them up completely. It's a crapshoot now.

Expensive shipping and it can take up to 3 weeks for stuff that used to be delivered on the next day after purchase?? WTH

I still buy from them, but only when I can't source stuff elsewhere.

[Mike516]

1 hour ago, Hardrada said:

The viral thing seems to have bollixed them up completely. It's a crapshoot now.

Expensive shipping and it can take up to 3 weeks for stuff that used to be delivered on the next day after purchase?? WTH

I still buy from them, but only when I can't source stuff elsewhere.

I’m pretty disappointed. But the small price savings and ability to order online without talking to anyone isn’t worth it. I should have just ordered from my normal vendors.

[AzShooter]

I normally go to the local Tandy and have had excellent service.  I had to replace a chisel that bent and the manager did give me a little story on how she'd do it but don't tell anyone.  I know Tandy's return policy better than her after working for them for 10 years.  She finally just gave me the new chisel.  That's the only complaint I have had.

When ordering on line I don't mind the $12.00 shipping fee if under $150.  Most of my orders are more than that and if need it fast I just go to the store.  

I also like having a salesman around that can answer my questions when I get stumped.  Give Tandy a chance to make things right.  If the person you talked to doesn't help you may just want to ask for the District Manager's phone number.  It's amazing how well that works to get what you want.

'

[Mike516]

15 hours ago, AzShooter said:

I normally go to the local Tandy and have had excellent service.  I had to replace a chisel that bent and the manager did give me a little story on how she'd do it but don't tell anyone.  I know Tandy's return policy better than her after working for them for 10 years.  She finally just gave me the new chisel.  That's the only complaint I have had.

When ordering on line I don't mind the $12.00 shipping fee if under $150.  Most of my orders are more than that and if need it fast I just go to the store.  

I also like having a salesman around that can answer my questions when I get stumped.  Give Tandy a chance to make things right.  If the person you talked to doesn't help you may just want to ask for the District Manager's phone number.  It's amazing how well that works to get what you want.

'

Unfortunately there aren’t any Tandys close by.

The person I was emailing with obviously wanted me to pay to return the stains sealed without making sure they were frozen so they could resell them.
That’s just putting the problem on the next guy that buys them and that isn’t cool.

I’ll just get rid of them if they’re no good but I won’t be buying from Tandy again. I have other vendors that I pay a little more but the service is so much better.

 

[Bert03241]

On 3/4/2021 at 6:53 PM, AzShooter said:

I normally go to the local Tandy and have had excellent service.  I had to replace a chisel that bent and the manager did give me a little story on how she'd do it but don't tell anyone.  I know Tandy's return policy better than her after working for them for 10 years.  She finally just gave me the new chisel.  That's the only complaint I have had.

When ordering on line I don't mind the $12.00 shipping fee if under $150.  Most of my orders are more than that and if need it fast I just go to the store.  

I also like having a salesman around that can answer my questions when I get stumped.  Give Tandy a chance to make things right.  If the person you talked to doesn't help you may just want to ask for the District Manager's phone number.  It's amazing how well that works to get what you want.

'

You probably go to the one on Greenway, I've had a couple problems there. I now use mostly SLC

[Mike516]

I’m not sure why they keep emailing about this ticket.

I feel like this same woman is screwing with me at this point.

She tells me last week if I have a problem I can return them. I said ok. Then she emails me again today to tell me let her know within 10 days if I have a problem.

I’m not going to test 16 bottles of stain in the next couple of days. Who has time for that?

I had a bottle of stain a couple years ago I’d bought from SLC that had obviously frozen at some point. I emailed them and they sent me a replacement no questions asked.

This woman is making such a huge deal about these stupid stains I’m almost sorry I even emailed them at this point.
 

I completely forgot about this, why did she have to email me again just to piss me off. I seriously feel at this point she’s doing it on purpose.

 

[Retswerb]

If you’re saying they’re damaged and she’s asking you to open the bottles to verify before returning them, that seems reasonable to me. Maybe I’m missing something here.

[Hardrada]

1 hour ago, Retswerb said:

If you’re saying they’re damaged and she’s asking you to open the bottles to verify before returning them, that seems reasonable to me. Maybe I’m missing something here.

Yeah. Also, if it's a large order, it's highly unlikely they'll send replacements with no questions asked and no need to return the defective ones. Whilst I'd be reluctant to return defective dyes out of suspicion they'll just put them back on the shelves, the manufacturer can also be suspicious that the customer is trying to pull a fast one on them in order to get free product—without hard evidence that the dye in every single bottle is ruined, it's reasonable for them to wonder. One of those situations in which both sides are in a difficult position.

Edited March 8, 2021 by Hardrada

[Tugadude]

Being a hobbyist, I don't order near the stuff that many here do, but I did order twice from Tandy in the last 8 months.  They shipped each time in a very timely manner and the material was as advertised.  One was some belt strips that were on sale super cheap.  I was impressed by the quality.

One thing to keep in mind is the impact the pandemic has had on many industries.  Tandy has been affected along with the rest of them.  A friend of mine is restoring a vintage Camaro automobile and has had to wait months and months to get things that shouldn't be an issue.  And if you are looking for certain bicycle parts, good luck.  Shortages and stock-outages exist all around.

[Mike516]

 I see all your points. From their perspective they probably didn’t really know what to do. What I should have done is just use them when I got to them and emailed Tandy if there was a problem.

 In my defense I was so surprised when they arrived I was just kind of pissed at the way the whole thing went down.
 

 I probably jumped the gun on that. But she set the mood for the entire conversation when she denied that message was ever there and it snowballed form there.

Edited March 9, 2021 by Mike516

[Viking]

I’ve ordered quite a bit during the pandemic from Tandy & like others my only complaint is the $12 shipping fee.  I’m a hobbiest, so I wouldn’t eat that if I was running a business.  However,  they are often the cheapest option for things like fiebings dyes which go for a couple bucks more on Amazon.  I wait until I need a few things to make it worthwhile. If I just need one thing, I try to find it elsewhere.  Weaver charges 6.99 flat - but my experience is Tandy has  a better selection  of the things in need.

honestly - I’m puzzled at how they stay in business with this retail store model.  There is a lot of competition out there.   My closest Tandy store is about a 45 minute drive - and I’d just rather pay the shipping & risk the quality on buying leather.