I can testify to your statement. Your company, timeless, blackbird, and ATT have all been awesome. Keep it upInteresting thread. From the standpoint of a vendor I thought it may be helpful to share some incidents.
The starting point for me is that there are times that things happen. We do all that is possible to nullify issues since they can hurt not only profits but reputation as well. Others here have alluded to reputation issues with PAA, for instance. My view is that in spite of it or perhaps because of it PAA seems to have grown and that is good for the industry to have variety. It is also good for the industry to have information available so consumers can be well informed as they make purchases. Being aware of what PAA has done in the past and the experience of more recent customer interactions is part of that.
As to things happening, in large part as a manufacturer we simply accept it at face value. It is reasonable for us to ask for pictures to verify. Then we simply absorb the loss and reship the item at our expense and cover the postage, of course. I will add that this is very rare, so issues with orders are not a big deal money-wise. Here are two recent examples.
First, a retailer of ours wrote to say a customer received his shaving cream but it sat out in the mailbox all day in the heat. It also did not have a foam liner inside the lid to prevent product from shifting during shipment. He opened it up and it was hot and messy. The retailer told me he was not sure what to do. I told him to send me the fellows address and then shipped a replacement to him directly with a written note and free sample to boot. The customer had provided my retailer with pictures and indeed, there was no liner in the lid. Frankly the heat will not affect lathering ability and no foam liner? Well, not a big deal really. Wipe the cream back down into the tub - we have all done that. But am I really going to make my retailer and me look bad? No way. It was an opportunity to make my retailer and I look good.
Secondly, we had a customer send us a picture of a lather bowl he had received that was broken. I also asked him to send me pictures of the exterior of the shipping box which he did. Our lather bowls are placed into their own fitted box and surrounded by shredded packing material. Then the lather bowl in the fitted box is put into the shipping box - so one box inside another. In eleven years we had never had one broken but this guy's did. Or did it? It did break and I am convinced he dropped it when it arrived. Why? The pictures he sent of the exterior of the shipping box reveal it was in pristine condition. No bumps, dents, nothing. It simply is not possible for it to have arrived in that box and be broken. But he said it was, so what to do? Decisions, decisions... I emailed him apologizing for the inconvenience and told him a free replacement was on the way.
So, manufacturers are people too and run their businesses as they wish. In large part, I have found that other vendors I have spent time with (ATT, Wolf Whiskers Shaving Brushes, Timeless Razors come to mind) have businesses that are a reflection of who they are personally. Those are some stand up guys that err on the side of the customer being right. There is a cost to this view and such is life.
I hope that helps.
Fayiz D.
