Don't Judge a Company by one Emplyee.

[Bru]

Had to give a shout out about McFeely's customer service. This is a copy of my Email;
"I would like to inform you I will not be placing my $427.00 order with McFeely's. My Firefox browser said there was a problem with unverified content on the order page, so I tried to call in my order. I was told the site was secure and if I still wanted to place my order by phone I wouldn't get the free shipping when I purchased the sampler pack. This is my second time ordering from your site, the first time I had the same problem with the browser. I was offered free shipping that time, but had bought Festool tools so received free shipping anyway. I just wanted you to know how I was treated, the first experience was great, the second was very disappointing. I guess I'll get my tools and hardware from a company that wants my business, thought that was your company. Just thought you should know. Bruce Pennell 520-586-XXXX."
    With in two minutes I received a phone call from the head of customer service. She apologized for the treatment I had received. Then explained it was a new employee and that she would have to explain the steps to  the employee so that I could get the free shipping. I did not place an order at that time (I was still to mad and had deleted my order list). After cooling down for a few days and being in business for myself for many years, I came to appreciate the quick response. I've just received a new order from them. I guess the older I get the more I realize anyone can make a mistake, I trust someone just a little more when they step up and face it. Thanks McFeely's for the great response. I will place another order soon. Bru

 

[Ron Pegram]

Thanks for the good words, Bru.

I'll also add that any company can make a mistake but you have my guarantee that I'll do what is needed to make it right in those cases. Feel free to contact me about anything that isn't to your satisfaction. I didn't know about this incident (but that's a good thing as it was handled nicely) but I do want to know if you're not feeling the 'warm and fuzzy' from us.

 

[Bru]

Thanks Ron you guy's are on my TRUSTED list. Thanks again for all the great products you offer us. Love my systainer pocket screw combo's . Bought 2 use one for pocket screws, the other for your square drive and philips wood screws. Love my Gorilla grip - makes moving those 3/4 sheets of MDF possible in a (old) one man shop. Thanks Bru  The one negative was turned into a positive by the quick response.

 

[Ron Pegram]

With feedback this good, my only response is 'Where do I send the check, Bru?'



Seriously, thanks for the patronage. You have my word we care about your business and respect your ongoing decision to use our services. I'm glad you gave us the opportunity to right a wrong.

 

[Dan Lyke]

I consult for a company that consults for a company that... well... you get the picture, anyway, somewhere up the chain is a mid-sized consumer electronics company that's recently been overwhelmed by the success of their products, and is trying hard to quickly adapt. One of the problems they've been having is training new people to answer calls, and I've been talking with them about the need to build call scripts and set things up so that information doesn't just disseminate by lore through the call center staff.

Thanks for an awesome example of why they need to put the time into doing that.

 

[Ned]

Don't forget the original problem here.  Company webmasters should make sure that certificates haven't expired, that all the names match up, and that everything works properly on all commonly used browsers.  The certificates and names are a particular problem when two enterprises merge their operations.

Ned

 

[Tinker]

I am one of those old farts who really does not have complete faith in the internet when it comes to ordering materials/tools/toys.  If i cannot pick up the phone and place my order thru a real live person who is willing to give me their name, i will not buy.

I understand that for the most part, those sites are "safe", but in this day and age where identity theft seems to be running rampant, i just cannot bring myself to trusting the internet to order anything.

One evening I was listening to the evening news. (this is one of those tales that gets me to wondering if news media people even listen to what they are saying)  The particular reporter was telling how the IRS was soon going to be requiring all tax reports to be filed electronically. This would be a good thing for all in that it would simplify filing for most people.

The next comment was a short rundown about how much identity theft has been increasing and they told about how thieves could set up operations within a block or so of a business and extract information electronically without ever entering a buiding and that operations had been set up outside of some government agency.  That was one of those stories i heard only once and it was never reported again within my range of stations, atleast not when i was listening.
Tinker

 

[Dave Ronyak]

I'm in "camp cautious" with Tinker.  I frequently use the internet to learn about products I may want to buy, and telephone numbers I can use to call them.  In most cases, if I cannot quickly locate their telephone number, they don't get my business.  Besides, much of the time, a short consultation with a knowledgeable sales representative results in me getting what I really needed, and often a few additional items.  I view that as a win-win; a satisfied customer and more sales for the vendor.  Electronic theft is here to stay.  Smart criminals can now work from wherever in the entire world they chose.  I have also experienced the lack of security certificates at sites that claim to be secure.  After notifying some of them of the apparent problem, their webmasters have responded claiming everything is OK despite it still showing up an unsecure on my PC screen. 

Dave R.

 

[Ned]

... I have also experienced the lack of security certificates at sites that claim to be secure.  After notifying some of them of the apparent problem, their webmasters have responded claiming everything is OK despite it still showing up an unsecure on my PC screen. 

That's why the "owner" of a business' site needs to have a business point of view.  The techie who says "works on my desk" and thinks he's done needs supervision.

Ned

 

[Dan Lyke]

The techie who says "works on my desk" and thinks he's done needs supervision.

I'd also note that from a techie's point of view, some of those warning messages are extremely misguided, and a techie might, for instance, say "serving static content (like images embedded in that secure page) on an encrypted feed makes the site less secure, not more". What the techie misses is that it's not about security, it's about the customer's illusion of security.

Because, frankly, you're more likely to lose your credit card number to leaving your computer on and having the cleaning staff use the "back" button than actually over a sniffed network connection (unless you're using open wireless). So, yeah, site developers should check with all the major browsers, with security warnings turned up high.

 

[Ned]

...What the techie misses is that it's not about security, it's about the customer's illusion of security....

You got it.  I think I'd like to change "illusion" to "perception", though.

Ned

 

[poto]

I'm with Tinker and Dave in not wanting to use the web for transactions. Curiously, this led to a similar situation to Bru's original post: When I had decided to finally invest in my Festools, I called up McFeely's (based on their ad in FWW) to confirm the prices, and place an order. I had done quite a bit of research, and knew what the package deals should cost, etc. When I tried to explain to the person about the package deals, I got a complete blank. They didn't have a clue, and were going to charge me the full price for each piece. I got so fed up trying to sort this out, I hung up and dropped a few thousand $$ at my local Festool dealer (TH&H). This was about 3 years ago, so I'm guessing it wasn't the same person that Bru dealt with. I was not impressed. And, yes, I did judge the company by one person, and no, I didn't send an email to customer service. Guess I should have...

 

[vanderpooch]

Poto,

You a San Diego guy?

Saw the T H and H reference...

- Kit

 

[honeydoman]

I  thought McFeeleys was the only company that really put the screws to you!!!

I have been buying  from mcfeeleys for 7 years and they provide great service, they did changed ownership last year and moved to wisconson, but there service still seems to be good, as you found out from this incident.

yes we all make mistakes, and it is not the mistake that is the problem it is how you handle the follow up and fess up to it and retify it.

 

[poto]

Poto,

You a San Diego guy?

Saw the T H and H reference...

- Kit

Hi Kit,

Yes - I'm a San Diego guy (now - a Canadian import). Enjoying the beautiful sunshine and light breeze wafting through the palm trees in my back yard. My relatives are all ankle-deep in snow... Been too busy the last few months to play with my tools, but hopefully next weekend...

What did you think of TH&H? I found Tom Drinner (I think that's his name) to be really helpful on the tools, and let me play with all of them. I've been in the local Rockler a few times. They have a nice display, but I know a lot more about the tools that they do. They're not very enthusiastic salesmen for Festool. Little do they know what gems they have. I call Festools the "Ferrari's of power tools": top of the line, high performance, and worth every penny!

Poto