Beware of On-line Ordering from REI !!!
Shasta_Doug
Beware when you order on-line are REI.com and REI-Outlet.com.
What you order may not be available in their inventory, and customer
service does not seem to care at all. It seems that they are going
away from the Co-op mentality and are just after a buck.
REI does not link the inventory database that customer service uses
with the databases on-line. The result: on-line orders are processed
at the end of day via a batch job and the inventory could have been
depleted via other methods before your order is processed from on-line.
24 hours could pass from when you place your order, until it is entered
into the true ordering system.
REI does not know this is a significant problem and it is affecting
the overall satisfaction of its on-line ordering population.
REI needs to post a warning that what you are ordering may not be
available
despite what the inventory database states.
I have ordered twice and have had the same problem. One time, they did
not notify
me that they were out of stock until I contacted them 14 days after my
order.
They stated that there was nothing that they could do, because the item
was
gone. The second time was more impacting, I ordered a second double
rope
and had a different brand and length rope substituted. Again they
stated
demand exceded supply, even though my transaction was completed. They
should have
canceled the order instead of shipping, but would I had to have to wait
two weeks
to learn it wasn't coming?
REI's statements were that the demand exceeded the supply and there was
nothing
that they could do. They did suggest that a person could call the
toll-free
customer service number and order from there, but that defeats one of
the
purposes of ordering on-line. That person would also pay full shipping
costs
if they called toll-free.
Wake up REI and come into the eCommerce generation. Fix your system
problems
and you will make people happier.
If you get Gearmail, beware of the special sales. Chances are, you
won't get
what you ordered.
S_D :(
ada
I just ordered a bunch of hard to find stuff from REI and had NO problem at
all. It was incredible. Sorry to hear of this exception to the rule.
In article <35C26114...@yahoo.com>, Shasta_Doug <shast...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
maohai huang
: One time, they did
: not notify
: me that they were out of stock until I contacted them 14 days after my
: order.
I had similar experience two months ago. Slow. Inattentive. They said it
was because of understaffed on-line order department. They have started to
charge shipping, maybe the service will get better.
- mh
Glenn Stauffer
That is the problem I have with some of the on-line ordering systems.
Campmor, for instance, doesn't allow checking stock online. So, you
place an order for one of their sale items, like a tent and add on a
bunch of small items. Well, when you get the box, the tent is out of
stock and not back-ordered, and you just paid $7 something shipping for a
box of bits. I like LL Bean's online system best. Stock is checked when
you place the order and confirmed online, so there are no surprises.
Glenn
peak_...@my-dejanews.com
mhu...@bu.edu (maohai huang) wrote:
> Shasta_Doug (shast...@yahoo.com) wrote:
> : One time, they did
> : not notify
> : me that they were out of stock until I contacted them 14 days after my
> : order.
>
> I had similar experience two months ago. Slow. Inattentive. They said it
> was because of understaffed on-line order department. They have started to
> charge shipping, maybe the service will get better.
>
> - mh
>
schedule. I have no complaints. Maybe I would think differently if my stuff
was not in stock.
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Mark Wilden
>They have started to
>charge shipping, maybe the service will get better.
That's too bad. If they're charging shipping on online orders now,
there's no real point in ordering from the Web. May as well just order
by phone.
Charlie Goodrich
jca...@erolsdotcom.throwthisout (ada) writes:
> >REI does not link the inventory database that customer service uses
> >with the databases on-line. The result: on-line orders are processed
> >at the end of day via a batch job and the inventory could have been
> >depleted via other methods before your order is processed from on-line.
> >24 hours could pass from when you place your order, until it is entered
> >into the true ordering system.
Having worked before in a distribution environment, this is a common
problem which is only solved by systems and practices for real time
receiving, order picking, etc. Very expensive to implement and only
worth it if on-line sales is your main sales volume.
Charlie
Ethan Smith
weeks ago because demand on the Chacos is soooo high that noone in my area
had any in stock and isn't getting any for more than six months. However
I lucked out and they came after on the thirsd try from the UPS man But
the whole time I was worrying that some sad Teva substitue was going to
show up:
Ethan
> All,
>
> Beware when you order on-line are REI.com and REI-Outlet.com.
>
> What you order may not be available in their inventory, and customer
> service does not seem to care at all. It seems that they are going
> away from the Co-op mentality and are just after a buck.
>
> REI does not link the inventory database that customer service uses
> with the databases on-line. The result: on-line orders are processed
> at the end of day via a batch job and the inventory could have been
> depleted via other methods before your order is processed from on-line.
> 24 hours could pass from when you place your order, until it is entered
> into the true ordering system.
>
> REI does not know this is a significant problem and it is affecting
> the overall satisfaction of its on-line ordering population.
>
> REI needs to post a warning that what you are ordering may not be
> available
> despite what the inventory database states.
>
> I have ordered twice and have had the same problem. One time, they did
> not notify
> me that they were out of stock until I contacted them 14 days after my
> order.
Duncan Watson
service. But my stuff was in stock.
-Duncan
peak_...@my-dejanews.com wrote:
> In article <6pvhrl$d23$1...@news1.bu.edu>,
> mhu...@bu.edu (maohai huang) wrote:
> > Shasta_Doug (shast...@yahoo.com) wrote:
> > : One time, they did
> > : not notify
> > : me that they were out of stock until I contacted them 14 days after my
> > : order.
> >
> > I had similar experience two months ago. Slow. Inattentive. They said it
> > was because of understaffed on-line order department. They have started to
> > charge shipping, maybe the service will get better.
> >
rr...@smith-intl.com
cha...@goodrich.terranet.com (Charlie Goodrich) wrote:
> In article <6pu19i$9t6$5...@winter.news.erols.com>
> jca...@erolsdotcom.throwthisout (ada) writes:
>
> > >with the databases on-line. The result: on-line orders are processed
> > >at the end of day via a batch job and the inventory could have been
> > >depleted via other methods before your order is processed from on-line.
> > >24 hours could pass from when you place your order, until it is entered
> > >into the true ordering system.
>
> problem which is only solved by systems and practices for real time
> receiving, order picking, etc. Very expensive to implement and only
> worth it if on-line sales is your main sales volume.
>
> Charlie
>
Why is this more expensive than an on line real time telephone ordering
system which they apparently already have? If they just took the system they
have now and printed out the net orders as they come in and hand them to one
of the telephone order takers to type into the real system, it would be an
improvement. As long as net customers are treated as second class, on-line
sales will never become the main sales volume or even a significant portion
of the sales. REI is not alone in this attitude. I have encountered a number
of companies with generaly excellent customer relations, phone calls are
answered by a knowledgeable helpful person, Calls are returned promptly,
Letters are answered promptly, phone orders are shipped the next day, etc.
But e-mail replies take 1-2 weeks or are completely ignored.
I don't understand why a company would spend the money to be on line and then
do thier darndest to run off on line customers.
ORBS Escrow/ORBS Outdoor Classifieds
> In article <6q37n7$l77$2...@dalesbred.terra.net>,
> cha...@goodrich.terranet.com (Charlie Goodrich) wrote:
> > In article <6pu19i$9t6$5...@winter.news.erols.com>
> > jca...@erolsdotcom.throwthisout (ada) writes:
> >
> > > >REI does not link the inventory database that customer service uses
> > > >with the databases on-line. The result: on-line orders are processed
> > > >at the end of day via a batch job and the inventory could have been
> > > >depleted via other methods before your order is processed from on-line.
> > > >24 hours could pass from when you place your order, until it is entered
> > > >into the true ordering system.
> >
> > Having worked before in a distribution environment, this is a common
> > problem which is only solved by systems and practices for real time
> > receiving, order picking, etc. Very expensive to implement and only
> > worth it if on-line sales is your main sales volume.
> >
> > Charlie
> >
>
> Why is this more expensive than an on line real time telephone ordering
> system which they apparently already have? If they just took the system they
> have now and printed out the net orders as they come in and hand them to one
> of the telephone order takers to type into the real system, it would be an
> improvement. As long as net customers are treated as second class, on-line
> sales will never become the main sales volume or even a significant portion
> of the sales.
...
That is 100% logical, but logic isn't at the root of this problem, so
won't help much in fixing it.
> I don't understand why a company would spend the money to be on line and then
> do thier darndest to run off on line customers.
Because a large company like REI isn't a monolith, it's a team, and
needs strong leadership and cooperative players at the top. I'll bet
that someone influencial pushed hard for the terrific, expensive
system they have. Now some key manager(s) in the
order-taking/order-filling function won't play ball, because he/she is
uncomfortable with online ordering. Perhaps this is because he is
uncomfortable with anything new, uncomfortable with computer
communication, feels a threat to his job, or something like that. I
guess dragging his foot is logical for him in the short-term, but not
logical for REI as a company in the longer term.
For reasons unknowable to an outsider, that person is has, so far,
been allowed to prevail (poor online order service, and now paying
extra for the opportunity). But it is clearly not a sustainable
situation. If I were a careful observer and student of business,
especially e-commerce, I would watch for a change of faces at REI and
a sharp, overnight improvement in online ordering. All of the pieces
are in place.
In contrast, at ORBS we do 100% online sales and customer service. We
don't even publish a phone or fax number. Our customer communications
policy is, If they can't fill out a Web form or correspond by email,
we, quite frankly, don't have time for it. This goes for commercial
customers (mostly advertsiers), retail customers, even vendors right
down to the paper box supplier. We've self-selected a group of people
to deal with which only can grow at the expense of our competitors'
face-to-face and phone business. Business schoolers will recognize
this as taking first mover advantages and good positioning (on the
quality-price map).
To illustrate with an extreme example, we had a vendor until recently
who was so retro that he had no Web page, email, voice mail, or pager.
He did have a phone (fixed, not cell), but was so bad about timely
return of calls that we had to catch him in his office (irregular
hours). He loved to make appointments to visit here, shoot the breeze
and tell jokes, and finally pull out his order book. His product was
great, and prices were better, but he was just too much trouble.
He, like REI, lost his position as default supplier due to poor
communications. He will now have to earn it again by the expensive
process of bring his performance significantly above that of his
competitors, living down our perception of him as being below average
(perception is a separate issue from reality), and proving himself to
a skeptical former customer over a trial period.
REI, as a first-class marketing outfit, knows that charging money to
order online, then giving poor service, is costing them a string of
sales way out into the future from each alienated online customer. And
that sales revenue is going into competitors' coffers, where it
strengthens the competitors' position. That's just bad strategy.
Watch for a sharp improvement at REI. Maybe the new "outlet" product
is the start of it.
-- Jeff
ORBS Rents Bear Canisters - $3 per day, all 50 states
http://home.pacbell.net/orbs/bc-homepage.html
ORBS Classifieds - Free outdoor classified ads
http://home.pacbell.net/orbs
ORBS Escrow - Affordable safety for online buyers and sellers
http://home.pacbell.net/orbs/oe-homepage.html
Tim Hewitt
>
> I have also successfully ordered on-line from REI. In general excellent
> service. But my stuff was in stock.
> -Duncan
They must to some linking of the online ordering system with inventory, as I
just tried to order 4 items and one was out of stock. They will ship the othr
three and backorder the 4th. I have no problem with that. It was fast,
painless, and I've very pleased.
-Tim
Shasta_Doug
successful on-line orders from REI. The real problem here is
trying to react quickly to on-line sales and closeouts. By having
a 24 hour delay built into the actual ordering of those items it
is very possible to complete the transaction and not have the item
in stock.
REI does update the inventory of their on-line datebase, but only
once a day is it synched up with the "real" ordering database. That
leaves the 24 hour gray period for orders to slip by.
Also, to counter what REI told me about ordering a "hot" item over
the phone, instead. Their web-site (rei-outlet.com) says prices
are so low due to the exclusive on-line ordering and no mail-order
phone orders are accepted.
http://rei-outlet.com/cgi-bin/imagemap/map/infonav.map?101,10
REI's customer service has been great to me, but it has only been
when I have gone to a store for the service. The customer service
reps at headquarters don't seem to be trained in dealing with
the on-line customer service problems. The one rep I spoke with
stated that she never has seen the web site.
S_D
Mark Wilden wrote:
>
> maohai huang wrote in message <6pvhrl$d23$1...@news1.bu.edu>...
> >They have started to
> >charge shipping, maybe the service will get better.
>
Steven Broyles
Near Xmas I ordered several times from REI. Not a single problem.
In fact, the one item that I ordered that was out of stock, they
upgraded for no extra cost (Instead of an cheaper pillow I got a nice
one that I like much better).
Sorry to hear that some people have had bad experiences, all of mine
have been excellent.
-Steve
--
Steven Broyles
Environmental Business International
San Diego, CA
Mail to:st...@ebiusa.com