I appreciate what you're both saying. Greg, my point was that they
went ahead and shipped whatever portion they felt like, however they
felt like, without consulting me whatsoever (in spite of their
ordering mechanism leading me to believe that they would do
otherwise).

Most of my email communication was with Debbie Lam. I did inform her
of my reason for dissatisfaction in my last email when I requested
that the last part of the order be cancelled. Her entire response was
"Your backorder is cancelled." -- no apologies or offers to take any
other action to rectify the situation. Not that I was expecting any,
but this seems counter to your suspicion that they would try harder to
correct the situation.

I can appreciate that they may be swamped during this year's crush,
and I can also appreciate that they may be too accustomed to working
with customers over the phone and may not yet have come to grips with
their new web-based ordering system. But the fact that I can
sympathize with them doesn't for one second mean that I would want
anyone else to experience the frustration and needless expense that I
have. I bear no grudge against them as human beings -- I just want
people to be aware that this situation occurred, because in my mind if
it's happened once to me it could just as easily happen again to
someone else.

Anyhow, they're lucky that they seem to have built up a lot of good
will with their customer base. Hopefully incidents like this, whether
caused by growing pains or whatever, will be few in number and not
damage their reputation much before they work out the kinks.

Richard

"Negodki" wrote in message ...
"Greg Cook" wrote:

Hmm, It seems you have quite a tough time with this order. My experience
with the folks at Presque Isle have always been positive. I'm wondering
if you tried using the telephone and talking directly to them? Your
message intimates that you were corresponding entirely by email.
Sometimes, if there is confusion, direct one to one talking makes all
the difference.

I also had problems with Presque Isle this year. They got three things wrong
on my 10-item order, and didn't respond to my emails asking them to rectify
the situation. I finally spoke to Debby Lamm, and she sent me the correct
items with apologies for the difficulties. Everything was solved before she
finally got to my emails, which gives you some idea of the backlog they are
experiencing.

They have been extremely busy this harvest season, and I think they hired
some new staff to handle it, but haven't had time to train them properly.

In my experience, they will always determine the exact shipping costs for
you before shipping your order, if you ask them to do so. They will also use
any alternate shipping method you wish, and they are very willing to accept
responsibility for errors, and correct them. UPS brokerage fees are
standard, and Presque Isle is hardly responsible for them, anymore than they
are for any Canadian Customs duties which may be assessed. It might have
been nice if they had warned you that there would be such fees, but it is
also reasonable that they might have assumed you knew what happens when you
import goods into your country, and chose to order regardless. The same
thing happens when I import goods from Canada.

Furthermore, if you were to discuss what happened with them, I suspect they
would try to do something to make up for the difficulties you experienced,
perhaps ship the Hannah without further freight charge, and by post to
alleviate the brokerage fees.

I have the same exact problem with PI concerning a PH meter and
shipping the wrong yeast.
Tim
I appreciate what you're both saying. Greg, my point was that they
went ahead and shipped whatever portion they felt like, however they
felt like, without consulting me whatsoever (in spite of their
ordering mechanism leading me to believe that they would do
otherwise).

Most of my email communication was with Debbie Lam. I did inform her
of my reason for dissatisfaction in my last email when I requested
that the last part of the order be cancelled. Her entire response was
"Your backorder is cancelled." -- no apologies or offers to take any
other action to rectify the situation. Not that I was expecting any,
but this seems counter to your suspicion that they would try harder to
correct the situation.

I can appreciate that they may be swamped during this year's crush,
and I can also appreciate that they may be too accustomed to working
with customers over the phone and may not yet have come to grips with
their new web-based ordering system. But the fact that I can
sympathize with them doesn't for one second mean that I would want
anyone else to experience the frustration and needless expense that I
have. I bear no grudge against them as human beings -- I just want
people to be aware that this situation occurred, because in my mind if
it's happened once to me it could just as easily happen again to
someone else.

Anyhow, they're lucky that they seem to have built up a lot of good
will with their customer base. Hopefully incidents like this, whether
caused by growing pains or whatever, will be few in number and not
damage their reputation much before they work out the kinks.

Richard

"Negodki" wrote in message ...
"Greg Cook" wrote:

Hmm, It seems you have quite a tough time with this order. My experience
with the folks at Presque Isle have always been positive. I'm wondering
if you tried using the telephone and talking directly to them? Your
message intimates that you were corresponding entirely by email.
Sometimes, if there is confusion, direct one to one talking makes all
the difference.

I also had problems with Presque Isle this year. They got three things wrong
on my 10-item order, and didn't respond to my emails asking them to rectify
the situation. I finally spoke to Debby Lamm, and she sent me the correct
items with apologies for the difficulties. Everything was solved before she
finally got to my emails, which gives you some idea of the backlog they are
experiencing.

They have been extremely busy this harvest season, and I think they hired
some new staff to handle it, but haven't had time to train them properly.

In my experience, they will always determine the exact shipping costs for
you before shipping your order, if you ask them to do so. They will also use
any alternate shipping method you wish, and they are very willing to accept
responsibility for errors, and correct them. UPS brokerage fees are
standard, and Presque Isle is hardly responsible for them, anymore than they
are for any Canadian Customs duties which may be assessed. It might have
been nice if they had warned you that there would be such fees, but it is
also reasonable that they might have assumed you knew what happens when you
import goods into your country, and chose to order regardless. The same
thing happens when I import goods from Canada.

Furthermore, if you were to discuss what happened with them, I suspect they
would try to do something to make up for the difficulties you experienced,
perhaps ship the Hannah without further freight charge, and by post to
alleviate the brokerage fees.