Woodpellets.com Order that went wrong!! Pics included

[smoke show]

Now everyone will be puposely damaging bags....

 

[ducker]

sounds like as nice as that is.. with you storing them away from your house, you should have them take back all the ruined ones. Otherwise you'll have to deal with them throughout the winter.

 

[Lousyweather]

yea, agreed...call in ASAP, rather than wait. Not sure the pellet co can be held responsible for pellets if they are really old...who knows, maybe they got wet at your place?

 

[smwilliamson]

Yep... image/perception is killer in any type of sales/delivery/service industry. I mean even if they DO provide a favorable outcome - this thread is enough to deter me away from wanting to buy from them in the future.

That's foolish. What guarantee is there that anywhere else the outcome will be different? I get all kinds of accolades from my customers. It's very nice to hear but it is only an affirmation of things in the past. What I really like to hear from are the upset customers! That tells me that I'm doing something wrong, then I can change it. In business, you are a fool if you think that everyone is happy with your products and services. The company that has the ability to overcome adversity is the one I want to do business with because it means that they care enough to want to it better.

You can order pellets from a multitude of vendors and have them delivered and any of them could show up wet, damaged, short, in the wrong driveway etc....so what you're saying is that you want to seek out a company you have heard nothing bad about....last I knew all of these companies were run by humans, who are by their very makeup imperfect beings.

Go with the group that tries harder because if anything goes wrong...you want a resolution...just my 2cents

 

[Lousyweather]

Like it or not, perception IS reality. The OP posted, in my opinion, prematurely, and I agree that while the outcome was "being worked on", it certainly wasnt a bright spot on Woodpellets.com 's perceived reputation. If they did a poor job of fulfilling the OP's expectations, then I would expect to see a post here, as a service to potential future customers (cant say Ive ever heard much negative about Woodpellets.com). What I dont support though, and most likely this isnt the OP's original intent, is having an issue, not allowing the company to rectify it, but immediately posting here to use the forum and members as a cudgel to force the company into doing something they probably would have done otherwise. Either way, I have to agree, would seem to be a black mark (for a bit, anyways). People mess up. Hopefully they make it better.

Also, dont disallow that some customers have unreasonable expectations as well....its not ALWAYS the retailer. Just a thought.

 

[smwilliamson]

agreed. it takes two to tango.

 

[ducker]

That's foolish. What guarantee is there that anywhere else the outcome will be different? I get all kinds of accolades from my customers. It's very nice to hear but it is only an affirmation of things in the past. What I really like to hear from are the upset customers! That tells me that I'm doing something wrong, then I can change it. In business, you are a fool if you think that everyone is happy with your products and services. The company that has the ability to overcome adversity is the one I want to do business with because it means that they care enough to want to it better.

You can order pellets from a multitude of vendors and have them delivered and any of them could show up wet, damaged, short, in the wrong driveway etc....so what you're saying is that you want to seek out a company you have heard nothing bad about....last I knew all of these companies were run by humans, who are by their very makeup imperfect beings.

Go with the group that tries harder because if anything goes wrong...you want a resolution...just my 2cents

You missed the point completely. For the most part everyone who has a pellet stove has a supplier who they get pellets from. If they are pissed with their provider, sure they may be looking for another vendor, I would imagine the majority of people are content with their supplier. Your assumption above is that a purchaser has zero experience with any vendor. And that picking a company like woodpellets.com would be better then picking an unknown. That isn't the case for myself nor many people in the this forum.

I have seen a LOT of advertisements for woodpellets.com - I get mailers from them at home. I've considered buying from them in the past. This type of event (FOR ME) is a black mark, because I know that the local company I use can and will quickly provide me with replacement for wet/damaged pellets - as well as come in at a lower price for both pallets and delivery. The fact that the OP even came to this forum to post this - tells me that he felt as if he was not treated like a cared for customer. Now if he opened the thread singing the praise of how woodpellets.com messed up and fixed it immediately for him, that would be a win/win for them. Negative situation, positive outcome, positive feedback to the community.

What you speak of is exactly what I do when I make purchased or say traveling to a hotel. There might be glowing reviews, I look to see who had a crappy experience and reviewed it poorly, or how the business attempted to "fix" the situation. So sure, I'll give them credit for working with the OP in resolving it. But things like this causes people to pause before making the switch from one supplier to another.

 

[Lousyweather]

its like when I book a vacation to somewhere I have never been. I wil llook at reviews online. If there are lots of reviews, I will read them all, paying close attention to the BAD reviews. Then, I analyze the review. Was the copmplaint valid, in my opinion, or was it a stupid, nitpicky one? I read one once where the person's main complaints were the bed wasnt fastened to the floor (go figure), and the pillow wasnt to their liking.....out of 5 stars, i think they allowed one....so, made an opinion of the reviewer then and there, booked the place, and it was GREAT! same with pellets.

 

[smwilliamson]

You missed the point completely....

No, I got the point. Someone had a bad batch of pellets delivered and decided to blast the forum before working things out privately with the vendor. In a way, the OP used the forum as a bitching platform. Whether the problem is resolved or not, public opinion is that when you order from XYZ you get results like this...or Gosh, I expected so much more from them and this is what I got. While this forum is a wealth of knowledge, it should be used for that purpose and not a place to rant about XYZ unless XYZ clearly isn't taking care of business...then I think we would want to know that.

It would be kind of like me missing an appointment and before I could make good on it the chatter hits the forum.

People that refuse to do business with XYZ, solely based upon a blog post whom they do not know or admire the choices of, will never know the service/ product they could have had...that was my point....it is foolish to not want to do business with XYZ because someone decided to rant.

Regardless, for the choices we make there are no guarantees of outcomes.

People have the notion that businesses aren't allowed to make mistakes, especially those with ever present marketing tactics.

What you all may not know is that many of the folk up there @ WP.com do a heck of a lot more for this industry than any other fuel supplier. Their team is spot on...very nice, very smart and professional....most of all, they act like adults, which, if you know any of the Neanderthals the hearth biz is plagued with...one might find it quite refreshing.

That's why I stick up for them.

 

[GrahamInVa]

(broken image removed)

 

[Lousyweather]

No, I got the point. Someone had a bad batch of pellets delivered and decided to blast the forum before working things out privately with the vendor. In a way, the OP used the forum as a bitching platform. Whether the problem is resolved or not, public opinion is that when you order from XYZ you get results like this...or Gosh, I expected so much more from them and this is what I got. While this forum is a wealth of knowledge, it should be used for that purpose and not a place to rant about XYZ unless XYZ clearly isn't taking care of business...then I think we would want to know that.

It would be kind of like me missing an appointment and before I could make good on it the chatter hits the forum.

People that refuse to do business with XYZ, solely based upon a blog post whom they do not know or admire the choices of, will never know the service/ product they could have had...that was my point....it is foolish to not want to do business with XYZ because someone decided to rant.

Regardless, for the choices we make there are no guarantees of outcomes.

People have the notion that businesses aren't allowed to make mistakes, especially those with ever present marketing tactics.

What you all may not know is that many of the folk up there @ WP.com do a heck of a lot more for this industry than any other fuel supplier. Their team is spot on...very nice, very smart and professional....most of all, they act like adults, which, if you know any of the Neanderthals the hearth biz is plagued with...one might find it quite refreshing.

That's why I stick up for them.

yea, pretty much what I said above in post #30.......agreed......tho I dont agree with the neanderthals comment!

 

[smwilliamson]

yea, pretty much what I said above in post #30.......agreed......tho I dont agree with the neanderthals comment!

if you can spell it you're not one of them

 

[Lousyweather]

if you can spell it you're not one of them

oh, no, the only reason I can spell Neanderthal is because Archaeological Anthropology was an easy A in college........I do remember a few things....lol

 

[CSCPeter]

Yeah please don't report to the cc companies, they are all criminals, they immediately take the money from the vendor's account and the vendor is guilty until proven innocent, even when people use their card for large amounts, it is taken from the customer's account immediately, but they ask us to prove what the purchase was for and we will not have access to the funds for 7-10 business days, but the CC company will hold onto it for those 7-10 days and probably gain interest off of it. It should just be a matter of the customer signed for it, then that should be all the proof needed!!

 

[MCPO]

This above situation has to be rather uncommon in the sense that the OP`s storage location is remote and no one was there to receive and check the delivery but I think many delivery problem/claims could be eliminated if the driver/deliveryperson took some responsibility with what he delivered. It would only take a minute for him to inspect and photograph the coverings and condition of the unloaded pellets . Maybe this is even better done as he initially loaded them. Top and side cover damage is usually pretty obvious .The damage I mostly encountered in the past has been with the bottom layer of pellets getting wet (much harder to see) but returning a few bad bags for exchange or credit is a simpler matter than having to having to return a pallet full due to an obvious damaged cover.
At least in the above situation I place the blame entirely on the delivery person,that is unless I misread something.

 

[LIpelletpig]

UPDATE.....As many of you on the forum have questioned why I would post so quickly after receiving my pellet delivery and not give Woodpellets.com time to rectify the problem with the original delivery I am happy to report that the 1-Ton of pellets was replaced today. I posted my situation to the forum for several reasons. The first is to explain and show that mistakes happen and things are out of our control. The communication between woodpellets.com and me the customer was 100% upfront and honest and never once did I think I was taken. I explained the situation on hearth.com to demonstrate why woodpellets.com is a reliable and good source for pellets. We all have heard horror stories of pellet companies going belly-up before you take delivery of your season worth of pellets. This was an example of a good retailer with great ethics in business putting the customer first. It never crossed my mind in this process to contact the credit card company since I knew I was dealing with WP.com. I feel very confident in recommending WP.com to others looking for pellets. How the Pacific Cleanfire's burn? I can't answer that just yet!

FYI: You might notice one layer of the pellet stack was missing that's because it was already in the process of being unloaded and stacked before the heavy rains arrived.

 

[novah]

I, too, was taken back by the change in the OP's attitude when he wrote the UPDATE post. He totally forgot he threw them under the bus in the first post.

 

[smwilliamson]

kill them with kindness...c'mon, folks...let us forgive our pellet brother

 

[AbetterChimneynm]

I dont even know where to start we have many customers who act like this I blame wal-mart, Wal-mart has given people the idea that anyone can return anything no matter what and that if they groan load enough They get their way even if they are in the wrong (I am not saying that this guy was in the wrong he needed new pellets) but bring it to the forum before going to them was wrong....And like many people said who knows how many people wont give this company a try now because of his first post very sad indeed

 

[Defiant]

kill them with kindness...c'mon, folks...let us forgive our pellet brother

I think(hope) he has been flogged enough

 

[DexterDay]

Welcome back Johnny......

(1st post was pretty brutal) No one wants to be taken, but in fairness.... The company (WP.com) did deserve more time before going down this road. I only say that because heating season was a Looong way away. Lots of time to call customer service and talk through the situation.

I was taken for $500 a couple yrs back by a Scamming site. They had a deal that I couldnt resist. Even though they Didnt take PayPal or my Debit/Credit Card.. I still did it. I went and put $500 on a "Green Card" from W-M and paid them.... Never seen my 10 piece Dewalt Kit or my $500 again. I tried finding the people/place for almost a year.

Lesson learned

 

[smoke show]

Welcome back Johnny......

and he's gone. POOF.

 

[UMainah]

UPDATE.....As many of you on the forum have questioned why I would post so quickly after receiving my pellet delivery and not give Woodpellets.com time to rectify the problem with the original delivery I am happy to report that the 1-Ton of pellets was replaced today. I posted my situation to the forum for several reasons. The first is to explain and show that mistakes happen and things are out of our control. The communication between woodpellets.com and me the customer was 100% upfront and honest and never once did I think I was taken. I explained the situation on hearth.com to demonstrate why woodpellets.com is a reliable and good source for pellets. We all have heard horror stories of pellet companies going belly-up before you take delivery of your season worth of pellets. This was an example of a good retailer with great ethics in business putting the customer first. It never crossed my mind in this process to contact the credit card company since I knew I was dealing with WP.com. I feel very confident in recommending WP.com to others looking for pellets. How the Pacific Cleanfire's burn? I can't answer that just yet!

FYI: You might notice one layer of the pellet stack was missing that's because it was already in the process of being unloaded and stacked before the heavy rains arrived.

Your first post and it's title should be updated.
As it is now, when someone does a search for wp.com they'll come across your thread, see "Woodpellets.com Order that went wrong!!" and "The final outcome to this issue has not been resolved as of today." and then move on to finding somewhere else to buy pellets. They probably won't spend the time to wade through all the posts to get to the second page that says things have been worked out.

What you should do is at the top of your first post add something like "[Updated] This issue was resolved amicably. Please read post #41." Or even just add the contents of post #41 to the top of you first post. The title I'd change to something like: Woodpellets.com Order that went wrong [ISSUE RESOLVED]

 

[RiddleMasterMorgon]

So, I am one of the readers who actually did go all the way through the thread because I do consider buying from w.p.com. I think that in such a forum any customer absolutely has the right to describe such delliveries - even as early as the OP did.

I would never judge by only one anekdotal description, but over time you get a pretty good sense if these reports increase or decrease - which is then very reflective of the average quality of the company you are dealing with - beautifully done at sites like amazon.com ect.

To the OPs defense, he described the situation in detail (of course from his point of view), but to be honest, half through the description I already had the impression, wow what a high maintenance customer (thats how detailed/fair he described it). He called WP multiple times to make appointments, changed times, then does not make it on time for the delivery, then does not want to 'waste' his workday to accurately take or reject the delivery by being on site when delivered. Honestly, I was mighty impressed with WP.com patience right then and there....

Now, that does not change the fact that the delivery was screwed up big time and that does fall squarly on WP.coms hat IMO. Look at the wood pallet !! Is that mold all over the place ? - the pellets had been sitting in the rain for more than just the shower during the delivery attempt. The pellet stack had top damage, likely from original storage and monkeying around with a lift. So, someone absolutely screwed up by letting this pellet even go out the door - plain and simple.

Yes, we are all humans and things go wrong - but it is noteworthy that in the states the perception of 'acceptable wrongness' is very different from say Japan. Its IS a question of mentality and how much pride you pack in your work and how much you do care....about every single thing you do. I had the pleasure to lilve in different cultures over the years and I can tell you that I am not impressed with the idea of acceptable customer service level in the states.

So, although OP seems high maintenance, some of the other comments here seem to suggest that people could really try a little harder to offer better service. 80 % is not good enough as far as I am concerned (dont just blame it on bitching customers). There is no natural right that I have to give anyone a second chance of making it right, the natural expectation is that its done right the first time.

Calling the CC company to hold the charge is very effective precisely because it is such a sharp weapon. If you dont like it, dont accept credit cards or charge extra money for using them (as so many do nowerdays) ! You fail to mention that you enjoy the safety of credit card as a seller (eg no more blown check and running after your goods, no more failed deliveries because the cash is not there ect.).

And the last information that I can get from this thread is that W.P.com were able to resolve the issue within 30 days...personally, I think thats slow - if my local guy would screw up the delivery I would think he can fix than in 7 days with reasonable effort - but its not unreasonable either and its not heating season either, so that an average on my scale.

Overall, yes I feel negatively influenced by this. If they want to have my business then they compete with what I have and need to show that they would be better (service, price, ease of order whatever) - this thread does not show reason to switch for me.

 

[smwilliamson]

.

And the last information that I can get from this thread is that W.P.com were able to resolve the issue within 30 days...personally, I think thats slow - if my local guy would screw up the delivery I would think he can fix than in 7 days with reasonable effort - but its not unreasonable either and its not heating season either, so that an average on my scale.
Overall, yes I feel negatively influenced by this. If they want to have my business then they compete with what I have and need to show that they would be better (service, price, ease of order whatever) - this thread does not show reason to switch for me.

Also to note...the OP may have requested a delivery around his schedule which should be considered in the delayed makeup delivery.