[Jewelry making - Article 00203] - Re: [Orchid] Difficulties with Metalliferous

[Digest Post]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========


From: "Karen Goeller" <kgoeller AT nolimitations.com>

    Folks, 

    Here's my take on Metalliferous.  

    Yes, they are brusque.  When you are in their store, the employees
    tend to bark at you and be impatient with you.  On the phone, I've
    found the attitudes to be roughly the same as in the store. 

    On the up side of it, they have excellent selection, good prices,
    and are one of the few places in NYC, Philly or other jewelry
    "centers" in which you can wander freely, browse, and help yourself. 
    Excursions to Metalliferous for me rarely end up under 1+ hours (and
    too many dollars) because I tend to find wonderful and "inspiring"
    things while rooting around in the bins, browsing the shelves, and
    perusing the tools. 

    But to understand some of the attitude, I think you have to
    understand the physical nature of the place.  It's relatively tiny,
    crammed to the rafters with great stuff.  There is little room to
    move, and it is ALWAYS crowded with shoppers...the general public,
    not just professional jewelers.  I've heard people try to rip them
    off by passing things off as coming from a lesser-priced bin, argue
    with them over why they should get a discount, disrespect their
    well-founded rules about handling the bins (think about someone
    dropping a bin that contains 15 compartments of different sized jump
    rings, each of which has 1000 or more jump rings in it -- all
    different prices -- would you want to clean it up and re-sort
    them???).  With my family background in retail grocery, I can say
    with some certainty that the physical setup they have is one that
    makes it fairly easy to rip them off in small ways -- but those ways
    add up...  things like counting out 40 of something but writing 30 on
    the bag, or "mis-pricing" your items.... and I'm sure that there are
    people who do that on a routine basis.  All of this leads to a
    high-stress environment and a need to "keep control" of a situation
    that always borders on chaos. 

    Yes, they're not Rio or Stuller, in their nice professional
    call-centers in Albuquerque or wherever.  They are individuals
    rushing around performing too many tasks in a too-hectic environment
    and trying to keep it all held together.  I respect that and tend to
    cut them a break. Keep your tone professional and organize your order
    before calling them, and you won't have a problem.  Don't waste your
    time and don't waste theirs, either. 

    They've gotten a bunch of my money on a consistent basis, and will
    continue to do so.  It's up to you whether you can deal with it
    without taking it personally, or whether you want to simply deal with
    someone else.  There's no point causing yourself (or anyone else)
    stress over it. 

Respectfully,
Karen Goeller   
kgoeller AT nolimitations.com
Hand-crafted artisan jewelry
http://www.nolimitations.com


From: Noel Yovovich <noelyovo AT yahoo.com>

    Mr Feldman, As an occasional customer with no involvement with the
    complaints you responded to, I would like to comment. 

    I, and, I imagine, others on Orchid, appreciate your effort to
    balance our view of the situation. Your expressed desire to please
    your customers is commendable. I am less thrilled with the
    suggestion that some customers are just out to find fault. I, for
    one, think these are few and far between. 

    But it looks to me as though you are overlooking the prime complaint
    that has been voiced on Orchid, which is impatience and rudeness. We
    do not all live in NYC where rudeness is accepted the same way air
    pollution is, as just the way things are. Here in the Midwest, for
    example, it is not acceptable at all. 

    Personally, I have seen both sides of Metalliferous. One woman I
    reached when I called cheerfully went to some trouble to help me
    receive some items that are not in the catalog. Another time, a man
    I spoke to was rude and brusque, and spoke to me condescendingly. He
    was particularly so when it came up that I didn't know where you are
    located. When he said "New York" as if it were the only possibility,
    I thought, "oh, that explains a lot". 

    Bottom line, it seems you would do well to rethink your corporate
    culture as it applies to personal interactions with customers. There
    is no excuse, nor can it be good business, to speak other than
    patiently and courteously to people. Unless, of course, you only
    want rude, angry, obnoxious customers. 

    Just my individual take on the situation. Noel Yovovich 


From: David Barzilay Lord of the Rings <davidlotr AT sbcglobal.net>

    Very well said, David. I, for one, am certainly willing to give you
    the 'benefit of the doubt.' Metalliferous has a fine reputation. There
    are always some clients "with whom you can do no right."  I have had
    a few myself. 

    I am certainly NOT saying that Will Denayer and Ms. Haldiman are
    WRONG, just that there was definitely mis-communication. 

    David Barzilay, Lord of the Rings 

From: "GRACE & TOM STOKES" <zunifaro AT stratos.net>

    Just thought I would throw in my 2 cents regarding Metalliferous
    too. Basically ditto to everything Mona has written.  He is
    incredibly pompous, rude and condescending.  If you look into the
    archives under Metalliferous from a few years ago I am sure you will
    find my complaint to be pretty much the same.  Some people never
    change. 

    G. in Cleveland 

From: "Sharon Major" <sgmajor AT bellsouth.net>

    I, too, have experienced rude treatment when ordering from
    Metalifferous. I try at all costs to avoid ordering from them. The
    last time I ordered, I mentioned that I needed the order within two
    days (requiring 2 day delivery), and the answer I got was " Well,
    the sooner you let me get off the phone, the sooner I can process
    your order!" Guess what - the order didn't show up on time! I wonder
    how they stay in business! Sharon Major 

From: Mark Shneyer <mshneyer AT optonline.net>

    What does Metalliferous sell that you cannot find anywhere else? 
    There must be other suppliers who would like your business. 




____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________