Bad experience with Boardsmith

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daveb said:
Had someone, anyone, posted "I'm thinking about buying a Boardsmith board, what do you guys think?" , the post would have been entirely appropriate, relevant and on-point. Instead it was an unsolicited, one sided rant. I've had "issues" with vendors here and the one who shall not be named. I look for resolution, not to see who can pee highest on the tree.

My 2 cents. Out of coffee, out of here. No more fuel for this fire.
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I am new here, so escuses me for asking who shall not be named?
Just in case I call the wrath of the gods by mistake or something :p
 
We've never been big on shutting down threads, instead we've preferred to allow them to run their course, allowing for everyone to weigh in, etc.

At this point the thread appears to be still be active but the tone needs to be kept civil and respectful.
 
Dave Martell said:
We've never been big on shutting down threads, instead we've preferred to allow them to run their course, allowing for everyone to weigh in, etc.

At this point the thread appears to be still be active but the tone needs to be kept civil and respectful.
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Btw I just gotten invoked with this board a short while ago. Haven't had so much fun in a long time. Kudos for building such a wonderful community.
 
After reading the exchange and seeing both sides, it looks to me the potential customer jumped to conclusions and is now crying over spilt milk that was nobody's fault except a technical difficulty that can't be sourced. Let go of your ego and move on, the intensity of your responses suggest you really really want one of his boards badly and are just sour that you couldn't order one.
 
I had trouble using David's website when he was going through his first redesign. As with the OP I gave up on it but instead of having a hissy fit I just called him personally as his web site suggested if you are having trouble. After speaking to him on the phone and him taking my order personally I found David to be very pleasant and helpful. Some of the best costumer service I have experienced from a vender. If I ever want another board he would be the first person I would go to.
 
dannynyc said:
Really, you think it's rude to tell a vendor they may be losing business because their website doesn't let orders go through? Don't you think that's something a vendor might want to know?
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Your very first line was, "your website doesn't work!". That's rather rude and you are automatically setting the tone for future correspondence. I'm sure things would have gone differently had you simply just said, "I'm having a problem with checkout, this is what it's saying, here's a screen shot (I always take one so they can physically see what kind of error I'm getting), could you please let me know what I'm doing wrong."

To me, your very first email was accusatory right from the start. I've never ordered from BoardSmith and I don't know you so I'm not biased one way or the other, just giving you my opinion on how your email read.
 
Out of curiosity, to the original poster, what were you hoping would be the end result of posting your complaint on the forum?

Jay
 
I'm always amazed at how far people will take an e-mail exchange and not pick up the phone. Your first e-mail to BoardSmith set the tone, whether you intended to or not. When you didn't get resolution at that point, why not call? I'm certain at that point you would have found resolution, and none of this would have to be written.
 
Namaxy said:
I'm always amazed at how far people will take an e-mail exchange and not pick up the phone.
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Sorry for truncating your reply, but I wanted to notice another thing with the help of your cite.

As someone, who isn't native English speaker I find it MUCH harder to communicate with US over phone compared to email. My daily job includes skype meetings with US guys and I find myself way more productive when we discuss things using emails and not skype (or phone). And for us there's also a huge time difference, so phone (or skype) is not always the best option.
 
A lot of you take a pretty broad view of the term "respectful communication."
 
As a chef and manager for many years, dealing with customers can be difficult, but the bottom line is that is what we do. I need to make an effort to address the customers needs and if I can't then I need to offer an alternative. FWIW there are a couple of well respected vendors on KKF that for one reason or another I can't seem to get their websites to work for me and with one simple email both of them were more than willing to send me PayPal info and the transactions were complete. I believe that posting a bad experience is just as valid as posting the great ones. Everyone has to ultimately weigh both good and bad to make their own judgments. That is what makes this forum work.
 
Erilyn75 said:
Your very first line was, "your website doesn't work!". That's rather rude and you are automatically setting the tone for future correspondence. I'm sure things would have gone differently had you simply just said, "I'm having a problem with checkout, this is what it's saying, here's a screen shot (I always take one so they can physically see what kind of error I'm getting), could you please let me know what I'm doing wrong."

To me, your very first email was accusatory right from the start. I've never ordered from BoardSmith and I don't know you so I'm not biased one way or the other, just giving you my opinion on how your email read.
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Right, it wasnt a great constructive comment. but he isnt the vendor. and his poor email/complaint to me doesnt go ahead and make acceptable customer service to respond that way in return. to me, thats bad business. I think any of us who have run a business or worked in customer service know that most of the requests are NOT very respectful, helpful, or constructive. as usually when we get them, its because something went wrong.

people are going to complain when something doesnt work, regardless of whose fault it is, and when they do so in looking for help they often dont do so in a helpful way. its just as easy for the vendor to say "im sorry its not working for you -- can you describe the issue or error you are getting or provide me with a bit more info so I can help you make your purchase? We also take orders over the phone if that would be more convient for you?"

and then it probably goes alot smoother after that. i dont think the problem being on the OP's end is really of any consequence. i think the main point being overlooked is that he really didnt get much help or alternative ways to purchase. thats a potential lose sale, a potential lost repeat customer, and a potential lost positive review. This is just my opinion, but to me those 3 things are worth biting your tongue and going overboard to help the person.
 
Chefu said:
As a chef and manager for many years, dealing with customers can be difficult, but the bottom line is that is what we do. I need to make an effort to address the customers needs and if I can't then I need to offer an alternative. FWIW there are a couple of well respected vendors on KKF that for one reason or another I can't seem to get their websites to work for me and with one simple email both of them were more than willing to send me PayPal info and the transactions were complete. I believe that posting a bad experience is just as valid as posting the great ones. Everyone has to ultimately weigh both good and bad to make their own judgments. That is what makes this forum work.
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this is very well said, and what i was trying to communicate.
 
I really do hope this can be the last email in this chain. I will accept upon reflection that my email to the vendor took an unnecessarily aggressive tone (I was busy at work, had tried many times to put the order through, didn't have time to call, and was very frustrated), and if I could have done it over, I would phrase it more politely. In the end though, my gripe was with the fact that instead of being met with an effort from the vendor to resolve the situation, I was told that it was I who was the problem, with no apparent interest in resolving it. And that, in my mind, is bad business.

I know there are those who disagree, and I respect their views.

As a last remark (at least on my part), I would ask those who directed comments to me of a personal nature ("acting like a child," "hissy fit," etc.) to reflect on whether there are more civil ways of expressing their opinions in the future. As a general rule, I'd suggest not posting anything you wouldn't say to someone in person, and taking extra special care to avoid comments that might earn you a punch in the mouth.
 
Another perfect argument for a no vendor bashing rule on all open forums..

The OP was never about resolving anything, it was motivated by much less noble motives.
Given the entire email correspondence, it's hard to see it any other way.

Constructive feedback, good or bad is a good thing.
A one sided rant on the other hand is of no value to anyone.

This posted from the other side of the Atlantic where I feel relatively safe from getting punched in the mouth..
 
Birnando said:
Another perfect argument for a no vendor bashing rule on all open forums..

The OP was never about resolving anything, it was motivated by much less noble motives.
Given the entire email correspondence, it's hard to see it any other way.

Constructive feedback, good or bad is a good thing.
A one sided rant on the other hand is of no value to anyone.

This posted from the other side of the Atlantic where I feel relatively safe from getting punched in the mouth..
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I dont view it that way at all, and find the thread to be extremely helpful. what is the point of allowing feedback or reviews at all if you are only allowed to post positive ones. Regardless of the motives, the story seems pretty clear. The OP was very reactionary, pushy, and not at all constructive in his emails. but he did, in fact, have trouble ordering (even if the problem was on his end). and BS seem to have little interest in dealing with the issue because of this, which personally, i find to be poor customer service.

to me it really doesnt matter what the OP said, this isnt a post about the OP, its a post about how boardsmith responded to a (somewhat irrationally) upset customer. if you're a vendor you are going to run into plenty of those regardless of what your business is.
 
jamaster14 said:
Right, it wasnt a great constructive comment. but he isnt the vendor. and his poor email/complaint to me doesnt go ahead and make acceptable customer service to respond that way in return. to me, thats bad business. I think any of us who have run a business or worked in customer service know that most of the requests are NOT very respectful, helpful, or constructive. as usually when we get them, its because something went wrong.

people are going to complain when something doesnt work, regardless of whose fault it is, and when they do so in looking for help they often dont do so in a helpful way. its just as easy for the vendor to say "im sorry its not working for you -- can you describe the issue or error you are getting or provide me with a bit more info so I can help you make your purchase? We also take orders over the phone if that would be more convient for you?"

and then it probably goes alot smoother after that. i dont think the problem being on the OP's end is really of any consequence. i think the main point being overlooked is that he really didnt get much help or alternative ways to purchase. thats a potential lose sale, a potential lost repeat customer, and a potential lost positive review. This is just my opinion, but to me those 3 things are worth biting your tongue and going overboard to help the person.
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Oh I agree, it definitely should have been handled better by the vendor and I can understand how the OP must have felt when he got a response back. I just wanted the OP to understand why he was maybe getting the reaction he was getting from some of the members. He made it sound one way in his initial post then the emails were revealed and it showed something different than originally portrayed.

I think this is actually a great learning experience for potential customers and vendors alike. Remember what your mama said about catching more bees with honey than vinegar and when you get a grumpy customer, kill them with kindness and be glad you don't live with them! :laugh:
 
Birnando said:
Another perfect argument for a no vendor bashing rule on all open forums..

The OP was never about resolving anything, it was motivated by much less noble motives.
Given the entire email correspondence, it's hard to see it any other way.

Constructive feedback, good or bad is a good thing.
A one sided rant on the other hand is of no value to anyone.

This posted from the other side of the Atlantic where I feel relatively safe from getting punched in the mouth..
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Whats the point of reviews when negative reviews are disallowed? Better not have reviews at all.

I expect everyone to read reviews and make a decision based on what they've actually read. If there are 99 positive reviews and 1 negative, wouldnt people still buy from that vendor?

This is how sites like tripadvisor and the bay work and its pretty darn good if you ask me.
 
I find the telephone a good communications tool. You dial a number and someone on the other end says "hello may I help you?"
 
9 pages on this is amazing. I believe the point has been made on all sides. If people want to keep putting their fingers in the spokes to see what happens, I think it needs to be elsewhere. Move on folks.
 
29palms said:
I find the telephone a good communications tool. You dial a number and someone on the other end says "hello may I help you?"
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I work in a busy and non-private office where talking on the phone to place a cutting board order is not a realistic option. People can be awfully judgmental in doling out advice without knowing about others' circumstances.

For god's sake people, this is all getting awfully repetitive. Can we please just put it to rest?
 
“Everything has been said already, but not yet by everyone.” – Karl Valentin

Stefan
 
dannynyc said:
People can be awfully judgmental in doling out advice without knowing about others' circumstances.
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The only issue I have with this statement is that's exactly what you did with Boardsmith. And for you a phone call is a poor way to communicate due to your work circumstances, while at Boardsmith's end of things email is a poor way for him to communicate since he is working in the shop all day long. I think this really boils down to both parties wrote that could have been read with tones that were not meant by the writers. It's easy to ask that the discussion be ended, but please remember this is someone's livelihood that is potentially being damaged. The only damage at your end is you could not order the board you wanted. Yet payback for this is starting a thread that was attacking and intending to damage that craftsman. I'm all for posting positive and negative experiences, but they way the OP was written seemed to go a bit beyond.
 
If you've spent much time here you should have realized you were "kicking a hornets nest". As soon as I saw the title I said to myself "oh boy, here we go".
I have purposely avoided offering an opinion on the OP.
 
erikz said:
Whats the point of reviews when negative reviews are disallowed? Better not have reviews at all.

I expect everyone to read reviews and make a decision based on what they've actually read. If there are 99 positive reviews and 1 negative, wouldnt people still buy from that vendor?

This is how sites like tripadvisor and the bay work and its pretty darn good if you ask me.
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The difference, as I stated in my post, is that there is a difference between a rant and a well thought out review.
Calling the OP a review is a big stretch in my book.
He himself admitted to being provoked by it, and informed the vendor that he would use his membership here as sort of a threat.
That is not a review, it is a rant written in anger.

A review is giving ones impressions on whatever, factually and as objective as possible.
To me, the OP failed miserably on both counts.

As to the tripadivisor and ebay comment, yeah, they sort of work.
But due to a lot of people just wanting to shout out in public due to joy or anger makes the "reviews" on those sites less than stellar in my book.

As an example, I stayed at a hotel in NYC recently where the raving reviews went on for pages on Tripadvisor.
A few others, like me, found the stay there pretty mediocre.
Yet others found it pretty crappy.
What can we learn from that??
That people are different?
We all knew that from the get go, right?

My point is, this was not a review, it was an agitated person trying to get back at the vendor.
 
apicius9 said:
“Everything has been said already, but not yet by everyone.” – Karl Valentin
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This is a good quote that is certainly relevant here. I think that this thread has run it's course, everyone involved has had their say, the facts are here for all to see. Beyond this point is just beating a dead horse.
 
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