paper trey frustration but kudos to a cherry on top
 

last sunday i ordered several items from a cherry on top. i've never ordered from them, but read on this site some great things about them. i received my package from them on tues. how awesome is that?

i ordered one pack of pti kraft cardstock. still havent received it. i sent an email and they responded that is was a christmas release (this is just their standard cardstock) and my order should be complete in a few days (again, its just a single pack of paper) and then it will be shipped.

i manage a small hydraulic and pneumatic cylinder manufacturing plant. from the time we get an order until its out the door is maybe 3 days. these cylinders are to tolerance of .001, dozens and dozens of machining and assembly steps. i guess i dont see a problem with throwing a package of paper in the mail within 3 or 4 days.

Not to defend PTI, but what I think they meant was that they have releases every 15th of the month, and as this release had Christmas stamps in it, they're snowed under.

You'd think they'd have got the hang of it by now, but there it is. :D

i guess i have never worked where anything but customer satisfaction was number one. there are lots of days, when something simple comes thru that i walk out to the shop pull it from the shelf, pack it and send it, so i do not have a customer waiting. but then i am the one that has to smooth ruffled feathers if someone is unhappy and thankfully i have an awesome crew and i can count on one hand the times in 5 years that has happened.

i will definately be looking for another source and i love love love pti cardstock, but i hate lame excuses.

I also love ACOT service and fast shipping. We are both in the same state, so when they ship an order i receive it the next day.

Lori ~ There are numerous threads here regarding customer service issues with PTI. If you're looking for quality cardstock, I highly recommend Gina K! Her products are the best and her customer service is beyond excellent.

gina k's kraft is only 100lb. but i may try it. i truly love pti kraft at 110lb. i dont know how they compare in size to any of the other places i order online from, but i cannot imagine that they are so huge. it amazes me how fast some companies ship, those companies should market that business model and teach it to other companies! while i am thinking of it, i am going to hop over to cherry on top and let them know how pleased i am. i try to make a point of letting people they do awesome work and not just complain. only seems fair.

Great idea! I try to do this too, but sometimes it's impossible to find contact information for telling them good stuff! :D

I have both PTI and Gina K kraft cardstock and there is no difference in the weight and feel of them. If any, Gina's is a touch thicker. I always scratch my head at those lb numbers, in some cases it just doesn't make sense! You can buy Gina's cardstock and rest assured it is just as thick and nice!

michelle,

thanks for the hands on comparison. i think i will try gina k. i am sure i have spent money on sillier things!

i know the weights dont always seem accurate, but when you are buying online, what else can you go by? my local office supply place has samples of all the papers out so you can compare, but as one would expect its very office use type papers, good for plain white, but not much else.

ah well, i cant take it with me.

Just FYI...
Weight has nothing at all to do with the thickness, or perceived thickness, of the paper. It is the actual weight of 1000 sheets of the designated paper in the uncut size it is produced in, which varies somewhat. But it's usually around 22x28 inches for cardstock types.

The thickness or stiffness of the paper has more to do with the type of fibers used and how much compression is used when rolling the paper. Often they will give you a "name" for the paper...like cover, or index, or something similar. 110 pound index is thinner than 110 pound cover, for example. I use a 110 pound linen text weight paper occasionally...it's thin like copy paper! And 110 pound GP index is WAY thinner than 110 pound Neenah classic crest cover.

So, weight is of less use than the designation "cover" or "index".

Great info about what the paper weight really means - I had no idea !!!! Thanks so much for sharing :)

Diane, thank you so much for that explaination!
I haven't shopped with A Cherry On Top before, but now I'm off to check them out!

i cannot say enough good things about a cherry on top. i like instant gratification, and thats tough with online shopping, but two days from order to door!

Sounds like Gina K CS is just as thick & just good quality or better as PTI but even if it was a bit lighter it would be so worth it. I've ordered from Gina K and LOVE the service, quality, and lightening speed shipping. Three cheers for Gina K (I haven't ordered from PTI, I'm afraid to).

i really like the pti product and if you are in no particular hurry, order. or plan ahead. i get the delay for special orders, but for one pack of paper? i am still waiting for the email to notify me that they have even processed my order.

I just sent an email to ACOT to thank them for their quick shipping. Got my order in 4 days.

I love PTI and order from them frequently......I live in Canada and don't receive any parcel for at least a week after ordering. If I love the product it's worth the wait for me!

sometimes with joanns the time between order and arrival can be a week or a little longer, but they ship from california and i am in illinois. but within a couple days of the order at the very most, i receive a tracking number and can track it. ups standard shipping is 4 days from ca to here. but it hasnt been shipped yet.

Now this is the best explanation I have ever heard and paper weights. Thank you so much for explaining in easy to understand terms. Now I know how to distinguish papers...only hope companies will include these descriptions!!

This chart is helpful, if you know that type of paper you're buying.

PTI's products are worth the wait.

You may or may not get one of those. Some glitch with some process that's part of the new website they launched Sept. 1, except that it didn't. Some people are getting UPS notificiations. Some people got their release night orders (orders placed after 10pm EST on the 15th) never having received a shipping notice at all. I ordered on the 15th at about 1020pm EST and have no word on my parcel, though others who have ordered after me have received theirs.

For a while, tracking info was available in your account, but is apparently hit or miss for the time being as well.

It's not the new website. This has been an ongoing issue for years. Scroll back about 80 pages after doing a search on here and you'll find thread after thread after thread after thread complaining of this issue for years.

OP, Gina K products are fabulous and they stand behind their products. They also answer the phone and are knowledgeable about their products if you call with a question or issue. I've called them on Friday after close to business because a stamp set I ordered had a small defect. I left a message and figured they'd just call me back Monday. Nope. They called me the next morning and had a new perfect stamp set in my hands on Monday. Now that's seriously fantastic customer service!

i was aware of the problem,but i wanted the product. fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. :-( i have no one to blame but myself. seems like they need a good i.t. staff and a great manager. times are too hard and competition is too tough not to be on the top of your game.

I've only ordered stamps from PTI and had no problem but have ordered from Gina K and her card stock is great! I did order some stamps from Paper smooches on Friday and got them today on Monday WOW!!!:razz:

PTI cardstock is great but really hard on cutting blades. Gina K. cardstock is amazing and cuts much cleaner.

I live just a couple miles from ACOT. And have attended one of their open house events. There is a huge amount of product in their warehouse but they are very organized. Don't think they have a huge staff. They just have it "together".

oh if i lived a couple of miles from a wonderful craft store, oh my! i live a mile from michaels, but they have basic stuff, nothing too cool or drool worthy. pretty limited. which is probably safer for my budget.

I had an outstanding experience with Paper Smooches too. I'll definitely be ordering from them again!

Interesting........................who would have though?!?

I didn't know they had open house events! When I first started stamping, I saw their address and actually looked for it, thinking maybe it was an actual store. I still couldn't even find a building - are they still in the Shields/Saginaw area? I would love to go over there if they have another open house.