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Just a thought here- How many of you would call your local BBB and tell them that its not nice to allow people to complain about a business and only send praises? It would render them useless woudn't it? Same goes for here. The good, bad and ugly, it all has to come out sometimes. I know that some of you feel like you shouldn't complain because there is a face to the company name and some of you really know or "know" the women who run the company because you see them post, but in reality there is no diference between them and any other business. No one is attacking EP on a personal level at all. Its strictly busniess. Hopefully everyone will come to a happy resolution and move on. No one wants to see any member company on SCS drug through the mud and honestly they aren't, but we live in the real world and sometimes its not all roses. Good luck with everyone's business and hope that all you shoppers are satisfied.
Well, you may have a leg to stand on if the OP's situation was unique. Unfortunately, it is not. There have been MANY people in this thread that have had similar experiences. I, too, have placed my last order with eP. I bought 75 Copics from them in December and I am still waiting for several that are backordered. I also ordered the Cupcake set and it took 3 weeks to ship. That is just crazy.
I am not a sticky-sweet person and can't stand when people only post the good about everything. The bad needs to be discussed, too.
Totally agree to the above! I was going to stay off this thread and not post, but I felt bad for the bashing the OP was taking! I ordered in November and still have items on backorder (copics - they showed in stock at the time). On 1/18 I ordered the cupcake set plus a few more copics. The ep website showed those markers as special order taking 1-2 weeks. Now when you go on the site, it shows 3-7 weeks. I think I will just cancel that order.
I really tried with them. I have sent 5 emails since November and only 2 have been responded to. The other emails were "lost in the shuffle" of the holiday (Daisy's words). :( I'm glad some people's orders had no problems, unfortunately that is not the case for me and a few others here.
---------------
My opinion (for what it's worth!)
I believe we the consumer need to hear the good and bad about companies that advertise to us so we can make up our own minds who to buy from.
(stepping down from my soapbox)
I've been watching this thread for several days and I have a few things to add. One of the main reasons I'm interested in this thread is that my sister and I started hosting a store on Yahoo! just as the EP ladies do. (Verve Visual is also a Yahoo! store.) If anything, I'd like to avoid some of the pitfalls EP has experienced as my own store grows.
What I'm about to write doesn't excuse the kind of customer service the original OP commented on, but maybe explains what is happening with the EP ladies a little bit better. The Yahoo! store manager interface is great when you initially start building your store. It helps you pick color schemes and layouts and enter inventory, hooks you up with credit card processing and UPS if you want it. After that initial set up, you're on your own. The store manager interface is not user friendly at all and the help pages aren't very helpful. The inventory tracking system is buried beneath a bunch of technical jargon and has to be manually activated and if you move or rename an item the inventory info doesn't go with it and you have to go back and manually fix it all. My sister and I poured through three fat books about starting an online business, one of them specifically about setting up and running a Yahoo business and we're probably still in the dark on a lot of things. The author of the Yahoo book, a Yahoo business website veteran, even recommended that you not rely on the basic inventory tracking system that comes in the basic Yahoo store manger unless you stock small quantities of things. Basically, unless you figure out how to use the unfriendly Yahoo inventory tracking system or use an expensive inventory tracking system that interfaces with the Yahoo store manager, the store manager thinks that you have an infinite supply of your product until you manually tell it that you are out of stock, which I can see would be hard to keep up with if you're overwhelmed with orders. The customer e-mail notification system is also kooky, to say the least.
About Paypal . . . we also use paypal for credit card processing but have it set up differently and the only time a customer's charges are immediately deducted from their account is when they sign in to their paypal account and use it to pay. Otherwise, we've got it set up so that we say when to capture the funds from the purchaser's credit card--for us that is when the order is ready to ship. Again, this little bit of information wasn't something that was easily accessible in the Yahoo store manager and we had to dig for it. The fact that we set up our paypal credit card processing in a different way than EP did is just dumb luck.
So, unless you're a professional web designer, or have one on staff, using the Yahoo! store interface can be time consuming and nerve-wracking. As I said before, this information doesn't excuse the customer service or the lengthy ship time, but maybe explains a little about what is going on at the other end of things.
(BTW, we took a good chunk of time and figured out the inventory system, so you'll only be able to order something from my store if we have it in stock.)
:eek: I think that this is the longest post I've ever written.
__________________ -Molly, Stamping for her Sanity in Seattle
Review: Good customer service - this opinion based on several orders from EP plus I'm in Canada and I continue to get my orders in a timely fashion.
Oh course like all things, we tend to pay attention to negative press more than positive press, it's our nature. Hence the the popularity of CNN and such. So here's my positive press. I like em and will order from them again and again.
Goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow.
Last edited by Darth Debby; 02-10-2008 at 04:41 PM..
Reason: bad spelling -oy!
Well all I can say is everyone is entitled to your opinions. I for one have had nothing but good service from these ladies and will continue to order from them again.
I think some of you are missing the big picture here. eP has just celebrated their one year anniversary and they chose to extend their appreciation to their customers which I am guessing has caused their order intake to triple, completely unexpected and something they could not have forseen happening. I strongly believe that Joy and Daisy are doing EVERYTHING in their power to make everyone happy, get orders out as fast as they can, but you have to remember that this is a two woman run business whom also have a life outside of eP. Yes one can jump to saying "hire extra help" but I truely believe that the response they got from their celebration was not expected. This is a good thing, it means that they have something that consumers like yourselves want.
Personally when I order, through any online store, I use the comment area in the ordering portion and state that at the time of filling my order, ship me what you have available and cancel what you don't. It leaves no room for error on anyones part and no waiting for products you don't know when they will show up. And at any time one can cancel any portion of an order and not be charged.
Like in any business, some people will experience good things some will experience bad...its how the business proceeds and learns from their mistakes that makes it a good company or bad so don't jump to conclusions based on a few bad happenings and not seeing the other side. Its a learning process for everyone and I for one will continue to order from eP because I feel they stand behind themselves whole heartedly and are doing things the best of their ability.
I placed my first order with E.P. yesterday so I don't have much to say about my service yet. But someone mentioned that they don't tell you if it's out of stock. I noticed on the Cuttlebug folders that some did say 'None in stock' and when I looked at my shopping cart, off to the side there was a row saying how many of each item I ordered was on hand.
I do know that with CHA going on I probably won't have my order for quite sometime. I'm okay with that as long as I get the stuff I ordered.
I really tried with them. I have sent 5 emails since November and only 2 have been responded to. The other emails were "lost in the shuffle" of the holiday (Daisy's words). I'm glad some people's orders had no problems, unfortunately that is not the case for me and a few others here.
That's the thing that would give me the most pause before ordering from EP -- the lack of response that people seem to be getting to their questions. I can certainly understand a store being backordered, but it really isn't that hard to respond to an e-mail, and it goes a long way toward improving customer satisfaction.
I have a small rosary-making business -- it's just me -- and there have been times when I've had delays. I've injured my hand too badly to be able to do the intricate work I needed to do, or I've had a backorder from a supplier, or I've needed to put in extra hours at my regular job. But I've always made sure to keep my customers fully informed of the delays.
__________________ ~ Alexis, mom to Matthew (born April 7) and the Furry Horde
I want to give a big shout out to Joy and Daisy! I *heart* eP!! I will always order from you! I have always gotten outstanding customer service and products have always been nicely packaged and shipped!!
eP is my "go to" site! Love your website, love the product offerings! Love it all!
I ordered from them once...will never order from them again. The lack of communication and the sloooooowwwwww shipping has caused me to spend my money elsewhere.
Are you *sure* your paypal has been accepted?
I'm in Canada - I *always* pay by PP.
It gets a "hold" placed on the payment.....but it doesn't process until they ship......of this I am sure!!!
I have had to wait a bit for my eP orders, but the girls *always* come through in the end with the goods. Being in Canada, with SU or others (I waited OVER a month for my one set of Hanna stamps) there's always a minimum 3 week wait and that's paying PREMIUM shipping (SU)!! Last year my SAB preorder got lost - it was late MARCH before I got my prepurchased sets!!
These girls run the business from a home.....with NO EMPLOYEES. (Ellen has several...) I think they're doing a phenomenal job.....considering they have no dedicated space, no employees.....and are busy as can be!
Point being - I've had bad experiences with large companies who have taken my money right away.....it happens.
I'm sorry it happened to you.
__________________ ~Debbi~
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. ~Author Unknown
I will only post one more message to this thread. Once I get a resolution to my problem with EP I will post the outcome for those who are interested. My latest communication with Joy is that my order shipped Friday, 2/8. But, after running to my mailbox every day this week because I was told by Joy that it would ship Monday, 2/4 I am not convinced. Thanks ladies!
As with all businesses, both small and large, receipt of stock by the merchant from the wholesaler is a constant dance of supply & demand. eP recently announced their celebration of their frist year anniversay ... with a huge sale. Afterwards, their newsletter stated that the anniversary was an overwhelming success, with many items being quickly sold out! When you look at their website, they have stated they are attending CHA. This store is owned & operated by two women ... both of whom are away at CHA.
For all of us as online-purchasers of crafting items ... while owners & buyers are visiting CHA ... their purpose & goal is to be placing orders there for the newest, trendy crafting items that they each believe will delight their customers. Whether a "store" has 2 people, or 50 ... it behooves us as customers to practice a bit of understanding of the fact that businesses have specific cycles, and going to "buy" is one of the many cycles of business.
The original purpose of this thread was met long ago. Here's the start of a brand new week.
I am wondering why you chose to use the SCS forum to vent this issue rather than use the eP forum in the first place. ....to me, it would have made more sense to voice your opinion among others eP customers to compare their experiences rather than vent to a whole community of stampers as here on SCS and possibly have not even heard of this company yet.
Maybe they need to start a forum on customer satisfaction. It seems like you can't say anything bad about a company without getting shot down. I don't understand that logic. I have had excellent service from some and have been quick to tell others, but if I have poor service, I also let others know. It is still their choice to order or not.
Somebody mentioned you wouldn't tell people you got cold food at a resturant. Why not. I have numerous places for my income to go. If your service is poor, as it sounds like this has been, or the food is "cold", why don't you have the right to mention it.
I am leary of buying from new places, I like to hear the good, bad, and excellent. I read these threads, if it is only the op or may be just 1 or 2 then I would probably try the business if it has something I like. But when it is several people saying basically a lot of the same, then I will rethink my decision.
Please, they may be your "friends" but the op has the right to get a response from an e-mail, her product that she ordered in a timely fashion.
I am wondering why you chose to use the SCS forum to vent this issue rather than use the eP forum in the first place. ....to me, it would have made more sense to voice your opinion among others eP customers to compare their experiences rather than vent to a whole community of stampers as here on SCS and possibly have not even heard of this company yet.
Maybe she isn't a member of the eP forum? I didn't know they even had one. I certainly wouldn't want to join a company's forum just to vent my frustration with what I considered poor customer service. I've seen new SCS members get flamed because they hadn't "earned" the right to complain about something here. I can only assume the members of the eP forum are fans of the company, and would be even more protective of eP than members of this forum. She came to a community, to which she already belonged, and shared her experience with a company that she heard about on here. I don't think she did anything wrong.
I love Joy and Daisy... love their store. I've had nothing but SUPER service from them and will continue to shop at eP. I know both of them personally, so I am just a tad biased, but I can tell you they are GOOD, HONEST, BOMBS of womaness. I also appreciate no handling fee and low shipping costs... even if it takes a little longer to reach me (although I've never had slow shipping times).
And.... I can totally understand them closing for CHA. I'd close up too. Plus, I know they are their scouting out all the COOL NEW things and that they will have them in their store for ME soon.
So... I'm sorry a few of you were disappointed, but I know eP will continue to grow and improve. Just my biased two cents.
I am wondering why you chose to use the SCS forum to vent this issue rather than use the eP forum in the first place. ....to me, it would have made more sense to voice your opinion among others eP customers to compare their experiences rather than vent to a whole community of stampers as here on SCS and possibly have not even heard of this company yet.
Because there are many many customers of EP that are members *here*. OP, you did nothing wrong in posting your trouble with them, and as you can see, this is not an isolated incident.
From what I am reading, their customer service is unacceptable and I appreciate the heads up. Since they realize they have a problem with orders/customer service, yet have done nothing to remedy, that speaks volumes to me.
I've never understood why some people feel the need to bash those that are posting negative opinions about companies. If it was Michaels or Joanne's, people would be all over it....but because Joy and Daisy are members here, they are somehow exempt from negative things being said?
That isn't how it works. They have issues that need to be addressed and maybe the more the word gets out and their business declines, THEN they'll address the problems.
Until then, I'll spend my crafting dollars elsewhere.
Well, I just have to give my two cents worth here. I am a HUGE fan of Ep! Joy and Daisy are two of the sweetest women with uncompromising integrity. I know their hearts will be broken when they see this thread...not so much for the flames but they will hate knowing they have disappointed a customer. We are not talking about a mega company run by suited men with MBA's. Joy and Daisy are hard working women who CARE about bringing the latest and best tools to fellow papercrafters. They are small business women with a finite amount of investment cash. Their inventory is determined by the enormous increase of new product flooding this industry. Inventory monies can only go so far, the more variety of products you offer, the less stock you'll be able to purchase of each item. Thus, when a blog or forum sings the praises of a particular product....there is a run on that product and it quickly becomes sold out. Knowing that this small business is only 1 year old, it stands to reason that their cash flow is limited. For this reason I choose to be patient and support Joy and Daisy in their continued efforts of bringing outstanding products to me with amazing customer service!
I love Eclectic Paperie! I'm sorry that you had trouble with your order, but I can assure you that Joy and Daisy are doing everything possible to rectify the situation! I believe in them 150%. They are good, honest, and hard-working women!
Thumbs up to Joy & Daisy for all of my orders (I think I've ordered there at least 40 times this last year!)
First, I'm so sorry that you haven't had a good experience with EP. It's tough when you aren't getting the service you expect from a company so many people love. I can't say enough good things about Eclectic Paperie and because of the service I've gotten in the past, I will remain a loyal consumer. I do think that some people miss right on their front page that they tell us items may take up to 7-10 business days to process--NOT ship. It isn't like they're hiding this fact--it's right on there that there is a lag time from the order date until the ship date. They offer the best price on what I've purchased from them which is why I don't mind waiting the extra time. I've noticed that this status changes (like right now they aren't shipping orders due to CHA or something) I wonder if people haven't noticed their disclaimer about order processing time and then are upset by how "slow" the delivery is. Just a thought. I hope things get resolved for you because I have found that EP is willing to go the extra mile for its customers and so I hope you find that you're one of them. Good luck!
First, I'm so sorry that you haven't had a good experience with EP. It's tough when you aren't getting the service you expect from a company so many people love. I can't say enough good things about Eclectic Paperie and because of the service I've gotten in the past, I will remain a loyal consumer. I do think that some people miss right on their front page that they tell us items may take up to 7-10 business days to process--NOT ship. It isn't like they're hiding this fact--it's right on there that there is a lag time from the order date until the ship date. They offer the best price on what I've purchased from them which is why I don't mind waiting the extra time. I've noticed that this status changes (like right now they aren't shipping orders due to CHA or something) I wonder if people haven't noticed their disclaimer about order processing time and then are upset by how "slow" the delivery is. Just a thought. I hope things get resolved for you because I have found that EP is willing to go the extra mile for its customers and so I hope you find that you're one of them. Good luck!
Sorry--I just realized I didn't read the OP! I just read this page and didn't realize I pretty much missed the entire thread--OOPS!
I am just popping in here to say that I have ordered MANY times from eclectic Paperie and have been THRILLED with the product selection, availability, shipping, and ESPECIALLY the FANTASTIC customer service I have received.
KUDOS to Daisy and Joy for following their dreams! I wish you girls all the success in the world!
Location: I'm in the secret sister protection program.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ireland
Is this true?
I shop a lot online due to my rural location.... and my cc is always charged when I order.
I always assumed it would be as in the past if I sent a check, the check is cashed right away - paid cash somewhere, money gone right away, special ordered something locally - had to pay when ordering.... why would a cc be any different?
I don't think it's illegal, just not such a great way to do business. Lots of places do preorders for things and you pay ahead of time in order to get the items first. It's that way at www.cutathome.com. I just ordered the Nestabilities and have already paid even though they won't ship for a while.
Also, it's well known in the ribbon world that JKM charges you as soon as you order stuff, but they don't even stock your items. When they get a large enough order from customers, then they place an order with the company and eventually (2-4 weeks later) you'll get your stuff. I hated doing business with them because they have major backorder issues.
Big companies like amazon.com and joann.com won't charge you until they ship, also smaller companies like happyscrappinscrapbooking.com. I ordered the new CB folders from her way back in Nov and she just barely charged me last week when she shipped.
Don't have time to read through all the threads, but hope your situation is resolved and thanks for sharing your experience. I don't feel your thread was "bashing" and I like to know other people's experiences before I spend my $.
Well thankfully this thread has quieted down. I almost don�t want this post to start things up again, but I promised one last entry and I feel that I owe it to EP. For those of you who are interested, I finally received the rest of my order yesterday!! Yeah!! Joy did include a beautiful hand made card with a nice note apologizing for the delay. She also included a dozen prima flowers. She did what it took to make things right! Thanks Joy and Daisy.
Since this is my last post on this thread I wanted to address some of the other post.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MichelleY
Joy and Daisy are two of the sweetest women with uncompromising integrity.
I never doubted their integrity! I never thought I wouldn�t get my order (or at least a refund) eventually, but my complaint has been from the beginning that it is taking way too long. Even after my merchandise was in stock it still wasn�t shipped (even though I was told it would be). Meanwhile, others are getting their orders for Cuttlebug Folders. My order, and others, still waiting should be shipped out first. First in first out!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cambria
I love Joy and Daisy... I can tell you they are GOOD, HONEST, BOMBS of womaness. ... I can totally understand them closing for CHA.
Their "womaness" is not why I am placing orders with them!! Closing for CHA is a great idea if you are caught up with your shipping, but they are not and more orders are just piling up. If it were me it would stress me out way too much knowing that someone has paid for something and I haven�t shipped it to them!
Quote:
Originally Posted by LunarLana
They are good, honest, and hard-working women!
Again, their personality traits are not why I place an order with them.
I think it takes a big person to do what you just did and post the outcome as you promised! I'm glad you got your order! I knew Joy & Daisy would come through for you!
I made the bomb of womaness statement as a way to be postive and just lighten the situation (I'm a dork, what can I say?)... I'm sorry you took offense to it. I did not mean to make light of your frustration. I'm glad they could make you happy and that you got your order.
I am so glad you finally received your order. I agree this thread should end now.
BUT I still hope SCSr's post their experiences good or bad with companies big or small. Many of us consumers do want to know before ordering from companies that we never ordered from before. As I am sure you have seen threads asking about a new company and the experiences others have had. That right there shows that others are interested in knowing.
We just want to know what to expect.
I know it is all very complicated to run an online business, but to be truthful, the details are not my problem. All I want to know is which companies deliver service that customers rave about and which do not. If I hear more than a couple complaints about a company, I completely take them off my list and don't even go looking there in the future. There ARE companies out there who have 99.9% customer satisfaction. That is all I care about. Their struggles are not where I spend my compassion. I am a consumer, not their nuturing and supportive friend.
I for one will always be thankful that there is someone out there willing to PROVIDE ME with the latest AND GREATEST products and provide me with the ability not to schlep my six kids out in the FROZEN TUNDRA to pick up THOSE amazing products. I know of NO SINGLE place in MY AREA where I could possibly get Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist or the BEST cuttlebug folders or THE BEST selection of Designer papers...Stamps, INKS!....COPIC markers (which EVERYONE has had problems stocking). THERE is not a soul with an ounce of creative ENERGY in my Michael's store - there is NO STAMPING supplies at all in my LOCAL Joanne's - the scrapbooking store closed down, but WHAT THE HECK - WHO CARES?!?!?! I am getting ONE STOP SHOPPING with the click of my mouse when I shop at Epaperie. DID I MENTION THAT I DON'T HAVE TO BRING THE KIDS OUT TO A STORE!!! That's a BONUS in my book. They are not going to give you bottom of the line prices like WALMART because they are not selling CRAP. That is why Walmart doesn't sell Copics! They are selling the best stuff out there. That is why they WENT to CHA! I think there are going to be people out there that are going to complain about prices and service no matter what. I personally know Daisy and Joy and I know that they do everything in their power to provide people with top notch service. I am glad that the OP got their order resolved, but I can bet that the reason for the delay was not Daisy and Joy - rather their suppliers.
Three cheers For Epaperie!
EPAPERIE! EPAPERIE! EPAPERIE!
I placed an order for some Copics on January 26. I was expecting it to take a while so I wasn't surprised that I haven't received it. Yesterday I checked my email and there was a ship notice. I'll let you know when the order arrives and if it looks ok. (I expect it will be.) This was my first EP order. I was very pleased with the price of the Copics and am sure I will be pleased with the order.
My Final Post to this Thread
