ETrailer.com NOT HAPPY

[Diamondpilot]

So as many of you know I work on trailers a lot. Last Monday I discovered on one of my own trailers with 6,000# axles that one of the leaf springs had a crack in the bottom two(shorter) springs. These are 3,000# each spring packs with 5 leafs each. Anyway, I started looking over the trailer more and found that another spring pack had a crack in the bottom spring. I decided to replace them all so I hit the net. After some careful measuring to figure out which spring pack I needed I chose ETrailer.com for my parts. I had bought many many items from them in the past with great service. This time it did not work out.

I ordered all four leaf spring packs and new hardware to install them. It showed everything in stock and in the past I get the stuff in about 2-3 days via UPS. ETrailer.com is in St. Louis and I am in Indiana so ship times are quick.

As of today I still had not received anything and no follow up emails. I called and they looked into it and all they could originally tell me is the order was "Pending". Long story short, the springs were out of stock when the site clearly stated they were in stock and they will now ship on Monday, a week later. I should have them by Wednesday. I am not happy at all. I would like to just cancel my order and get them somewhere else but in reality they will get them to me the quickest and I have the trailer torn apart taking up shop space.

This will be the last time I order from them unless they do something to make it right. I emailed them and pulled my history on their site and I had made about 10 orders totaling roughly $ 150 per order in the last 12 months. They are going to lose a good return customer.

Has anyone else had a issue with them? This is why I like R&P Carriages. http://www.randpcarriages.com/ If they say they have whatever you are needing they have it and they have it on my door steps in 2-3 days max.


Chris

 

[Dan Hunter]

I've hit etrailer four times in the last month and all good purchases.

 

[TedBell]

I ordered a hand winch and have had a few other small orders with no issues. Maybe they'll discount shipping for you or something.

 

[deerefan]

So as many of you know I work on trailers a lot. Last Monday I discovered on one of my own trailers with 6,000# axles that one of the leaf springs had a crack in the bottom two(shorter) springs. These are 3,000# each spring packs with 5 leafs each. Anyway, I started looking over the trailer more and found that another spring pack had a crack in the bottom spring. I decided to replace them all so I hit the net. After some careful measuring to figure out which spring pack I needed I chose ETrailer.com for my parts. I had bought many many items from them in the past with great service. This time it did not work out.

I ordered all four leaf spring packs and new hardware to install them. It showed everything in stock and in the past I get the stuff in about 2-3 days via UPS. ETrailer.com is in St. Louis and I am in Indiana so ship times are quick.

As of today I still had not received anything and no follow up emails. I called and they looked into it and all they could originally tell me is the order was "Pending". Long story short, the springs were out of stock when the site clearly stated they were in stock and they will now ship on Monday, a week later. I should have them by Wednesday. I am not happy at all. I would like to just cancel my order and get them somewhere else but in reality they will get them to me the quickest and I have the trailer torn apart taking up shop space.

This will be the last time I order from them unless they do something to make it right. I emailed them and pulled my history on their site and I had made about 10 orders totaling roughly $ 150 per order in the last 12 months. They are going to lose a good return customer.

Has anyone else had a issue with them? This is why I like R&P Carriages. http://www.randpcarriages.com/ If they say they have whatever you are needing they have it and they have it on my door steps in 2-3 days max.

Chris

Remember you are dealing with humans. Mistakes happen. They treated you well in the past.

 

[HHR]

One time a wiring bracket that was said to fit the plug I ordered had an incorrect hole pattern. I called customer service and they said to keep the part and they sent the correct one right away.

 

[Dmace]

R&P Carriages probably has 10% of the stock that eTrailer has, much easier to track...

I've ordered a part from Advanced Auto Parts which was "in the warehouse" only to find out a week later it was dis-continued. It happens.

A week to get two spring packs vs a couple days is hardly grounds to blast a company for, or are you just trying to push a local company instead...

 

[Capt Dan]

I placed a order with them a few years ago for some lug nuts and something else. Over a month went by and I purchased elsewhere. I thought they must have lost the order. Stuff finally showed up about six weeks after placing order. Haven't thought about using them since and lug nuts are now extra's still in the bag.

Dan

 

[Diamondpilot]

Guess I should give them another chance after listing to you guys. What ticks me off though is they clearly stated they were in stock. I don't mind mistakes but they had 4 days to MAN UP and let me know they were back ordered.

Chris

 

[Fixemall]

I always phone my orders in and make them verify stuff is in stock, got burned one time on a missing plug but that just set me back the time it took to use butt connectors.

 

[kneedeep]

I order a lot of things 'online' now as many of us do. I have found over the years that no company keeps inventory like the good old days. With the speed of the internet and ability to manage inventory, most companys only keep a few items on shelves and depend on the mfg. to be able to ship product as fast as it sells.
Somewhere in this long chain of supply and demand there is always a problem.

As far as customer service, I am afraid that will become a thing of the past as it requires a actual person to do a little more work than they want to.



:2cents:

 

[s219]

I've had real good luck with eTrailer in the past. I just ordered a replacement trailer light lens this week, and it shipped the same day. Plus they only charged about $2 for shipping this small item, which was a relief to see.

I wouldn't crucify them for one delayed order. Based on my experience, they are responsive in the customer service department, and they will probably take care of you if you are dissatisfied.

I often have equipment torn apart waiting on parts. Sometimes it works out. Other times it takes up space for a week or more. Many times, the weekend interrupts the shipping cycle and really hurts the repair timeline. I have some John Deere parts on order right now, to fix my mower deck, and it looks like they all will arrive on Monday. That means I lose the weekend for completing the repair and for mowing. That's just how it goes sometimes. Getting parts by internet is not always predictable in my experience. If time is an issue, I will buy locally when that's an option.

 

[Dan in CT]

I've used them 4 or 5 times in the last 2 years, always had quick shipping for what I've ordered. :thumbsup:

 

[crazyal]

In this day and age there's no reason why they can't keep track of how much of an item they have in stock. A number of companies I deal with actually list the number they have on hand.

I wouldn't write them off but I would let them know that you aren't happy and maybe they will upgrade their site to be more accurate.

 

[schmism]

Guess I should give them another chance after listing to you guys. What ticks me off though is they clearly stated they were in stock. I don't mind mistakes but they had 4 days to MAN UP and let me know they were back ordered.

Chris

Ordered a small order from baileys. As im checking out i notice an add for there close out crap. I check it out and turns out they have a 32" bar and chain for like $30. As i could use the length for my alaskian chainsaw mill i added to cart. Showed in stock when i hit the order button.

Also included a ripping chain and reg chain. but when the order showed up they didnt send the bar, sent the chain tho! so i call them up, when is the bar comming?.... its not! so now i have $50 worth of chain i dont need. Ok send me a label and ill send it back. OH no she says, you have to cover shipping back to us!

so cost me $10 for parts i dont need because they couldnt contact me and ask me if i wanted 32" chain loops for a bar that they arnt going to send me!

as for etrailer.

its agravating but they should have free shipping on over $100 so you likely saved enough $$ on yoru past orders to have built up some good will over one jacked up order....

 

[jeffsw6]

In this day and age there's no reason why they can't keep track of how much of an item they have in stock.

Human error? Theft? Vendor sometimes sending the wrong part? These things happen.

The reason diamondpilot seems to be upset is because they didn't bother to call him and tell him the item was out of stock. One would assume the person who got the pick order had no way to know the customer expected it shipped out right away. He slipped through the cracks and that is what they should try to fix -- let the customer know if there is no inventory to ship out.

BestBuy and some other companies had a very public problem with this Christmas '11 -- they "sold" DVDs and other items online, did not actually have inventory of those items (but KNEW they didn't) and they waited until like a couple days before Christmas to inform customers. What those jokers did was deliberate and wrong. etrailer just made a mistake and compounded it by not having the right process in place to inform the customer.

I just ordered two identical repair parts from a distributor. They sent me one "2408H" and one "2408J" but the J is not compatible, even though it looks identical and comes in the same box. What happened? I am sure someone stocked a J into the H bin by mistake. I called the distributor and they are sending me an H and a return label for the J. They would have sent it to me overnight if I needed it, but I didn't, I can wait a week.

Then I needed a different part I can only get from the mfr. I called the mfr parts dept and mentioned the H / J mix-up while the guy was waiting on his computer. He sent me the other part I needed for free. I figured I got some good karma by being patient with the distributor.

 

[3930dave]

Integrity of stock information - IMO a notable business metric.

I think smart companies doing business on the web only have 2 choices - 1) put the ergs into having accurate information for all stock posted, or 2) post valid stock levels on high running items only, and the rest are "Call to Check". Either way, the stock info has to be valid.

From the other feedback, these guys mostly seem to do the right thing, although not in this case.

BTW, any affordable shipping in Canada means 1-2 weeks normally on bulky items; I'm always impressed by what is considered Normal Service in most of the USA.

Rgds, D.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Well, I got a update. It shipped today, quick shipping free. Real nice, I paid extra for the "quick shipping". No we are sorry, kiss my butt, nothing.

Chris

 

[jdrobison]

thats why when I order online I call to check stock if its something I need right away. it could have been in stock at beginning of the day when net was updated and sold out before your order was placed that day

 

[yelbike]

Chris,
I feel for you....well sort of. Like others have said mistakes happen, some companies don't update their websites as well as others. But the main thing I look at now that I'm in business for myself, I can't do it right everytime and for everybody.....mistake happen. It sounds like you've ordered 9 (probably more) time in the past. One mistake. Thats 90%. If your kid got 90% on their english essay, you'd probably be proud. Its about perception. Now, I would expect better than 90% from a retailer but not 100% all the time. For repeat business, I use the rule of three strikes you out. My :2cents: and :drink:

 

[slowzuki]

They are an inexpensive place to buy stuff usually. From the world of contracting, the low bidder is rarely the easiest to work with.

Well, I got a update. It shipped today, quick shipping free. Real nice, I paid extra for the "quick shipping". No we are sorry, kiss my butt, nothing.

Chris