Originally Posted by
Dave E
That's a pain, three weeks is not acceptable.
Some things I try to look for or to indicate with online ordering that allows me some flexibility.
1) Where possible, use vendors that show actual inventory levels in the ordering process.
2) Indicate in the special instructions text box of the order, Do Not Hold For Back Orders / Cancel Back Orders - Ship Partial Order Immediately.
Or, If you can not fill the entire order, Cancel the Entire Order and notify me via email.
Or, If Item # - Description is out of stock - Cancel the Entire Order and notify me via email.
Or, Order Must Be Received by 00/00/2010, if you can not meet that requirement, Cancel the entire order and notify me via email.
3) Look for vendors that indicate that most orders ship within 24 hours. ( and then hold them to it. )
4) If they don't ship in a reasonable amount of time and don't answer email inquiries via their online web stores " Contact Us " page. Then call your credit card company and ask them to either cancel their order / purchase authorization or issue your account a credit if they've gone ahead and charged your card and haven't yet shipped. No further contact on your part will be necessary and they will have gotten the message.
5 ) If I'm willing to wait for a higher value item that is out of stock, ask the merchant if they can have the item drop shipped directly to you from the manufacturer or distributor. That will cut out one step in the shipping and handling shell game.
My stance with vendors who employ the " We can order that for you " line all to often, for products they are out of stock on, or for product they don't carry is this. Why would I wait for them to order it ( who knows when ), have it shipped to them ( when then the distributor gets around to it ), then unpack it, check it in, repack it and then wait for it to get shipped to me. When I can simply point my mouse at another vendor, make a couple of clicks and order it from a vendor that has the item in stock and have it in a reasonable amount of time.
Loyalty to any given vendor only goes so far.
Best, Dave