do any of you know....

[Hello]

ok, so I found some pen kits that I like.
They are the slimline kits in alternative finishes like satin gold, satin nickel, pearl silver, gun metal....etc....
I found them at http://www.penmakingsupplies.com/Pens/slimlineasiandirect.shtml.

Here's my issue. I've been trying to contact the person behind the curtain at Steebar for enarly three weeks via e-mail and phone to ask some questions about the kits....with no luck. I'm not going to putchase from someone whom I can't contact.
Do any of you know where else I can find all of these finish types? Perhaps even in other pen styles...? Also, with regard to the slimline specifically, I like the double-beaded CB. I'd like to be able to pucchase a bunch of the CB's by themselves for something I do to the pen that requries using extra CB's.....the only place I've found that sells just CB's is EM and BTW, but he only seems to be selling shiny gold.....I would like to find the alternative finish CB's.

 

[DozerMite]

I think HUT carries those finishes.
Check their website.

 

[Chasper]

You would be wise to keep looking. Go to the home page of this site and look in the member submitted links on the right side of the page. Many fine suppliers are listed.

 

[wdcav1952]

Do a search here on the site about Steebar. I think you will be further encouraged to avoid them.

 

[sbell111]

Order them from Woodnwhimsies.com. You'll get a good price and actually receive them a few days later.

 

[pssherman]

I order from Woodturningz (Woodturningz.com). They have low prices, compared to PSI, great customer service and quick delivery.

 

[Jarheaded]

Stay away from Steebar unless you like to get ripped off and have money to spend on garbage kits. See, I'm getting nicer about how I speak of them. The therapy must be working. Just kidding, I really do have a lot of animosity towards steebar.[}] Run their name through the BBB before you use them for anything. You will do better with Woodnwhimsies or Woodturningz and they will answer the phone or at least call you back asap. They both also have fantastic customer service, unlike steebar. I am going to take a valium after thinking about them.

 

[Hello]

Johnnie,
I'll take your vallum and spare you the addiction, and I'll buy you a shot of something unfortunately strong - I hear Napa has a sale on ether right now.
I just called Berea per advice from EM at BTW and spoke with the worlds worst customer service person - nasty woman....I should get some of that ether for her! I just wanna' buy some friggen beaded center bands.
Gonna' go call WW and Woodturningz to see if htey'll sell me some.

 

[darrenjttu]

Stay away from them. You will never talk to any one or get a response on email.

 

[MikeInMo]

If I am not mistaken, those alternative finishes are Penn State's funline series. I have made a couple, and they seem ok. I am wondering how durable the finish will be though since they are intended to be low cost kits.

I agree with the others - order from woodnwhimsies or woodturningz.

 

[Randy_]

Steebar is a PSI reseller and has a poor reputation for servicing its customers......as you have already discovered.

You should be able to get anything you want from PSI or one of their other resellers, several of whom have been mentioned above and are reliable vendors.

 

[Daddy1]

I second the vote for woodturningz. They have a gr8 selection and gr8 pricing for slimlines especially. I once ordered a bunch of kits on Monday and they arrive on Tuesday. They ship out of Indiana and I am in Ohio. I have had people mail me something from across town that took 2 days.
The customer service is amazing. Always very polite, personable and knowledgeable.

 

[Jarheaded]

Did you mean that someone at Berea was nasty? That is something that I have not encountered ever, but we all have an off day. Now, lets discuss the ether. How much do you have and can I experiment with some of it. I will return whatever is left when I am done....LOL..[}][}]
Try talking to Ryan or Jeff at Woodturningz and you will experience something that is rare in todays world of business, it is called friendly customer service and they are great at working with you to find something as long as it is a reasonable request. Otherwise, maybe Johnnycnc could help you if it is a custom order.

Randy, the kits that I did receive from steebar were not from PSI, they were junk that did not fit together properly or even have a finish that could go up against the funline series. Some of the pens had chips coming out of the bags. They may sell something from PSI, but it was not what I had bought or at least what I received in the partial shipment that I got from them. I wish that we had kept them around so I could show just how poorly made these were. Instead we just have in large letters a note on the wall of the office about steebar and our policy of not using them no matter what. It also doubles as a dart board.

 

[ronhampton]

one more sad reply:i ordered from them on 3/5/08,they charged my c-c the same day. i've heard nothing since.i tried their online phone, then i tried their sales 800 no. from one of my subscription magazines----nothing but ringing.--ron

 

[darrenjttu]

Do not order from Stterba. You will never get your order and you will never get ahold of anyone. This has been a problem for some time.

 

[Randy_]

I was going to start a new thread; but might as well post here.

I have been trying to help one of our members in Scotland resolve an issue with Steebar. Until recently. I had had some luck contacting a hunman being by calling their 800 phone number......well, not any more. About a month ago, plus or minus, Steebar hooked up an answering machine to the 800 number and all you could do was leave a message. I left a number of messages.....maybe 5 or 6.....and never got a response. Probably have sent an equal number of emails which were all ignored as well. I think the answering machine was just a dodge so they didn't have to listen to the phone ring during business hours as after 5 P.M. they turned it off and all you would get was unanswered rings until the phone company terminated the call.

Apparently, the policy has changed recently as you can't even leave a message any longer. When you call, you get a short digital message saying they can't answer the phone and call back later.

As to may current project with them, Dermot emailed me last night with the happy news that he had finally received the order he placed with them on Jan 15.....that is nearly 2-1/2 months from the date of the order and more than a month and a half from when I was verbally promised that the order was in the mail. According to the USPS web site Priority service to Scotland should be 6-10 days. I have asked Dermot to look at the postmarks to see if he can determine when the package was actually mailed. Either the package was delayed in the shipping process or Steebar lied to me?

Interesting to note that the BBB of New Jersey gives Steebar an unsatisfactory rating and has 14 claims listed against the company....all in just the last year. Three were resolved and 11 were not. The unresolved ones were because Steebar failed to respond to the BBB effort to mediate the complaints. You can see the details "HERE" if you are interested. While 14 complaints doesn't seem like a lot, it is certain the for every complaint filed there were many more people who had problems; but just filed with their credit card company and didn't bother with the BBB.

I have dealt with Steebar on four separate issues for myself and to assist some of our out-of-country friends and the experience has been an eye-opener and very unpleasant.....although ultimately successful. (I am 4 for 4 in getting refunds or items delivered!) I got to tell you that effort to get a satisfactory outcome just isn't worth all of the headaches. I was very happy to be able to successfully assist our non-resident members solve their problems; but in the future will strongly recommend to "EVERYONE" that they just file a claim with their credit card company and let VISA/MC take care of it......probably a quicker solution and certainly a lot less aggravation!!

Among everything else, what is so sad about this is that the Steebar merchandise is not of the best quality and is readily available from other suppliers for less money and a "LOT" less hassle.

My advice to everyone who sees this message:

""**AVOID STEEBAR LIKE THE PLAGUE""**

Not only that; but do your friends and aquaintenances a favor and spread the word at every opportunity.....not just hear; but at every craft forum that you visit. (I have even gone so far as to send links to Steebar threads to places where they advertise so the magazines know they have a crappy seller listed in thier publicvation.) I'm not naive enough to think we can put Steebar out of business.... although I would dearly love to see it happen.....but we can certainly help keep our friends and co-members of the crafting community from suffering the lessons many of us have learned the hard way. (A lot of vets know about the problems; but many newbies get hurt because they are not up to speed.)


P.S. I don't know the details of the law dealing with credit card sales; but I have been told that in New Jersey is illegal to bill a credit card for merchandise until it is actually shipped. Billing accounts for merchandise that is not in stock and can't be delivered in a timely fashion is said to be illegal in New Jersey and maybe other states as well. I would love for someone who got screwed by Steebar file a complaint with the State Attorney General of New Jersey and see if anything could be done through that avenue. Anyone interested??

OK, time to get off the soapbox.

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by darrenjttu

Do not order from Stterba. You will never get your order and you will never get ahold of anyone. This has been a problem for some time.

Actually, Steebar used to be a pretty good company. The guy who started the company and ran it for about 20 years did a pretty good job; but, sadly, he passed away a couple of years ago and the problems started when the new owners took over.

I don't think it is fair to say "....you won't get your order..." There have been more than a few posts in support of Steebar. And if you put in the time, you can get your orders or refunds.....it just takes forever!!!

I'm sure there are plenty of satisfied customers out there or the company would not still be in business. Trouble is that if you have a problem with an order, it will be very difficult to resolve as their customer #$%^. (Oops, I don't think I can say that here.}

 

[ngilmour]

Well I tried Steebar for a small order, barrel trimmer and tube insertion tool, and I got the order quickly, no problems.

So, I placed a larger order. Credit card was billed immediately, and no shipment arrived. Then a partial shipment was made approximately 10 days later, after finally getting through on phone and reminded them that I had yet received my order. "Oh, sorry. Must have got lost in the shuffle." The back order items still have not arrived, five weeks after my credit card was charged. I have not been able to get anyone one to answer phone, or answer e-mails. So, today I filed a complaint with NJ BBB and called American Express to dispute charge for back ordered items that I have never received.

AVOID STEEBAR!!! You'll be sorry if you try to do business with them. And I think, whoever said it, it is illegal to charge for back ordered items until they are shipped.

Good luck to anyone who has outstanding orders with Steebar.

Nick, Long Island, NY

 

[Randy_]

Congratulations, Nick. (I guess??) You have just been granted membership in the growing fraternity of unhappy Steebar customers. Your experience is very similar to many others although a little unusual in that you were at least able to contact them by phone once. That doesn't happen for most people.

I commend you for filing with the BBB. I know that process is a little cumbersome. I would encourage you, also, to email the New Jersey State Attorney General about this business of billing for back-ordered items. The Attorney General is the only one who has any "teeth" and that might be able to force these crooks to change their ways.

Just out of curiosity, which phone number did you manage to make contact through. I don't know of anyone who has had success with the number posted on their web site. The generally less known "800" number used to get answered pretty regularly; but they put an answering machine on it a while ago and have never responded to any of my messages. And fairly recently, the situation has changed and you can't even leave a message. You just get a recording that says "call back later".

I would also encourage you to "spread the word" and post about your experience on other woodworking or craft forums that you visit. There is not a whole bunch we as individuals can do to change Steebar's business methods; but we can spread the word far and wide and keep as many other folks as possible from falling into the same "black hole" that we, ourselves, got trapped in.

 

[scoutharps]

I was at Woodcraft tonight, and I believe they have the finishes you want in the slimline.

 

[ngilmour]

Randy

I don't recall which number I used call them. However, I think it was the number on the website.

Nick

 

[RONB]

Steelbar is another way of saying POISON STAY AWAY.
I've been round and round with them.[xx(][xx(][xx(]

 

[DSallee]

WOW... Boy that was close..... I ALMOST order from them for my first order this last Sunday ..... [:0] Thanks for the info... I actually had them bookmarked too!! Glad I went with PSI first as my first pen order...

BTW.. Their bookmark is now deleted!!! [8D]

Thanks!!!!!!

Dave

 

[arioux]

Hi,

One of the problem is that there are on the list of penmaking supplies on this site that you acces from the front page so new member might think that they are recommended.

Mabe Jeff should put a note that the list of supliers is just a compilation, not necesseraly (sp?) recommanded by the site.

Alfred

 

[MobilMan]

Why not take their name off any list that is on IAP, especially the "suppliers" list. Then no one will be getting the shaft. Tell em we don't want em.

 

[IPD_Mrs]

Lets get all 5000+ members of IAP to call their 800# 5-10 times a day until they settle with members that still have open issues. 50,000 calls at about $.30 a call will add up pretty quick. It might even put them out of a business they should not be in if they cannot ship orders but do manage to charge credit cards.

Just a thought....

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by MobilMan

Why not take their name off any list that is on IAP, especially the "suppliers" list. Then no one will be getting the shaft. Tell em we don't want em.

I have different opinion which is, of course, that we should leave them on the list. The company is listed twice in the supply list. once as the well recognized "STEEBAR" name and once as the more obscure PenMakingSupplies.com. In both cases the company has the lowest possible rating.....one star.....and some posted comments detailing the problems with the company. Anyone with half a brain who pays attention to the rating and reads the comments will be well warned that the company should be avoided. Anyone who ignores the information gets what he deserves.

If we remove Steebar/PMS from the list, then the cautionary warnings will be lost and the potential to help fellow pencrafters as well.

 

[monkeynutz]

Originally posted by Randy_

If we remove Steebar/PMS from the list, then the cautionary warnings will be lost and the potential to help fellow pencrafters as well.

I agree. When I put my resource list together, Steebar would have been on it if I hadn't seen the ratings posted here. Glad they were here.

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by MLKWoodWorking

Lets get all 5000+ members of IAP to call their 800# 5-10 times a day until they settle with members that still have open issues. 50,000 calls at about $.30 a call will add up pretty quick. It might even put them out of a business they should not be in if they cannot ship orders but do manage to charge credit cards.

Just a thought....

In theory, Mike, that is a wonderful idea; but there are a few problems and the math doesn't work. Firstly, although there are probably 5,000+ names on the IAP membership list, that in no way represents the true count of the active members of IAP. Most of those names are folks who signed up to check us out or get the answer to a quick question and will never be back again. Think about the number of different people you see post every week and multiply that by 2 or 3 or 4 to account for lurkers and I’ll bet it doesn’t amount to more than a thousand people and that might be generous. I don’t know if Jeff has a more realistic number; but I’d bet a lot of money that 5,000 is not it.

Secondly, there is no way that 5000 people could make that many calls a day. I just happen to know that a single call to the Steebar line (1-800-653-1930) ties up the line for right at 1 minute. That being the case, the line is capable of handling a max, of 1440 calls per 24 hours or only 480 calls per 8 hours. My experience is that Steebar cuts off the phone line outside of their “normal†business hours, whatever that might be(?), although, recently, I have gotten the recorded message 24/7.

I don’t know how Steebar is charged for their “800†service; but if you are correct and they pay 30¢ per incoming call, then 8 hours of incoming calls would cost them up to $144 and a full 24 hours of incoming calls could cost up to $432. I suspect that would represent a pretty significant financial hit over a period of time if the effort was sustained; but could also be easily thwarted by simply turning off the answering machine so the incoming calls are not answered. It doesn’t appear that strategy would be a major inconvenience since they don’t normally answer the line anyway or respond to messages.

And finally, an organized attempt to flood their phone line with useless phone calls could possibly be in conflict with federal regulations and subject the participants to scrutiny/charges if Steebar wanted to play "hardball". I am as frustrated as any on this board that this sleazy business is continuing to abuse an unformed segment of our community and would love to see them out of business. That may be a difficult goal to achieve given the nature of their business. In the short term, I think our best bet is to do the best we can to spread the word and inform as many potential purchasers as possible of the difficulties of dealing with this company. For the long term, I am hopeful that it will be possible to recruit the Attorney General of the State of New Jersey to investigate this company for practices that are reported to be in violation of New Jersey statutes.

Unfortunately, this is not an easy situation to deal with. Think back over the years and remember how difficult it is to get good companies to pay attention to the needs and desires of the pen crafting community. And then consider how much less likely it is that Steebar will pay any attention to the concerns of their potential customers. Sadly, we aren’t likely to “save the world†and totally solve the problem; but we can at least do our best to educate as many people as we can reach and protect those lucky individuals from an unpleasant experience.

If anyone has other thoughts and would like to discuss them privately, please email me and we will chat.

 

[www]

I live about 45 min. from woodturningz and going in I found out that if you don't see what you want on the web sight call and ask if they have it and most of time they do.

 

[ScribbleSticks]

POP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (sound of Randy bursting all of our balloons at once) Dang, Randy!! I already had their phone number programmed into my phone. I was ready to 'do battle'. Guess I'll just take my pen kits and go home......poop!

 

[redfishsc]

Lol, Randy, I am pretty sure MLK was speaking in what we call "hyperbole", meaning overstating something to make a point.

Nice analysis, however.

 

[RonInSpringTX]

thanks for the advice dudes/dudettes. I've never ordered from them, from what I remembered about their site it wasn't that great, hard to get around, etc.

I'm throwing in my 5***** (those are stars!!) for http://www.woodnwhimsies.com/ Tim and Tracey have great pricing and shipping is fabulous!! I've never waited longer than 3 business days on any order I've placed with them. (probably a dozen or so orders) Depending what you order, she'll even refund the original amount on paypal & re-bill with cheaper freight if she can get it in a smaller envelope/box. (USPS Priority) I mean cigar pens for $3.39 for whatever quantity, your choice of hardware finish?? That's better than the 50+ price for Penn State!!! Those are as good as the PSI kit, IMO. Oh, $3.00 for any bushing kit they carry!! (except the euro/dsgnr sizing sleeve,but it's still just $5.49 including the other bushings!) They are somewhat limited to different kits/other stuff, but they moved from Florida to Missouri (land probably cheaper) and building a much bigger shop, so, I'm sure the "limited" will change to enormous!!
No kidding, if you need some stuff, check out their site, you won't be sorry!!!