Jeer Penn State Industries

[g.alemy0218]

Ok. So I place one order Saturday morning for priority mail. I then place another order Sunday evening with economy mail and put a note in the comments to combine shipping on the priority mail order. I call customer service to find out if they did and I get told that is impossible to do because of the had over 300 orders to process. Well I will never order from them again and the lady was rude. Ill stick with woodnwhimsies and woodenpenpro.

 

[walshjp17]

When an order comes in, it goes to picking then packing and then to the shipping department usually within a few hours. Once it hits shipping the labels are created and electronic data is sent to USPS or UPS. They just cannot open a box packaged the day before and stuff more stuff in it.

Yes, rudeness is intolerable, but you are asking for something that cannot be done. Don't take it out on the poor person who answers the phone. She is either an order taker or a customer service rep and she cannot change or affect policy and procedures.

 

[The Penguin]

can't really fault them for this - CSUSA does the same thing...

but rudeness is uncalled for. They are Yankees, thought...maybe it just comes with being a Yankee.

:biggrin:

 

[g.alemy0218]

I understand there is a process, but when you are spoken to rudely that is unacceptable. All I ask for is CUSTOMER SERVICE. I am a yankee, I am originally from NJ and have transplanted to Texas over 15 years ago.

 

[edstreet]

So I am confused here. Why did you just not combine the two orders before placing them? Since they are CLOSED on Sundays it makes perfect sense if you are ordering over the weekend then order late Sunday.

The other part is this.
When we pull info on the company financial we see this -=> Penn State Industries, Philadelphia, PA
Now lets say average order was $50. That's 200,000 orders/year or 640 orders/day Monday to Saturday.

Online orders goes immediately to shipping where they are pulled/etc. and at that volume it is impossible to pull one order to add to that as finding the exact order is not only costly but shipping charges are already paid. Sorry, next time try to get a complete order before you submit the order as this is not a company problem, this is a buyer problem.

Oh and the info given on manta.com is likely old data from several years ago.

 

[g.alemy0218]

So I am confused here. Why did you just not combine the two orders before placing them? I didn't know that I was wrong to order at 2 separate times on the weekend, sorry if that offended you in some manner, I don't need to explain to you why I had 2 orders. It says it takes 1-3 days before an order is shipped, So I put the note in the 2nd order I placed, whats so hard to understand?

 

[Jerryz]

Didn't sound rude. I'm always amazed when people find facts rude.

 

[mredburn]

There was a thread in the Jeers section about this same problem with PSI shipping. It was explained that they are trying and improving on the time to fill and ship orders. That the problem was that the first package would already be processed/ filled and buried somewhere in the middle of a pallet of orders set to ship. I suspect that by the time they read your second order with the note it was too late to accommodate you without great cost to take everything apart to find your first order.

That however does not excuse them for rudeness on their part in explaining that to you. I use and will continue to use them when I need to (as little as that is) but you are free to vote with your wallet, its what I do when Im not satisfied with a vendor in any way. Not just a pen turning supplier either. Have you contacted them and explained your situation? By that I mean the rudeness of the employee not the shipping issue.

 

[edstreet]

So I am confused here. Why did you just not combine the two orders before placing them? I didn't know that I was wrong to order at 2 separate times on the weekend, sorry if that offended you in some manner, I don't need to explain to you why I had 2 orders. It says it takes 1-3 days before an order is shipped, So I put the note in the 2nd order I placed, whats so hard to understand?

Uhm sorry but:
It was not wrong to do multiple orders on the weekend.
It did not offend me in the least.
the 1-3 days is more of a CYA deal when working with the shipping services. i.e. some carriers they may sit on the dock for a day or 3 before they get processed.

the 'wrong' part is to expect a high volume, high output company to halt the production line and augment one order. If this is what you are needing/wanting them you need to find a small vendor, say 1-2 people that does a low number of shipments per day.

 

[Chatham PenWorks]

Once again, someone has a complaint about PSI, and some seem to relish the chance to blame the customer, while ignoring that silly little mention of rude customer service. There is no excuse for poor customer service, especially in a small company such as PSI. As a representative of the company, you deal with the customer's frustration and politely explain what can and can't be done. Having worked with the public for over 20 years, I know it's much easier said than done, but if you can't do it, you don't answer the phones.

 

[Rodnall]

I'm just curious as to why it took 5 days to process and finally send my order if they start within hours of receiving the order. I order on 9/12 and just got my email today that they are sending it.

 

[edstreet]

I'm just curious as to why it took 5 days to process and finally send my order if they start within hours of receiving the order. I order on 9/12 and just got my email today that they are sending it.

Now this is an actual viable complaint and is perfectly legit.

What you have is a limited amount of inventory and an 'out of stock but some is en route and will be here in xx days' situation, the customers are not informed of this nor given the chance to break orders up or cancel out of stock items but instead the order is held until the new inventory arrives.

Many places will list 'temporary out of stock, ETA xx/yy/zz' and allow you to back order items. i.e. Midway USA does this.

One other issue is that often time larger warehouses use a predictive system for inventory to know how many to order etc. In the case here with PSI their website itself is in serious need of some drastic overhauls.

 

[Smitty37]

Ok. So I place one order Saturday morning for priority mail. I then place another order Sunday evening with economy mail and put a note in the comments to combine shipping on the priority mail order. I call customer service to find out if they did and I get told that is impossible to do because of the had over 300 orders to process. Well I will never order from them again and the lady was rude. Ill stick with woodnwhimsies and woodenpenpro.

I would probably do that if someone asked for it but I would have some unspeakable thoughts about them for asking. A day-and-a-half between orders and asking them to be combined can be a little rough even for us small guys.

For instance, depending on how early Saturday morning your order came in, some of us would have already shipped it (that is for the seller the best scenero), and almost all of us would have it packaged with postage already applied by Sunday night, so your request would entail (at the least) removing the packing slip unpacking and repacking with a new packing slip. It could also entail canceling the postage label and creating a new one, waiting two weeks for the postage to be refunded etc.

While it seems to you to be a simple request - it might not be.

 

[bobleibo]

hmmmmm................

 

[rustygunn]

"CAVEAT EMPTOR"
This company gets a "D" rating from the Pittsburg, PA. Better Business Bureau.

Penn State Industries Review - Mail Order & Catalog Shopping in Philadelphia, PA - BBB Business Review - BBB serving Metro Washington, DC and Eastern Pennsylvania

 

[kovalcik]

I found the BBB report a bit confusing. Not enough detail. I wish there were more detail on the resolutions. I did find this part the most interesting:

Reason for Rating

BBB rating is based on 16 factors. Get the details about the factors considered.


Factors that lowered the rating for Penn State Industries include:

• Failure to respond to 1 complaint filed against business

Factors that raised the rating for Penn State Industries include:

• Length of time business has been operating.
• Complaint volume filed with BBB for business of this size.
• BBB has sufficient background information on this business.

From that I gather the biggest strike was their failure to respond to a complaint in 2011 on advertising methods. The part that the complaint volume for a company that size was positive I look at as a big plus.

As I said before, hard to say what it means without more detail. If the D rating is in large part because of the failure to respond two year ago to an advertising issue that does not really worry me. If it is because of some other issues then I would care more.

 

[BayouPenturner]

I order from them regularity and have had good service. my frien ordered a starter lathe package this weekend and bragged all weekend about how well he was treated by the person on the customer service line.

I like you said manage rudeness and poor service with my pocket book.

 

[Donovan]

It always amazes me how rude people can get when you can not get your way. If the person on the customer service desk informs you that it can not be done.. move on and plan your next order better.

 

[Aredee]

I had the same problem this weekend as a matter of fact. It's not always about planning your order better. In my case I got two more orders for pens after I placed my order. This is about technology ruling a company over good old fashion customer service. I work in a small business, if a customer ask to change things and we haven't shipped it you better believe that we will change it. My personal experience has made me question whether or not I will use Penn state again. I would rather have a delay in shipping than to have to pay twice for shipping. I understand the policy and it is clearly written once you hit submit than your stuck. However it doesn't mean its a good policy.

 

[bobaltig]

The only reason they couldn't open the box and put more stuff into it is if they don't know how. I do it all the time when I get multiple orders from someone for pens. You just repackage, use the priority shipping label and charge the customer for both shipping labels. I always include a written explanation why they are paying for two shipping charges, i.e., because I had to pay for two shipping labels, but I wanted them to get both orders as quickly as possible. I've never had a customer complain about it. I'm just glad for the additional purchase. I would never alienate a customer like Penn State did by refusing. So I know it can be done. It all boils down to customer service, and lately Penn State doesn't even know how to spell those words, let alone exhibit them. I refuse to buy anything from them any longer after the rude treatment I got from them multiple times last year. I was a customer of their's for over 8 years but no more. I even bought my first lathe from them. Things really went south with them when they expanded. Their product quality is still okay, but they show no desire to maintain good customer relations anymore. They don't realize that their total sales are just a total of the sales they make to individual customers. Every customer is vital to survival, no matter how big you get. Look at the US Auto makers for an example. Penn State is just too dam* big for their britches these days.

When an order comes in, it goes to picking then packing and then to the shipping department usually within a few hours. Once it hits shipping the labels are created and electronic data is sent to USPS or UPS. They just cannot open a box packaged the day before and stuff more stuff in it.

Yes, rudeness is intolerable, but you are asking for something that cannot be done. Don't take it out on the poor person who answers the phone. She is either an order taker or a customer service rep and she cannot change or affect policy and procedures.

 

[The Penguin]

I'm going to point out again - CSUSA does the same thing.

 

[bobleibo]

So I am confused here. Why did you just not combine the two orders before placing them? I didn't know that I was wrong to order at 2 separate times on the weekend, sorry if that offended you in some manner, I don't need to explain to you why I had 2 orders. It says it takes 1-3 days before an order is shipped, So I put the note in the 2nd order I placed, whats so hard to understand?

I called the CEO of PSI and demanded to know how all of this could happen to you. He told me that the person who's sole reason for being employed there is to stand by and wait to see if you place a second order the next day was out sick...something to do with a broken leg from a car accident he had on the way to work. I said that was unacceptable and told him to fire that person immediately. I then asked why one of the other people could not go retrieve your first order and he gave me some mumbo-jumbo about them having to deal with the other 300 orders that came in that day. I told him I wasn't buying his lame excuse, they should have dropped what they were doing and gone out and found your first order so we agreed that the next time you decide to place 2 orders on 2 different days I will personally catch the next flight out to Pennsylvania and handle it myself. Better yet I will go there, combine your orders and catch the next flight to your house and deliver it myself.
Next we talked about the customer service person who was rude. She has since been fired and will return to her regular job at the convent. Then again, based upon your response to the "outlandish" question above, I have gained some insight into how that conflict may have gotten started.

Let me know if I can help in any other way.

Have a great day

 

[Lucky2]

No excuse for the rudeness, but, with there being approx 36 hrs between orders I can understand them not being able to combine them. If the two orders were placed at 2 different times in the same day, I'd think that they could combine the shipping. The only way for that to happen though, is for them to not have worked on your first order yet.
Len

 

[Lucky2]

You can't combine Economy shipping with Priority shipping, It's just not allowed. To have the packages eligible to be combined they both would have to be either, Priority or Economy shipping, no mixing of the two classes of mail. In my other life, I worked for the post office, this is how I know about the shipping classes.
Len

 

[edicehouse]

Often people are "rude" if they can not do what you want them to do....

 

[cwolfs69]

if you are going to charge for two shipments per the labels, why woould you open one box to put the second order in with it. another place to make a mistake. just ship both if you charge for both.

The only reason they couldn't open the box and put more stuff into it is if they don't know how. I do it all the time when I get multiple orders from someone for pens. You just repackage, use the priority shipping label and charge the customer for both shipping labels. I always include a written explanation why they are paying for two shipping charges, i.e., because I had to pay for two shipping labels, but I wanted them to get both orders as quickly as possible. I've never had a customer complain about it. I'm just glad for the additional purchase. I would never alienate a customer like Penn State did by refusing. So I know it can be done. It all boils down to customer service, and lately Penn State doesn't even know how to spell those words, let alone exhibit them. I refuse to buy anything from them any longer after the rude treatment I got from them multiple times last year. I was a customer of their's for over 8 years but no more. I even bought my first lathe from them. Things really went south with them when they expanded. Their product quality is still okay, but they show no desire to maintain good customer relations anymore. They don't realize that their total sales are just a total of the sales they make to individual customers. Every customer is vital to survival, no matter how big you get. Look at the US Auto makers for an example. Penn State is just too dam* big for their britches these days.

When an order comes in, it goes to picking then packing and then to the shipping department usually within a few hours. Once it hits shipping the labels are created and electronic data is sent to USPS or UPS. They just cannot open a box packaged the day before and stuff more stuff in it.

Yes, rudeness is intolerable, but you are asking for something that cannot be done. Don't take it out on the poor person who answers the phone. She is either an order taker or a customer service rep and she cannot change or affect policy and procedures.

 

[cwolfs69]

having read almost every word in this thread, i have not seen a definite place where the customer service was rude. we are told over and over that they were "rude" but nothing specific as to how. it sounds to me that the customer did not hear what he wanted to hear and after not being able to force the vendor into his/her terms, they decided that the vendor was "rude" to them.
grow up guys, l;ife is tugh, get a helmet.

 

[edstreet]

if you are going to charge for two shipments per the labels, why woould you open one box to put the second order in with it. another place to make a mistake. just ship both if you charge for both.

Isn't fail logic grand? Even mentioned a failed industry (auto) which union's drove into the ground seems a very bad compare for anything relating to customers.

I took away from this to mean the person did not have the first clue on larger shipping center policy's and practices. As with many people they seem to think that some companies are 1 man operations and they do low volume processing.

 

[jeweler53]

This whole thing could have been avoided. Simply put a note in the comment box of the first order that states "I am a picky customer. I want this order picked and ready for shipment ASAP!. However, since I am placing the order on Saturday, and I figure that you probably won't actually mail it until Monday, please pull my order and set it aside. Just don't lose track of it! If I change my mind, and decide I want to add something, I don't want you to have to go to any extra trouble of finding it. If I add something I will add to the confusion by calling customer service and asking them to not charge me twice for the shipping since you already have gone out of your way to take care of me. If, on the other hand, I don't decide that I need something else, and you see the postman coming Monday morning please seal the package, calculate and print the postage label and put it on real fast so that the package goes out right away."

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

 

[Smitty37]

if you are going to charge for two shipments per the labels, why woould you open one box to put the second order in with it. another place to make a mistake. just ship both if you charge for both.

Isn't fail logic grand? Even mentioned a failed industry (auto) which union's drove into the ground seems a very bad compare for anything relating to customers.

I took away from this to mean the person did not have the first clue on larger shipping center policy's and practices. As with many people they seem to think that some companies are 1 man operations and they do low volume processing.

Some companies are 1 man operations....If I got an order on Saturday morning and another on Sunday night asking to combine - I would also have to refuse. The Saturday package would already be gone.

 

[Smitty37]

The only reason they couldn't open the box and put more stuff into it is if they don't know how. I do it all the time when I get multiple orders from someone for pens. You just repackage, use the priority shipping label and charge the customer for both shipping labels. I always include a written explanation why they are paying for two shipping charges, i.e., because I had to pay for two shipping labels, but I wanted them to get both orders as quickly as possible. I've never had a customer complain about it. I'm just glad for the additional purchase. I would never alienate a customer like Penn State did by refusing. So I know it can be done. It all boils down to customer service, and lately Penn State doesn't even know how to spell those words, let alone exhibit them. I refuse to buy anything from them any longer after the rude treatment I got from them multiple times last year. I was a customer of their's for over 8 years but no more. I even bought my first lathe from them. Things really went south with them when they expanded. Their product quality is still okay, but they show no desire to maintain good customer relations anymore. They don't realize that their total sales are just a total of the sales they make to individual customers. Every customer is vital to survival, no matter how big you get. Look at the US Auto makers for an example. Penn State is just too dam* big for their britches these days.

When an order comes in, it goes to picking then packing and then to the shipping department usually within a few hours. Once it hits shipping the labels are created and electronic data is sent to USPS or UPS. They just cannot open a box packaged the day before and stuff more stuff in it.

Yes, rudeness is intolerable, but you are asking for something that cannot be done. Don't take it out on the poor person who answers the phone. She is either an order taker or a customer service rep and she cannot change or affect policy and procedures.

You need to rethink how you're buying postage - I can get one of those labels canceled and in two weeks get a refund.

 

[edstreet]

if you are going to charge for two shipments per the labels, why woould you open one box to put the second order in with it. another place to make a mistake. just ship both if you charge for both.

Isn't fail logic grand? Even mentioned a failed industry (auto) which union's drove into the ground seems a very bad compare for anything relating to customers.

I took away from this to mean the person did not have the first clue on larger shipping center policy's and practices. As with many people they seem to think that some companies are 1 man operations and they do low volume processing.

Some companies are 1 man operations....If I got an order on Saturday morning and another on Sunday night asking to combine - I would also have to refuse. The Saturday package would already be gone.

The company in the topic, Penn state, they are a 1 man show?

 

[Smitty37]

if you are going to charge for two shipments per the labels, why woould you open one box to put the second order in with it. another place to make a mistake. just ship both if you charge for both.

Isn't fail logic grand? Even mentioned a failed industry (auto) which union's drove into the ground seems a very bad compare for anything relating to customers.

I took away from this to mean the person did not have the first clue on larger shipping center policy's and practices. As with many people they seem to think that some companies are 1 man operations and they do low volume processing.

Some companies are 1 man operations....If I got an order on Saturday morning and another on Sunday night asking to combine - I would also have to refuse. The Saturday package would already be gone.

The company in the topic, Penn state, they are a 1 man show?

No Ed, I was illustrating that the orders spoken of in the OP would not necessarily be combined even if it were a 1 man operation.

 

[LeeR]

I cannot believe I read this entire thread. But I just came in from clearing snow off my property, and so I must be both mentally and physically depleted.

1. I would urge everyone to find out a company's shipping policy (or other policy). Should help eliminate many surprises.
2. If you do not like their policies, go elsewhere.

There are plenty of hungry businesses out there that are willing to offer good products at fair prices, and treat customers with respect. It is crazy to say "I understand their policy, but it is not a good one". See #2 above.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[Mike Powell]

Greg, I am sorry for you having such a hard time with PSI.

Their shipping policy, ok well I cant argue with that. BUT, the rudness, thats such a shame for them. There are alot of things I can deal with as a customer, but rudeness isnt one of them.

Did you happen to ask to speak with a supervisor? In my experiences, doing this saves alot of hassles. Either A. you are the umptenth person to complain about her, or B. you are they first, and they have a talk with her.

Maybe even with doing this, they could have fixed your shipping issue, or at least explained it a little better.

Give them another chance, maybe she was just having an off day.

 

[Donovan]

Was the attendant really rude or did she just say something that you did not want to hear.
I spent most of my working life in retail and that was the most complaints that we ever got "the salesman was rude to me" This normally comes after the policy has been explained and the customer then wants to know if you can not make a plan for him/her. Not saying that this is what happened but it is your money and you have the choice to spend it where ever you want. Support the company that ticks all your boxes

Donovan

 

[butchf18a]

Having taken the time to read the bulk of this thread, unless I missed it somewhere along the line, but I didn't see where the original complaint was addressed formally to PSI. Date, time, person spoken with that was perceived to be rude, all included in a letter would get far more attention than b.....ing about it here among those who are in no position to solve the problem.

Having read numerous similar threads regarding PSI orders I'm left to ponder why anyone on IAP does business with them. I order from them occasionally, and have never had a problem. I will continue to do business with them as long as they have what I'm seeking at a fair price. That being said I still prefer dealing with the numerous smaller vendors we find within our ranks here on IAP.

A recent non-pen related example of the effectiveness of writing a letter. On recent airline flight the operational aspects were very poor resulting in missed connections and serious disruption of travel plans. Throughout the ordeal there were some who tried to help and others who could not have cared beyond moving me off to someone else. The results of a letter detailing my experience ultimately resulted in my being granted the airlines highest tier status, 10 no charge first class upgrades (though i normally fly first class anyway) and a sincere letter of apology. I could have b.....ed on some blog post and gotten nothing, where with considerably less time invested one letter to someone that is in a position to effect change produced positive results.

JMOICBW-BIDI

 

[BKelley]

In four years of ordering from PSI I have never had a problem with them. They are a large company and have rules. If you think the rules are not good, then don't buy from them. As far as the rudeness, that is another matter. Not being privy to the communication between the two parties, I cannot comment of that part of the jeer.
Generally if I speak to an order clerk nicely I get a nice reply. If Vickie burned my toast that morning and I'm a little grouchy I might get a less than nice reply.

Ben

 

[dtswebb]

I cannot believe I read this entire thread. Maybe it had to do something with placing an order with them last weekend.

I placed an order on Sunday through the website. Click send and realize I screwed up and forgot to order different clips for the kits (bullet pen kits - I do not like the rifle clip and decided to go with the scope clips).

I went ahead and sent an email to Customer Service asking if I could somehow add the clips to the order.

Monday morning there was a pleasant note saying that clips could be added but since they don't have access to my credit card info, I needed to call Customer Service. The call to Customer Service was picked up by the lady that sent me the email. Info provided and I get an email later in the day that the order was going out that night.

I got lucky because I placed the original order on a Sunday. Any other day, I would have sent the email, but would fully expect to be told that the original ordered had been filled and was somewhere along the way in the shipping process.

No, I don't order from Penn State too often. Every time I have, they've always been efficient, meaning that the order is out the same day it was placed.

Bottom line, as stated several times by others - vote with your dollars. Here, it seems like Penn State is getting a bad rap for being efficient.

 

[Smitty37]

Maybe---

I always have good luck when I talk to someone at PSI. I have called and got an item missing from an order in the mail to me the same day..I've called in orders and I have talked to them about problems.

I think the secret is that I am always polite, calm and collected on the phone. I always thank them when the call is completed and they always seem anxious to help me.

The one thing to remember is the person you are talking to is rarely if ever the cause of your problem. You should also remember that if they can't help you for whatever reason - it isn't rude for them to tell you that. You can often get them to find someone who can help you. It might take awhile but they will do it if you ask them in a friendly reasonable tone.

I don't berate the person who takes my call because they are not paid to take abuse - if I expect to get riled I ask them to get their supervisor, if they ask why I tell them "because I am about to get mean and they don't pay you enough to have to listen to it." They usually laugh but they do get the boss.