Jeer Penn State Industries (PSI)

[wiset1]

Last Monday the 12th of December I made an online order for 9 Majestic pen kits and a bottle of plastic polish. I spent $287 and used the credit card option. PSI was offering free shipping for orders over a certain amount so I figured why not give it a try. Well, today the 19th I get an email saying that the package was shipped TODAY Are you kidding me people??? Waiting a full week to ship items to a customer is pure GARBAGE!!! People say they have issues with Penn State Industries and this is the reason why! It should also be noted that my card was charged on the 14th of December for the total sum, so why the delay. This could have been shipped out last week.

Penn State Industries...if I could post it, I would have some truly hateful words for you regarding your lack of customer service and all around ability to keep a paying customer. Policy at PSI needs to change...THIS SUCKS!!!

I hope people read this and find another vendor. Who else sells Majestic pen kits around here? That's like the only thing I buy from these people any longer and that's about to change. I'm so angry I want to kick stuff

STAY AWAY FROM THIS TYPE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE, THERE ARE TOO MANY OTHERS THAT OFFER BETTER SERVICE OUT THERE TO DEAL WITH A COMPANY LIKE THIS!!!!

 

[MarkD]

I'm with you Tim.
I also placed an order online on the 12th and just this evening received notification that "The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper on December 19, 2011 to expect your package for mailing." So it took them a week to get my order ready to ship!
Like you, I only order from them when I can not get the parts elsewhere.
I was hoping to have these parts to complete some Christmas orders but that's very questionable now.

 

[Silverado]

I also placed a large order last Monday. I called this morning to cancel my order with them and they told me it was not possibly, because the invoice had already been processed. They said it would ship out at the end of the day and I would half to refuse delivery if i didn't want it. I just received my notification for delivery less than 1 hour ago.

 

[GoatRider]

Well there's your problem. Everybody all ordered last monday, they have to catch up!

 

[wiset1]

I see the Majestic kits for sale at the goldennib.com and they are cheaper! Anyone know anything about this company?

 

[bitshird]

I see the Majestic kits for sale at the goldennib.com and they are cheaper! Anyone know anything about this company?

Anthony is the owner of the Golden nib, a long standing member of the IAP and a great person that offers exceptional service FAST.

 

[Justturnin]

My guess is the free shipping was their 7 to 10 business days and it seems they are sending it priority so you should have it in time. If you needed it right away I would think you would have paid the extra for the 3 to 5 busness days or next day. Does it matter how or when they ship as long as they meet their promised delivery date?

Dont hurt me.....

 

[wiset1]

I see the Majestic kits for sale at the goldennib.com and they are cheaper! Anyone know anything about this company?

Anthony is the owner of the Golden nib, a long standing member of the IAP and a great person that offers exceptional service FAST.

Awesome, thanks Ken! Checked the site out and I think this is where my business is going. I think I bought about 60+ Majestic kits this past year with PSI...that business is going to Anthony now.

 

[wiset1]

My guess is the free shipping was their 7 to 10 business days and it seems they are sending it priority so you should have it in time. If you needed it right away I would think you would have paid the extra for the 3 to 5 busness days or next day. Does it matter how or when they ship as long as they meet their promised delivery date?

Dont hurt me.....

Yes and no...it's just bad business to just sit on an order and if it makes the customer upset like it has here then obviously something is wrong. Yes they shipped it USPS Priority mail, but WHY sit on it just because they can? Is that who you want to deal with Chris? If so go right ahead...as for me I'm taking my money to another company. I don't exactly make bank in the military so being treated like this kind of burns me. There are others out there who will value the return business. I'm not taking this out on you...just explaining my position.

 

[Justturnin]

My guess is the free shipping was their 7 to 10 business days and it seems they are sending it priority so you should have it in time. If you needed it right away I would think you would have paid the extra for the 3 to 5 busness days or next day. Does it matter how or when they ship as long as they meet their promised delivery date?

Dont hurt me.....

Yes and no...it's just bad business to just sit on an order and if it makes the customer upset like it has here then obviously something is wrong. Yes they shipped it USPS Priority mail, but WHY sit on it just because they can? Is that who you want to deal with Chris? If so go right ahead...as for me I'm taking my money to another company. I don't exactly make bank in the military so being treated like this kind of burns me. There are others out there who will value the return business. I'm not taking this out on you...just explaining my position.

Would it have been better if ups had you box for 5 days sitting in a warehouse instead, that has happened to me and they will eat the entire 10 days before they deliver. For me it does not matter when they ship. They can ship it day 9 and overnight it and it would be fine because I agreed to that time frame. Its not their fault you got mad, that does not equal bad customer service. They are meeting the obligations you agreed to.

 

[wiset1]

Enjoy your 10 day service then! Go ahead and start your own cheer post for PSI and let me vent on my Jeer. Sound like a plan Chris? Don't want to get snotty here, but it's bad business and they just lost mine!

 

[Justturnin]

Sure thing, not trying to be difficult just stating my opinion and offering a different view on the situation. I can imagine every company online is experiencing delays this time of year. I just got an order that took 8 days to ship and totally understand why. I already have a cheer on PSI. Merry Christmas and have a safe New Year.

 

[randywa]

I don't mind them sitting on it for several days. But when they charge me and then sit on it is a lot like running their company on my money. That's when it starts to bother me.

 

[wiset1]

I don't mind them sitting on it for several days. But when they charge me and then sit on it is a lot like running their company on my money. That's when it starts to bother me.

This is the point! You nailed it...enough said

 

[JimB]

The OP put a similar post in Casual Conversation a few days ago. He just doesn't get it. He ordered on the last day of a free shipping promotion and it's Christmas time yet doesn't understand that things will get backed up and delayed. There is no indication that PSI deliberately sat on his order like he says. He just doesn't want to take responsibility for waiting until the last minute to order.

I placed an order with PSI as well at about the same time. I also received my email today about shipping. I am also aware of PSI's reputation for shipping just like the OP is aware. Considering the time of year and the promotion along with my knowledge of PSI I am getting my order in the time expected.

 

[Justturnin]

I don't mind them sitting on it for several days. But when they charge me and then sit on it is a lot like running their company on my money. That's when it starts to bother me.

They are running their business off your money. They charge you and lock it in as yours, removing it from their inventory. Then it is a matter of hands to pack and ship it. It all comes down to this, the OP took free shipping and is complaining that they took several days to ship but he will still get his package w/in their alotted time. PSI met their obligations. If he needed it faster he should have dropped the money and had it over nighted. I have an order pending with PSI that I posted Friday. Still no word on it shipping and that is ok becasue I know I will get it in the 5-8 business days that I paid for.

 

[wiset1]

The OP put a similar post in Casual Conversation a few days ago. He just doesn't get it. He ordered on the last day of a free shipping promotion and it's Christmas time yet doesn't understand that things will get backed up and delayed. There is no indication that PSI deliberately sat on his order like he says. He just doesn't want to take responsibility for waiting until the last minute to order.

I placed an order with PSI as well at about the same time. I also received my email today about shipping. I am also aware of PSI's reputation for shipping just like the OP is aware. Considering the time of year and the promotion along with my knowledge of PSI I am getting my order in the time expected.

Jim,

The point of the Jeer is that while the order was made on the 12th, they pulled my money on the 14th and waited until the 19th to do anything about it. the OP is upset that they sat on the order 6 days before choosing to do anything about it Jim.

Since I don't sell my pens or have orders to fill I could care less about when they actually get here...it's more about them pulling my money and sitting on the order...we clear where the OP is coming from now? The problem is resolved, I found another company to buy from so I won't have to deal with the PSI issue again unless I choose to.

lets also be clear that if I have another run in with another firm that I feel is offering less that optimal service I'll post it here again. If it saves just one fellow turner a headache it will be worth the effort!

Respectfully...

 

[wiset1]

Jim, Chris...please start a CHEER for PSI and let those of us who have issues with PSI rant. taking orders, holding money, waiting on said order...not cool, but if it takes 11 days then you guys are on board with me or what??? This isn't a seasonal thing as you lean towards...look at others who complain about PSI...has nothing to do with the season. I ordered the kits when I needed them and it had nothing to do with the free shipping. It was offered at checkout so I figured...that's nice of them. No idea where this gets lost but I guess there are groupies for everything.

 

[Justturnin]

To me it just sounds like you are looking for a reason to complain. They did noting wrong or illegal. You will get you package in the agreed upon time. Like I said before would you feel better if they shipped it out ups and ups sat on it for days and still delivered it at the same time USPS will? If so then something is wrong.

 

[Justturnin]

hahaha and you posted on my Cheer about them 'doing right by you'

 

[wiset1]

Chris,

Listen, my issue is that they took my money and waited 6 days to send product. If they made the effort to mail it out when they took my money then I wouldn't be upset. I'm fully aware things take time when it comes to the holiday season and I wasn't in a hurry to get the kits for one reason or another, just tired of the service from PSI. As noted there are vendors who value us as customers, then there are others who deal in volume like PSI and have a different perspective on small orders. I know my 9 kits don't count for much, but I buy about 60+ full sized majestics and other items from them a year. The loss of my business won't count for much to a million dollar corporation, but enough of us calling it quits will impact them. I just don't want to deal with companies that deal in numbers like this any longer. Just my stance and you're not going to sway me.

 

[wiset1]

hahaha and you posted on my Cheer about them 'doing right by you'

Prior to that I had only had two past issues with them. One main issue was that they sent my order to another customer and I got his. As you all know...those green slips have all of our information on it. I mailed the other guys order to him and my order took an extra two weeks to get to me. I was willing to move on...I guess 3rd time's the charm.

 

[Ruby pen turning]

quote:To me it just sounds like you are looking for a reason to complain.
I dont know Tim at all other then here on this forum. On here he is a very level headed guy from what I gather not complaining about anything.
PSI must be over run with orders to take a week to send pen parts out. NOT!

 

[RDH79]

It doesnt make any difference what time of year it is. PSI is like this all year long. I stopped dealing with them shortly after I started turning pens. Whats the saying screw me once shame on you. Screw me twice shame on me. Yep 2 times was enough.
I always thought that it was illegal to charge a credit card if the items were not ready to ship.

 

[MartinPens]

I too placed an order on the 12th, called them today and they said it would ship today or tomorrow. The product I ordered Is something I have only found on their site so far. I knew they were slow, but I think a week definitely shows they either need help or have a shotty system. I avoid ordering from them and most of their inventory can be purchased through other sites.

This forum allows for Jeers. Tim has every right to vent and lay out his complaint in this place. I have corresponded with him tons and he is a fantastic guy. If I had a Majestic kit I would FedEx it to him!

If you see something on their site, look around for it elsewhere or just make certain you don't need it in a hurry.

Hang in there Tim.

Regards

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner

 

[Pen&FishingCT]

same with me martin,i placed mine the 8th and got it the 16th,free shipping=free headache.now i have to turn in a rush,can't believe it.

 

[ren-lathe]

If I order from any supplier but Penn I get my delivery in 2 to 5 days. From Penn no matter what time of the year it is it takes a minimum of 10 days. That is why they are my last resort.

 

[JimB]

The OP put a similar post in Casual Conversation a few days ago. He just doesn't get it. He ordered on the last day of a free shipping promotion and it's Christmas time yet doesn't understand that things will get backed up and delayed. There is no indication that PSI deliberately sat on his order like he says. He just doesn't want to take responsibility for waiting until the last minute to order.

I placed an order with PSI as well at about the same time. I also received my email today about shipping. I am also aware of PSI's reputation for shipping just like the OP is aware. Considering the time of year and the promotion along with my knowledge of PSI I am getting my order in the time expected.

Jim,

The point of the Jeer is that while the order was made on the 12th, they pulled my money on the 14th and waited until the 19th to do anything about it. the OP is upset that they sat on the order 6 days before choosing to do anything about it Jim.

Since I don't sell my pens or have orders to fill I could care less about when they actually get here...it's more about them pulling my money and sitting on the order...we clear where the OP is coming from now? The problem is resolved, I found another company to buy from so I won't have to deal with the PSI issue again unless I choose to.

lets also be clear that if I have another run in with another firm that I feel is offering less that optimal service I'll post it here again. If it saves just one fellow turner a headache it will be worth the effort!

Respectfully...

Tim -

Most likely the processing of the charge to your credit card is 100% automated. You placed the order online so there is no human dealing with it. This is true for any company other than a 'mom and pop' operation. Every company you deal with does this. Unless your order is shipped the same day you place it a company is 'sitting on your money'. No company that accepts orders 24 hours a day can ship everything the same day so therefore every company sits on the customers money and some for much longer than a few days. In addition, if something gets back ordered then that company is sitting on your money even longer. An extreme example is the airline industry. You buy a ticket but don't fly for weeks. If you pay your credit card bill in full each month then it didn't cost you anything.

I am not objecting to you, or anyone posting a "jeer". I just don't think your jeer is a valid complaint. Just like you want to educate fellow turners of a poor vendor I want to ensure those same turners get a balanced view.

 

[Russianwolf]

I've run group buys with well over 1000 items and 50+ participants. And once the packages arrive, sorted, reboxed and shipped all items out in less than 3 days. By myself. Doing it after work.

I don't care how much business they are running right now. They can and should get orders out within 48 hours. This is a full time business after all.

I could understand if they had to make the parts, but they are sorting, packing and shipping.

 

[OldGrumpy]

PSI does much better than the Texas Rangers. Couple of weeks ago I ordered tickets for next season. Got my credit card bill the next week, and guess what, those tickets are already charged to my card. They will ship me the actual tickets next March.

So PSI service is not so bad when looked at in that comparison. I have always ordered online from my PSI orders and always get them in 3 - 5 days.

 

[bitshird]

Folks, just a friendly reminder, The 8th Birthday bash is coming quickly,! We all like getting great prises donated by many of these company's, there used to be another supplier that after a few years of getting "jeered" for his choice of less personal sales if that's the right term? he quite donating to the bash, it was our loss. Now I am not going to defend PSI, one reason I have never dealt with them, I use Woodnwhimsies for any PSI stuff. Two the Post office it's self has slowed way down, Three, I know what trying to get orders out right now is like, Many business didn't expect this much load, so they cut back on help, which also slows things down,

 

[BSea]

Good Point Ken.

Post Deleted.

 

[psilevy]

No good deed goes unpunished.

Had I realized that customer would berate and abandon us because of a FREE shipping promotion we would have never offered this promotion.

Our FREE SHIPPING offer did save customers up to $10 and was taken up by so many customers that it caused an unanticipated backlog. Customers orders were not sitting waiting in a warehouse but in a backlog that took us up to 5 business days to process. We absolutely did meet our published obligation (per our catalog and website) to deliver prior to Christmas if the order was placed by a certain date. Also, we do NOT ship via discount carriers, we only use USPS priority mail or UPS.

We did offer a "Rush Ground" option - that made our shipping costs equivalent to other woodworking companies that guaranteed processing and shipping the same day. Customers in a rush did partake of this option if their order was time critical.

Customer service takes on many facets that include shipping, phones, web and designing and providing products not available from any other suppliers. We do the best we can in all of these areas, however this Christmas season has been challenging because of our promotions and subsequent order volumes.

I'd like to thank our numerous customers who do defend us on this forum and apologize to those who anticipated faster deliveries or experienced Customer Service problem. We work continuously to solve these problems for the future. In any case Penn State Industries would like to wish all of you a Happy Holiday Season.

Ed Levy
Penn State Industries

 

[OldGrumpy]

Good response, and again thanks for the great service "I" have received.

 

[bitshird]

Jeeze you mean for once I was RIGHT !!!!! Mercy.

 

[Papo]

Rules for Cheers & Jeers

Vendor Cheers & Jeers​

The Vendor Cheers & Jeers Forum is a place to register your positive or negative experience with vendors.

If you want to review a product, head on over to the Product Testing & Review Forum.

The vendors you post about don't have to be participants at penturners.org. However, they must sell products or services related in some way to penmaking, and you must be commenting about products or services ordered within the previous 30 days.

When you cheer a vendor, make it over things the vendor has control over, such as product quality, selection, price, etc. It's not really very helpful to point out that the postal service got your package there quickly (unless you're cheering the postal service!)

Think carefully before you make a negative post about a vendor. Post your factual experiences, but don't use this forum as a means to resolve your grievance. Work with the vendor to resolve your issue, then post your experience, good or bad. Negative posts proven to be factually incorrect will be removed.

It would be most helpful if you included the following information with your post:

• Name of the business including web address.
• In what manner did you place your order? Over the phone? Thru a website? Email?
• The nature of the items that you ordered (pen kits, lathe chuck, etc).
• Provide an objective and subjective evaluation of your experience.
• Will you order from this vendor again? Why or why not?

Please "Tag" your post as a Cheer, Jeer, or Review. The "thread tag" dropdown is next to the thread title in the new thread window. Cheers & Jeers are short posts, maybe 2-3 sentences. Reviews are longer descriptions of your experience with a vendor.

Rules:

• Review recent experiences; within 30 days.
• Focus! Do not mention competing vendors in any thread.
• Threads are subject to closure after one week.
• Be ethical and honest. Add a disclaimer if you know you should. (Disclaimers might include: "My son owns the company", or "I sell blanks to the company", or "I got my stuff for free in exchange for this review." This lets readers judge the value and credibility of your post.

 

[MartinPens]

Perhaps we need a forum called "Jeers toward IAP members who leave legitimate Jeers in the Vendors Cheers and Jeers section." and right below that one we could have "Cheers for vendors who give lots of stuff to the bash" section.

I thought PSI did a fine job responding to Tim's complaint, however, anticipating a surge in business when offering free shipping is part of business. And as I see it, the issue of order processing is legitimate whether there is free shipping or not.

Thank you Tim, for expressing your angst in a forum section that allows it. And thank you PSI for responding to his complaint. Sounds like a healthy exchange to me.

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner

 

[joefyffe]

But that and many repeated reports of this kind DOES equal bad business. I avoid buying from PSI if I can purchase my wanted/needed item ANY where else. Even if it costs more.

My guess is the free shipping was their 7 to 10 business days and it seems they are sending it priority so you should have it in time. If you needed it right away I would think you would have paid the extra for the 3 to 5 busness days or next day. Does it matter how or when they ship as long as they meet their promised delivery date?

Dont hurt me.....

Yes and no...it's just bad business to just sit on an order and if it makes the customer upset like it has here then obviously something is wrong. Yes they shipped it USPS Priority mail, but WHY sit on it just because they can? Is that who you want to deal with Chris? If so go right ahead...as for me I'm taking my money to another company. I don't exactly make bank in the military so being treated like this kind of burns me. There are others out there who will value the return business. I'm not taking this out on you...just explaining my position.

Would it have been better if ups had you box for 5 days sitting in a warehouse instead, that has happened to me and they will eat the entire 10 days before they deliver. For me it does not matter when they ship. They can ship it day 9 and overnight it and it would be fine because I agreed to that time frame. Its not their fault you got mad, that does not equal bad customer service. They are meeting the obligations you agreed to.

 

[dgerwin11]

I personally am happy to see that Ed Levy does monitor this forum. I am not a "fanboy" of PSI, and would like to see faster order fulfillment. However, any time I have ordered from them, the shipping times where in line with their stated parameters. So basically they held up their end of the bargain. It would be wrong of me to jeer them for doing what they said they would do instead of moving heaven and earth to satisfy unreasonable expectations.

Whether we like their business model or not, it IS their business model. Their motive is to make a profit (or least it better be) and they have a plan that works for them.

We have plenty of options, so why not choose the one that its you best?

 

[wiset1]

Ken...sorry if this causes issues between the IAP and Ed Levy. I know that IAP cups and mugs are important to the members so I'll watch what I say and how I say it!

If the IAP offers up a Cheer and Jeer section then there's a chance that feelings might get hurt. That just seems like common sense doesn't it? Praise the good, slam the bad.

Perception is everything and as a customer of PSI I felt as though I was wronged. I will say that I don't know Ed, and before his comment on this thread speaking out to the masses I didn't even know I could contact him via PM. I still have outstanding emails from about a year and a half ago from PSI so I really don't trust that issues will be resolved. A phone call after the fact seems rather pointless. I bought the kits and returning them just adds a delay for me so I'm simply going to move onto another vendor for my kits. Real simple.

While it's great that Ed responded to the forum, he never once responded to me directly as a customer. Before today I didn't know he existed, but he knew me as a customer and could have responded to me via PM or email...PSI has all my information! If he reads the thread he'll see that this service is not indicative of the season or free shipping. It seems that other customers have the same issue throughout the year.

Ed, many of your customers are having issues and that is something that a company should take note of. Just read the thread and see what your customers are telling you. I made it a point to post in a section that was designed for this sort of thing. There's always going to be good days, and bad days for everyone, but as a customer I felt that what happened was wrong and that's how I justified what I posted.

After 17 years in the military I've learned one simple truth...there will always be leaders and followers. Loyal customers will always be loyal as long as you go the extra mile to keep them.