Ordering from Brassmasters...

[BrendanPKaufmann]

Hi everyone - some advice please?

 

I'm trying to reach out to Brassmasters - are they still in business?

 

I'm trying to order some Cleminson under frames - their website is still live, and I've emailed a couple of times, but no response. They don't have a phone number on their website, so that makes it difficult to reach them.

Is there any other way of getting hold of them? I'm located in California, USA, so attending a show in the UK is (sadly) not possible... 

Any thoughts?

Brendan

 

[Blue Max]

I tried to enquire about an LNWR George the Fifth through their e-mail enquiry system many weeks back, I am still waiting for an answer?

[Wellyboots]

As far as I'm aware they are still trading, here is an entry in the blog section of the website dated 01/01/2019. I've only purchased items at exhibitions so have no experience of emailing them but it might be worth noting from their Price List and Trading page , that;

 

"This is a part-time hobby business. Sometimes we will be able to deal with orders within a day but on other occasions it can take a week or more."

 

and

 

"Please bear in mind that this is a part-time hobby business for us and that we only collect our post from the PO Box once each week."

 

The two statements suggest that response times might be a little longer than we've become accustomed to with online shops, work and personal lives may limit the time available to deal a part-time hobby business.

[Joseph_Pestell]

20 minutes ago, Blue Max said:

I tried to enquire about an LNWR George the Fifth through their e-mail enquiry system many weeks back, I am still waiting for an answer?

 

If by "e-mail enquiry", you mean a form embedded in their website, it may not have got through. Some web browsers are not compatible with these.

 

If you can find their e-mail address, try sending an e-mail directly.

[Wellyboots]

8 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

If by "e-mail enquiry", you mean a form embedded in their website, it may not have got through. Some web browsers are not compatible with these.

 

If you can find their e-mail address, try sending an e-mail directly.

 

There's just the email address on the "Contact Us" page, the links to email on other pages lead there. So no form as far as I can see just a "mailto" link that opens a new email in your email program, which might be part of the problem as the address is vulnerable to collection by spambots. So Brassmasters may have a problem with spam email and genuine emails might get caught in a spam filter. If you don't get a reply after a reasonable time don't just send the same email again, as there may be something in it that got it filtered as spam, but try rephrasing what was in it and that includes the subject line.

[Brocp]

I've had this problem before, but i did hear from them after a couple of weeks. 

 

Perhaps now with the other ranges they have taken on in the last few years, they may be much busier and as it is a part time business, getting around to all emails they receive may be taking longer than usual.

 

I shop with them regularly and John has always been a pleasure to deal with.

[Rail-Online]

I have just spoke to John,

 

He has your enquiry, but he has not responded yet.  He has been away for 6 consecutive days and as others have said it is a part-time hobby business.

 

Tony

[Blandford1969]

I've always found them really good to respond to queries, sometimes next day, sometimes longer, but always with an answer.  

[BrendanPKaufmann]

Thanks everyone! Much appreciated.

Brendan

[Willie Whizz]

Surely a situation such as this could easily be resolved by a Small Supplier who is genuinely only able to monitor their business e-mail box intermittently using an "Out of Office" message to say something like:  "This is an automated response: you're message has been received but as we're only a small part-time business we're unable to answer it at the moment.  We expect to be able to do so within the next few days, but if you haven't heard from us in a fortnight, please ring 0xxx yyy zzzz.  Thanks"

 

[Now steps back and awaits the "usual apologists" to say that it's completely unfair/unreasonable/unprofitable/too difficult to expect any Small Supplier to take such a simple measure of basic Customer Service] 

[polybear]

24 minutes ago, Willie Whizz said:

Surely a situation such as this could easily be resolved by a Small Supplier who is genuinely only able to monitor their business e-mail box intermittently using an "Out of Office" message to say something like:  "This is an automated response: you're message has been received but as we're only a small part-time business we're unable to answer it at the moment.  We expect to be able to do so within the next few days, but if you haven't heard from us in a fortnight, please ring 0xxx yyy zzzz.  Thanks"

 

[Now steps back and awaits the "usual apologists" to say that it's completely unfair/unreasonable/unprofitable/too difficult to expect any Small Supplier to take such a simple measure of basic Customer Service] 

 

Good idea, though I suspect any message with a phone number in it will be wide open to abuse from those who feel that an answer to their email within 30 seconds is a life-or-death situation....

[griffgriff]

44 minutes ago, Willie Whizz said:

Surely a situation such as this could easily be resolved by a Small Supplier who is genuinely only able to monitor their business e-mail box intermittently using an "Out of Office" message to say something like:  "This is an automated response: you're message has been received but as we're only a small part-time business we're unable to answer it at the moment.  We expect to be able to do so within the next few days, but if you haven't heard from us in a fortnight, please ring 0xxx yyy zzzz.  Thanks"

 

[Now steps back and awaits the "usual apologists" to say that it's completely unfair/unreasonable/unprofitable/too difficult to expect any Small Supplier to take such a simple measure of basic Customer Service] 

I’m not going to apologise for him.... because I don’t feel he needs to but if you feel you can offer better...

 

Griff

[kandc_au]

4 hours ago, Willie Whizz said:

Surely a situation such as this could easily be resolved by a Small Supplier who is genuinely only able to monitor their business e-mail box intermittently using an "Out of Office" message to say something like:  "This is an automated response: you're message has been received but as we're only a small part-time business we're unable to answer it at the moment.  We expect to be able to do so within the next few days, but if you haven't heard from us in a fortnight, please ring 0xxx yyy zzzz.  Thanks"

 

[Now steps back and awaits the "usual apologists" to say that it's completely unfair/unreasonable/unprofitable/too difficult to expect any Small Supplier to take such a simple measure of basic Customer Service] 

Willie Whizz, while I agree it is a good idea, it may NOT have occurred to the Owner to do it.
That said it does say quite clearly on the website that it is a part time business.
I certainly wouldn't put the phone number on it though. That fact that a responding email has been sent to the original sender should suffice to confirm that the email has been received in the first instance!

Khris

[Craigw]

I have been a regular Brassmasters customer for quite a few years now, dealing with them exclusively via email as I live in Australia.  Sometimes John will reply instantly, other times (when reality intrudes) it may take a little while. But he has always, with out exception replied. 

 

Does the message of support help the current person out? Not at all, but I would suggest that a little bit of patience will be needed at times. They will reply and they have an excellent - and growing - range. 

 

Regards,

 

Craig W

[Willie Whizz]

On 08/03/2019 at 21:06, griffgriff said:

I’m not going to apologise for him.... because I don’t feel he needs to but if you feel you can offer better...

 

Griff

 

Note, then, that it wasn't I who 'personalised' this to this particular supplier - you did.

 

I just made a helpful suggestion as to how small suppliers generally who genuinely cannot monitor their e-mail Inbox every day could improve the perception of their Customer Service, by means of an action that would take two minutes to initiate, and then thirty seconds to implement each time they have to go 'incommunicado'.  Effectively, that's a zero time and zero cost mechanism ... and you want to be sarky about it ...

 

I do take the point by other posters about possible downsides of adding a telephone number though.  A quick perusal of the 'smaller suppliers' advert pages in BRM suggests that whilst a majority who offer to communicate by e-mail do also include a phone number, some don't.  That may well come down to personal experience, and is entirely fair enough; my point is that if any supplier offers to communicate by a particular means, they should do so in practice, because otherwise they risk winding-up their prospective and actual customers and often losing them.  Which is not good for long-term survival.

[Wellyboots]

5 hours ago, Willie Whizz said:

 

Note, then, that it wasn't I who 'personalised' this to this particular supplier - you did.

 

I just made a helpful suggestion as to how small suppliers generally who genuinely cannot monitor their e-mail Inbox every day could improve the perception of their Customer Service, by means of an action that would take two minutes to initiate, and then thirty seconds to implement each time they have to go 'incommunicado'.  Effectively, that's a zero time and zero cost mechanism ... and you want to be sarky about it ...

 

I do take the point by other posters about possible downsides of adding a telephone number though.  A quick perusal of the 'smaller suppliers' advert pages in BRM suggests that whilst a majority who offer to communicate by e-mail do also include a phone number, some don't.  That may well come down to personal experience, and is entirely fair enough; my point is that if any supplier offers to communicate by a particular means, they should do so in practice, because otherwise they risk winding-up their prospective and actual customers and often losing them.  Which is not good for long-term survival.

 

It has already been mentioned that they might not be aware that automated replies can be set up and if they do they might not know how to set it up. It's all very well saying that it takes a couple of minutes but that assumes that the person doing it has the knowledge in the first place, if they don't then it might take far longer to find out how to and then actually set it up, it could take a hour or more and it might be considered by the business that actually answering emails would be a better use of time. They have already stated on the website that it is a part time business and that replying may take a bit of time, so with that knowledge how are they winding up prospective customers? I wonder how many emails go unanswered after 28 days for example? We're not talking about a corporation supplying critical components to industry but instead basically a bloke in his spare bedroom supplying bits and bobs to hobbyists and possibly not for much if any financial gain.  

[griffgriff]

1 hour ago, Wellyboots said:

 

It has already been mentioned that they might not be aware that automated replies can be set up and if they do they might not know how to set it up. It's all very well saying that it takes a couple of minutes but that assumes that the person doing it has the knowledge in the first place, if they don't then it might take far longer to find out how to and then actually set it up, it could take a hour or more and it might be considered by the business that actually answering emails would be a better use of time. They have already stated on the website that it is a part time business and that replying may take a bit of time, so with that knowledge how are they winding up prospective customers? I wonder how many emails go unanswered after 28 days for example? We're not talking about a corporation supplying critical components to industry but instead basically a bloke in his spare bedroom supplying bits and bobs to hobbyists and possibly not for much if any financial gain.  

I think that’s the crux of the matter. The service they supply is the products they offer us for sale.... note offer us. I’m sure there is very little financial gain. As far as I’m concerned, providing no one is being ripped off, they can run their  company pretty much how they like.

 

if you want customer service... then go to McDonald’s..... have a nice day (now that’s sarcasm  )

 

Griff

[Willie Whizz]

To quote myself:  "[Now steps back and awaits the "usual apologists" to say that it's completely unfair/unreasonable/unprofitable/too difficult to expect any Small Supplier to take such a simple measure of basic Customer Service]."

 

Frankly, gentlemen, you've just made my point for me.

 

 

[cctransuk]

17 minutes ago, Willie Whizz said:

Frankly, gentlemen, you've just made my point for me.

 

No - you've failed to listen!

 

I have a product you want.

 

You want it more than I need to sell it.

 

I dictate the means by which you can acquire it.

 

Get over it !!

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Willie Whizz]

But why would you, or any small supplier, actively want to make it harder for people to buy your product?  It's meant to be about selling stuff to help people make good model railways, not about suppliers somehow acquiring virtue in the eyes of Heaven by the sheer extent to which they succeed in testing peoples' powers of patience and persistence. 

 

 

[Wellyboots]

7 minutes ago, Willie Whizz said:

But why would you, or any small supplier, actively want to make it harder for people to buy your product?  It's meant to be about selling stuff to help people make good model railways, not about suppliers somehow acquiring virtue in the eyes of Heaven by the sheer extent to which they succeed in testing peoples' powers of patience and persistence. 

 

 

 

It's all about being pragmatic, not about making things difficult. For some smaller supliers selling kits and componants doesn't generate enough income to make a living, so they have to pay the bills by going out to work, that unfortunately limits the amount of time they can devote to the hobby business. In the case of Brassmasters they have stated this on the website, and what potentional customers can expect which is actually good customer service. It's the way in which they do business; if they couldn't do it that way they probably wouldn't be about to do it at all. It's fine if you don't like the way they do things but that's what works for them just accept it, many do and I sure are happy to do so.

[Blandford1969]

8 hours ago, Willie Whizz said:

But why would you, or any small supplier, actively want to make it harder for people to buy your product?  It's meant to be about selling stuff to help people make good model railways, not about suppliers somehow acquiring virtue in the eyes of Heaven by the sheer extent to which they succeed in testing peoples' powers of patience and persistence. 

 

 

One supplier has said they choose not to have emails due to the demands for instant response of an out of office or a response inside a very short period of time. They say quite simply they deal with enquiries over the phone or by letter. He has his reasons for dealing as he does. it seems to be now turning into a circular discussion. 

 

 

[cctransuk]

10 hours ago, Willie Whizz said:

But why would you, or any small supplier, actively want to make it harder for people to buy your product?  It's meant to be about selling stuff to help people make good model railways, not about suppliers somehow acquiring virtue in the eyes of Heaven by the sheer extent to which they succeed in testing peoples' powers of patience and persistence. 

 

 

 

No, it's meant to be about me having a product which I produce for my own needs, and being willing to share it with other modellers ON MY OWN TERMS.

 

It's not only about the money, (though some people seem to think otherwise); I like to model in my spare time; IF I HAVE ANY.

 

My trading terms impose a brake on my willingness to help other modellers, so as to maintain a work / life balance in what is supposed to be my retirement.

 

Like it or lump it !

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Bernard Lamb]

The funny thing about both CCT and Brassmasters, is that if you accept the manner in which they do business, you will find that the people behind the trading name are the most helpful people you could wish to deal with. In my very limited dealings with both outlets I have been offered assistance way beyond what you would expect from a full time business.

As John points out in his last post.

Like it or lump it.

Or do as both of these people did, make your own.

Bernard

[sharris]

Oh goody - another thread degenerating into RMWebbers deciding how companies should run their businesses.

Didn't we play enough fantasy business management on the C&L thread?