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Anyone Know Anyone at Coopercraft?


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Emails are never a nuisance - you answer them when you have 2 minutes.  First thing in the morning or last thing at night -  no-one really cares because the recipient also reads them when they have a spare 5 minutes.   Phone calls are a pain because they interrupt.

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Emails are never a nuisance

They most definitely are when you receive 100's per day. I get copied on about that amount at work - nearly every one of them is some idiot trying to blame the system/the consultant/the way it is. In theory I could delete them all, none of them require action (my action) many of them are just bounced to me to protect the sender's back - they think that having sent it to someone it absolves them of doing anything/their job. Most of them never should even be sent and sometimes the information therein is classified. Sadly you have to read and rubber stamp it as delivered and all that takes time. Which is another reason it is sent in the first place. In practice I have a secretary who deals with most of that but there is still a problem that it is non-productive time waste.

 

Then I come home to more of the same "can you do this, that, how much will it cost, do you know someone else who could do it cheaper. Not to mention the interesting ones like can you pop round for a drink/party/see my trains running, then there is the relatives, you know baby has a cough, why have you not visited.... the email inbox is packed full of nuisance - and that doesn't count the Nigerian bankers, and advertisers, Facetrash invites, and all the electronic junk that the internet seems awash with.

 

I think they got it wrong when they invented electronic messages - they forgot to charge everyone on a per message basis. 99.9% of the nuisance would disappear overnight.

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 They most definitely are when you receive 100's per day. I get copied on about that amount at work - nearly every one of them is some idiot trying to blame the system/the consultant/the way it is. In theory I could delete them all, none of them require action (my action) many of them are just bounced to me to protect the sender's back - they think that having sent it to someone it absolves them of doing anything/their job. Most of them never should even be sent and sometimes the information therein is classified. Sadly you have to read and rubber stamp it as delivered and all that takes time. Which is another reason it is sent in the first place. In practice I have a secretary who deals with most of that but there is still a problem that it is non-productive time waste.

 

Then I come home to more of the same "can you do this, that, how much will it cost, do you know someone else who could do it cheaper. Not to mention the interesting ones like can you pop round for a drink/party/see my trains running, then there is the relatives, you know baby has a cough, why have you not visited.... the email inbox is packed full of nuisance - and that doesn't count the Nigerian bankers, and advertisers, Facetrash invites, and all the electronic junk that the internet seems awash with.

 

I think they got it wrong when they invented electronic messages - they forgot to charge everyone on a per message basis. 99.9% of the nuisance would disappear overnight.

I think you're very much on the ball with those comments and it was one reason why I long resisted being put on email in my latter days with the 'big railway' as I could already see what was happening with some others who had gladly embraced it only to spend ever more time going through the things every morning. 

 

However there is a place for electronic communication such as email but the big thing is teaching people to use it - like mobile 'phones (back in 'big railway' days when I was in the UK I never turned on my mobile 'phone much to the confusion of some people keen to waste my time - I made it clear to them that I had a pager, that my secretary had the means of contacting me via it and that she would pass on any message she considered important, and it had far better coverage than the 'phone; it was fascinating to see just how many people that put off). 

 

All of which reminds me that perhaps I should have a look at my email - I haven't looked at it for over a week due to being away on holiday; the world has continued to rotate ;)

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I am not so important as some  well at least they think they are ,but I find email useful for work and contacts .i can keep in touch with good friends all over the world and have used Facebook to find old friends and contacts ..but I am a mere mortal so what do I gno....

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Well as far as I can tell my order placed 10 July and all but the postage (which is still listed as pending) has not even been looked at. I am giving two weeks from te date of the last email (sent via the websites on-line message system) before I cancel the order and contact VISA re non delivery of good.

 

In my opinion if you set up a website with an on-line purchase system it is only polite to check it every now and again.

 

When I queried Dart regarding an order I received a response within 24 hours.

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No idea why there are comments re personal email.

The thread relates to service provided by a Company that is supposed to be providing goods and a service at the same time. If it was Hornby or Bachmann everybody would be up in arms!!

 

It maybe a one man band etc but simply not good enough.

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No idea why there are comments re personal email.

Because in many cases there is only one email (a one man band only knows of one email and has not the computer savy on how to set up two email clients. My comments here included my work .gov email address which is not know very widely - should never have been published it doesn't need to be. Yet it is staggering the amount of utter trash that finds it way there. My comments regarding my personal email are also my "hobby" business email as well as friends and family.

 

As stationmaster added - it is staggering the amount of unnecessary traffic (I might add usually sent by those who have never been on the receiving end) I do not think people in general think about what they are doing.

 

Another important thing we should all be aware of is that the Subject line text is the most important part of the message. A subject line that says "Where's my $*"%!! order" or "Please reply" is less likely to be opened than "Order xyz of 10 June 2012 Not received - Please advise" Emails that have the subject line "For information" really mean "I haven't read this will you read it for me". Anything with the word "Urgent" means "I can't be bothered to pick up the phone".

 

Of course it may help to have an auto-responder set up (but how many know how to do that - remember many of these emails may be web based and they may not be set up as an email client (Thunderbird, Outlook, .. many do not even have that facility) at least that ensures that you know the the email has at least landed on the "doorstep" but until that email is actually opened AND read it might as well have been written in invisible ink. If someone is not there (fortnight holiday in Spain, in-traction in a hospital bed following a fall during that holiday, or dealing with the aftermath of death of beloved one, ...) then no amount of repeat emails, bemoaning on a forum, or proverbial stamping of feet is going to get things to happen.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Since I was in such a good mood today I sent yet another email to Coopercraft re my order placed  10 July 2013 for 2 coach kits (this was to be an initial order as I actually want about 8 all up, I wanted to make up two rakes, one Celerestory, one Toplight). So far I have heard absolutely nothing from Coopercraft despite a series of emails. This one has given 7 days for a response after that I will be contacting my bank to recover funds already paid.

 

I have searched to see if the coaches are available anywhere else but so far I have just found a string of out of stocks.

 

I may be jumping the gun but is Coopercraft still a viable concern?

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I'm out of telephone range...................................  back Home soon.  Will sort it then.  Should never have dragged on so long.

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Well that's it. I have just sent an email to Cooper Craft cancelling my order though I doubt anyone there will read it since I have not had any response what so ever to earlier missives. I have also contacted my bank regarding recoery of the amount already paid; that may get a response.

I must say that I like Cooper Craft products and have a large number purchased via retailers but it looks like those will be my last.:(

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Well that's it. I have just sent an email to Cooper Craft cancelling my order though I doubt anyone there will read it since I have not had any response what so ever to earlier missives. I have also contacted my bank regarding recoery of the amount already paid; that may get a response.

I must say that I like Cooper Craft products and have a large number purchased via retailers but it looks like those will be my last. :(

 

I'll let him know if / when I see him at Scaleforum.

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I suggest u tell him to get his a... in gear before his busines goes down the drain !!

  

 

That remark will really focus his mind if it turns out he, or a near relative, is seriously ill or worse.

If so, Kenton, the Society would have heard of a cancellation / withdrawal of a trader. There hasn't been one yet from that direction.

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So we should expect the aisles to be blocked around his stand at S4um with everyone calling him all sorts of names as they refuse to purchase items. Of course he may have appointed a stand-in for the show, or ill and not wanting to cancel on such a prestigious show. Either way, this story still seems very one sided and I'm prepared to wait for Horsetan's public interrogation on the day or the "Society's" late notice of cancellation.

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So we should expect the aisles to be blocked around his stand at S4um with everyone calling him all sorts of names as they refuse to purchase items. Of course he may have appointed a stand-in for the show, or ill and not wanting to cancel on such a prestigious show.

In which case, the Society would or should have been notified of this, just as Dave Bradwell has done for this year.

 

The strange thing is that the greater the number of methods of communication available, the more it makes some people uncontactable. Keeping quiet isn't a good way of placating your customers, particularly if you have previous form for not responding. Unless of course you've suddenly become deceased.....which is unavoidable.

 

Either way, this story still seems very one sided and I'm prepared to wait for Horsetan's public interrogation on the day or the "Society's" late notice of cancellation.

As I have to order spares from him for collection at Scaleforum, I will be taking the opportunity to ask him about whether he has difficulty receiving incoming communication or his online ordering system maybe not recognising overseas / BFPO addresses.

 

If he's not picking up the phone or following up messages at all, that indicates to me a somewhat greater malaise that not even Kenton can rescue him from.

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If he's not picking up the phone or following up messages at all, that indicates to me a somewhat greater malaise that not even Kenton can rescue him from.

I just want him to have the opportunity to respond to a civil request. I know email is not the panecea of communication that many believe it to be, neither are websites always guaranteed to function correctly. You have to visit RMWeb to stand any chance of viewing a topic even before having the inclination to respond to it. The OP has a fair question but until the message is actually known to be delivered I think the tone should remain respectful.

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I just want him to have the opportunity to respond to a civil request. I know email is not the panecea of communication that many believe it to be, neither are websites always guaranteed to function correctly. You have to visit RMWeb to stand any chance of viewing a topic even before having the inclination to respond to it. The OP has a fair question but until the message is actually known to be delivered I think the tone should remain respectful.

....in the same way that you were respectful about Craftsman, post no.15 presumably.

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....in the same way that you were respectful about Craftsman, post no.15 presumably.

Sorry, Horsetan I do not see anything in that post as being disrespectful. I would have seriously considered an offer for that business but clearly stated my reasons for not doing so. I was accepting the point of using ebay to advertise but stating that it was very unclear that it was actually being advertised by the owner. Nowhere in any of my posts in that topic did I refer to the owner as an "a.." or any other insulting phrase. I did point out the failings of the product range and a warning on business valuation - which I do have a number of years experience of.

 

I have not seen any suggestion in this topic on a completely different business and a different aspect of the business that it is up for sale. On the contrary it has all been about the non-delivery of an item and the inability of the OP to telephone the proprietor. Relying on email that is notoriously unreliable with small businesses that cannot afford the manpower and resources of big retailers aka Amazon. The OP has a good reason for not using the telephone but that is not the fault of the owner of this business, neither is lack of response to this topic.

 

I hope your offer to speak to the proprietor at Scale4um brings sensible resolution and we can finally hear the other side of this story.

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