Lack of Customer Service and Our Abundant Choices Available Today

This past week I had a poor experience with a prominent Artisan in the Shave Community. This Artisan was re-releasing a scent that had been made available last year which I really enjoyed. I’d already made a large dent in the Soap/Splash that I had purchased last year, so I decided to buy a backup as I didn’t want to be without this set in my Den. I placed my order for One Soap and Two Splashes, and when I received my package I found that there was One Soap and One Splash. I was missing one Splash,not a big deal, and certainly not the first time this has happened to me. I double checked the invoice to make sure I had indeed ordered two, and yes, two Splashes were listed on the invoice. 

I went to the Artisan’s site to see about contacting them, and down at the very bottom of their site in tiny print I found a ‘Contact Us’ link. I dropped a few lines explaining the situation and included my order number, and offered to provide pics of the package if needed. Two days went by with no response, so I checked my Junk box to make sure I hadn’t missed a reply. Nothing. I had spoken to this same Artisan in the past on IG, so I decided to try and reach them there. I direct messaged them explaining the situation, and hoped I would have better luck reaching them this way. Throughout the day I checked in on IG to see if I had received a response, and although I saw this person ‘active’ on IG several times, I never received a response. 

Having no luck contacting this Artisan with my previous attempts, I went back to their site and filled out the ‘Contact Us’ form a second time just in case the first had been missed for some reason. I searched the site again under FAQs and found an email address to try. I also noted under the FAQs section that there was a seven day window for refunds, and only items that were damaged could be returned. I sent an email explaining the situation, and hoped that the third time would be a charm. 

I woke up this morning and checked my email and had received a reply from this Artisan, they apologized and asked if I would like them to send the missing Splash or if I wanted a refund. I replied and asked them to send the Splash. I also received a reply on IG that apologized and stated “I didn’t get the message from the Contact Us form”. They also stated that “If you saw me active that doesn’t mean anything”, and went on to say that their ‘assistant’ helps with posts and posts for the main feed, and that “I always address messages and usually fairly quick.”

I know that I am talking about Shave Soaps and Splashes, and in the scheme of things this ranks at the very bottom of things that actually matter. My experience did make me think about all of the choices we have available to us today. This Artisan has good products that I would consider ‘Top Tier’, and in all my dealings with them in the past they seem to be very nice. The fact that it took me three days to make contact with this person, with numerous attempts made on different platforms, was a minor inconvenience. The reply I received kind of left a bad taste in my mouth, and it made me think about all of the choices we have available to us today. I’ve tried numerous Soaps/Splashes from any number of Artisans, and I have a handful that I consider to be ‘Top Tier’ in performance, scent, and packaging. I’ve had this exact situation happen with other Artisans, and the problem was resolved with a single email or message to their ‘Contact Us’ form. No excuses, and very little time or effort wasted on my end. 

The other Artisans that I rank as ‘Top Tier’ have provided excellent customer service throughout the years. Why am I spending my money on an Artisan’s products who doesn’t provide good customer service/support? I’ve got lots of great choices today, and I’d personally rather spend my money with an Artisan that’s provided amazing products along with great customer service/support. They have been good to me over the years, and I think I’m going to be much more conscientious about where my Shave Dollars go moving forward. I want to support the Artisans that I feel are the best at what they do on all fronts. I don’t think I’ll be wasting my time anymore with Artisans that don’t provide good customer support, there are too many good ones to choose from.

I think three days to respond isn’t ideal but it’s not that bad. And when they did respond it sounds like they addressed the issue promptly and courteously, with no quibbling. These are small operations and who knows how busy they might be on a particular day, or what else they have going on. I tend to make allowances for that. Overall I feel like this was all ok.

I think three days to respond isn’t ideal but it’s not that bad. And when they did respond it sounds like they addressed the issue promptly and courteously, with no quibbling. These are small operations and who knows how busy they might be on a particular day, or what else they have going on. I tend to make allowances for that. Overall I feel like this was all ok.

Overall it absolutely was ok. As you stated, most are small operations, and this definitely isn’t life and death. I understand I’m talking about shave Soaps and Splashes. I guess I should have posted the entirety of their response. For me personally it left a bad taste in my mouth. They gave me a bunch of reasons why they didn’t respond, and told me they reply to all messages and usually in a timely manner, although they certainly didn’t in my situation. I don’t think it should be that difficult to make contact with a business in order to try and have a problem resolved. Certainly not a big deal, but I won’t be purchasing from this Artisan going forward. Just my thoughts.

Overall it absolutely was ok. As you stated, most are small operations, and this definitely isn’t life and death. I understand I’m talking about shave Soaps and Splashes. I guess I should have posted the entirety of their response. For me personally it left a bad taste in my mouth. They gave me a bunch of reasons why they didn’t respond, and told me they reply to all messages and usually in a timely manner, although they certainly didn’t in my situation. I don’t think it should be that difficult to make contact with a business in order to try and have a problem resolved. Certainly not a big deal, but I won’t be purchasing from this Artisan going forward. Just my thoughts.

I know exactly what you mean...classic passive aggressive, butthurt retailer response instead
of just remedying the situation. Lot of these dudes wanna just project the "oh,
I'm such an artisan you know, man, other things kinda escape me, you know watamsayin' man"

LOL...shows poor understanding of the digital e-commerce ecosystem. The old days of how
to deal with customers are over...today, customers want prompt responses and grievances
addressed. Businesses can only ignore at their own peril. There are a few in the shave world
I wouldn't touch with a bargepole.

If the outcome / resolution was positive and, as Moriarty said, there was no quibbling, I'd give the vendor the benefit of the doubt. Why let one bad experience ruin it? Personally, I'd hate to be judged based on one misstep, assuming that misstep was out of character. That said ... lots of artisans out there and if you want to use this as a good excuse to try something new, why not? Just maybe don't walk away upset and close the door permanently over something that may have been an anomoly.

Peace and love!

Large companies have many employees and customer service lines that are manned 24 hours per day, although the call center might be halfway around the world. Most shave supply artisans have only a few employees and some are operated by a single individual who is responsible for design, marketing, website maintenance, procurement, production, inventory management, order fulfillment, accounting, and customer service. That can be a lot to juggle, especially in addition to the demands of daily living.

You received a satisfactory resolution to your situation in a reasonable timeframe. Be thankful and show a little grace.

Large companies have many employees and customer service lines that are manned 24 hours per day, although the call center might be halfway around the world. Most shave supply artisans have only a few employees and some are operated by a single individual who is responsible for design, marketing, website maintenance, procurement, production, inventory management, order fulfillment, accounting, and customer service. That can be a lot to juggle, especially in addition to the demands of daily living.

You received a satisfactory resolution to your situation in a reasonable timeframe. Be thankful and show a little grace.

That's harsh. The OP has the perfect right to express how HE wants to be treated. It's his experience, not yours.

If the outcome / resolution was positive and, as Moriarty said, there was no quibbling, I'd give the vendor the benefit of the doubt. Why let one bad experience ruin it? Personally, I'd hate to be judged based on one misstep, assuming that misstep was out of character. That said ... lots of artisans out there and if you want to use this as a good excuse to try something new, why not? Just maybe don't walk away upset and close the door permanently over something that may have been an anomoly.

Peace and love!

There was some quibbling, but I love your outlook, Thanks!

I typically make it a point to buy directly from Artisans, and my thought is that all of the profit goes directly to them. This may be a situation where I’m better off ordering from a distributor instead of directly from the Artisan.

Too many artisans bend over backwards to do the right thing without snide comments about an issue. You have every to express that slight bit of frustration about the situation.

Large companies have many employees and customer service lines that are manned 24 hours per day, although the call center might be halfway around the world. Most shave supply artisans have only a few employees and some are operated by a single individual who is responsible for design, marketing, website maintenance, procurement, production, inventory management, order fulfillment, accounting, and customer service. That can be a lot to juggle, especially in addition to the demands of daily living.

You received a satisfactory resolution to your situation in a reasonable timeframe. Be thankful and show a little grace.

I understand all of the issues that a small business may have to deal with, and these are the same issues that other small businesses/Artisans deal with and manage to provide good customer service/support.

I’m not going to be thankful for bad customer service. Just like any other business, if I get bad customer service I will go elsewhere. I’m not sure where I didn’t show grace throughout this situation. I was respectful to the artisan throughout, there were no harsh words or inappropriate comments made. I was just frustrated with how the situation was handled, nothing more.