Annoying Trend or Annoying Coincidence?

[NDTerminator]

In the last two months I've emailed three bowyers, all well known to anyone in the Traditional world, requesting info on their bows.  Two were questions on bows I had all ready purchased (I let them know this) and one was a potentional purchase.

One of these outfits I emailed twice and also spoke to the main guy on the phone (he told me to email him!).  None responded to my questions or even acknowledged the emails.

As I said the two bows I bought used, and not having any knowledge of woodworking merely asked if they could advise what the riser & limbs were made of from attached photos? Nada, zip, zero.  Not even a polite "no I can't" in response.

The third was a request for info on a specific bow, as I had gotten conflicting opinions on the suitability of the bow for me from two different dealers.  I figured why not ask the pros & cons from the guy who makes it.  No joy on this, either.

Being pretty new to this gig, I'm curious if this
"ignore the customer" customer service I've encountered is an annoying coincidence or the norm with bowyers? I wonder if this would have been the same if I was emailing to order one of their $600+ bows?

I'm big on customer service and tend to stick with companies that provide good customer service along with a good product.  I find this annoying enough that I may well sell those bows and go with other makes...

[Shawn Leonard]

I have never had any bowyer ignore my requset for info. I think ya just must of had bad luck, with the holidays and all, they just maybe on Vac. or real busy. They should still at least let ya know this. Shawn

[Mr.Vic]

Customer Service. Now there's a word that is disappearing in the American landscape. I don't think it is just Bowyers but American as a whole. The only thing that counts to some people and business's is the dollar. The dollar talks and bull$%#@ walks. I've sent request to a sponsor on this site before asking about product. Got the blow off. I agree it is annoying and I only buy from people willing to be thruthful and put the energy into the sell, or I do without their product and buy used.

[vermonster13]

I've had real good responses from the bowyers I've spoke with. Most have gotten back to within the day and some within an hour. Haven't had any not speak with me on the phone when I called so not knowing who you are speaking of(though I can think of three who can be like that) hard to say if it was just bad timing or not.

[md126]

i agree w/ mr vic!!!   customer service is a dying (or dead) concept to many. a VERY, VERY important factor to me when deciding on which custom bow to order was customer service. i was very happy and ordered a 2nd bow from the bowyer the next year (and may order some limbs next). too many quality bowyers out there to go w/ one that can't return an e-mail.

[Steve H.]

I can probably ID your bow woods if you send me a picture or two.  Send me a PM if you'd like and I'll send you my e-mail addy.

[Problem Child]

They might be hunting..........I would be.  

[SCATTERSHOT]

I have had occasion to correspond with two bowyers in the past week or so, and both got back to me within a day. No problems here.

[Benha]

Only dealt with one bowyer but he was great to work with.

[ChrisS]

Email can't really be relied on anymore. In today's age of poorly written spam filters, it is very easy to get false positives in spam detection.  People rarely check their spam folder, or worse, just let the software delete it upon detection. I've noticed the #1 source of false positives is if you send from a widely used domain, such as hotmail, msn, or aol. Not that people aren't also ignoring questions, but just a technical detail to bear in mind.

[DAS Kinetic]

I think a lot of people who get into bow building have no experience dealing with the public, and don't realize that it is both challenging and neccesary.  They don't figure it into their business plan.  In the last year I've personally answered over 5,000 emails and around 1,200 phone calls.  It is a sizable commitment, and I can understand how easy it would be to fall short.  None of us can afford to hire customer service reps.  On the other hand, you really shoudn't be in business if you aren't happy, or at least willing to step up to the task.

David

[Kip]

I am on my second Bob Lee and if I have questions I call him or any other bowyer I would think ,at the beginning or end of the day with less chance of stopping them while in the middle of something.With that said when buying my last bow I called a bowyer 3-times from my state and got nothing but tude didn't buy his bow.Kip

[stick hunter]

I agree with david! i can tell you that the das is a outstanding product and david always has time for the customer. I have called him several times and he was always great! and always had time and i even bought a used das. I will always have no problem giving david the business because i know he cares about his customers thanks CHAS IN PA.

[Chad Sivertsen]

If you are going to conduct business then it is your responsibility to maintain a professional level of service and customer concern. While I agree that a business should respond promptly to both email and phone calls here are some things to think about.

Many of the bowyers in the trad world are very small businesses with minimal staff. Often just one or two people do all the business including selling, manufacturing, material procurement, answering phone, email, bookkeeping, etc. There are a few larger outfits with secretarys and dedicated customer service staff but only a few.

You can be a very good bowyer and craftsman but a poor businessman. While these folks might be slow with contact they sometimes create beautiful and functional works of art in bows so they have a following of customers despite their "poor service"

Time off to hunt can be a problem if there is no one to asnwer phone or email while you are in the woods.

Is the bowyer a full time bow business or does he have a day job. That can be a tough goal to acheive and often results in working constantly, some details do not get handled and burnout raises it's ugly head.

Not making excuses for anybody here, I stand by my first sentence. Just wanted to add another perspective.

[mike hall]

Call Bill Howland in the evening and he'll give you all the time you want.
Great to deal with.

[bayoulongbowman]

Out west they had a storm like hurricane in winter and several communications were hard to get emails through...I never depend on email...I pick the phone up and call them...just getting over the holidays so most bowyers should be reachable...value you added service...is where its at!!!

[ROB TAYLOR]

I'm with David....I know for a fact that I have personally cost him hours upon hours of manpower.....right, David?     Sorry bout that (sort of).  But he is certainly one example of good customer service.  The fact that he took the time to post here says so.  Many other bowyers that post here are also widely know for the same.

The unfortunate truth, as you discovered NDTerminator, is that not all bowyers act like they care to be in business.  I would venture a guess that somewhere between 30-40% of my bowyer contacts have left me feeling cold.  I also am a stickler for customer service, and have actually sold bows I bought used because the bowyer was a jerk.  

If any of the Trad sites had feedback forums like the gun/sniper forums, these guys' bow business would wither and die.  No punches pulled feedback does wonders for businesspersons who want to stay in business.
-Rob

[Longbows4life]

if your are using a direct contact by email off of a website it may not work properly. like were it says fill this out and it will send a direct email to them.it sometimes doesnt work which i just found out. so i just copied the email adress and sent it directly out of my email account. i dont know if thats what your doing but that could be the problem. for me i never really trusted emails as sometimes they dont go threw and you never find out so then you think your  getting ignored but they could just not be reciving the messege. so if i were you i would just call them i think its better.

[Brent Rudolph]

As far as emails, My experience is a problem with spam filters in responding to questions through Tradgang. There are blocked PM's also. As far as the a phone call, well, i try to get back to those asap. Just a FYI on getting back to emails. My internet provider has tried to fix my problems with getting PM's through the Gang, but there seems to be little they can do. That is my take on emails. I do agree with Chad, there are many very good bowyers who have little time to spend on the phone due to their being swamped as a result of their one or two man operations. logistically, it is almost impossible for them to respond and build bows. I suggest getting out to a show or two and meeting the bowyers in person when able. Best way to get to know someone is face to face.

Brent

[Bjorn]

If you are in business and have a web-site and offer email would you not try to keep it up to date? I recently placed an order with a so-called bowyer, and he scolded me for using prices that were two years old! Well the prices were right off his web-site. My email was also returned-fortunately there were notes attached to my PayPal payment-which he was also ignorant about. Happily there are people like Bob Morrison, the Fedora's, Jay St. Charles and Ted Fry among the countless others who do offer outstanding customer service.