Original > Hot Tub Forum
Gullible Guy is Gullible (or How I Deluded Myself on an On-Time HT Delivery)
Sam:
--- Quote from: The Wizard of Spas on May 08, 2021, 11:56:14 am ---
--- Quote from: cranbiz on May 04, 2021, 04:27:09 pm ---I'll bet, in February, that was the latest data the dealer had.
--- End quote ---
This is very much on point.
Supplier giving ETA --> Manufacturer planning for said ETA, gives dealer ETA --> Dealer gets ETA on shipment, tells customer --> Customer plans for said ETA.
Customer relies on dealer, who relies on manufacturer, who relies on supplier(s) for ETAs. Couple that with the fact that there are only 2 acrylic manufacturers, like 3 pump suppliers, jet suppliers, so on, so forth, and that compounds the issue. You can begin to understand why the entire industry is in a "hurry up and wait" mindset. *Then* couple that with unprecedented demand.
There is zero upside for someone like me, for instance, to not get a spa out ASAP. No good comes for false expectations. However, it is also incredibly difficult to give continuous updates as there are thousands of spas on order and our parts situation changes daily to weekly (consider - by the time we send out one communique, that information could be already outdated!).
I am not at all picking on the original poster and I hope that this comes off as genuine. Just want to give a peek behind the curtain to explain why a benign question similar to "I can wait but I would like an update" is so hard to execute. There are so many links in the chain with so many variables that you're set up to fail in terms of setting up correct expectations.
I hope this helps. Good luck moving forward.
--- End quote ---
I wish every single customer could see this. It really is this simple as to why we cannot continuously update people. We have thousands of hot tubs on order and there is just no way to cross reference projections with reality for every single customer. They are all angry and can't understand why we don't communicate in the manner that they would like. I really wish we could. We strive so hard to provide a good experience and this last year has made it virtually impossible. I promise you that we are just as frustrated as you are. More actually. Every single day I'm dealing with angry customers and I want nothing more for them to have their hot tub. Morale is taking a major hit. I get a sinking feeling in my stomach every time the phone rings, lol.
BullFrogSpasMN:
--- Quote from: Sam on May 09, 2021, 01:43:54 pm ---
--- Quote from: The Wizard of Spas on May 08, 2021, 11:56:14 am ---
--- Quote from: cranbiz on May 04, 2021, 04:27:09 pm ---I'll bet, in February, that was the latest data the dealer had.
--- End quote ---
This is very much on point.
Supplier giving ETA --> Manufacturer planning for said ETA, gives dealer ETA --> Dealer gets ETA on shipment, tells customer --> Customer plans for said ETA.
Customer relies on dealer, who relies on manufacturer, who relies on supplier(s) for ETAs. Couple that with the fact that there are only 2 acrylic manufacturers, like 3 pump suppliers, jet suppliers, so on, so forth, and that compounds the issue. You can begin to understand why the entire industry is in a "hurry up and wait" mindset. *Then* couple that with unprecedented demand.
There is zero upside for someone like me, for instance, to not get a spa out ASAP. No good comes for false expectations. However, it is also incredibly difficult to give continuous updates as there are thousands of spas on order and our parts situation changes daily to weekly (consider - by the time we send out one communique, that information could be already outdated!).
I am not at all picking on the original poster and I hope that this comes off as genuine. Just want to give a peek behind the curtain to explain why a benign question similar to "I can wait but I would like an update" is so hard to execute. There are so many links in the chain with so many variables that you're set up to fail in terms of setting up correct expectations.
I hope this helps. Good luck moving forward.
--- End quote ---
I wish every single customer could see this. It really is this simple as to why we cannot continuously update people. We have thousands of hot tubs on order and there is just no way to cross reference projections with reality for every single customer. They are all angry and can't understand why we don't communicate in the manner that they would like. I really wish we could. We strive so hard to provide a good experience and this last year has made it virtually impossible. I promise you that we are just as frustrated as you are. More actually. Every single day I'm dealing with angry customers and I want nothing more for them to have their hot tub. Morale is taking a major hit. I get a sinking feeling in my stomach every time the phone rings, lol.
--- End quote ---
ya it is unfortunate, right now we're letting customers know they have (2) options, 1. you can wait until we call to schedule delivery or 2. we can refund your deposit in full....all this calling manufacturers and checking status, quoting 'approximate' dates, etc. is all a waste of time, NOBODY knows when raw goods will land therefore nobody knows when spas will ship, it's really as simple as that right now. Not the ideal way to do business but there's really no other options at this point.
HoW2001:
Guess I should have clarified, as I come off as a bit of a whiner maybe? I'm not upset by the delays, I totally get it. And I absolutely don't expect the dealer to be reaching out to me personally to update on every development with my order (trust me, as someone whose clients complain all the time about my poor response time, I get that!).
What I would have liked was some transparency when I checked in with them. I called twice (because calling on a weekly or monthly basis seemed silly and an unnecessary nuisance for them), and both times, the tenor that was reflected back at me was "yes, of course your delivery is still scheduled for that date" and the second time, more explicitly, "I wouldn't expect a delay this late in the process." I think dealers would be well served, at least with some customers, with the approach I noted: "We have you scheduled for x, 2021/2. We have no reason to believe that won't be the date, but there have been serious disruptions throughout the supply chain, so we cannot guaranty anything. What I can tell you is that our oldest orders still waiting as of today are from y, 2020/21, and our most recent deliveries were for orders placed in z, 2020/21." I would have totally appreciated the expectation check if that information was provided on each contact with my dealer, and I would have still moved forward with the order.
Call me a cynic but I suspect that dealers fear that that information (especially the last bit about open orders and recent deliveries) will lead to lost deposits. I just know it wouldn't have with me, and instead would have built up some valuable good will when its needed most.
cranbiz:
Just got the call I have been waiting for. My Artesian Nevis just arrived at my dealer and will be installed next Friday.
So, travel time from Las Vegas to Raleigh was 6 days and my tub ended up being delayed about 14 weeks from the first info given to my dealer. My dealer did set expectations for late March to mid April delivery though when we put the deposit on it.
This tub was ordered by my dealer last October as part of a stocking shipment. Just to give y'all an idea of current lead times.
CanadianSpaTech:
Next up... Chlorine tablet shortage. If you use it...stock up
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version