The Frugal Corner

[Coemgen]

Mark is honest - if not speedy.

↑ Frugal Corner in a nutshell.

[Kilted-Marine]

as an FYI
Like many companies we have "CANNED" responses to certain emails.. as an example when we receive an email from a sale - that is we receive in our in-box an email informing us a payment has been made we send an auto response saying we have received the order.

Once I (mark W) look at it. (I normally check my emails at 5:30 and again sometime before midnight).. I make sure the person has selected a tartan and waist size correctly (We have three pending orders with no tartan or waist size selected..and i have sent each of them 3 emails asking for size/tartan,,,I guess they are paying us back)

I then add it to our online order/shipping system. (we started this in December)

Mark B then usually pulls it from stock and gets it packaged, this usually happens the next day after 5 PM.(or sometimes between 5Am and 6am) .... as was mentioned by somebody here we do not ship every day. we usually ship three times a week.

>>Of course we do sometime do urgent shipments.. like the lady that called up and wanted a kilt for her son to wear to his grandparents funeral (both passed away within 48 hours of each other) .. these we make sure are in-stock and fedex next day<<>>We have even direct folks to stillwater kilts when they need some thing urgently and we don't have it..sometimes we have even purchased items from SWK and others to complete an order<<<

MB THEN notes which packages have shipped and then updates the online program. (After shipment is taken to USPS)

now - one issue is that he may have shipped a package but may not have updated the system yet because he usually does that after it is taken to the post office. many times I get an email asking about a shipment - again I will get this at night and forward it to MB who may not get it until the next night. so now we are at about 36 hours without an answer (even though our website asks people to contact INFO about shipping not sales).
My favorite email is when folks send it from a different email account then the one they ordered from and ask about THEIR ORDER... now we have no email address to track and they don't give us a payment reference...etc

SO that is how a package get from us to you.....
--------------------AND
We must be doing at least a little bit right because January 08 sales were 11x that of Jan 07.
----------------AND
One good thing about xmarks is that it has helped us improve some things..

Thanks to comments on xmarks we now have:
1. An online inventory viewable by customers
2. A web based order and shipment tracking system
3. Online instant chat
4. a better looking website
5. More tartans

As I have always said, bad service is bad service but MAN we have come along way... of course there are some folks that dislike us a lot and even if we sold them a kilt for $1 there would be an issue.

There are several good suppliers out there and if we (or them) can not meet your needs ..then a person has a right to vote with their wallet..
There are a few folks that have NEVER purchased from us that seem determined to make sure others don't either

just bear in mind that we have more satisfied customers then we have disappointed ones... the disappointed ones are just louder.. ((and so i don't take flak..they have every right to express honest concerns, doubts, and share bad experiences - - I am just say that they are the minority,,, just not a silent one...LOL)))

Semper Fi

mark W

[Tartan Hiker]

Thanks to comments on xmarks we now have:
1. An online inventory viewable by customers
2. A web based order and shipment tracking system
3. Online instant chat
4. a better looking website
5. More tartans

As I have always said, bad service is bad service but MAN we have come along way...

I for one admire you guys for your efforts, and for hanging in there in the face of some strident criticism. I am not cut out for entrepreneurship, but I appreciate those that are.

[Larry124]

I for one admire you guys for your efforts, and for hanging in there in the face of some strident criticism. I am not cut out for entrepreneurship, but I appreciate those that are.

Those are my thoughts also.