The 'E' Type Forum

Too much is too much, I have to confess now....


I've never been so angry about a company, really. Here is the story.

It's not the first time I order stuff from SNG, because they are cheap (compared to the others) and are reacting quickly. During my previous orders, they made a few mistakes but nothing to worry about... until the order of this summer.

I had a friend of a friend, an engeneer, spending one week of his holiday on my Jag for engine tuning and lots of other stuff.
I made an order via SNG's website, and for no clear reason, even if I payed 41? for a super quick shipment via UPS (it's really a lot), the parcel arrived 1 day late. With my friend, we were working on a very tight schedule and that 24h late was kind of a problem.

UPS says the following: with UPS saver, we guarantee a shipment within 24 hours. If we are late for a reason that doesn't involve the recipient of the sender, we pay the shipment fees back.

The same day, I sent a mail to UPS to ask for a refund. The answer was clear: only the sender is able to ask for a refund. My next move was logical: I sent this info to SNG, and ask for the refund of my 41?.

Steve, from SNG, sent me the following: Thank you for your email. However, there was a specific reason why your parcel may have arrived a day later than anticipated.
If you read through your tracking details, it states that on the 27/08/15 4:31AM UPS left the package in their facility. I will attempt to contact UPS on your behalf.

Ok then, UPS made a mistake, so I'm in my right to ask for a refund.
No answer from Steve...

One month later, I send a reminder to Steve, and ask if he had the chance to talk with someone from UPS. Here was his answer: I would be happy to give you a good discount on your next order if you wish as your shipping was late.

??? What? I did not ask for a discount, I asked for a refund, which i'm allowed to receive. And what kind of discount are we talking about here? no idea.

Anyway... During the month I was waiting for an answer from Steve, I had to place a new order. This time, it was not that urgent, I then decided to pay less, and click the option "Royal Air Mail - 5 to 7 days - 14.50?".

Once the order was sent to SNG, I received a new mail from Steve (at that time, I had no news from the UPS mess around). He said the following:

Just to let you know, Royal Airmail is uninsured and could take up to 3-4 weeks to receive the parcel. Would you not like to pay for a UPS courier service?

??? What ??? Why is it written on your website that it takes only 5 to 7 days worldwide then?

The answer from Steve: No problem, we look forward to receiving your bank transfer.

Ok... so... What should I expect then, 5 to 7 days, or 3-4 weeks?
Or, as you should refund me my previous shipment fees, you can offer me the shipment of this order with UPS? Like this, it's insured, and will arrive quicker!

The answer from Steve:
Sir It was not the company?s fault that your order was a day late. This was a UPS fault which I am looking into on your behalf.

??? WHAT ??? That's exactly the reason why I can ask for a refund??? And once again, you don't answer my question!

That was my real answer to Steve: Concerning UPS, I totally understand the situation. But I cannot ask directly UPS for a refund on my own, as you guys are dealing with them directly (that's what they told me). As it is their fault that the parcel didn't arrive within the next working day, we can obtain a refund, that's part of the contract.

No answer to this. I received my parcel 7 days after my payment, which is good.

So as mentioned before, I then asked again for a feedback concerning the UPS stuff, and that's when he told me for the discount.

Finally, I made what I will call my last oder EVER to SNG. First because, normally, it's the last part I need to finish my car and pass the MOT. It's the left window mechanism, which is really cheaper at SNG. Second, because of this:

I made my order, and was waiting for Steve's e-mail to confirm the total price of the order (with shipment to Switzerland). Remember, he said that he was able to make me a good discount. And don't forget that, normally, I should have received a refund of 41?... I can't wait to see his e-mail!

Steve asked me to pay the same amount than the one written of the order form... weird. No discount? I ask: Steve, you were talking about a good discount. What can you do for me?

That's his answer (it's not a joke, a copy/past from his e-mail):
The total is ?198.14.
Please could you state the discount on your next order? This order has been processed with no discount.

??? Are you f***g joking or what???

And he said: I apologise for any inconvenience, but as this late delivered order was some time ago now I forgot. Could you please advise on your next order?

I then said:
this is precisely why I asked for a refund. I'm really disappointed. And even if I asked, I still don't know what kind of discount we are talking about here.
Anyway, I need those last parts now, so I made the payment right away.

And you don't know the best part? I was on my way to install my last part on my car and... oh no... it can't be... IT'S THE WRONG ONE!!! RH instead of LH!!!!



I used to work for different international watch company, in close relation with the after sale service, and I've never seen this in my life. The first this to say to your customer is "sorry, we will do our best to keep your trust.". And then, do what you have to do to keep your client... And it's not like if it was my first order! I'm now ordering stuff to SNG for 4 years, and many, many money spend by buying their products. And that's how they treat you?... NOT ANYMORE...

I'm sorry to say this here, but I just don't know who to talk with, as they just seams to ignore my questions and demands.

Copy the above to the owner of SNG.. julian@sngbarrattgroup.com

I think you are naturally frustrated and have let this take on too much importance . Perhaps you should have ordered your parts well in front of having your friends friend come on a tight timescale to work on the car. I mean we have all been around long enough to know even the best laid plans can go wrong.

I have been dealing with SNG for over 25 years from when Steve Barratt traded in Triumph Stag parts out of the Old Workhouse and have always been delighted with the service, not withstanding the odd natural mistake that just happens.

In 2010 I competed in the Peking to Paris Rally. As we left Italy we had exhausted our supply of front brake pads and drove over the Alps on gears only. These were the same as XJ6 pads and without any prompting the chap who ran the French branch drove them over to us during his lunch break as he knew how important it was for us to have brakes!

I have no affiliation or interest in SNG other than to find them most easy and helpful to deal with.

We all feel the need to rant and / or send a snotty email once in a while. I find this is the sort of email one might write (to make oneself feel better) but not send. Instead better to go & do something more positive to resolve the situation, or probably in my case just have a beer & forget about it.
I have to agree with Andrew tbh, you took a risky decision to order parts at the 11th hour & unfortunately it didn't pay off.
Everyone in this day & age suffers poor, dismal or even appalling service from time to time (don't even get me on my recent birthday lunch at a local establishment). But dealing with it this way tends to make people judge the sender rather than the intended recipient/target. Especially when it's unclear really who is at fault.
I have never had any issues in dealing with Barratts, other than the quality of reproduction parts - but quality of reproduction parts is another matter & no fault of theirs.
I have plenty of issues with postal services, which is why I've learned not to be too dependent on them.

Hi,

I can sympathize I ordered a handbrake upgrade cable from SNG and when attempting to fit it wouldn't fit. Contacting SNG I was told you have one of the original parts which have been updated and they sent the updated item which did fit. Now I find the hand brake that was not very good before is now totally useless. So this ?270 upgrade is a waste of money. I am in the process of replacing this upgrade with the original cables. Not impressed with SNG Barrett's either

Thank's everybody for your replies.
My message here was by far harder than my different e-mails with Steve the last couple of weeks. But when I went in my garage this afternoon to finally fit that last part and finish that door, and discovered that it didn't correspond to my order, with all the background I had with SNG, it really drove me crazy.

I'm not angry because the first parcel of my story arrived late. Not at all. And I truly understand it's not their fault. My concern is the way they react, and the sum of all those little things that doesn't seams right to me.

But I also wrote this message here because I know that my point of view could be biased by many other stuff, like my mood, my own background, of just my culture. So I need other points of view than mine. And i'm really grateful to read your honest and sincere feedbacks! :)

What is your culture? It doesn't show your country on your details.

SNGB are a professional outfit and I recommend them. Yesterday I picked up a relined block and three heads from a machine shop most people would run a mile from. Every company has strengths and weaknesses, both of which can come from being either a large or small business. There is only one quite large firm I try to avoid doing business with, through too many glitches of a more serious nature.

Pete

Not particularly related to this problem or SNG but I tend to judge a firm, not by their mistake (as we all make mistakes ) but how they react, handle the problem and keep you informed. If they fail to react and keep you informed, they are only exacerbating the problem and the customer quite rightly gets annoyed.

I just had a recent problem with an oil leak around my 123 distributer and e-mailed 123 direct. They were not only very helpful but posted me new oil rings free of charge which arrived within two day. I think they are based in Germany.
There was nothing wrong with the old oil rings but they sent me the new ones to see if they would help. I think it is called customer service.

Any problems l havevhad with SNGB have been dealt with quickly and professionally by Julian. I have no complaints regarding their customer service.

I am another who supports SNGB. Yes, I have occasionally had issues but these have always been speedily and cheerfully resolved - unlike some other major suppliers I could name.

Julian is passionate about his company and is working very hard to continually improve the lot of Jaguar owners - just look at the latest SNGB catalogue. He is open to ideas on product development (the 60 degree articulation TRE's being just one example) and welcomes constructive criticism. He reads the Forum and I am happy for him or one of his people to respond here or you can contact him directly - julian@sngbarrattgroup.com

I wonder if this is one of those occasions where it would be prudent for osgii to edit the original message which started off this thread. It's apparent there's a lot of emotions built up over time that become a bit strong when written with words. The context and issues could still remain for continuity.

Personally I'm very satisified with SNG, half the time I order parts to a UK address and the other time to my Norway address. I use a mix of normal and expedited shipping. I've returned incorrectly ordered / not required parts (my fault) and incorrect parts (typo error - their fault) and have been credited expediently.

What is said is said. And so what has been written has been written... i will not remove any single word.

I still feel that my different e-mails I had with Steve are weird, but I will clarify all this with him and SNG's crew directly. I understand thanks to your feedbacks that i must keep calm and be less emotional. After all, we are just talking about car parts!... :)

P.s. For Peter, i'm from Switzerland.

osgii wrote:What is said is said. And so what has been written has been written... i will not remove any single word.

I still feel that my different e-mails I had with Steve are weird, but I will clarify all this with him and SNG's crew directly. I understand thanks to your feedbacks that i must keep calm and be less emotional. After all, we are just talking about car parts!... :)

P.s. For Peter, i'm from Switzerland.

I find your initial post very factual and illustrating adequately the various exchange, and I fully understand your frustration. Responsible companies do monitor closely the cases of dissatisfaction of their customers and have a follow up procedure, obviously not the case here. It would be regretful having to write to the boss to obtain a special consideration, while it should be a standard action from their customer service.
This is my personal opinion and engages me only.

As a general rule I find SNG are very good, but I have had problems with them when things have gone wrong; I think their customer service could be better.

Paul

I had a "postage" issue with them the week before last, when I had paid quite a bit extra for a saturday delivery that failed to arrive.

Very frustratinfg and I resultantly sent an email stating my dissatisfaction.

The result was silence for a week, whereapon I followed my mail up.

I recieved a very apologetic phone call from them and a refund of the postage. They had also realised that their "customer care" email address had a fault and my initial mail had not got through. At least my follow up showed that up. Hpefully they have fixed the email link.

I am satisfied with their response, although I'd rather had had my parts on time!

Mistakes happen; its how they are dealt with that measures a business. Overall, I still like them and they will continue to get my business.

paulsco wrote:As a general rule I find SNG are very good, but I have had problems with them when things have gone wrong; I think their customer service could be better.

Paul

I too have had some issues with delivery - either being late or delivered to an incorrect address - accepting that this was a simple error when the delivery note (which also has the invoice address) was placed in the clear address pocket the wrong way round - but was promised a discount next time I ordered. Well of course, several months went by before I needed to order again, and, guess what...... no note of the promised discount.

I bet you wouldn't complain if your tax bill came late or was delivered to a different address! Come on guys give them a break. They are no different to any other company in this regard, deliveries are rather out of their hands. Try restoring your beloved E Type without this resource!

I am now signing off from this topic as I don't think its in the spirit of the E Type forum to openly rant about suppliers. Off line fine, but not a good reflection on any of us to be frank.

Ok so. I have to do the follow up on this, as Kully Atwal just called me.
Steve have tones of orders to take care of, is quite new in the company, and did therefore a little mistake with the UPS stuff. Kully called me to say sorry about that, and will do a commercial gesture.

As per the wrong window regulator, I have to confesse that the mistake is mine!... The regulators mounted on my car were mounted the wrong way round, and so the part I ordered and I received from SNG is the correct one!

I will add a note in my first comment, as I want this thread to reflect the realty of the situation even from the very first page.