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Author Topic: Hassles with Hasslefree - merged issues thread  (Read 69307 times)

Offline FramFramson

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #90 on: September 20, 2018, 07:08:01 PM »
It's got to be rough to be at the point, financially, where business is good enough to overwhelm one person in a particular department of a business, but not so good as to be able to hire a second person for that department.

It's a problem small companies face all the time. I hate to say it, but the usual advice from business consultants in such a situation is that this usually means prices are too low and should be raised a bit, which will either slow down demand while maintaining the same income as previously, or bring in the needed money to expand.

I would quite happily pay 50p more per HF figure if it meant they could get things stabilized.


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Offline boneio

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #91 on: September 21, 2018, 08:43:14 AM »
It's got to be rough to be at the point, financially, where business is good enough to overwhelm one person in a particular department of a business, but not so good as to be able to hire a second person for that department.

It's a problem small companies face all the time. I hate to say it, but the usual advice from business consultants in such a situation is that this usually means prices are too low and should be raised a bit, which will either slow down demand while maintaining the same income as previously, or bring in the needed money to expand.

I would quite happily pay 50p more per HF figure if it meant they could get things stabilized.

Yep - entirely concur although the issue with HF is no doubt compounded by illness which is of course outside anyone's control  :( I do hope they get things back in line - I'm sure they will, in fact.

Offline Orctrader

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #92 on: September 21, 2018, 12:58:00 PM »
Not sure if this is helpful or not to people waiting for orders, but for those considering a purchase...

I ordered 16th - last Sunday -  and miniatures arrived safely today.

Andrew_McGuire

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #93 on: September 21, 2018, 04:42:52 PM »
With regard to their being overwhelmed with orders, I can appreciate that backlogs might occur, but presumably an upsurge in orders is preferable from heir point of view to a downturn, and beneficial to the business? I'm thinking of making another order in the near future, and would like to think it might be appreciated rather than exacerbate problems.

Offline FramFramson

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #94 on: September 21, 2018, 05:33:56 PM »
If one person being ill can throw a company into chaos, it means they can't afford a backup plan.

With regard to their being overwhelmed with orders, I can appreciate that backlogs might occur, but presumably an upsurge in orders is preferable from heir point of view to a downturn, and beneficial to the business? I'm thinking of making another order in the near future, and would like to think it might be appreciated rather than exacerbate problems.

Would you be likely to change your order if the figures cost 25p or 50p more each?

Online Cubs

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #95 on: September 21, 2018, 07:39:15 PM »
I'm curious as to the prioritising of orders. If some recent orders are being fulfilled and some older ones aren't … is this just an eclectic system of picking and posting, or lost orders, or stock issues, or the breakdown of any system at all? The familiar theme here is lack of communication, which could be a symptom of under-staffing since if you're trying to clear a backlog, sending emails is just going to take extra time you can't spare.
'Sir John ejaculated explosively, sitting up in his chair.' ... 'The Black Gang'.

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Offline Captain Blood

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #96 on: September 22, 2018, 07:15:01 AM »
It's a good question. Ever been to a restaurant where you've arrived 20 minutes before the people on the next table, placed your order - and then miraculously the next table get their meal while you're still waiting for another 20 minutes, even though you've ordered the same food? It's one of the most infuriating things - not because you're hungry, but because it feels unfair. People can put up with being treated badly - provided everyone's treated badly equally. But a sense that you're being treated unfairly compared to others is the one thing most people can't stand. It happened to a lot of people (including me) last time Warlord had a major snafu... Some of us were waiting two months for orders to be fulfilled; other people were merrily chirruping away online about how they'd placed an order last week, and it arrived after just a few days. The sense of injustice that creates - whatever the justification for the meltdown in the business concerned - causes lasting damage to any brand. Because it feels like the antithesis of good customer service.

From the business's point of view of course, when something's gone badly wrong, as appears to have happened in this case, you can see the appeal of prioritising the taking and fulfilment of new orders to keep the cash flow rolling, whilst chipping away at the backlog as and when you can. Or risk losing more business, and going into a death spiral. Unfortunately, if you're one of the unlucky customers who happens to be stuck in that backlog, it sucks. You may be forgiving of the circumstances that brought the company concerned into that position, but you're unlikely to forget you were made to wait weeks or months for your order while other Johnny-come-latelies were getting their goodies straightaway. It's invidious. Can see it from both points of view.

Offline commissarmoody

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #97 on: September 22, 2018, 07:42:56 AM »
When I worked in sales/shipping that would happen ever once in a blue moon. But useally becase of an item missing(stolen or miss marked) from are stock.
But we would contact the buyer if the item was going to take more then a week to ship to see if they still wanted to wait.
We also left digital notes for times to be pulled as soon as they arrived to help push back orders out as soon as possible.
I think they got overwhelmed with orders and then combined with illness lead to this jam up we are seeing today.
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Offline Coenus Scaldingus

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #98 on: September 22, 2018, 08:15:00 AM »
If it is done on purpose (having no idea of how organised or messy the situation is), I can indeed imagine it being preferable to have people who have been waiting for two months wait another two weeks, instead prioritising new customers and ensuring they do get their products as soon as possible, rather than in a month's time. Many disappointed customers, or some happy and some slightly more disappointed ones...
~Ad finem temporum~

Andrew_McGuire

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #99 on: September 22, 2018, 01:44:01 PM »
Would you be likely to change your order if the figures cost 25p or 50p more each?

Quite possibly - there are other companies I want to buy from too. It's also fair to say that a price increase, on top of the aggravation over delayed orders, would seem a bit rich.
« Last Edit: September 24, 2018, 12:45:48 PM by Andrew_McGuire »

Offline FramFramson

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #100 on: September 22, 2018, 06:29:43 PM »
Quite possibly - there are other compnies I want to buy from too. It's also fair to say that a price increase, on top of the aggravation over delayed orders, would seem a bit rich.

Well, raising prices RIGHT NOW would be rubbing things a bit raw, certainly.

In any case, some people will pay and some people will take their custom elsewhere, and if handled well (i.e. don't overdo it), it should improve matters for Hasslefree in the short term and for their customers too in the long term.

Offline zemjw

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #101 on: September 24, 2018, 08:12:25 AM »
update and information in their latest newsletter - link

tl;dr - problems hopefully behind them (including being flooded). Loads of new metals and resin masters on the way :D

I'll need to check to see if the figure I'm looking for is in the metal release, although I didn't see it in the list :(

Offline boneio

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #102 on: September 24, 2018, 11:01:55 AM »
Some of the new metals are just lovely too, but it's thing from the resin preview section I really like  :o

Here's hoping this is the return to glory, before their massive Kickstarter HF were fantastic.

Offline Nordic1980s

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #103 on: September 24, 2018, 12:28:18 PM »
Thank you zemjw for the update. As to me, no luck yet...

Comissarmoody: please check your PM folder.

Andrew_McGuire

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Re: Hasslefree now a hassle? Waiting on order ...
« Reply #104 on: September 24, 2018, 06:57:09 PM »
After some deliberation - mainly over which items to choose - I have just placed another order, of approximately twice the value of the first. It will be interesting to see how long this one takes.