Too much poor prose about what twisted my melons

Sooooo

I have this supplier of crafting raw materials and components whom i have dealt with really pleasantly a handful of times over four or five years, totalling maybe several hundred quid - all just hobby based but they are the probably the top uk web destination for these items.

Now, i went into business in my "hobby" in November, and a few weeks ago i make my first order with him for 12 months, ordering a range of listed items online and paying.

As is usual he phones me to discuss delivery etc and so i specify that the antler i wanted is for smaller sized rings, he states he accomodates such needs. We discuss my new business too.

So he offers me a "better deal" of "perfect" sized offcuts at a great price, "trust me, i know exactly what you need" says Mr Expert. Great, i'll buy, many thanks, you rule.

Order arrives, antler is for large to ogre finger sizes. Not to worry i can use it for other stuff other items i ordered are great.

A week later i go back to his webshop to use his "contact" button, got any stuff thats a bit smaller?

Sure he has, he'll even put a tub by the factory bandsaw to collect stuff just for me, it will be perfect this time. He'll have to call me back to finalise in two or three days but dont worry! There is no way he wont call me back, i wont forget you, dont worry he says.

A week later, no b@$t@## call and the webshop is closed temporarily to fulfill orders. This is a semi regular thing, has been for years.

In the mean time i have had custom order requests that i have had to quote a longer production time for and subsequently lost.

An email to him. Nothing.

A phone message to him. Nowt

I'm so effing pissed at this dude. I used to sing the praises of this business and now i feel angry and lied to.

His webshop re opened for orders as usual last week and still no contact. You are taking orders but you still have not got back to me? Wtf?

If your shop was ####### closed i could think you've had some kind of emergency or crisis and so fairplay, i hope things are ok.

But your shop is open and you cannot even spare a minute to contact me.

Well f### this guy.

He got a "miffed" (slightly annoyed) answer message on friday. Kinda figured i have to let it out a bit i'm getting so pissed when i think about it. He made me so many assurances and failed so miserably to even try to fulfil them. Like i would ever trust an order to him now.

Anyway by this morning still no contact so i emailed him exactly how much goodwill he destroyed and i definitely went into some considerable detail about that

Well that got his attention, he was snotty which anyone would be after what i said tried to give me some guff about maybe stuff is going on that i dont know about smartarse and all that.

Bollocks. Your shop has had its regular closing to dispatch orders, and reopening again and you've had a couple of weeks in the end and still you cant spare me a minute at any ####### point to say whats up. And you are still taking bloody orders. Cant be that bloody serious now can it if you can help everyone else.

He even said our working relationship is over..loooool yeah i'd already decided that when i realised you were an unreliable, ignorant lump.

I've found other suppliers.

***TLDR***

Someone made some promises and broke them.

I gave them a chance and eventually told them that they sucked.

I'm only a little bit annoyed now.

But i will probably just drop suppliers in future rather than engage them in any form of verbal combat! Can't make a habit of this

a reply to: skalla

Lemme see if I got this straight...

Somebody said they would try to help you out, due to circumstances this didn't work out.

You then proceeded to inform the unfortunate supplier that he was a certain part of the female anatomy, in no uncertain terms, and then told him he could stick any future business dealings with you in the other orifice located to the rear of aforementioned part of the female anatomy?

You feel less annoyed now because you have vented your frustrations but have offered no threats, implied or explicit, of physical violence to said supplier?

You have learnt from this encounter and will forthwith treat every supplier with equal mistrust and loathing?



ETA: Good rant, I enjoyed it!

a reply to: skalla

What are you making?

a reply to: LightSpeedDriver

You do indeed have that very straight

a reply to: Woodcarver

This was for finger rings. The initial order was actually for a cut/variety of antler that i have found satisfactory before, so if he'd just left alone i would have been making needed ring stock the last three or w/e weeks.

When i talked to him about the second (never to be order) he even acknowledged that the stuff he'd sent was more suited to extras playing orcs in a middle earth movie :/ pah, and i asked for slim...

I've placed a small test order with another supplier and found others to try, i'm loathe to use ebay but i may give it a go. It's a shame as he carried an excellent range but i need to know i can rely on folk to do what they say, or at least inform me of problems. Bleh

Its not easy trekking around pet shops looking for good shaped antler chews either, i had zero luck with that of late as well!

Sadly its a pain getting antler from the states because of export rules that most dont want to inconvenienced by (and it sounds a PITA) but i'm seeing what a contact over there may be able to do so i can try some white-tail.

Its just such a bloody inconvenience and a lot of wasted trust. I'll get what i need eventually, but that aint alright.

a reply to: skalla

Have you received a credit or refund? If I lost business because of a suppliers screw-up, I'd be ranting and raving all over the place too...

By the by, do you have a pic of an "antler ring?" Sounds interesting.

a reply to: Missmissie173

I haven't paid for anything i haven't recieved which is obviously good, it's that he messed an order up by asking me to trust his judgement and then failed to take another order after effusive promises and then was impossible to reach, while inviting other folk to make orders etc etc, and presumably fulfilling them.

I did not even ask for this "special off-cut material perfect for rings" that he suggested to me.

I make a lot of rings in a variety of styles





You can find more info in my signature, or just message me etc

originally posted by: skalla
a reply to: Woodcarver

This was for finger rings. The initial order was actually for a cut/variety of antler that i have found satisfactory before, so if he'd just left alone i would have been making needed ring stock the last three or w/e weeks.

When i talked to him about the second (never to be order) he even acknowledged that the stuff he'd sent was more suited to extras playing orcs in a middle earth movie :/ pah, and i asked for slim...

I've placed a small test order with another supplier and found others to try, i'm loathe to use ebay but i may give it a go. It's a shame as he carried an excellent range but i need to know i can rely on folk to do what they say, or at least inform me of problems. Bleh

Its not easy trekking around pet shops looking for good shaped antler chews either, i had zero luck with that of late as well!

Sadly its a pain getting antler from the states because of export rules that most dont want to inconvenienced by (and it sounds a PITA) but i'm seeing what a contact over there may be able to do so i can try some white-tail.

Its just such a bloody inconvenience and a lot of wasted trust. I'll get what i need eventually, but that aint alright.

I agree it is a bother when folks accept a commitment and then blow you off. I make a lot of small piecework objects like your rings and i rely heavily on suppliers.

I like your rings. I can see that it could get difficult finding the right diameter to be able to leave the natural edge. How durable are they? Have you thought about inserting a silver ring inside the antler?

a reply to: Woodcarver

They are highly durable - it is a remarkable material, hard yet absorbent. It's designed for stags to crash into each other with afterall. I still wear the first one i made several years ago and its done everything - strange chemicals, undergrowth and earth, salt seas, hard work, the lot. It's taken some age and extra character but its been through hell!

I like my designs as pure antler for now, and i feel i'm developing my own styles and "feel" for s lot of my work which is nice when you are a crafter that aspires to art. There are lots of other skills i would like to add to my set, and mucking around with silver and copper is amongst that.

So what is the nature of the piece/craft work you have been doing of late? You made those ace sculptural wood bowls from ages back didnt you? Multiple woods?