ABR Imagery

[OrganicOdins]

ABR has always treated me right.

[Nomad]

ABR is my #1 glass supplier. They have the best website. Plus they stock more stuff than anyone else. I try to buy as much stuff from them as possible.
There new catalog is a huge book. I have not seen any other catalog come close.

[Jiggy Boro]

I would order more from them if their shipping didn't take so long..

[itssteve]

I get almost all of my stuff from ABR. I've always had a good experience, both with getting things shipped and local pick up.

They have the best stock out of anywhere, good prices, and good discounts.

Shipping is usually a day longer than the competition, but it's one day.

I'm going to keep using ABR unless they give me a reason not to, so far I've been very pleased.

Not to say I've been displeased with any other suppliers, just that ABR is closest and has the best stock for me.

[STROKER]

Abr has always been a very strong company to work with.
Even when probs have arised they were quick to remedy them.
I especially appreciate the extra effort dave puts into things.
I spend a good deal of cash with other suppliers but abr gets more business than anyone else because they have always treated me great and the prices are usually better than most others.

[daveabr]

Much appreciated folks. No one is perfect all the time, but it's what ya do when you aren't perfect that matters most. I've said before, and say it again.......if anyone ever has an issue, please contact me. I really love this community here, and TMP has been great to us. Always happy to go the extra mile for a TMPer.


Peace

Dave

[T-Rex]

Am I missing something? I always thought they were the only supplier to not offer volume discounts - at least not openly advertised on their site. MGA gives you 30% off if you get 25lbs, etc... something like that. They do have good deals from time to time, but as far as buying bulk color I never could find any sort of deal on their site.

[zip]

Very satisfied with ABR. Recently had a case of 25mm rods damaged in shipping. No problem sent me out a new case immediately. Quality customer support. Thank you

[EFS]

ABR is my #1 supplier by far. Huge stock, fast shipping, friendly service etc.

[ahreno]

I've had nothing but good experiences with ABR. Even when there were issues Dave made sure they were taken care of.

[Bclark773]

I use ABR all the time. Ross is super cool to deal with, def down to earth dude! As well I've dealt with Dave a few time, super stand up guy as well! I live in wi, so shipping is super fast for me. If I call early in the morning mon -Thursday my package will usually be here the next day. They usually have everything I order, if not it only takes a few extra business days to get it. For sure a top distributor for me!

[hashmasta-kut]

only supplier i have vowed to never deal with again. sometimes they have great deals and stuff no-one else has, but one has to have principles.

[olddog]

Dave, How can you download the catalog from your site, I could not find the page to do it from.

[Tsnider]

really like ABR. always helpful and always willing to help, employees are friendly. i try to order from mountain glass too so i can share the love, but a lot of the time i need some weird little thing that only ABR carries.

the website can be a bit confusing sometimes though, i must say.

[Prekillcrum]

I would order more from them if their shipping didn't take so long..

Agreed. Everything is great, nice staff, great selection, decent prices, but shipping does take forever, and im in MI.

[daveabr]

olddog......at the top of the home page, there is a header, it says DOWNLOAD CATALOG. Just click it, and you will be right where you need to be! Thanks guys.


sorry hash......guess stuff went bad for you. i'm always willing to try and help fix things if ever interested.

[jw721]

I have never really had a delay with shipping from ABR, just ordered from them Tuesday of last week and had it by Friday afternoon. However the last order had an adhesive backed invoice envelope placed on a bundle of 19mm clear rods, that was fun to clean off. :P

[daveabr]

Really? Jeez. Must have been our new fella. I'll follow up on that. We have a policy here for pickers, no stickers, etc on glass directly. I love feedback like that guys. If we don't hear about it, we can't fix it. So speak up always!

[daveabr]

We've really tackled the shipping times over the last year. We've doubled our picking staff this year to combat the insanely high volume these days. Things happen, but for the most part delays are unusual. We call and email if out of stock. We wait no more than 24 hours before we just ship it.

[istandalone24/7]

^^i'll vouch for that...i must say your shipping times have gotten way way better!

[Gold Fire Glass]

I've done alot of business over the years with ABR. Being in Canada I have to say it's pretty tough to find good suppliers out here.
I don't hesitate to use ABR at all. Even the odd time when things haven't gone right ( far and few between ) Dave has gone out of his way to make it right.
Sometimes even at the company's expense I might add.

I will continue to show my support for ABR in 2014.

[gomilobster]

I don't hesitate to use ABR at all. Even the odd time when things haven't gone right ( far and few between ) Dave has gone out of his way to make it right.
Sometimes even at the company's expense I might add.

I will continue to show my support for ABR in 2014.

^^ This ^^ I have ordered tube, rod, tools, and other various supplies, everything has always come as it should have. I even recently ordered a kiln controller that didn't turn out to be what I needed, and they totally went out of their way to make sure I got what I was really after and saved me loot in my mess up. Been super nice and helpful any time I have ever dealt with them. I am still on the fence about ordering lots and lots of tubing and rod when I have options in town, but they have nice prices and sales, and so far it has been worth it every time. :)

[Wilbur]

I've been very pleased with abr.

Being in Eugene with lots of local arterial available I can't say they are my main material supply, but do appreciate them stocking items slot if places don't seem to have. Prompt shipping, calls on back ordered items, and good prices on most things.

When we going to see a Eugene retail outfit guys? You'd crush it here, a lot of places here are *consistently* out of lots of stuff, and often times much more expensive.

Also, thd giant metal staples in the boxes recently seems over kill and makes for recycling a biatch.

But you guys rock. And I like the new website.

[lsw]

I ordered 19/19 dstems from abr & explained to them how I have only been able to find low quality Chinese ones, they assured me theirs were quality when I received them they were the same low quality 1s I had received from other suppliers w/wobbly joints & sloppy driptip weld. I sent them back & lost over $80 in shipping. I will never order from them again. They also did the same thing to my brother w/a scroll chuck he ordered that didn't hold work straight when they said it was on point.

[Nomad]

They messed up my last order. I am happy that I got a bunch of colored asian tube on sale but they forgot to put my milli in the box and I was charged for it.
I complained to them about this and they got back to me. They said they did not really have any milli's left anymore but I could have the rest of the milli they had. Which is like 2.5 grams and I ordered 9 grams of this particular milli. But they shipped it to me. I am still waiting for a refund for the difference in price but I believe they will give it to me it was only like $20.
So I guess I am giving them a good review for there customer service....... but the change in inventory really sucks because I have orders for milli spoons and I have to find the milli someplace else now. They sold my most popular milli also, the peace sign.

[blueburnsorange]

The only thing I'd change about ABR's shipping lately is the packing peanuts... mixing compostable and syrofoam peanuts together means I have to spend time separating them or they all get thrown in a trash bag and sent to the dump, which sort of negates the point for using 50% compostable peanuts in the first place.

[Nomad]

I tried to get a shipping quote for a F-420 kiln and no one got back to me. It is a nice kiln that only ABR sells too. My guess is $300 to ship maybe... Would have been nice to find out the exact amount it would cost including shipping. Since I am shopping for a new kiln.

[Jimi The Don]

I've had mixed experiences. some shipping problems and being sent the wrong product on more than one occasion. most of my problems with abr happened a few years back and recently they have been really good. customer service used to give you an attitude but in recent years they're great. i still prefer mga or wale for most things, but abr has a lot of products and Dave is active in the community and listens to his customers. at one thyme i refused to by from abr but that was years ago, now i offer a thumbs up.

[daveabr]

The only thing I'd change about ABR's shipping lately is the packing peanuts... mixing compostable and syrofoam peanuts together means I have to spend time separating them or they all get thrown in a trash bag and sent to the dump, which sort of negates the point for using 50% compostable peanuts in the first place.

We reuse the tons of peanuts that come in our orders from our vendors as well. If we don't, we'd be tossing so many. So occasionally they probably do get mixed. Sorry about that, just trying to eliminate waste



I tried to get a shipping quote for a F-420 kiln and no one got back to me. It is a nice kiln that only ABR sells too. My guess is $300 to ship maybe... Would have been nice to find out the exact amount it would cost including shipping. Since I am shopping for a new kiln.


If you ever have an issue with something like that, don't hesitate to PM. We've been out for shows a lot this year already, and I'm leaving again all next week. But, I check in here when I'm on the road more than I do email even. So, maybe the guys back home were stretched a bit then. If you still need help, I'm in the office today and tomorrow, or call and ask for Noah. He is great, and does all our freight shipping anyway. So, he could accurately quote you quickly.


Thanks everyone. All feedback is good feedback. We strive to do our best, and make up for the times it doesn't work out that way. Appreciate all your support!

[MrSmeeth]

I just orderd a Chanpion from ABR. It was in stock and shipped same day. Thanks Dave

[blueburnsorange]

OK, I've got to gripe about this because it's probably third time it's happened in less than 3 months.

I placed a 12 line order on Friday and find out today that four items are out of stock and the other couple of times that it happened it was about the same - ABR was unable to fulfill about 20-30% of my order when I needed it. Heck, it's not even stuff on sale sometimes!

My gripe is not that you run out of stock, that's normal - but it's that the website is not able to accurately reflect what is or is not available that really screws with people! I don't have a lot of money for glass so I try to piece together my orders carefully to make it worth the shipping charges - when a bunch of stuff isn't available I either need to add stuff I don't really need to justify the shipping and still have to order the rest of what I need from another company at additional expense and lost time - or just cancel the whole thing and re-order somewhere else to try to save shipping costs.

I know I can call, I have called but it's 2014... I don't really feel like I should have to call on the phone every time I want to order something.

Is the process of updating inventory on the site a completely manual one?

[istandalone24/7]

^^that sucks too...abr just updated with a new website, you'd think that this would happen less often now.

and i HATE it when people just say to call in your order and this won't happen. fuck no, calling in my order defeats the purpose of ordering on the web.

[itssteve]

The lack of real time stock is annoying, but for real just call.

I know I hate talking on the phone, and I avoided calling for a while. But I finally tried it, and it was quicker and easier than ordering online. Plus being on a more personal level betters your chances for sweet deals.

Just my 2c

[Mr.P0rn]

Ive had luck calling them to place an order. Once i wanted something rare that only they still had in stock, and I had it ordered in 5 min on the phone. The majority of my orders with them (actually...all of them except this one mentioned) have been problematic. They never failed to make it right...but in one case i ordered an item that was out of stock, got charged, then 6 weeks later called to find out what ever happened to it. They had been out of stock, and refunded me....but they never emailed me, and I was charged when they didn't have it in stock. That being said, Dave is about as good as customer service or help goes. It's my personal opinion that Mountain Glass should hire that guy :P If I had a reason to need to hit up ABR....I suppose I would. ive never had anything happen that was so bad that i absolutely would not use them again...but they are the closest shop to me, and they are generally my last choice.

[blueburnsorange]

I have to agree with istandalone, people work weird schedules across different timezones - calling isn't always convenient - hence the invention of the webstore (when it works).

I can order oxy and propane online at 1am when the tank kicks and I'm thinking about it, I don't have to interrupt my day job to do it. I can trust Mountain's availability and heck, as long as I order before 2pm I know it's gonna ship same-day. Webstores are awesome when they work.

Sometimes it takes ABR a day or two to email me to let me know something is out of stock. They say "If I don't hear back by tomorrow I will ship everything else" and because I don't want to lose a bunch of money on shipping I email back right away with some questions about alternative items based off what their website says they have, then no one gets back to me for a day.... then another round of stuff not being available.

[Dan Kooper]

All you people that call, do you go online and put a list together with the website or just pick up the phone and order? No list necessary?

[Chad S]

Call & ask for Dave, he'll hook ya up without a list, he has for me in the past at least. I tell him what I need by name & not code. Time is $$ so I tend to skip the list unless i need more than I can remember.

[itssteve]

Yeah my big orders I make a list just to make sure I don't forget to tell him anything. But otherwise I just spout off what I want.

I love shopping online and I never thought calling would be easier or faster, but it is.

[artisticdave]

I prefer to call that way if there's a question of something in stock I can get an answer mountain will check while on the phone. I go on their website and write a list of colors I'm getting and whatever else so I don't forget anything.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Dan Kooper]

I guess I'm picky when I order. I don't do the same piece over and over again. I always do different stuff. I'm a visual person also. I like to see what colors I'm picking and know how much it is before I decide the quantity. And like to be able to see what's in my cart and if i can afford more. Or what I need to get less of when I need something else. I pick what I want off of what I want for the future. Not off what I've made in the past.
Calling for me would annoy the person I'm sure. Constantly saying. How much, can you take some of this off, add this, how much is this much of this, etc. I take a day to figure out what I want. I have NO production line really. My distributor buys whatever I feel like making. And it's usually stuff from every direction. I rarely make the same piece twice. So online ordering is for me. I do still call a lot. But it's with a list because I usually get a better deal talking to someone. Having a reliable/up to date website should be top priority for an online business.
To be honest they lost me the same way they are soon losing blueburnsorange. I didn't get what I needed. Missed the email and upset a customer when their special color didn't come in. I havnt ordered from them since. They had my phone number but only emailed me to tell me a lot was out of stock. So I totally see where you are comin from.
Not to mention my cracked F420 kiln I got from abr. They were good at getting me to paragon to get a patch kit though.

I've had bad experiences with glasscraft too though. Mistakes happen. Glasscraft wrote "poop" and "butthole" on the packing they wrapped my joints in an I happen to open it in front if the customer in my retail location. I stapled the "I'm sorry" note glasscraft sent me after that happened to my wall in my shop. It's hillarious. It's an apology letter from the person @ GC for writing poop on my stuff. Priceless. I have not ordered from Gc since.

If the just had a better way of updating the site I don't think they would have any complaints. Their customer service is great.

I generally make only large orders. Boxes of joints, lbs of color, etc. lampwork supply tells you exactly what's left on the website. They also offer everything for wholesale. Screw paying retail hobby prices for materials.

[Loki Glass]

haha That's gotta be a shitty letter to have to write someone.

[blueburnsorange]

Thanks Bulletproof - since I'm just a small time/hobby newb it's nice to hear a similar opinion from a longtime pro.

To rub salt on the wounds of this current experience with the four line items being out-of-stock, I suggested four replacements yesterday at 1pm and I did not hear back until mid-day today!!! When I did, one of the replacement items was also out of stock and just like I said, I've lost yet another day - this order should have shipped yesterday and I'm at my day job right now - I don't have time to call and talk for 15 minutes about what I want.

For a company so geared towards "just give us a call to make your order" they sure don't return the courtesy and call us when there is a problem. The one time Mountain ever was out of stock on me (and I've placed probably 10x as many orders with them as ABR), they called me twice in an hour AND sent an email - just to ensure they could straighten out the problem and meet the 2:30pm same-day shipping deadline. THAT is top-notch customer service, not what ABR is providing in my situation.

And just like Bulletproof said, this will probably be my last order from ABR at least for glass anyway. Mountain doesn't always have every tube size and color that I need but I'd rather drive two hours to go to Whale or US-Tube than deal with this headache again.

and just a little background to show I'm not a total dickhead.... this is sort of what I do for a living as my "day job".... I manage the IT dept for a industrial equipment distributor (sort of like Grainger) and I'm in charge of the entire sales system (purchasing, inventory, shipping, invoicing, E-Commerce with B2B and B2C) for a $100 million company so I know what is and what is not possible. We sell close to a million different items and stock close to 50,000 of them across nine warehouses in six states, we serve everyone from shops as small as some of your glass studios to the Pentagon, NSA and state governments and could NEVER survive or keep face with the type of short-stock problems like this. There is no technical-limitation that is an excuse for this problem, it's a business-level issue.

[Dan Kooper]

It was a girl too! It basically says "sorry, I'm the one who wrote poop on your stuff. We were joking around in the warehouse and it wasn't suppose to be used. Here's the smallest milli we have (a fish I think?) and some stickers."

[arthurcameron]

I agree that ABR is my #1 glass supplier.

http://moviediablo.com/kaylila/upload/30/wso.jpg

[MUPH]

Thanks Bulletproof - since I'm just a small time/hobby newb it's nice to hear a similar opinion from a longtime pro.

To rub salt on the wounds of this current experience with the four line items being out-of-stock, I suggested four replacements yesterday at 1pm and I did not hear back until mid-day today!!! When I did, one of the replacement items was also out of stock and just like I said, I've lost yet another day - this order should have shipped yesterday and I'm at my day job right now - I don't have time to call and talk for 15 minutes about what I want.

For a company so geared towards "just give us a call to make your order" they sure don't return the courtesy and call us when there is a problem. The one time Mountain ever was out of stock on me (and I've placed probably 10x as many orders with them as ABR), they called me twice in an hour AND sent an email - just to ensure they could straighten out the problem and meet the 2:30pm same-day shipping deadline. THAT is top-notch customer service, not what ABR is providing in my situation.

And just like Bulletproof said, this will probably be my last order from ABR at least for glass anyway. Mountain doesn't always have every tube size and color that I need but I'd rather drive two hours to go to Whale or US-Tube than deal with this headache again.

and just a little background to show I'm not a total dickhead.... this is sort of what I do for a living as my "day job".... I manage the IT dept for a industrial equipment distributor (sort of like Grainger) and I'm in charge of the entire sales system (purchasing, inventory, shipping, invoicing, E-Commerce with B2B and B2C) for a $100 million company so I know what is and what is not possible. We sell close to a million different items and stock close to 50,000 of them across nine warehouses in six states, we serve everyone from shops as small as some of your glass studios to the Pentagon, NSA and state governments and could NEVER survive or keep face with the type of short-stock problems like this. There is no technical-limitation that is an excuse for this problem, it's a business-level issue.

You'll always attract more bees with honey. Venting about a problem you have with a company on a public forum will not solve your problem, nor will telling everyone what you do for a living. Maybe ABR just doesn't compare to your other dealings with the NSA, pentagon, or any other government acronym, but in the time it took you to write that post, you could have made the phone call and got your issue resolved.

I have only heard of a handful of people who have had problems with ABR that didn't get resolved, and they have all posted in this thread.

[blueburnsorange]

My issue is resolved in that I think that after three rounds of "we don't have it", we're good but your echo of "you should just call" does re-enforce in my point...

This is a review thread, right? Is there a more appropriate place to talk about good or bad experiences? Have I made any low blows or cheap shots? Have I damned ABR as a company or said I was never going to use them for anything? No, just not for glass-orders because that seems to be the weak spot.

I'm just giving my experience and based on some of the other comments it looks like this is a sore spot for a few people not just me and has cost them business in the past, so why not talk about it? It's not a witch hunt or a boycott and if they can get that resolved, I'd happily place more orders.

Sorry you don't like what I do for a living but it is relevant to the topic at hand. It might not be a cheap or quick fix but this problem can be resolved.

[daveabr]

I don't mind the criticism. When we make mistakes, we learn from them. Only way to get better. We do make them, but we always make our mistakes right. I will say that our guys are trained to call and email every time something is out of stock. I will remind everyone of this since you say they didn't do both this time. If you want to PM me your phone number, I can make sure we have the correct contact info on file for you. That happens sometimes too. Sometimes someone may have mis-keyed the number or we have an old one.

We really do a lot of volume here, and our guys are very busy during the day. They can't always get back to people right away. But, they do get back to you as quickly as they can. Sometimes a guy or gal will get tied up with a walk in customer for 2-3 hours. So, things happen. We can only hope for understanding in that respect. But, we also understand if you are frustrated. I'm not sure what glass was out of stock, but sometimes that is out of our hands. I just went over a Purchase Order we have with GA from 9 months ago that they haven't filled. I just had to cancel an order on a guy today because all he ordered was Grape Tubing, which we have been waiting on for a year. Several tubing sizes are the same way. We certainly have had it on order if we are out of it. So, this stuff happens for a multitude of reasons. We have no reason not to do all we can to keep stuff in stock, or fill anyone's order as quickly as possible. We have a great auto reorder system that doesn't let us not have things on order we are low or out of. I'd be willing to bet we have the most extensive on hand inventory in the lampwork biz. So, we really do our best to service everyone best we can. We do that everyday. When stuff gets screwy, we always strive to make it right also. So, thanks for the good, the bad, and the ugly. It all either makes us smile, or makes us work harder to do better.


Thanks

Dave

[daveabr]

I'm also always willing to deal with issues here or anywhere, whereas other companies flat out will not deal with it here in the public forum. So, if anyone ever has an issue, you know where to find me. I monitor our activity here pretty much daily.

[cheesebox]

Dave's "best price" on most glass is great, i am co localand cant get glasscraft to match any of your prices, they try but they only ever get "close" and wont actually meet them.and whenever youbuy bulk dave hooksit up with a nice discount that beats out everyone else i've used.. generally even after shipping/freight

[H1JACK3R]

This is a relatively small community, people build relationships with suppliers. If you can't take fifteen minutes out of the day to call, t's only going to hurt your bottom line. It's not like ABR is some under staffed big box store.

Can't beat the prices or service.

[blueburnsorange]

Dave, thanks for looking into it.

I do have my phone number listed on my account but my order shipped late yesterday and it was never my intention to try to deal with my specific order publicly via this thread. I was only using it to provide review of the experience, please don't think I'm looking for discounts or freebies by saying what I'm saying. I haven't asked for any here nor in my emails to the CSR.

I agree 100% that you have the most extensive selection of glass out of all the online retailers - that's why I would like to go to ABR first, that's not the issue.

My issue is that you say "we have a great auto reorder system that doesn't let us not have things on order we are low or out of"... but you ran out of things listed on the website three times on me since Friday and several other times since November (my first ABR order).

I do know what it's like to be at the mercy of vendor shipping delays and how they can affect lead times regardless of your ordering method (EOQ,min/max, human, etc...) but like I said originally, running out of stock happens, it's not my beef. My problem is that website consistently shows stuff as available and allows us to pay for stuff when it really isn't there.

[daveabr]

Wow, thanks for bringing that to our attention. The website is supposed to deliver a red text message at the bottom of our screen notifying you that is low or out of stock. I've emailed our web people to get that fixed.

[blueburnsorange]

I'm glad it can be resolved easily!

[olddog]

We've really tackled the shipping times over the last year. We've doubled our picking staff this year to combat the insanely high volume these days. Things happen, but for the most part delays are unusual. We call and email if out of stock. We wait no more than 24 hours before we just ship it.
WOW you're shipping must've stunk back then. I ordered something on Thursday and asked if it can be shipped as soon as possible, it just shipped today Tuesday

[standard28]

I've had no problems with ABR but I did just need to order color and went with MT Glass. I absolutely hate paying to join a color club and that was the only way to get a discount with ABR. MT Glass gives discounts with quantity lb orders. I order over 5lbs and got 20% off and they shipped it that day. Have to say same day shipping and no color club was a win for MT Glass...

[istandalone24/7]

rule of thumb for me....if i NEED an item within a certain time frame, i'll use mtn glass they ship same day (if ordered before 1pm) but if i have time i'll shop around for the best price....which may or may not be abr.

[daveabr]

standard28......We offer discounts for bulk orders everyday. Color club is for the folks who order 2-3 lbs at at a time or less, and still usually way than more pays itself back in a year. Always ask when ordering in bulk, we are happy to work with you.


olddog......not sure what the issue was, but if you 'd like to PM me or call with your name/order# I'd be happy to look into it. we are running same or next day right now, have been for weeks, since after the holidays. sometimes we get hammered and are a day or so behind. but there's usually something else involved if it takes a few days.

[daveabr]

Also, we do orders in the order they come in. We always ship "soon as possible" If you pay for overnite, 2 days, or 3 day express shipping, you go straight to the front. Other than that, we have to be fair, we can't ship soon as possible over other orders just because someone asks. Fair is fair.

[daveabr]

Also, the red lettered low inventory warnings are back and functional on the site. Somehow the setting had gotten turned off.

[blueburnsorange]

Dave,

Rush/priority orders aside, committing to an "orders before (certain time) will ship same-day" policy like Mountain has would go a long way to reassure people vs "asap". Is something like that possible for ABR?

[daveabr]

We do far more volume, and just can't guarantee it. We get 100 orders a day sometimes. I'd love to, but we carry far more inventory, and thus service a much more expansive amount of the industry. It's a bit different for us. What we can do is continue to offer the biggest inventory out there, and almost always the best prices. I will also continue to be an accessible resource inside of a supplier for everyone here. Like I said, a lot of times, it is same day, but we can't pigeon hole ourselves into guaranteeing it. Also, we couldn't do the massive sales that run for 2 weeks at a time instead of 2 days, and keep up if we guaranteed same day everyday.

[daveabr]

Thanks to everyone for the kind rep/messages. It's stuff like that which keeps me posting the exclusive tubing, and TMP only deals all the time. It would be much easier to call 3 or 4 people and they'd buy it all every time. But, this place is special in it's own way, and I hope I treat it that way. Proven time and time again by the kindness reciprocated to me here. So, thanks!

[Nomad]

Are you guys out of .999 silver? Because it somehow never made it in the box of glass I just ordered. Last time that happened you guy were all out of the milli my customers loved. Well I paid for it and I never got it. Can you hook me up with some silver?

[Nomad]

ABR is the best! They always fix the problem if there is one. I would order more stuff if I could.

[Prekillcrum]

ABR has REALLY stepped up their game on delivery -- Great job!

[PyroChixRock]

I dropped the ball on getting Dave the address for his TMP auction donation, and when I did he offered to send it out overnight or 2 day. Lucky for me, the buyer didn't need it right away and was ok with ground, but it showed up on a 2 day time frame anyway! Thanks Dave for getting it out so fast and helping me make it right. :D

[Reflection]

I've always had good service from ABR. Never have any shipping issues anymore, haven't in quite a long time, however when there was, the problem was remedied efficiently. I order pretty much all of my glass from them. Tools as well, although I also get tools from Mountain.

[RedToroBoro]

I have used them three times. Had a problem every time and always was the "new guys fault", and "do you now how many orders we do a day?" or flat out not told the truth to CTA. Has cost me wasted money every time

Have used mountain MANY times (and others). NEVER A PROBLEM.

[Nomad]

I order everything from abr from my torch to most of my glass. Except I buy 25.4 mm heavy wall corning pyrex from wale. Saves me time and money on shipping. I also ordered my kiln from trevsglass because it is am AIM. But other then that I buy everything from abr. I bought my metal tools from The Studio in the Corning Museum of glass. I have used ABR exclusively in the past though.

[Captain Glass]

I've used them a few times and I've had a different problem every time. This last time I ordered a case of 44 and when it got to me it was VERY messed up. I know this is probably not only on them but the shipping company as well but when I've ordered through other companies my glass has never arrived like that.

Another time my shop mate and I ordered a bunch of different things and colors and they charged the card and sent everything out, we were charged less than what we were told but that was because they were back ordered on almost a third of the colors we were trying to buy, we ordered through the phone not online. the issue was we weren't notified of it and when we got the package and did our inventory we had to figure it out ourselves and then call to confirm. And we would've just bought other colors or tools since we were already paying for the shipping. When I've ordered through other companies I was both emailed and called when something was back ordered.

Abr has a great selection, nice and helpful staff, awesome sales, and things other companies don't, I just always second guess when I order if I want to have simple things like this happen.

[Nomad]

It does suck that things get back ordered from abr. But there is a thing on the shopping cart that tells you so. I just don't order it if it is out of stock. They did fuck up my milli for a wile. There was an issue with if I was getting billed or not. It was very confusing. But Dave recommended that I go to the source, the milli maker. So I found the guys he mentioned and now I am fine with the milli.
Other then the milli issue I never have problem with them.

[Nomad]

There catalog is bigger then everyone's too. I like ordering a variety of things from abr. They carry a lot of stuff. But no Corning and no AIM.

[Nomad]

I also might feel good about ABR because after complaining a little bit they sent me a new 1/2 oz of .999 silver beads for free after the last issue I had with not being able to find the silver in the box they sent me. Plus I got a holiday card from them. So I am really happy with ABR right now.

[Captain Glass]

I ordered on the phone so there wasn't a shopping cart to tell me things were back ordered, my issue isn't with things being back ordered I understand that it happens the issue is not getting an email or phone call and us just having to figure it out. We both thought well damn if they would've called or told us before shipping we would've just gotten other colors or tools and they would've gotten our money lol.

[Nomad]

I only use the website now. I got there catalog. It is huge. I don't really call anyone anymore. It is all website stuff now. I can't keep all the catalogs anymore. Using the internet is way easier.

[hashmasta-kut]

i vowed years ago to never buy from ABR again, but i broke down and got a couple pounds of pink slyme one time, and it came pretty fast. I will only shop ABR if i really need something and no one else has it.

[jr23]

I like em. I only live two hours away . I can't belive I have not just drove over. One of these days

[blueburnsorange]

Great experience with ABR this week - my kiln died on Sunday and I ordered an F-120 from another company on Sunday night but their inventory was wrong and they were actually out of stock and Paragon is on backorder until med-Feb. :bangHead:

I called ABR early Monday... I don't think you guys were even open yet but someone (James?) answered, physically went to go check stock for me, called me right back to tell me I'm getting the last one on the shelf. It was on the freight truck and out the door, same day! Great customer service!

I think it will probably show up tomorrow, can't wait to get started with it!

[daveabr]

I appreciate all the feedback as always guys. I think our ship times have really gotten quicker. We are same day on most in stock orders. Back ordering sucks, but is something we can't always do a lot about. One thing about carrying a lot of items like we do, is things do go out of stock. It's not just tools either, frit and color rod has been in short supply lately for a lot of certain colors. The industry is growing rapidly, and manufacturers are still catching up as well. We have things back ordered from our vendors all the time. When we don't have it in stock, it's not because we haven't ordered it from our vendor. It's a constant struggle, so we understand the frustration over back orders. But, like was mentioned above, the shopping cart does display a message if something is low or out of stock. So, that can be helpful if ordering online.

It's good to see most of the negative here is from folks in the past. I think we do a good job getting things right if they go wrong these days. Seth in our office is super helpful if you ever have a problem. Of course you guys here are ALWAYS welcome to contact me directly. If you are a reasonable person, or even if you're the guy that calls up F bombing, we can get through about any issue I could imagine. You guys make it happen, and we thank you very much!

[Nomad]

I love ABR. I am buying all my glass from them now. I still buy milli from artists and I like to get stuff off this site. But for the most part I have been able to just wait for sales at abr. I have been buying 100 lbs of Asian clear at a time for 40% off. It is basically free shipping for me though.

[Nomad]

I do not like the injection foam. I mean it works good for shipping. My only problem is that I don't know how to through it away. There is so much it does not fit in the trash can. I kind of miss the old packing peanuts. I could recycle them myself. Now I have to buy them for a lot of money. My only complaint.....

[LarryC]

I do not like the injection foam. I mean it works good for shipping. My only problem is that I don't know how to through it away. There is so much it does not fit in the trash can. I kind of miss the old packing peanuts. I could recycle them myself. Now I have to buy them for a lot of money. My only complaint.....

I use to buy from ABR when there was no fitted foam. So much damaged glass that I switched to MGA because their packing was so superior. Problem solved 100%. I love the foam.

[Nomad]

I have never had any problem with ABR shipping before and I order all the time. I would not switch to MGA.

[Nomad]

I left my boxes outside for the garbage man. I guess he took the foam and the recycle guy took the cardboard. So it is all good.
Would be nice to not have to buy so many peanuts though. I pay $4.49 a cubic foot for peanuts.

[hashmasta-kut]

thats your reason to switch right there, MGA often uses peanuts.

[Hung Low]

Mga uses those peanuts made out of soybeans. They will dissolve in water or they are edible. Taste like chessy puuf wo the cheese.
I like Mga cause I'm in Charlotte and usually get my stuff overnight for standard shipping prices. I need to save up and drive the 3 hours and load up sometime.

[istandalone24/7]

the best thing to do with those "soybean" peanuts is throw a few handfuls in a bag and tell your buddy that they're "white cheddar cheese puffs".
they're totally non toxic, and it's worth it when you see their faces :devilish:

[Nomad]

I get the green biodegradable peanuts at staples for more money. I switched to a closer pack and ship store.

[Nomad]

The anti static kind are best.

[LarryC]

thats your reason to switch right there, MGA often uses peanuts.

Never had the peanuts when ordering cases from mga. Got three cases of 22mm clear rod last order. Double boxed with blow in foam. That is how it has always come for me from mga. Peanuts are not good protection when the shipper trashes the box like often happens.

[paulsafo]

i just got my second amazingly sassy response from Ross over at ABR. this guy doesn't read my email, asks me for info i already gave him, then answers my question in regards to the kiln controller that i am trying to research in the most condescending manner possible. i was shocked. i let it go and here we are several weeks later placing another $380 order and he comes back with some passive aggressive bullshit response in regards to their easter egg hunt details that ARENT listed unless you go through the blog again and find the eggs again to read the promotion again (which i did because i didnt feel like waiting for the response anyways)

i received his email after i have already placed my order now i am thinking about canceling it and just shopping elsewhere. i like abr for their frequent promotions and large selection, but i dont deal with condescending idiots who aren't grateful for taking my money in quantity.

that guy needs a vacation, a new job, or a girlfriend fuckin stat.

dave you have been nothing but helpful thank you for your professional and friendly attitude. talk to your guy please. he's a complete prick to your repeat customers.

[Mike_Aurelius]

^^ Ummmm...Ross owns the company. Not excusing him, just letting you know.

[oG Glocc Coma]

I must say I have never had a good experience with Ross either, Went to ABR booth in Denver for Champs in 2013 and he completely blew me off and wouldn't respond to my questions on materials that he was at the show to SELL, instead he chatted with his friends about people at the show loud enough that i could hear that he wasn't even doing business! Left a real bad taste in my mouth for tradeshow booths and ABR in general. I've only ordered ABR a handful of times, and when I do have issues(...and i've had issues) I send a PM directly to DaveABR and let it get handled from there. DaveABR is a good guy and gets shit done but he is surrounded by bad service team; The people on the phones don't know much, Ross is a tool, and Dave I've only been able to contact via Internet.

For these reason I have been utilizing every other website I can think of before I even check to see if ABR has it.

[hammer]

I've emailed Ross a few times about the ABR Lathe and always felt like he was hiding something. Other than that he's been great to me.

[istandalone24/7]

^^ Ummmm...Ross owns the company. Not excusing him, just letting you know.

all the more reason for him to act like he runs a business that depends on good customer service and good word of mouth. considering all the crap i hear about them, it's surprising that they're still in business.

[daveabr]

Guess I'm not sure how you ended up with an email trail about product with Ross. He is in and out so often, that he tries to just stay out of that stuff anymore. And emailing him would be liking trying to email the owner of any company. It's hard to get through, and get timely responses on a customer service level. Probably why it comes off as short. He has 1000 emails a day to get through. Not excusing, just saying, an owner is usually not the guy to get service from unless it's a tiny one or two person operation. Which is better for everyone really. Business owners shouldn't ever be customer service, as things can get personal quickly. No offense Mike, but you know what I mean.

I really try to handle as much of this as I can. But, I realize not every experience is going to be a good one and there is sometimes clean up duty. So, I will relay this and see if I can't help your situation paulsafo. Feel free to email me dave@abrimagery.com or PM me here if you need further assistance. I am also on the road often, and am hard to get by phone these days. Though, we have increased staff in sales this month and are sending new folks out on the road this year to take some of that load off me some. So, hopefully I can handle more customer situations. I will stick up for my guys here though. Our guys who are answering phones are not lampworkers, true. But, it's very hard in this area to find lampworkers willing to sit and answer phones all day. Any of you guys want a job talking glass all day but not blowing glass all day? Please step right up!!! I'm serious about that. HA! So, we are teaching them. But, when you spend all day on the phone, it's hard to find torch time to teach. And at 5:00, these guys want to head home to the family. So, it is what is there. They do the best they can. All solid dudes here. We have a great family of people.

To address the spray foam packing.... We were told by UPS and Fed Ex here at our hub several years ago that if we didn't use the spray foam on full length tubing, they'd stop paying are claims. We use biodegradable peanuts and bubble wrap in all of our small box orders. But, for shipping full length tubing, the spray foam ensures a paid claim in the instance of damage. So, we do it to protect us and you. If you are absolutely set on peanuts, just tell us when you order. Happy to accommodate that request. We don't know if you don't ask.

We have seen significant growth for several years, and have 1000s of very happy customers. But, no one goes without road bumps. I've always had a policy of transparency and will address these things in a public online forum, which other companies have a policy against. Which I feel is basically saying, we only bury our shit, we don't pick it up. So, I'm happy to take all comers with praise or criticism. It all goes into forming the next policy or change. So, know that I do monitor this board, and take all members, professional acting or rude, seriously and with respect. You guys can always reach out to me here if you need anything. Thanks for the kind words about me, but I do apologize if anyone feels like they've gotten bad service from us. We've overcome a whole lot of that, but always improvement to be made.

Thanks everyone,

Dave

[paulsafo]

^^ Ummmm...Ross owns the company. Not excusing him, just letting you know.

good to know. i'll go elsewhere. i was under a different impression since dave actually seems to care and ross.. well.. i've spoken my piece. way to go dave!

[paulsafo]

Guess I'm not sure how you ended up with an email trail about product with Ross. He is in and out so often, that he tries to just stay out of that stuff anymore. And emailing him would be liking trying to email the owner of any company.





i tried emailing the info@abrimagery.com and it came back with a delivery failure so i emailed the other contact on the same page rossglass. it was almost asking me to take my money elsewhere. i would expect such from an unhappy underling, but finding out he is the business owner now im extra pissed. thanks again dave you are truly helpful. tell ross to take some time off and re evaluate how he talks to ANYONE not just customers. both times i talked to him were because the information on the contact AND product page was incorrect.


rinse. and spit. this will be my last order through ABR.

[Mike_Aurelius]

Business owners shouldn't ever be customer service, as things can get personal quickly. No offense Mike, but you know what I mean.

None taken, however, in many small businesses (like mine), the owner is not only customer service, but accounting, engineering, production, QC, etc etc etc.

It's easy to say "shouldn't ever" but the truth is, it is more likely than you'd want to believe.

[daveabr]

Absolutely. We were once that way. Used to be just me and Ross basically. But, now we have 40 people, and with that comes a lot of paperwork and things that take an owner away from the service side of the business. I'm just saying that usually business owners are quicker to get defensive than say a customer service rep. It's easy to take it personal. Again, it's no excuse for an owner to talk to a customer publicly or privately in a non servicing manner.

[LarryC]

To address the spray foam packing.... We were told by UPS and Fed Ex here at our hub several years ago that if we didn't use the spray foam on full length tubing, they'd stop paying are claims. We use biodegradable peanuts and bubble wrap in all of our small box orders. But, for shipping full length tubing, the spray foam ensures a paid claim in the instance of damage. So, we do it to protect us and you. If you are absolutely set on peanuts, just tell us when you order. Happy to accommodate that request. We don't know if you don't ask.

Dave

Good to hear you guys starting using blown in foam. I once received a double box from you guys with peanuts. UPS had mangled it and ripped the end of the outer off. The case was opened and there were razor Sharp broken 20mm rods hanging out.

[paulsafo]

Absolutely. We were once that way. Used to be just me and Ross basically. But, now we have 40 people, and with that comes a lot of paperwork and things that take an owner away from the service side of the business. I'm just saying that usually business owners are quicker to get defensive than say a customer service rep. It's easy to take it personal. Again, it's no excuse for an owner to talk to a customer publicly or privately in a non servicing manner.

here's how it should have gone - "thanks for your inquiry, i've cc'd ____ who can help you with this. thank you and have a nice day"

bingo bango you continue to get my thousands of dollars a year.

[gomilobster]

I have had some excellent service from ABR, always actually. Even with mistakes in orders they have always made it right for me. Sometimes people have shit going on in their lives, be it personal, business stress, etc. It doesn't excuse potential bluntness or what seems like rude responses, but keep in mind you are dealing with humans, not robots and they are complex. This industry is small, and often times someone might have no clue that you were invested in really talking to them or that something they did one time you met them colored your opinion of them for a long time, etc.

Anyways just saying I enjoy the hard work and the service ABR gives me. People are people n stuff, don't let it ruin your day or anything so long as things get resolved. If I ever move back to the midwest and need a job... maybe I will come a knockin' on ABR's door haha. /me ends possibly silly and useless rant.

[paulsafo]

I have had some excellent service from ABR, always actually. Even with mistakes in orders they have always made it right for me. Sometimes people have shit going on in their lives, be it personal, business stress, etc. It doesn't excuse potential bluntness or what seems like rude responses, but keep in mind you are dealing with humans, not robots and they are complex. This industry is small, and often times someone might have no clue that you were invested in really talking to them or that something they did one time you met them colored your opinion of them for a long time, etc.

.

I agree. There have been times I have been blunt when it wasn't warranted, but this was two separate questions, couple weeks/months apart, separate email addresses. This leads me to believe this is how this guy always is. Unfortunately he was the only working email address on the contact us page. Very unfortunately. I'm not here to shit on abr again, this is only this guy driving me to venom, but I guess I'm old fashioned in a sense that I give a fuck about how I run my business and what my customers are saying to my OTHER CUSTOMERS.

I am very involved in entrepreneurship and I have helped quite a few startups in my short career-none of them glass, some of them we're raw materials supply though for the printing industry. Many of them get to right about here(Abr) and then lose because they pitfall into thinking who cares about one customer...

Aaaaand sunk.

Gomilobster I don't want you to think I stuck it to anyone. I kinda went there too thinking he's just going through some shit but still no excuse.

My reply, sadly, to a business owner:

"Thanks for the passive aggressive response that's highly professional. I already ordered the items yesterday after I re clicked through the eggs to re read the promotion. Hope whatever is eating you clears up this is the second response from you that was really kind of rude. Have good one. "

Idk what else to say other than he better figure that shit out quick. I only do business with people I like. I think the point is to make your customers like you. I think. Says the small business consultant.

[paulsafo]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/22/e648a06d878fb7ab89919c8a017394cb.jpg

If nothing else, this was worth a chuckle.

[Nomad]

Mountain glass has really gone out of there way to try to get my business. But like I told them I got the MGA sales flier this month and it has nothing good in it. ABR sales are stuff I actually need. Plus Dave is a good dude. So that is why I stick with ABR.

[paulsafo]

I second that Dave is a good dude. Here here! To Dave! 🍻

[pepper]

well I ordered some valves for a Nortel top fire back in the spring ,,,abr is like 50miles from me and after a week and a half I tracked no luck ,,,got a package two days later and it was two bowl push's NOT my vales well I called and the guy I talked to was kind of a smart a$$..well they send my stuff to wrong person so it took another week to finely I got my valves the oxy vale was new and the gas was used the way I know it was it was filthy ..and I had to take the bowl pushes to town to mail back ... after that I will never do any more dealings with them .......that's my experience with them...................I hope you have better luck than I did..............................................p epper

[Mike_Aurelius]

You live 50 miles from ABR and never thought to just hop in the car and drive there?

Sorry, but for a first post, this sounds extremely unlikely.

[CheeseNip]

He shouldn't have to hop in the car and drive an hour there and an hour back to fix their screw up. I wouldn't have either if I were him, so I really don't find it too unlikely.

I live in Indiana, about 3 hours away from ABR, and the 3 times I've ordered from them, it has taken around 2 weeks for me to receive a package. 2 of the 3 times I had backordered products, and was never told about it until I received the package missing said items and called them. No note on the receipt, no phone call before shipping to see if I wanted to substitute with something else, nothing. They've sent me a few wrong colors, and the odds I bought from them when I first started should have clearly been seconds. I know cause I still have some of them sitting in my box of unusable glass.

I switched to another company almost 600 miles away, and they get me my packages in two days, every time, they let me know before shipping if stuff is backordered so I can substitute if I wish, Have been really good about sending me the right stuff, and I have never had a quality issue as bad as some of the stuff ABR has sent me.

When I've had this much issue with a company, I'm not gonna waste my time to fix their screw ups, and honestly don't blame pepper if he felt the same way, even being that much closer than I am.

[hashmasta-kut]

It would sound extremely unlikely if it was mountain glass he was talking about!

[Mike_Aurelius]

He shouldn't have to hop in the car and drive an hour there and an hour back to fix their screw up. I wouldn't have either if I were him, so I really don't find it too unlikely.

That wasn't my point.

Needs valves for torch, vendor is 50 miles away. Hop in car, get there in an hour, 15 minutes at store, back home in an hour **WITH THE RIGHT STUFF**, problem solved.

Still not buying it.

[Nomad]

If I lived 50 miles from abr I would buy 4 cases of glass on sale and fill the trunk of the car! No shipping costs must be nice. Glass is really heavy. 49.5 lbs a case I believe.
I think abr is the best! I love the new sales!


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[Cosmo]

Yeah. I wish ABR was closer. I buy from that other place in NC because I can drive there, or if I have them ship it I get it the next day. But I do buy from ABR when I can't get it from the other place and have never had a single issue with them.

I got an order that was wrong once. I don't hold that against companies. Mistakes happen. It's how they deal with the mistakes that forms my opinion. It wasn't a lot of glass so they told me to just keep it and they sent out the correct glass to me and I got it a couple days later. That's all I could ask for.

[Nomad]

ABR still has the best prices on Asian glass. But everyplace is selling it for really cheap. I wonder if it is all the same stuff?
I have tested out the glass at ABR before I feel confident in buying a lot of it.
I'm fully stocked. All my glass is from abr.
The small boxes are cases of asian joints I got from Glasscraft. They don't sell them anymore for cheap. So I filled the boxes with asian joints from abr. I don't pay more then $1 each.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/02/896049429b5399ae1d3c6186896030d1.jpg

[pepper]

every thing is fine now dave fixed it I am good with them ...thank u pepper
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[Nomad]

If your story is true they will hook you up. I never had a problem.
I just placed another order also.

[FifDeez]

Odd, their customer service has always been very nice and helpful to me. Did you get names of who was rude?

[pepper]

Odd their customer service has always been very nice and helpful to me. Did you get names of who was rude?
No I did not I was so hot when I got up there and you guys told me that they were going to help me I didn't get the guys name he might have told me but I didn't pay no attention to that I was so pi$$ed steam was coming out my ears...

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[FifDeez]

So you drove there and you say because it was 4:05 they made you leave? Is 4 there close time I guess?

[Nomad]

Ouch


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[Nomad]

I just got a $100 color tubing order fedex to me fast. Never been there. But I get good service on the web and the phone.


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[Swim]

No I did not I was so hot when I got up there and you guys told me that they were going to help me I didn't get the guys name he might have told me but I didn't pay no attention to that I was so pi$$ed steam was coming out my ears...

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If you were readily displaying anger, that says it all right there man

[hammer]

I was in Bloomington for the first time Friday but didn't have time to stop in at ABR. What I can say is Bloomington is an awesome town. IU is a beautiful campus.


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[istandalone24/7]

yeah if it's 5 minutes past closing time, i hate to say it but that's on you.

if you genuinely were mistreated, they will make it right, but you catch more with honey, etc.

[FifDeez]

Ya you say u got lost but did you plan to have time to look around inside the store if you wouldn't have gotten lost? Sounds a lil like you were cutting it close on time even if you were not lost. I'm just saying simply if I was an hour away I wouldn't wait till 90 minutes before closing time to head that way. Attitude on each side left out of it .

[daveabr]

Here's the deal. We have posted on our front door, and tell people all the time, we have walk in hours of 9-12 and 1-4. That gives the warehouse crew a lunch break. And after 4 is when we are busiest getting orders out, and tying up loose ends. We have had countless people walk in at 4:45 and want to shop for 3 hours. We can't accommodate that. Our crew all have families and other things they are committed to outside of work hours. So, we made those hours to protect them from ever feeling stuck helping someone when their kid may need picked up from after school care or whatever it may be. This time of year, a lot of us play softball after work in our local league. We gotta go at 5. Just another example of why we have those hours.


That being said, if someone shows up after 4 and wants to shop, we try to take it as it comes. An understanding attitude from the customer that we are making special efforts is always the best way to ensure our guys want to help you. If we have an available employee, and we aren't swamped at the moment, we can try to accommodate. We could ask, "Hey, how long do you need? Because we have 20 minutes for you, tops" But, most days, we are swamped at that time, and we don't even have that to spare. Shipping orders will always be our number 1 priority, and that is why we make sure we are focused on that the last hour before our couriers pick up at 5.

Also, we always tell people that if they call ahead, we can try to inquire with the staff if someone can stay late, or at least give them time to prepare for a late day walk in. And if someone places an order ahead of time, we allow pick ups of those orders after 4. The warehouse can get it ready earlier in the day, and you can just pick it up and be on your way quickly. But, that is different than dedicating an employee to someone for an hour or more who just walked in the door in the midst of our guys being super busy.

Anyhoo, in the spirit of good service, we have offered Mr. Pepper free shipping on an order to make up for the product he was unable to get when he came here, which he took us up on. And I think this is all settled down now. We always try to make sure people are satisfied, regardless of what caused the issue. While some things are indeed irreconcilable for one or both sides, a simple gesture here should smooth things out and I think we have an understanding going forward with our policies for walk ins with Mr Pepper.

[pepper]

If you are typing a ABR imagery in your GPS on your telephone there on your Maps Google Maps it will take you to the man's house not his business in which it's on the other side of town just about quite quite quite a little click away

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[pepper]

To everybody that if everything's cool now no big deal the did the right thing I'm very impressed with the way they handled it thank you very much .sorry if I caused anybody any inconvenience

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[brads]

If you are typing a ABR imagery in your GPS on your telephone there on your Maps Google Maps it will take you to the man's house not his business in which it's on the other side of town just about quite quite quite a little click away

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Hard to imagine how it's ABR's fault that you arrived after their posted closing time. Maybe you should have typed in the correct address and not just the business name? Or maybe left earlier to find the place if you'd never been there before? Neither GPS nor Google maps is flawless. I've sent 3 different map corrections to Google in just the last month - one of which was the local polling place for the Georgia primaries. I haven't bothered with several others I found that were wrong.

[mattholimeau]

Huh, generally, if you arrive at a store after the posted time of close, the door is locked, and there's no opportunity for customer to employee interaction. I can't see the original story - seems pepper removed it with an edit - but if the door is open and anyone can walk right in, despite business hours being over, I can definitely see how there's a possibility of fault on ABR's part - even if only the bad marketing this entails.

This does obviously look like a case of catching more with honey and the whatnot. But... why isn't the door locked at 4? Dave, your "we try to take it as it comes" approach, versus just locking the door at 4, seems to be ripe with potential problems, as you clearly indicate.

[pepper]

endnote fellows that the website says 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. that's what the website says so that's what I was going by

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[mattholimeau]

endnote fellows that the website says 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. that's what the website says so that's what I was going by

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Yep, I see that right on their contact us page. Good point. I hope they fix that, or at least clarify their distinction between the posted "business hours" and what Dave is calling "walk-in hours". Definitely some confusing marketing there.

[mattholimeau]

Not that I have any right to tell you how to run your business, hahahahah. But this is the internet, so I'm going to anyway.

[brads]

When we make mistakes, we learn from them.

Apparently not fast enough...

I just happened back across this thread again for the first time since my other post, and now realize that I owe you an apology, pepper. I was badly mistaken in my original assessment of who was to blame. There is no question it was ABR's fault. I didn't realize they had a 5pm closing time posted on their website. Even worse, I just checked and their contact page STILL states their closing time is 5pm. How the hell is a customer who has never been there before supposed to know that there is a sign on the front door that says 4pm is the deadline for walk-ins, if the website says they're open until 5:00? WTF, are customers who have never been there supposed to be psychic and know that an hour prior to the stated closing time on their website the doors will get locked? Seems like a shitty way to run a business.

So you were absolutely right and had every right to be pissed when they shut the door in your face an hour before their advertised closing time. Even more so since the reason you drove there in the first place was due to their screw-up of your order.

Please accept my apology, pepper. I was wrong. You were right. And ABR looks like shit in this - especially since, nearly 3 weeks later, they STILL haven't fixed the page on their website that caused the closing time confusion.

[pepper]

It's all good but there was a thing with a valve .that I was not satisfied with so that was #1 when I got the valves the oxy was clean as a whistle and the other one appeared to be used to have oxidation from propane gas so I pay the new prices they were late that really wasn't a big deal but when I got it and have been used I didn't feel like sending that back I needed it and so I kept it but you know the next dealings with them wasn't good either so you know I guess I got one more time up at bat with him and if things don't work out better well then I guess I won't be playing ball in their field no more

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[pepper]

But they did fix it and you know I did the right thing as far as the shipping and all that but they still could have a very least took my order and my money that day ..

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