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  #61  
Old 05-29-2019, 07:16 PM
Foghorne Foghorne is offline
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Sorry about your experience. I love their picks. I used them for 12 years and hopefully another 12.
  #62  
Old 05-29-2019, 09:07 PM
steve223 steve223 is offline
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I love Red Bear picks. But I will admit they are a bit hard to deal with. I will still buy and use there picks. That being said Charmed Life Picks are just as good and Scotts customer service is outstanding.
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  #63  
Old 05-29-2019, 09:20 PM
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justonwo justonwo is offline
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The return policy was certainly worded ambiguously, so I guess I can understand the OP’s issue.

I’ve had many interactions with Dave Skowron over the years and they have all been overwhelmingly positive. I use his thumbpicks exclusively. In fact, my very first Red Bear is still my primary pick. It has 9 or so years of use and shows no wear at all.

At one point, Dave sent me a prototype for free just to get my feedback.

You have to understand these picks are made to order. My guess is that Dave doesn’t really intend to have them returned. He’s a good guy, in my experience, and I think you probably caught him on a bad day.

In the end you still got your money back.
  #64  
Old 05-30-2019, 07:43 AM
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Wolfram Wolfram is offline
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I've refrained from commenting so far, but will post a couple thoughts.

It is incredibly hard running a very small business like this, with one or two people filling every role from business, sales, production, customer service and making the tea. Having an 'off day' or not dealing with something appropriately translates to your whole business's reputation - not just 'a bad experience with one of your staff'. So, noted that there has been a lapse in customer service here that sounds like it definitely should not have happened, and I wouldn't want to speculate as to the reason behind it. But don't forget that, testament to the fact they have been in business for many years, there are also happy customers and experiences! I'm glad to hear that, in this instance, the OP did get a full refund eventually. As a one-man business in these days of forums and social media, it's terrifying to see how quickly the impact of a business mistake can be amplified - I've seen this unfold several times here on this forum.

Handmade picks are problematic. I like to be able to give my customers the chance to try them out to experience them and settle on what they like, but it's not really feasible to do this through retailers, who are focused on selling large quantities of items with a good profit margin. That's why I, and most boutique pick makers, offer a generous return policy - I'll take any of my products back for any reason within 30 days of receipt. To be honest, I very rarely get returns, and luckily my policy has only really been abused once. But for my customers I think it helps reduce the risk of buying something relatively expensive without trying it out first and for me, it's part of the trade-off between the cost of accepting returns and the cost of selling through a dealer. Other businesses structure themselves differently, and I can certainly entertain the view that some businesses need to be more restrictive if their return policies have been unfairly used.

Cheers,
David
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  #65  
Old 05-30-2019, 08:08 AM
jaymarsch jaymarsch is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfram View Post
I've refrained from commenting so far, but will post a couple thoughts.

It is incredibly hard running a very small business like this, with one or two people filling every role from business, sales, production, customer service and making the tea. Having an 'off day' or not dealing with something appropriately translates to your whole business's reputation - not just 'a bad experience with one of your staff'. So, noted that there has been a lapse in customer service here that sounds like it definitely should not have happened, and I wouldn't want to speculate as to the reason behind it. But don't forget that, testament to the fact they have been in business for many years, there are also happy customers and experiences! I'm glad to hear that, in this instance, the OP did get a full refund eventually. As a one-man business in these days of forums and social media, it's terrifying to see how quickly the impact of a business mistake can be amplified - I've seen this unfold several times here on this forum.

Handmade picks are problematic. I like to be able to give my customers the chance to try them out to experience them and settle on what they like, but it's not really feasible to do this through retailers, who are focused on selling large quantities of items with a good profit margin. That's why I, and most boutique pick makers, offer a generous return policy - I'll take any of my products back for any reason within 30 days of receipt. To be honest, I very rarely get returns, and luckily my policy has only really been abused once. But for my customers I think it helps reduce the risk of buying something relatively expensive without trying it out first and for me, it's part of the trade-off between the cost of accepting returns and the cost of selling through a dealer. Other businesses structure themselves differently, and I can certainly entertain the view that some businesses need to be more restrictive if their return policies have been unfairly used.

Cheers,
David
Thanks for your thoughts, David.

I am happy that the OP got some resolution and Red Bear Picks was able to perhaps improve communicating the return policy that works best for them. The two things that I appreciate most as a customer is good, clear communication and a willingness to come to a reasonable resolution when things go awry. It doesn't mean that everyone walks away happy but hopefully with at least a respect and understanding of where each party is coming from.

Whether online or brick and mortar, retail sales is still about relationships when it comes down to it, regardless if the transaction is a one time thing or develops into a repeat customer. And from my own experience I can attest to the fact that we human beings just do not get it perfectly right all of the time.

Best,
Jayne
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