Backorder Gripe

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Setec Astronomy

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SYNOPSIS: Why can't we be notified when our order is held up for a backordered item that showed as available when we ordered it?

I don't think I'm the first one to complain about backorders, I am having this problem now and I have had it some years ago, and I just don't understand why it is handled the way it is.

I have been anxiously awaiting the release of the new Optimum coatings (since they were announced at SEMA) and since they are finally in the store and there was a great DetailFest sale, I decided it was time to order.

I frequently procrastinate on my detailing supplies because I always try to talk myself out of new products since I have so much stuff on the shelf already. On the other hand, I don't want to forget/miss anything and have to go back later and pay more shipping or miss discounts. So at 10 minutes to midnight I decided to add some Carpro glass polishing pads to my order, to make sure I could get my windshield polished out before Opti-Glass, and hey, they were on sale, right?

So I know this was DetailFest weekend, I know everyone at Autogeek worked all weekend, I know there were probably tons of internet orders over the weekend because of DF and the sale, and I know that probably the internet orders that normally would have been filled on Saturday weren't because people were ordering on-site at DF. So I hoped my order would be shipped on Tuesday, because I presumed Monday was blown. I'm 3 day UPS from AG, so if it doesn't ship by Tuesday, I won't have it for the weekend.

So no tracking number on Tuesday...let's check my order status--in warehouse. After a little hunting, I see the Carpro glass pads are on backorder, and there is no "add to cart" button. Well it certainly didn't say that when I ordered, or I wouldn't have been able to order it (no button). Even if I could have ordered it, I probably wouldn't have, because of the likelihood it would hold up my order. I know what happens in warehouses, I totally get that when I pushed my "add to cart" button, the system thought the pads were there, but they weren't because of a miscount, an order fill error, Nick grabbing some pads for demo over the weekend (kidding Nick :P), etc. However, most items say right about the "add to cart" button, "usually ships same business day".

My problem is this--my order is held up because an item that was supposed to be in stock isn't--I have no idea how long this will hold up my order, because the product page doesn't have an expected date. I understand that AG probably takes 1000 orders a day (my estimate) and that personal contact with the customer in these instances is likely impractical.

What I am saying/asking is why doesn't Autogeek have some automated notification for these instances? An email explaining that "unfortunately one of the items you ordered is out of stock and you have the following options: 1) cancel the order 2) cancel the offending item and ship the rest of the order 3) ship the in-stock items now and pay XX extra shipping when the item comes in 4) wait until the backordered item comes in and ship all at once. Please contact us, if we don't hear from you we will choose option 4"

Yes I know I can call or send an email, and that the REaction of AG will be fantastic. But this isn't the end of the world for me to not get the stuff this week (although it would have been nice). I'm just wondering why AG isn't more PROactive in notifying the customer of a problem with the order. If I DID need the stuff this weekend, by the time I found out it didn't ship it was too late to do anything about it, other than pay for expedited shipping. (Honestly, I think if the customer orders something that is supposed to be in stock and it's not, I think AG should ship the in-stock portion of the order immediately and ship the backordered item for free when it comes in, but the customer should still be notifed right away that the order won't be complete as expected.)

IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE: I'm not posting this thread to have Meghan or Nick jump in and give me some special treatment. I'm trying to constructively complain about an issue that has happened to me before and IIRC to other members, and to ask if something can be done about it going forward, not for me or my order.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
What I am saying/asking is why doesn't Autogeek have some automated notification for these instances? An email explaining that "unfortunately one of the items you ordered is out of stock and you have the following options: 1) cancel the order 2) cancel the offending item and ship the rest of the order 3) ship the in-stock items now and pay XX extra shipping when the item comes in 4) wait until the backordered item comes in and ship all at once. Please contact us, if we don't hear from you we will choose option 4"
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Sorry for the unfortunate event, Setec.

to offer constructive criticism, i would edit suggestion #3 - the shipping should already be calculated when the order is placed.. when the offending (ha) item is shipped compared to the rest of the order is irrelevent IMHO.

Good suggestions none-the-less.

I'd put out another constructive suggestion to AG - if a product is being phased out, for example GG 2nd Gen 6" DA in favor of 3rd gen, a countdown to phase out, or effective date when product will no longer be available would be helpful.

Or another, we (AGO) know BOGO's are available for two weeks, and i'm assuming inventory is computerized at least as much as to track quantity - so how 'bout an "XX left in stock! Order Now!" line when inventory reaches critical quantity. Nothing like (in general, not AG specific) tracking an item to buy when funds accrue, only to go to pull the trigger and the deal is not offered.

/endrantthreadjack

Back to Setec's discussion.
 
Becciasm said:
to offer constructive criticism, i would edit suggestion #3 - the shipping should already be calculated when the order is placed.. when the offending (ha) item is shipped compared to the rest of the order is irrelevent IMHO.
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Well, two smaller shipments costs a lot more than 1 bigger shipment, so I'm trying to be fair. As I noted later on, I realy think the second shipment should be on the house if the item was purported to be in-stock at the time of the order.

Again, I'm not bent out of shape about this whole thing, just trying to improve things. At least AG removes the order button when the item is out of stock, I have seen other stores (not detailing) where you never really know if the item is actually still for sale at the time you order.
 
Technically it is illegal to be billed for anything until it is shipped, i.e. handed off to the carrier. Another massive online seller got in serious trouble for this a number of years ago.
 
Oh, you guys are sneaky...I just got a call about my order...that can't be a coincidence.

Thank you Autogeek for taking care of this in the manner I suggested (even with upgraded shipping), but again, I was bringing this up on a general basis because it seems like something that should be handled in some sort of automated way. My father used to paraphrase George Bernard Shaw to me, that the goal of civilization is to improve to some pinnacle (no pun intended), so I always try to make things work better and not worse or more complicated.

Sheesh now I'm embarassed because I got special treatment when I was trying to help all AG customers by helping AG improve. :(
 
TundraPower said:
Technically it is illegal to be billed for anything until it is shipped, i.e. handed off to the carrier. Another massive online seller got in serious trouble for this a number of years ago.
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That never happened to me, I've just had instances (not detailing products) where I was looking for something that was discontinued and thought I found stores that had it only to order and found out they didn't.

On a more general note, you younger guys have no idea how great we have it and how spoiled we are today. That we can order something, get a tracking number emailed to us and be able to track the exact location of a package on the internet. 20 years ago you couldn't get a tracking number on a ground package and they would have no idea where it was or when it would get to you.
 
In my opinion there should be a selection under your account settings in the online store.
You could select to ship order complete when all items are in stock and not to leave anything on back-order, or to ship what is in stock and place the unavailable item(s) on back-order and they will ship when available. This would create a default status for your profile leaving you with greater control of the unknown.

This would be a simple way to handle this issue. Otherwise I agree that having no knowledge of a product being out of stock, and holding up your entire order without notification, does not let you appropriately manage the shipping time frame for your order.

I realize that by calling CS they will ship what is in stock and the out of stock item when it arrives. However by the time you realize the issue at hand you have usually lost valuable time for package delivery.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Oh, you guys are sneaky...I just got a call about my order...that can't be a coincidence.

Sheesh now I'm embarassed because I got special treatment when I was trying to help all AG customers by helping AG improve. :(
Click to expand...

glad your situation got resolved, and as you've pointed out, it will be a better 'justice' to you if things get adjusted/improved for future users/orders.

:xyxthumbs:
 
Ok, now I'm really embarrassed--I just got this email:

"Thank you for your order. A product you have ordered has been placed on temporary backorder.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. If you have any questions, or if you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. We appreciate your business.

If you would like to split or adjust your order, please call us at the number below between the hours of 10 am – 6 pm, Monday- Friday or 10 am – 4 pm on Saturday. One of our helpful representatives will assist you. We apologize for any inconvenience and we will work to ship your order as quickly as possible.

We expect to ship your order in about 1 weeks."

Looks like the system I was asking for is already in place :o
 
Audi X2 said:
I realize that by calling CS they will ship what is in stock and the out of stock item when it arrives. However by the time you realize the issue at hand you have usually lost valuable time for package delivery.
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That was really my point, I know there have been other threads where people who detail for money had a detail scheduled and then unexpectedly didn't receive their order for needed products.

This was perhaps the worst weekend for Autogeek because of the demands of DetailFest and it's understandable that things are a little backed up.

Any statistics as to how many orders were filled on-site during DF and how many that added to a "normal" weekend of orders?
 
I had two items placed on temporary manufacturer back order last year. I received the email you just received the day after my order and it said the same thing. They shipped the rest of my order without issue and shipped the back ordered items separately when they came in. I didn't have to do anything on my part about the back order.
 
I have been told if you put a comment in the comment section this will cause them to manually review the order (rather than just processed to the fulfillers) since they read them so if you want AG to hold for any back order, I would suggest putting that note there.
 
I agree that AG needs to notify us if the order is not being shipped. I had that happen to me resently. Left a e-mail and did get part of my order shipped.
 
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